Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

The morning mist in Hogwarts had not yet dissipated, and the cold air was filled with the damp smell of earth. Voices gradually rose in the auditorium, and students took their seats one after another to start a new day's schedule.

Amanta sat at a corner of the Slytherin table, turning the pages of a book with her fingertips, her eyes wandering over the words, occasionally stroking the paper gently, as if she was thinking about something.

Her food was barely touched, but no one thought it was strange—

In Slytherin, there are more pensive students than sociable ones.

She turned her head and glanced at the other end of the hall, where several fourth-year students at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were talking in low voices.

A Ravenclaw boy wearing round-framed glasses lowered his voice and chattered incessantly, while a Hufflepuff girl tightly grasped her quill with an expression that could not be concealed with excitement.

They were talking about those rumors.

Amanta lowered her head and took a sip of pumpkin juice, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

The message spread by Julius Hoffmann had worked.

She had long noticed that in the past few days, several new "rumors" had appeared in the castle:

"Have you heard? There is a relic hidden somewhere in Hogwarts, which contains magic left by ancient wizards."

"Slytherin left behind a unique spell that only wizards of pure blood can decipher."

"The Merlin family possesses a power that transcends black and white magic, between light and darkness..."

Individually, these are just ordinary student gossips, but when they appear together and interweave into some clues pointing to bloodline and power, Amanta knows -

This was exactly what Julius had planned.

He wanted to guide her to focus on the relationship between bloodline and magic. He knew about her research on Merlin's bloodline and her interest in ancient magic.

So, she gave him a response.

She deliberately "accidentally" flipped through a book about pure-bloods and ancient magic in the library, staying on the pages longer than usual. The chapter she flipped through happened to involve Merlin and Slytherin's magical theories.

She did not hide her curiosity and deliberately chose a position where she could be seen by others so that students who were sensitive to rumors could catch this detail.

Furthermore, she deliberately asked Professor Lupin a question during the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"Is there a part of the magical legacy left by the four founders of Hogwarts that has never been discovered?"

Lupin was stunned, then answered thoughtfully: "This is an interesting question... Although Hogwarts has many secrets, most of the heritage that has been passed down to this day has been thoroughly studied by later generations."

"But what if some magic can only be interpreted by wizards of a certain bloodline?" she added.

Draco, who was sitting next to her, glanced at her and frowned slightly. In addition, several students in the classroom showed obvious strange expressions.

Her plan began to work.

She even accidentally mentioned in class the question of whether an "ancient magical relic" really existed, attracting the attention of several students.

By the end of the day, more people were discussing the topic, and she knew that Julius must have noticed her "interest".

All of this was sending a signal to Julius.

She, Amanta Merlin, was interested in these things.

Now, she just had to wait for him to take the initiative.

-----------------

The library was quiet and solemn in the afternoon. The sunlight filtered through the tall arched windows, casting mottled shadows between the bookshelves and the long tables.

The air was filled with the scent of paper and ink, quiet and solemn, with occasional sounds of quills scratching across parchment.

Amanta sat alone by the window, her fingers moving slowly across the pages of the book, her eyes falling on the words of "The Origin of Ancient Magic", seemingly immersed in it.

But her peripheral vision always kept an eye on the movements around her.

Just as she turned to a certain page, the voice she expected appeared -

Low and steady, yet with a certain controlled casualness.

"Looking for answers to ancient magic? Or...looking for answers for myself?"

Amanta paused slightly as she turned the pages of the book, her fingertips resting on a line of slightly yellowed handwriting.

She did not look up immediately, but turned the page slowly, then turned her head to look at the owner of the voice.

Julius Hoffmann.

He stood not far away, his figure tall and straight, his expression as elegant as usual, his eyebrows and eyes still showing his usual calmness and elegance.

The golden light of the afternoon fell on his shoulders, bathing him in a warm glow and making him look like an excellent and diligent senior.

But Amanta knew.

The brighter the light on your body, the more the shadow behind you can swallow everything.

She closed the book slowly, her eyes cold and alert, as if she was measuring his intentions at the moment.

"I never thought you would say this." She said lightly, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

Julius smiled slightly and took a few slow steps forward. His eyes fell on the books on the table. He lingered there for a moment before looking up at her.

"What? You think I'm only interested in the dark arts?"

Amanta did not answer, but leaned gently on the back of the chair, tapping the edge of the page with her index finger, her expression indifferent.

"True power is not limited to light or darkness." Julius sat down slowly, crossed his hands, and spoke in a leisurely tone, "Ancient blood has always carried a certain destiny, Slytherin is like this, Merlin is also like this, what do you think?"

Amanta raised a slight smile at the corner of her mouth and slowly turned a page of the book, as if she didn't care about what he said.

"It sounds like you're trying to teach me the history of the wizarding world." She said nonchalantly, with a hint of subtle ridicule in her tone, "Are you trying to say that bloodline determines everything?"

Julius shook his head, a hint of smile in his eyes.

"No, I don't think bloodline determines everything. Otherwise, those wizards who claim to be pure-blooded would have stood at the top of the world long ago." He paused, his eyes falling on her thoughtfully, "But bloodline determines 'possibility'."

Amanta tapped the tabletop lightly with her fingertips, saying calmly, "That's right, but I said these things in the first grade. Do you understand them now?"

"Some people are born with greater power than others, but they themselves have not yet realized it." Julius leaned forward slightly, his tone low and persuasive, "Have you never thought about it? If your bloodline is destined to give you magic far beyond that of ordinary people, then should you explore it instead of letting it sleep?"

Amanta tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, as if she was thinking.

He was hinting to her that there was some potential in her blood, and that this potential might be far beyond her understanding.

more importantly--

He wondered if she would desire this kind of power, if she would waver in her stance because of the uniqueness of her bloodline.

He even wanted her to believe that she was different from ordinary people in this world, and that this difference was worth her pursuit.

Amanta lowered her eyes to look at the book in her hand, and gently ran her index finger across the pages.

After a while, she raised her eyes, her tone still calm.

"It sounds like an interesting theory." She said calmly, her eyes fixed on him calmly, "But if bloodline is so important, why has no one ever truly 'controlled' it?"

The corners of Julius' mouth rose slightly, and his eyes revealed a meaningful appreciation.

“Because they’re not smart enough.”

His eyes gently fell on the book in her hand, and he said casually: "Some people are willing to waste their talents and bury them in the dirt, while others...will choose to explore the true possibilities."

Amanta smiled faintly and said in a tone that was neither light nor heavy: "What you said is indeed very interesting."

She stood up and adjusted her robes, her voice still as steady as ever: "But you know, words alone cannot change a person's beliefs."

Julius looked at her in silence.

After a moment, he smiled and slowly stood up: "Of course."

His voice was still gentle, with a hint of ambiguous appreciation: "But I believe that you will want to know the answer sooner or later."

Amanta didn't respond, just nodded slightly and turned away.

Julius stood there, following her back with a dark light flashing in his eyes.