Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

In the days that followed that night, Draco seemed to be avoiding them on purpose, just as he had done at the beginning of the school year.

Whether he was eating in the hall or during breaks in Potions class, he was always silent. When their eyes occasionally met, he would immediately avoid Amanta's gaze. Once the get out of class was over, he would hurriedly pack up his textbooks and walk out, disappearing without a trace.

"Harry, what's wrong with Draco?"

Amanta frowned and asked about Harry during dinner.

"Don't you think...Draco has been a little strange lately?"

Harry was stunned for a moment, and looked up from his mutton pie, obviously not thinking much: "What's wrong?"

"He seems to be avoiding us." Amanta's tone was calm, but mixed with a hint of uneasiness, "Didn't you notice?"

Harry scratched his head, seemingly unimpressed.

"I don't think there's anything strange about it. Speaking of which... I asked Luna yesterday and she gave an explanation for it. You can ask her, Luna - Luna?"

He waved in the direction of the Hufflepuff table and lowered his head to work on the mutton pie at hand.

Amanta shrugged.

Unable to control herself, her gaze passed across the crowd in the auditorium and fell on Draco's back.

He was standing up and leaving the table, walking hurriedly, as if he was in a hurry to do something.

At this moment, Luna's voice suddenly came from behind: "Maybe it's a side effect of puberty."

Amanta was startled at once. She turned back in shock and found that Luna had approached her quietly.

She turned to look at Luna. There was always a kind of indifference in Luna's light blue eyes, as if she could see through everything.

"side effect?"

Luna nodded gently, her voice leisurely.

"Everyone has some little secrets, right? Especially boys and girls at this age - puberty always makes people sensitive and weird."

Harry suddenly realized and took over Luna's words, "Yes, Luna said that before - the side effects of growth and youth, it sounds like it might make sense."

He looked up at Amanta and patted her shoulder, trying to reassure her.

"Don't worry too much, maybe... Draco will be fine in a few days - come and try this pumpkin cream pie? Hmm? Don't want to eat it? How about you, Luna?"

Harry's tone was relaxed, as if he didn't take it seriously at all.

But Amanta's intuition told her that things were more complicated than that.

Putting aside what exactly happened to Draco that night, just looking at Draco's eyes over the past few days, there was a hint of anxiety and heaviness that was sometimes revealed - that was an emotion rarely seen in Draco, the spoiled young Master Malfoy.

After dinner, Harry gathered up the stack of parchment he had been writing on while eating and prepared to leave.

He looked at Amanta who was still unconsciously stirring the mashed potatoes with a spoon, feeling a little worried, and finally said: "Don't think too much, Amanta, I believe he is fine."

Amanta frowned slightly, but nodded.

She felt that what made Draco so abnormal was not some kind of psychological fluctuation related to puberty.

But what exactly it is...she hasn't figured it out yet.

In short, she felt that this matter was not that simple.

-

The Slytherin common room was quiet late at night. The green light was reflected on the rippling walls. The firewood in the fireplace was crackling. Most of the Slytherin students had returned to the dormitory, but Amanta was still writing her Charms paper.

The tip of her pen paused lightly on the parchment, and the ink seeped out to leave a small mark.

Rarely, she was confused.

She held the side of her head in annoyance.

Damn!

She was still thinking about Draco.

In the corner of my eye, a familiar platinum color flashed by.

Her breathing paused almost inaudibly, and then she tilted her head slightly and saw the furtive figure clearly.

It's Draco.

He lowered his head, walked hurriedly, and his expression was tense and suppressed in a way she had never seen before - Draco had always been proud, always holding his head high, and never allowing himself to show the slightest sign of weakness.

And now, he was like a clock that could collapse at any time, pulled too tight by an invisible spring and would break in the next second.

What was Draco going to do so late at night?

Amanta slowly sat up straight, her brows slightly furrowed.

A silent intuition spread in her heart, driving her to pick up the wand, cast a silent Disillusionment Charm on herself, and follow Draco.

Her footsteps were light, but they followed closely like the shadow of every brick.

The corridor was silent, with only the whispers of some nosy wizards in the portraits. It was not that they could not see Amanta, but they chose to turn a blind eye.

"Slytherins always like to sneak out at night."

The portrait shows a bald man glancing down a corridor.

"Today it's two."

Another man in a top hat reminded.

The corridors of Hogwarts were intricate and the moonlight was shining like water. Amanta's heart was beating like a drum. She clenched her wand and felt dizzy. Her eyes were as confused as her thoughts.

"The boy went this way."

A noble lady was holding a glass of red wine and squinting her eyes.

Amanta bowed her head and thanked him, her eyes fixed on Draco's back through the clear moonlight.

His shoulders drooped slightly, his arms were close to his sides, but his steps were hurried as if he was escaping from some invisible pursuit.

She had never seen Draco like this before.

Finally, he stopped at the end of a secluded corridor.

The light there was darker than other places, with only moonlight scattered on the floor like spider silk. Amanta took a deep breath and retreated into the shadows. The air around her seemed to stagnate.

Draco looked around and confirmed that there was no one around before he reached into his robes and fumbled around for a while.

Amanta held her breath, her palms slightly sweating.

Suddenly, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

He was a tall man, wearing a black robe so dark that it seemed to swallow up the light. His hood covered his face, and Amanta could only see a blurry face in the shadows.

His voice was low and hoarse: "How is it going?"

Amanta gripped the wand tightly in her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Who is this person?

The dim candlelight in the corridor illuminated Draco's profile.

He lowered his head, and his gray eyes, which were once proud and indifferent, were now filled with heavy fatigue and anxiety.

The man in black robe stood in front of him, like a curled poisonous snake.

Draco pursed his lips, the anxiety and uneasiness on his face became more obvious, his voice had a barely perceptible tremor, but he tried his best to remain calm.

"Still looking... The clues you gave are too few."

The veins on the back of his hands were visible from clenching them tightly, and his voice was almost inaudible.

The man in black robe sneered, and his laughter was filled with a kind of terrifying mockery.

"Little?" He leaned forward slightly, his voice as low as a venomous snake spitting out its tongue, "Malfoy, you should know the price of wasting time."

Draco's body suddenly tensed.

The fingers of his clenched fist trembled slightly due to the force, but he raised his head with a hint of pleading in his tone.

"Don't touch her."

Amanta's pupils suddenly contracted, her heart skipped a beat, and her breathing almost stopped.

She wasn't sure if she had heard correctly - "she"?

"She"...Who is the "she" they are talking about?

Countless fragmented thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

The man in black robe seemed very satisfied with his reaction and chuckled: "Then find the 'Gaunt Emblem' as soon as possible, otherwise..."

His eyes were cold and his tone was full of threats and disdain.

"I told you I would find it."

Draco's voice dropped even lower, carrying a desperation and anger that Amanta had never heard before.

The black-robed man ignored him and continued with a playful indifference: "Don't let me lose my patience, Malfoy. Otherwise, I will make you lose everything - including that girl."

At that moment, Amanta felt that time had stopped.

What is the "Gaunt Crest"... and who is that girl? Is it her?

Draco stood there frozen, like a statue.

He lowered his head, with complex emotions surging in his eyes, including anger, fear, but more of a deep pain. His fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles turned white due to lack of blood, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

"I'm warning you, don't touch her."

His voice was almost squeezed out of his throat, and every word had a sharp edge.

How long do you think you can protect her?"

The black-robed man's voice was low and hoarse, and it seemed to penetrate into Amanta's ears like a spell.

"She doesn't know anything, don't touch her."

Draco's voice was powerful, but there was a slight tremor at the end of his words.

The man in black robe did not answer immediately. He chuckled softly, and his cold smile made people feel cold.

"Do you think you are qualified to negotiate? Don't forget your identity, Malfoy. Your bloodline determines your fate, not you."

Draco stiffened slightly, but did not flinch.

He raised his head, his eyes showing a determination that was not in line with his age.

"Destiny? Don't drag me into that. I can do anything as long as you don't touch her."

The black-robed man's laughter echoed in the corridor, carrying a hint of sneer-like contempt.

He took a step closer to Draco and whispered, "Very well, prove it with your actions, or else..."

Amanta couldn't see his expression, but the threat hidden in his tone made her heart suddenly tighten.

She wanted to rush out and ask Draco what was going on and why he had to speak to this person in such a humble manner.

But reason told her that now was not the time.

She could feel that what was involved was more complicated and more dangerous than she had imagined.

The man in black robe sneered and disappeared into the night.

"Malfoy, don't forget our agreement."

Amanta held her breath and tried her best to suppress the turmoil in her heart.

She couldn't leave, her feet seemed to be nailed to the floor, and her hand holding the wand was shaking slightly. The man in black robes had already walked away, but Draco was still standing there, his shoulders heaving with his emotions.

He raised his hand and wiped his face. The slight tremor on the back of his hand made Amanta feel unprecedentedly strange.

She really wanted to go up to him and ask him, wanted to tell him that she was here, but she didn't.

Amanta took a deep breath, retreated quietly, and hid in the shadows on the other side.

Her heart was beating like a drum, and her chest seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, making it difficult for her to breathe.

The night wind blew through the window frames of the corridor, like a softly whispered elegy, accompanying Draco's receding footsteps.

It was not until Draco had left for a long time that Amanta slowly slid down against the cold wall, gently placing her hand on her chest, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

What on earth is Draco doing? Who is this person? Why is he allowed in and out of Hogwarts? What is that "Gaunt Crest"? And "that girl"... is it her?

Questions flooded in and surrounded her.

She looked up into the darkness in the distance, her eyes burning with some resolute and indescribable emotion.

When Amanta finally returned to the common room, it was almost dawn. The Slytherin common room was as quiet as a sleeping giant snake, and even the fire in the fireplace was reduced to a few faint embers.

She pushed open the door of the dormitory. The moonlight outside the window had faded, and the faint light of dawn was faintly shining through the curtains onto the floor.

She sat on the bed, replaying the scenes in her mind:

Draco's nervousness and helplessness, the black-robed man's sneer and threat, the "Gaunt coat of arms"...

Also, the phrase "Don't touch her."

Amanta folded her hands on her knees and stared blankly at the ground.

"Gaunt Coat of Arms"... The Gaunt family. She vaguely remembered that this family seemed to have a close connection with Slytherin, but more details were hardly mentioned in the original plot.

All the mysteries entangled her like a tangled spider web.

Amanta closed her eyes and pressed her fingers between her brows, trying to clear her thoughts.

But the way those fragments were pieced together only made her feel more confused.

Draco, what are you hiding?

-

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Slytherin boys' dormitory, Draco stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection.

He looked in the mirror with a frown on his face, his eyes revealing unspeakable struggle and fatigue.

Draco's fingers touched his chest, where a small locket was hidden, engraved with the terrifying emblem.

"Amanta..."

He whispered the name, as if to give himself strength.

"Don't let her know, absolutely not."

He said to himself, almost inaudibly.