Amanda, her mind full of her own plans, had just temporarily set aside her thoughts when Hermione gently touched her arm.
"Look over there." Hermione nodded slightly, gesturing toward the Fifth Long Table.
Amanda looked in the direction Hermione indicated, where the Young Wizards at the Fifth Long Table were mostly mingling, happily chatting with one another.
"Letting the freshmen gather together before sorting certainly makes it easier for everyone to make friends."
Hermione leaned in with a smile and ate the mashed potatoes from Amanda's spoon, then nodded in satisfaction.
Mmm, it really does taste better than the mashed potatoes she served herself, and it has a quite nice sweetness to it~
"Everyone hasn't been sorted yet, so the differences between them aren't that big, making it easier to become friends." Cho Chang, sitting on Amanda's other side, sighed softly. Perhaps in the near future, they might see Gryffindors and Slytherins walking arm-in-arm.
"And by making friends now, even if the relationship between two houses is poor after sorting, it won't necessarily lead to them ending their friendship because of it." Marietta Eckmore added quietly.
"True," Hermione said with a sigh, turning back to look at the Slytherin Table with a somewhat speechless expression. "After all, not everyone is like Draco Malfoy, who managed to make people dislike him intensely even before being sorted."
"He's just spoiled," Penelope shook her head. "His personality is too arrogant; he doesn't know how to socialize properly."
Such a personality might be fine when encountering someone particularly soft-hearted, but Hermione, Harry, and Ron happened not to be that type.
They were very kind, but beyond that kindness, they were brave and spirited Gryffindors.
When Draco Malfoy's arrogance clashed with them, it was like throwing an ice cube into a hot pan—oil was bound to splatter everywhere.
"Plus, he was brainwashed too severely by pure-blood supremacy before." Cho Chang added a verbal jab at this Slytherin classmate.
"Even now, we can't be sure if he still supports pure-blood supremacy in his heart." Marietta Eckmore added, echoing her partner's words.
"Whether he still supports it or not is no longer important." Amanda's indifferent voice rang out as she also glanced back at the Slytherin Table.
"We only need the support of the Pure-blood families to show an attitude to everyone in the Wizarding World."
"To let everyone know that we are different from Voldemort, and to let everyone know that the Hermione behind me is someone who doesn't lack a firm hand, but is generally gentle and generous."
Hermione's face turned red at Amanda's words. She glanced at Amanda, who was explaining all this, and then quickly lowered her head to serve herself a bowl of the newly appeared cream soup.
"It's enough that our attitude is clear. As for whether they actually support pure-blood supremacy or Voldemort, it doesn't matter."
Amanda shrugged as she spoke, her expression one of utter indifference and relaxation.
To her, it didn't matter if the Pure-blood families supported Voldemort; it was something that fundamentally had no impact on the war.
The commercial influence of the Pure-blood families had been completely replaced by her. As for their combat power... to be honest, she didn't care much about it.
Otherwise, why would she let half of the Pure-blood families support Voldemort without interference? It was because there was no need to interfere; they couldn't do anything anyway.
It just so happens that if they want to support Voldemort, they can go ahead. After Voldemort's death, Hermione can use that as a reason to properly reduce the number of Pure-blood families, saving everyone from the annoyance of these guys bringing up pure-blood supremacy every so often.
"In any case, I think things are quite good now." After a mouthful of warm cream soup, Hermione squinted her eyes contentedly, the rich texture of the soup filling her mouth. "Hogwarts is supposed to be one single school; everyone should be part of one big whole. Having such strong house divisions isn't good."
"Mhm."
The other young witches agreed with this, and another small head with misty eyes that had just popped over also nodded in agreement.
"Luna!" Penelope cried out in pleasant surprise, reaching out to gently hug Luna around the waist. "I didn't see you just now."
"I thought I saw a Crumple-Horned Snorkack outside the Castle, so I went to chase it."
Luna's voice was distant and ethereal. As Penelope hugged her waist, she leaned in and kissed Penelope's neck without any shyness—a brief touch, of course.
A blush quickly rose to Penelope's face, and she lowered her head to take a small bite of bread.
Even though she was the senior, and several years ahead of Luna, it now looked as if Luna had her wrapped around her little finger.
Amanda, Hermione, Cho Chang, and Marietta Eckmore exchanged glances. The four girls moved their eyes away in a silent understanding and began to intentionally or unintentionally interact with their respective partners.
Seeing this, the other Ravenclaw Eagles habitually lowered their heads and looked at the long table in front of them to eat lunch.
Well, out of sight, out of mind... and their stomachs felt less full. Lunchtime ended, and the remaining time, as Headmaster Dumbledore had promised, was left entirely to the students.
The Young Wizards of Hogwarts now had an entire afternoon to explore Hogwarts, and for the freshmen who hadn't been sorted yet, this opportunity was incredibly exciting.
Almost as soon as the Great Hall doors opened again, the first-year students rushed out in groups of twos and threes, eager to begin their Hogwarts adventure.
Watching the cheerful backs of the first-years, Amanda showed a gentle smile. Hermione, standing beside her, turned her head and lightly pecked her cheek.
"You look beautiful when you smile."
As she whispered into Amanda's ear, she also "tasted" Amanda's soft and sweet-scented earlobe.
"Mmm..." Amanda let out an instinctive soft moan, then with a flushed face, she spoke in a slightly trembling voice, "Because seeing the first-years, they all look so happy."
"Yes," Hermione nodded, her expression turning serious as she looked at the open doors of the Great Hall. "I hope they can always be this happy, but that might be a luxury. After all, Voldemort..."
"He won't be able to cause any major trouble," Amanda shook her head expressionlessly, turning her head to also gently nibble on Hermione's ear. "I promise."
Gulp. Hermione swallowed hard. It took all the willpower she had gathered over the last decade or so to restrain herself, reminding herself that Amanda hadn't fully recovered yet and they couldn't go any further for now.
After taking several deep breaths, she barely managed to recover. She took Amanda's hand and responded with a voice that carried a hint of raspiness.
"Mhm, I know you always have a way. But I'll help deal with Voldemort too."
"Of course Hermione has to help," Amanda nodded as if it were obvious. "You're the one who will soon take office as the Minister for Magic. In the future, you'll be the one leading everyone in the British Wizarding World against Voldemort."
"My pleasure." Hermione arched an eyebrow and was led upstairs by Amanda.
Amanda led Hermione all the way up the stairs, heading toward the Library with a clear goal.
Headmaster Dumbledore said this afternoon was for them to spend as they pleased, so what was the best thing to do with such free time?
Naturally, it was reading and self-study. Amanda's brain didn't even need to think; it made this decision instinctively.
Having been at Hogwarts for four years and frequently visiting the Library, how could Hermione not realize where Amanda was going after being led for so long?
With a helpless smile, Hermione didn't stop her, but followed her with a doting grin. Now that Voldemort was back, it was always right for them to learn as much as possible.
In any case, she was there with Amanda; she would supervise Amanda to ensure she studied in moderation, and of course, resting her eyes was essential.
Although it was the first day back at Hogwarts, Madam Pince was still very professional and had opened the Library doors.
Amanda and Hermione walked into the Library under her unsurprised gaze. Hermione searched the outer shelves for a Charms book to read.
Amanda, however, walked without hesitation toward the Restricted Section, picked out a book that looked very creepy at a glance, and sat down at the spot where she and Hermione usually sat.
When Hermione also sat down next to Amanda, she couldn't help but frown at the book in Amanda's hands.
"Oh, Merlin... that book, is that book bleeding?"
She extended a finger and cautiously pointed from a distance to the gutter between the two pages of the open book. A dark red liquid was slowly seeping out, though it seemed to be blocked by something; no matter how much seeped out, it couldn't overflow from that single crack.
As for why Hermione was being so cautious... regardless of whether it was blood or not, she definitely didn't want her hand to touch it!
"No," Amanda glanced at the dark red liquid in the gutter, which she had firmly restricted with magic. "This is a special Liquid Curse Magic."
"Liquid Curse Magic?" The slight discomfort and repulsion in Hermione's heart were instantly swept away by curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. She blinked and looked at Amanda with great interest, waiting for her explanation.
Although she couldn't read the books in the Restricted Section herself yet, she could have Amanda explain them to her!
She was also very curious about those books.
"Yes," Amanda nodded expressionlessly and gave Hermione a brief introduction to Liquid Curse Magic. "Liquid Curse Magic, as the name suggests, involves converting curse magic into a liquid."
"After conversion, the liquid usually looks like dark red blood or pure black. This type of curse magic doesn't require the caster to know the target's name, appearance, or other conditions. As long as the target comes into contact with the liquid converted from the curse magic, they are cursed."
"Hiss." Hermione drew in a sharp breath as she looked at the open book in front of Amanda. Well, she could now understand why the books in the Restricted Section were forbidden for ordinary students; this was truly dangerous.
If it were a lower-year Young Wizard, or an insufficiently alert upper-year Young Wizard, they might very well end up cursed.
Having satisfied her curiosity, Hermione stopped disturbing Amanda's reading. She withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to seriously read the book in front of her, the "Encyclopedia of Defensive Charms." Many protective spells that the Professors had never mentioned were recorded inside.
Amanda spent the entire afternoon in serious study, though every hour she was pulled up from her seat by Hermione to walk around for five minutes to move her body and rest her eyes.
Madam Pince didn't have any objection to this; instead, she nodded in approval.
Developing good and healthy reading habits was just as important as the reading itself.
The afternoon passed in study for the two girls. When Amanda led Hermione to sit at the Hufflepuff Table again, the first-year students were already preparing for the sorting.
Before that, however, was the singing segment that the Sorting Hat performed every year.
In previous years, it would always use its lyrics to sing about the prominent characteristics of each house. This time, however, it sang about the past stories of the four founders of Hogwarts and issued a warning to the teachers and students present.
It warned that danger had already arrived and that Hogwarts needed to be united.
The Young Wizards in the Great Hall looked at each other, their hearts unable to help but feel a bit apprehensive because of the Sorting Hat's lyrics.
After that initial bit of apprehension, the Little Eagles and Little Badgers instinctively looked toward Amanda at the Ravenclaw Table. Seemingly sensing everyone's gaze, Amanda, sitting next to Hermione, softened her cold and solemn features, revealing a smile that couldn't help but warm one's heart.
With her straight back, her never-flustered attitude, and her heart-warming smile, Amanda's mere presence here caused the hearts of the Little Eagles and Little Badgers to settle.
If Headmaster Dumbledore was the first stabilizing pillar of Hogwarts, then Amanda was undoubtedly the second.
"The wind blowing through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountains." Cho Chang also instinctively glanced at Amanda, then sighed in her native tongue after turning her head back.
The Sorting Hat's lyrics seemed to have confirmed that the future Hogwarts would no longer be peaceful.
The Sorting Hat finished its song, and next was the sorting ceremony for the first-year students, as they were sorted into different houses one by one.
Each of them, before going to their house, would wave and greet the friends they had just met today, even if one was sorted into Gryffindor and the other into Slytherin.
It seemed that, just as Hermione and the others had said, the house divisions within Hogwarts were slowly decreasing bit by bit.
After all the freshmen had been sorted into their appropriate houses, a Witch dressed entirely in pink at the Staff Table cleared her throat.
Headmaster Dumbledore, who had just walked to the front of the Staff Table, paused slightly, then stroked his white beard. "Freshmen, I am very pleased that you have all been sorted into suitable houses. I hope you can spend seven pleasant years here."
"Now please allow me to introduce to you our defense against the dark arts professor for this year, Professor Umbridge."
As Headmaster Dumbledore spoke, he turned sideways and gestured with one hand toward Umbridge at the Staff Table. Umbridge stood up pretentiously, nodding in greeting to the Young Wizards below with a sweet, sickly smile.
Many Young Wizards who knew of Umbridge, or whose parents worked at the Ministry of Magic, couldn't help but have their faces darken as they looked at her.
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