Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

The next day, when Draco just came out of the school library, Astoria, who was waiting nearby, took Draco's arm.

She deliberately got very close to him, with an intimacy that was a little ambiguous.

Draco frowned and said impatiently, "What are you doing? Let go."

Astoria smiled softly: "Brother Draco, can't you be a little gentler to me? After all, I am your childhood sweetheart."

"Ridiculous, we're not that familiar with each other."

Draco tried to shake her hand off, but Astoria deliberately moved closer to him in full view of everyone.

By chance, Amanta and Harry were walking down the corridor from the other end, and when they looked up, they saw this scene -

Astoria held Draco's arm with a sweet smile on her face.

The air seemed stagnant.

Harry's eyes widened. After being stunned for a second, he subconsciously looked at Amanta: "Uh..."

Amanta stood there, pursing her lips.

Her first reaction was - Draco didn't like Astoria.

But then, some doubts inevitably emerged.

"Why... didn't he shake her hand off immediately?"

"Why does Astoria always haunt him? Is Draco really...unable to say no to her?"

"Will he, after all, be more inclined to the family's position?"

She knew she shouldn't think too much about it, but she still felt a subtle sense of loss and irritation in her heart.

Only then did Draco notice the gazes of Amanta and Harry. The moment he raised his head, his whole body froze.

“Amanta!” He immediately shook off Astoria’s hand, his face changed, and he hurried to explain, “This is not what you think!”

Astoria smiled innocently and tilted her head, "Draco, why are you so excited? We were just chatting, did you misunderstand?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "What a misunderstanding! You're almost hanging on Draco!"

Astoria looked at Amanta innocently: “Sister Amanta, you won’t misunderstand, right?”

There was a hint of provocation in her tone, as if she was deliberately testing Amanta's bottom line.

Amanta looked at her deeply and then looked away.

Without saying anything, he just turned and left coldly.

When Draco saw her back, his heart sank and he wanted to catch up with her, but Astoria deliberately blocked his way.

"Brother Draco, I—"

"Get out of the way!" He shook her off and quickly chased after her.

Amanta walked quickly and her steps were unsteady.

Harry hurried after her, nudging her with his elbow as he munched on a Chocolate Frog.

"Hey, don't take it to heart. Draco must have been entangled and it was not his own will."

Amanta said nothing, but kept walking forward.

Harry rolled his eyes, "You're not really angry, are you? Amanta, it's not the first day you've known Draco. He's annoyed by even looking at Astoria for one more second, how could he possibly like her?"

Amanta paused slightly.

She wasn't angry, but - the feeling at that moment was too complicated.

She shouldn't waver, but deep down she still felt a little... uneasy.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Harry scratched his hair and sighed: "Do you want me to drag Draco over here and make him kneel down and swear on the spot?"

Amanta finally couldn't help but smile and shook her head: "No need."

Harry said proudly, "See, you don't have to worry at all."

Amanta was silent for a while, and finally said nothing more, just kept walking forward.

At the end of the corridor in the distance, Julius stood quietly in the shadows, witnessing everything, with a meaningful smile on his lips.

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

Amanta walked by the Black Lake, her eyes filled with uncontrollable irritation.

The night wind was cool, the lake surface was sparkling, reflecting the stars in the sky, and water vapor was lingering around, bringing a damp and cold feeling.

She felt complicated and didn't want to think about Draco anymore, but those images kept coming to her mind -

Astoria took his hand, and he didn't shake it off immediately. He thought about the looks from the people around him and Astoria's words, "We were just chatting."

——Even though I knew Astoria had bad intentions, I still couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling.

Harry followed beside her, his hands in his pockets, glancing at her from time to time.

"Amanta, you really don't have to care so much. Draco is so awkward, you should know better than anyone that even if Astoria throws him in the face, he will just push her away with a look of disgust."

Amanta stopped, rubbed her temples gently, and whispered, "I know, it's just... I want to be alone."

Harry frowned and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something more persuasive, but in the end he sighed.

"Okay, but don't think too much about it. Really, there's no need. Draco will never like Astoria. That girl looks harmless, but she's very cunning."

Amanta did not answer, but just looked at the waves of the Black Lake in the distance.

Harry shrugged and walked back.

After walking a few steps, he turned back and warned, "Don't think too long, and don't let some messy people affect your mood. Draco will definitely go crazy if he knows that you are unhappy about this kind of thing."

Amanta laughed and nodded slightly.

Harry then left satisfied.

As the night deepened, Amanta stood alone by the Black Lake, looking at the lake in silence.

The air was silent and the lake was rippling slightly, like a bottomless mirror.

Suddenly, a soft and gentle voice sounded behind her.

"You look a little lost today."

Amanta's eyebrows jumped and she turned around immediately.

Julius stood in the shadows, thin, with black hair hanging down in front of his forehead, and his black eyes were as calm as water, but there was an imperceptible inquiry.

"It's you again." Amanta said in a calm tone, her eyes alert.

Julius just smiled, walked slowly closer, and stopped not far from her, his eyes filled with some meaning.

"I didn't expect that Miss Merlin, who is always calm, would be troubled by something like this."

Amanta's eyes remained calm, but she clenched her fists, her fingertips unconsciously piercing her palms.

Julius saw this and the curve of his lips deepened.

"Astoria... is one of the future candidates for the Malfoy family. You didn't fail to notice that, did you?"

He spoke in a calm tone, as if he was stating a fact.

"Their family has always valued bloodline and interests. Your surname Merlin is just an empty title with no actual value. The Greengrass family... can bring much more resources than you after all."

"The Malfoy family is, after all, a sophisticated and selfish pure-blood family. Are you sure that Draco will always stand by you?"

Amanta’s eyes narrowed, and her tone became colder: “This sentence again, what are you trying to instigate?”

Julius shrugged, his tone still gentle, even a little helpless.

"I'm just reminding you not to be too naive. Draco's position is never decided by him alone. Do you think that at the critical moment, he will break with the entire Malfoy family for you? And completely oppose Voldemort?"

Amanta didn't say anything, but her heartbeat unconsciously slowed down.

Julius watched her expression change and continued, "You know what the fate of the Death Eaters is."

"Do you really think he can get away with it?"

"Or...will he sacrifice you in exchange for the safety of his family?"

Amanta's nails dug deep into her palms.

Of course she knew that the Malfoy family's position had always been cautious, rational, and seeking benefits and avoiding harm.

Lucius is still watching and has not surrendered to Voldemort, but he has not taken the opposite stance and broken off relations with Voldemort either.

—Where’s Draco?

Will he, one day, make a choice between his family and her?

If that time comes, will he really choose her without hesitation?

Julius looked at her quietly, with a faint smile on his face: "Amanta, you are always smart, you can't really see through all this, right?"

Amanta suddenly raised her head, her eyes sharp: "Julius, what do you want to say?"

Julius met her gaze, and there seemed to be some dark and unspeakable emotions hidden in his dark eyes.

After a moment, he chuckled, his tone gentle and bewitching: "You are different from them. You want to change the world, but have you ever thought that the people who can truly understand you may not be the ones who have always stood by you."

Amanta's heartbeat paused slightly.

Julius didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly and said calmly: "I hope you can think carefully about what you really want."

After saying that, he turned and left, his figure gradually disappearing into the night.

Amanta stood there, her heart in turmoil.

The night wind blows, and the lake surface sparkles.

She lowered her head and realized that she no longer trusted Draco as unquestioningly as she once did.

Julius' whisper was like a seed, quietly buried deep in her heart.