Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

The corridor was silent at night, with only the flame of the fireplace burning faintly in the distance, reflecting the wet stone bricks, and the faint light jumped like lurking magic.

Amanta and Harry wore invisibility cloaks, and Sirius used the Disillusionment Charm, sneaking along the shadows at the edge of the corridor, trying their best to avoid the patrolling ghosts and Filch.

Even though Sirius was once a student here, he was now the most wanted criminal in the wizarding world and had to be extremely careful.

"Why did you have to sneak in this way?" Sirius muttered, lowering his voice. "I used to have my own dormitory here."

"Yes, but you are now an escaped prisoner from Azkaban. I'm afraid that if you come back, you can only sleep in Dumbledore's office." Harry rolled his eyes and whispered back.

Amanta motioned for them to be quiet, her attention focused on the end of the corridor - the dark staircase leading to the basement level.

There, was where she saw Draco tonight.

They continued forward and finally arrived at the door of the abandoned classroom.

Draco had obviously left long ago and the place was empty.

Amanta took a deep breath and whispered, "This is where I last saw Draco."

The three of them lifted their invisibility and began to explore the surroundings. Sirius observed the surroundings with a frown on his face.

"Are you sure he met that person here?"

Amanta nodded, her heartbeat speeding up.

At this moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded from the darkness——

"I knew you would follow, Amanta."

The three of them turned around suddenly and saw Draco walking slowly from the other end of the corridor.

His face was pale, and there was obvious fatigue in his eyes, but his expression was still indifferent. His eyes swept across the three of them, stopped on Sirius, and his brows frowned.

"You brought Black with you?" Draco sneered. "This is really... a wonderful show."

Harry tightened his grip on his wand and said in a nasty tone, "Draco, we should talk."

Draco didn't answer, he just looked at Amanta quietly with complicated eyes.

Amanta's heart tightened slightly, and she felt an unprecedented sense of strangeness.

She had always thought that she knew Draco well enough, but now, she began to doubt whether she really understood him.

"Draco, what happened?" she asked in a low voice, with a hint of depression in her tone, "What are you hiding?"

Draco was silent for a moment, then finally spoke. His voice was low and hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor.

"You shouldn't be involved in this, Amanta."

Amanta was stunned for a moment.

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.

"You shouldn't know anything." Draco whispered, and the indifference in his tone made her slightly dazed.

Harry snorted and took a step forward.

"Come on, Draco. You're working for that guy, aren't you? Who is it? Voldemort's minion? Won't you tell us? Are you -"

"Shut up, Harry!"

Draco's tone suddenly became sharp, he raised his wand abruptly, and a hint of unstable emotion flashed in his eyes.

Sirius' eyes suddenly turned cold, and he almost subconsciously stood in front of Harry, his eyes fixed on Draco.

"Boy, what are you doing?"

The tension in the air suddenly increased.

Amanta sensed a strange emotion—Draco's fingers were trembling slightly.

"Draco," she said, trying to soften her tone, "if you really want me to stay out of this, then tell me why. I don't want to hear the truth from anyone else - I want to hear it from you."

Draco looked up suddenly, as if her words had hit a painful spot.

His Adam's apple slid up and down, and his knuckles turned white from excessive force.

Finally, he closed his eyes, as if he had made up his mind, and took a deep breath.

He spoke slowly, his voice low and tired, "They asked me to find the Gaunt Crest."

"What?" Harry's eyes widened. "The Gaunt coat of arms?"

"Yes." Draco's voice was hoarse, with a hint of suppressed anger, "If they can't find her... they will kill her."

Amanta's heart suddenly trembled.

she?

Her breathing stagnated, and the whisper of the man in black robe that night flashed through her mind: "Especially that girl..."

Sirius's face darkened. "So, you're working for them? Who are they?"

Draco didn't answer, he just stood there in silence, his expression complicated and painful.

Harry's expression was extremely angry.

"So, this is your reason? They asked you to do something, and you really did it? Wouldn't you tell us secretly?"

"You have no idea—" Draco looked up suddenly, with a hint of anger in his tone, "Do you think I have a choice?"

"We all have choices." Amanta's voice was firm, her eyes locked tightly with Draco's. "Even if you don't want to believe it, we can work together to find a solution."

"You don't understand." Draco lowered his head, his voice barely audible, "They... they won't give me time."

The air froze for a moment.

At the moment when everyone fell into silence, a light sound of footsteps sounded in the distance, carrying a hint of leisure.

"Ah, it seems I've arrived at the right time."

Everyone turned around suddenly——

Julius Hoffmann stood at the end of the corridor, a smile on his face and his hands in the pockets of his robe, like a gentleman who had just finished a night out.

He walked slowly, his steps calmly, his robe swaying slightly in the night breeze, his eyes slowly scanning everyone present with a hint of scrutiny.

"Are you guys gathered here to discuss something interesting?"

His voice was soft and disconcertingly amused, as if this was just a casual nighttime stroll rather than a conspiracy about to unfold.

Sirius Black's eyes suddenly turned cold. He subconsciously stood in front of Harry, raised his wand slightly, and stared at the Durmstrang transfer student in front of him vigilantly.

"It seems that you have come at the perfect time." Sirius whispered, with a dangerous scrutiny in his tone, "You might as well explain what you are doing here?"

Harry also held his wand tightly, staring at Julius. "Are you following us?"

Julius just smiled and didn't answer.

His gaze fell on Amanta, and an imperceptible light flashed in his eyes.

"How about letting me guess?" He said with a hint of joking, "You are questioning Malfoy... oh no, should I say... interrogating him?"

Amanta felt a slight chill down her spine, she could sense that Julius's appearance was no accident.

Draco's face turned noticeably paler. He clenched his fists and looked at Julius with complicated eyes, as if he was thinking about something. But in the end, he just lowered his head and remained silent.

Julius smiled and took a step forward. His tone was gentle, but it was impossible to ignore the deep meaning in his words.

"Malfoy, aren't you going to share your secret with your friends?"

Draco's shoulders stiffened for a moment, then he looked up sharply, with alertness in his eyes.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Oh? Really? " Julius seemed very interested. He tilted his head slightly, and the smile on his lips deepened a little, like a hunter enjoying the struggle of his prey. "But... they have already guessed it, haven't they?"

He slowly scanned the faces of Amanta, Harry, and Sirius, and said meaningfully: "Do you think these things can be kept secret forever?"

Draco's face turned even paler, his fingers tightened unconsciously, his nails dug deep into his palms, but he said nothing.

Amanta finally spoke, her voice was soft, but with a firmness that could not be ignored: "Julius, what do you want?"

Julius's gaze paused slightly, then he chuckled. He slowly walked closer and stood not far in front of Amanta. His eyes were as deep as an unbottomed abyss.

"What I want?" He said slowly, his tone soft and meaningful, "I'm just... curious."

“I wonder how far you can go.”

The air seemed to grow colder, as if some invisible pressure was emerging from the night.

Sirius's eyes darkened completely, and he took a step forward, pointing his wand directly at Julius.

"Stop talking nonsense. Who are you? What are you planning?"

Julius blinked, seeming a little "surprised" by Sirius's anger.

He smiled harmlessly and said in a leisurely tone: "Sir, your attitude really makes me sad. I am just an ordinary student. How can I have any...ideas?"

"Stop pretending," Harry growled, pointing his wand at him as well. "You have nothing to do with this."

Julius was not in a hurry to explain. He just slowly swept his eyes over everyone present, and finally stopped on Amanta.

His tone was inexplicably gentle: "Amanta, do you think so too?"

Amanta's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly sensed some danger—not Julius' magic, but... his words.

He was trying to sway her.

She exhaled slowly and looked at Julius calmly: "You said you were just an ordinary student, but what you did in Hogwarts... is not something that an ordinary student would do."

Julius' smile faded slightly.

"Interesting," he murmured.

"Well, Amanta—will you believe me?"

This sentence stunned everyone.

Draco looked up suddenly, his eyes filled with undisguised emotional fluctuations.

Harry's expression instantly became alert, and he subconsciously took a step closer to Amanta: "Don't listen to him, he is controlling you!"

Sirius tightened his fingers slightly, gripped his wand tightly, and his eyes were as sharp as a wolf ready to attack its prey at any time.

Amanta's breathing hitched for a moment.

She felt Julius' gaze, his eyes were so deep that it was difficult to see through them, and his voice... had some kind of irresistible allure.

This is a temptation, a psychological struggle.

He knew that she was not easy to manipulate, but even so, he still chose to use this method to shake her beliefs.

The air was as taut as a string that was about to break.

Amanta raised her head and looked back at Julius with a firm gaze, a hint of a sneer rising from the corner of her lips.

"I think... you'd better find another target." She said softly, her tone neither humble nor arrogant.

Julius stared at her for a moment, and after a moment, he sighed softly and shook his head slightly: "What a pity."

"It seems that you don't know me well enough."

He said, his tone so gentle that one almost forgot how dangerous he was.