Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

As night fell, the candles on the corridor burned very quietly, and the faint light reflected on the stone bricks, casting mottled shadows.

The wind blew in through the open window, bringing with it the chill of the night.

Amanta slowly let go of the hand holding the railing and took a deep breath, her fingertips still feeling slightly cold.

Julius had already walked away, but his voice was still echoing in his mind, as if it had not yet faded away.

Just as she was about to turn around, she bumped into a familiar figure.

Draco stood there, with darkness hidden in his grey-blue eyes. There was an obscure expression on his face that she couldn't read, as if there was a kind of restrained forbearance.

Amanta's heart sank slightly.

When did he stand here? How much did he listen?

"…What are you doing here?" She spoke first, her tone returning to her usual calmness.

"I should be the one asking this question, right?" Draco lowered his voice a little, and spoke slowly, "I didn't expect that you and him...had such a good conversation."

His eyes were fixed on her, as if he was waiting for her explanation, but there was also a hint of stubbornness in him that refused to accept any answer.

Amanta frowned: "You misunderstood."

Draco sneered, his tone full of undisguised displeasure.

"Really? Then tell me, what was that just now? You two were so...engaged in the conversation that I even thought you had begun to agree with his point of view."

"Of course I didn't!"

Amanta's tone unconsciously rose a little, but Draco was not convinced by it. Instead, he frowned and looked at her seriously.

He gritted his teeth, his tone sour: "But in my opinion, you didn't reject him at all. You stood there, listening carefully to every word he said, and even thought about it after he left. I'm curious, Amanta, are you thinking about what he said about 'creating new rules'?"

Amanta's heart tightened. She didn't expect Draco to misunderstand to this extent.

She tried to explain: "I didn't identify with him, I was just..."

"What?" Draco narrowed his eyes and said in a cold tone, "Hesitating? Thinking about his proposal? Or trying to figure out his idea?"

Amanta's fingers tightened slightly, she seemed to understand——

Draco was not simply misunderstanding.

He was not worried that she would be influenced by Julius, but he was dissatisfied with her relationship with Julius.

She stood here alone and talked with Julius, and it didn't even seem like they were in a state of opposition, but rather she was listening calmly and even had some degree of in-depth communication.

This was enough to make Draco feel dissatisfied, even uneasy.

Amanta took a deep breath and slowed down her tone.

"Draco, I'm standing there not because I agree with him, but because..."

"Because you are playing psychological warfare with him, right?" Draco interrupted her, his lips curled up slightly, but the smile was ironic, "You are always like this, planning everything and controlling everything, but have you ever thought about how you make others feel?"

Amanta frowned: "What does it feel like?"

Draco took a step closer and looked at her coldly with his light grey eyes. "In the eyes of others, you and him do not have any opposing stances. You don't even seem to be on guard against him. Instead, you are discussing with him - discussing something that only very few people can understand."

"And I, standing here, watching your conversation, feel like an outsider."

Amanta was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect him to say that.

He wasn't just misunderstanding her, he was angry.

She had expected Draco to accuse her of being reckless, or to question why she was talking to Julius alone, but what he was concerned about was -

The distance between her and Julius seemed too close.

She suddenly realized that his anger was not just a misunderstanding, but also a hint of other emotions——

He didn't want her to have any "similarities" with Julius.

Draco and Harry were the ones who knew her best, and Julius was trying to encroach on their place.

An indescribable emotion surged in Amanta's heart. She raised her head, looked directly into Draco's eyes, and her tone was more determined than before.

"Draco, I have never been on his side, and I will never be on his side." Her voice was calm, but with unquestionable strength, "But if I want to defeat him, I must know what he is thinking and where he wants to lead me. This is not compromise, but knowing yourself and your enemy."

Draco stared at her in silence for a few seconds, but the corners of his drooping lips did not relax.

"It sounds reasonable." His voice was still cold, "But, before all this is over, can you be sure that you won't be really affected by his thoughts at some point?"

Amanta was stunned for a moment, then she laughed softly.

"Are you questioning me, or yourself?" She raised her chin slightly, with a look of certainty in her eyes. "Are you afraid that I will be influenced, or that I will become a person like him?"

Draco's expression froze for a moment.

Amanta had never penetrated his psyche so directly.

This time, she didn't shy away.

She had always known that Draco had complicated feelings for her; he respected her intelligence and ambition, but was also afraid that she would go in a direction he couldn't understand.

And Julius was the shadow he least wanted to see——

Someone who had some similarities to her, but had taken a completely different path.

The air seemed to become a little heavier at this moment.

Draco bit his lip, but finally just snorted coldly, looked away, and said in a slightly irritated tone:

"Whatever the case, I don't want to see you alone with him again."

Amanta raised an eyebrow: "Are you ordering me?"

Draco gritted his teeth, but finally turned his face away and lowered his voice: "...It's up to you."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and left.

Amanta looked at his back, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a very faint smile.

Draco's reaction was exactly what she needed.

It was obvious that Julius was trying to alienate her from her friends in many ways today.

Misunderstandings can be resolved, but what exactly do you want to do, Julius?

Amanta turned around and looked at the castle shrouded in the night, her eyes covered with ice and snow.