[Chapter Size: 2100 Words.]
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Today's meeting ended on a happy note.
Amanda agreed with the others that, next time they met, each of them would bring the plan they thought best, of course, a plan to set Dobby free.
Harry was the first to run back. Amanda guessed it was because Aunt Petunia was about to call him to prepare smoked and fried meat.
Amanda rubbed her hands, stretched her shoulders, picked up the pile of books stacked higher than her head, and walked toward the bus stop.
Draco called after her.
"For Merlin's sake! You're not seriously planning to carry all those books back, are you?"
Amanda glanced down at the stack and blinked her clear blue eyes in confusion.
"Of course, magic isn't allowed in the Muggle world."
Draco felt slightly embarrassed as his eyes landed on the top book, Secrets of the Darkest Arts.
He began to worry that Amanda didn't care about leaving a book on the Dark Arts exposed so casually.
Perhaps out of a desire to protect his family's library, Draco muttered, "...To keep some Muggle from mistaking you for a psychopath, I'll mercifully send it back myself."
"Thank you kindly for your generosity, Master Draco."
Amanda eyed Draco's tall, straight figure wrapped in his robes. "Could he really manage to carry so many books?" she grumbled inwardly.
But, of course, Draco didn't disappoint.
"Dobby, take the books."
Amanda pressed her lips together.
Well, that made sense.
She and Draco walked on in silence, keeping a measured distance. The two of them led the way while Dobby followed invisibly, snapping his fingers now and then.
When they reached the bus stop, Amanda explained to Draco that they would have to sit for another hour on the bus.
"Bus? What is that? Some sort of Muggle transport?"
Draco frowned, deeply disgusted.
"Well... yes. But if you don't want to draw attention, I suggest you take off your robe first."
Draco's outfit was far too eye-catching among Muggles. Even without the robe, his overly luxurious shirt still made him look like a young noble who had stepped out of the Middle Ages.
"Impossible!"
Draco bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Two minutes later, he reluctantly stripped off his robes.
"Bloody hell! If Father ever saw me planning to ride Muggle transport, I'd probably be disowned from the family tree!"
"Then it's not too late to change your mind. I can carry these things back myself."
Amanda was still confident in her own physical strength.
No one knew what Draco was thinking. His expression shifted from white to blue, then back again. At last, he gritted his teeth and wore a stubborn look.
"Malfoy never breaks his promises."
So, ten minutes later, Draco Malfoy, who never broke his word, obediently followed Amanda onto the Muggle bus.
Amanda bought two tickets and found seats at the back.
Draco refused to sit. He eyed the seat with distaste. "This is a Muggle seat. I won't sit here."
Amanda spread her hands. "Well, then, the noble Master Draco can stand."
「...」
After nearly being thrown off balance during a sharp turn, Draco sat down beside her, wearing a dark expression.
"Muggle transport is extremely unsafe," he grumbled.
Amanda tilted her chin, staring at his platinum hair in a daze.
Draco still looked brooding and impatient. His sharp chin and thin pale lips gave him a somewhat sinister air, yet when Amanda's gaze drifted to the tips of his ears, she noticed they had turned pink.
"I can't understand why you insist on following me. Maybe... maybe you really are different from before," she murmured to herself.
Of course, by "before," she meant the original timeline, where only after experiencing a series of events and Voldemort's downfall did Draco realize how ridiculous some of his earlier beliefs had been.
But Draco clearly didn't grasp what she meant by "before."
"I just wanted to see... what kind of life you actually lead among Muggles. I never expected it to be so troublesome... Tsk, I'll just have Dobby fetch you next time."
"Thank you."
Amanda glanced sideways at him, her sincerity making her pale blue eyes shine purely, like the brightest jewel set at the heart of a crown.
No—it was the morning star in the night sky.
Draco's heart lurched for no reason at all.
He quickly forced himself to stare out the window.
"It's only out of pity for the miserable life of the sole orphan of the Merlin family, living among Muggles."
…
"Amanda!"
"Hey, who's that? Is that your friend Amanda?"
Karina had just stepped out of the Orphanage courtyard when she spotted Amanda and a blond boy walking toward her.
"Hi, Karina! This is my future classmate, Draco Malfoy."
Amanda tugged Draco forward and introduced him.
"Oh! Your future classmates? They're also from that... magic school?"
Karina gawked, scanning Draco from head to toe as if trying to spot something unusual.
Amanda nodded.
"Well, I baked some French pudding and an apple pie. Amanda and your friend... Draco, would you like to come over and try some? I'll tell the director you can return later."
At that, Draco quickly took a step back, pulling his arm free from Amanda's grip.
"No, I think I should be going back..."
He hadn't finished when he suddenly remembered the stack of books Dobby was carrying. Looking down and finding no trace of Dobby at his feet, he hesitated.
If he left like this, what would happen to Amanda's pile of books?
Karina noticed his hesitation and thought perhaps he had misunderstood.
"Come on, don't be shy. Join Amanda and try it. You can trust my baking."
Reluctantly, Karina led Draco and Amanda into her house. A brown-woven deer rug lay across the warm velvet carpet. A fat orange cat sprawled lazily on the sofa, purring contentedly as it watched them.
Before long, a tray of fragrant baked pudding and apple pie was served, their caramel-colored tops mouthwateringly golden.
Amanda lowered her head, scooped up a piece with her fork, and took a bite.
The soft pudding melted instantly on her tongue, sweet and warm, carrying a rich flavor like a blend of sunlight, firewood, and honey.
She had never had a family, neither in her past life nor in this one.
For the first time in this world, she thought she felt a trace of warmth. Or rather... the warmth of home.
"Delicious."
She invited Draco. "Come and try it too."
Draco looked as if he had braced himself. Closing his eyes, resigned to his fate, he took a spoonful and placed it in his mouth.
The instant the pudding touched his tongue, his eyes flew open in surprise. He stared at the baked pudding on the plate in disbelief.
"Alright... I admit, Muggles can cook."
Draco spoke with a hint of pride.
Apparently, that was the highest compliment he could give to Muggle cuisine.
Karina came out of the kitchen and patted both of them lightly on the head. Draco, of course, looked slightly offended.
"Of course! My cooking skills deserve the spotlight."
Karina sat down beside Amanda, cupped her face, and studied her intently.
"Amanda... you're leaving. Of course, I'm happy for you, it's where you're meant to go, where you naturally belong. But... after watching you grow up, I really don't want to let you go."
Her upturned brown eyes were full of reluctance, and unlike her usual self, she pulled Amanda aside and spoke to her about many things.
Karina had always treated her like a sister, so it was only natural she would struggle to let her go.
"Remember to write to me, Amanda," Karina finally reminded her anxiously.
"Alright, I will."
Amanda had always carried the mindset of being independent from everyone else. After all, she had witnessed the choices and endings of every character across countless books.
She felt she could control everything.
After all, she knew them. She knew the whole story.
But in that moment, for some reason, she suddenly felt that she, too, belonged to this world.
…
After a simple yet pleasant time at Karina's cottage, Draco once again escorted Amanda back to the orphanage.
Only then did Dobby reappear, wiping sweat from his brow as he handed Amanda the heavy stack of books.
"Thank you for your hard work, Dobby."
After helping the elf, who was once again brimming with gratitude, Amanda stepped inside the Orphanage.
The lights were already out. The iron bars of the gate gleamed faintly silver, while a bright moon hung in the sky, the only source of light.
Suddenly, Draco called out behind her: "Amanda, next time... you can come to my house and taste my mother's cooking."
"But that'll probably only be at Christmas," he added quickly.
Amanda paused, turned back, and smiled softly.
"Alright."
…
After several more small gatherings between the three of them, Draco increasingly found Amanda astonishing.
No matter how many books he lent her, she could recite the contents word for word at their next meeting.
"My goodness! You've got photographic memory, you're a genius!"
Harry's exclamation voiced Draco's own thoughts, though he was unwilling to admit it.
Growing up, Draco had always been hailed as the most outstanding of his pure-blood generation. To avoid shaming his father, he had always held himself to the highest standards of an heir.
Amanda only spread her hands innocently.
"I thought... well, that everyone was like me."
Faced with the murderous stares of the two boys, she thought better of explaining. Perhaps it was the aura of memory that came with her cyborg condition.
Amanda's extraordinary abilities influenced both Harry and Draco as well.
They unexpectedly became diligent students.
Especially Draco, who had been practically living in his family's library lately, even rushing through meals. Lucius and Narcissa were immensely proud of him, boasting of their son's hard work to everyone they met.
Yet, to Amanda's regret, they were forbidden to use magic outside of school, so she couldn't put what she learned into practice.
But there was one good thing, Classes would begin next week.
Harry held up a ticket, studying it carefully.
"King's Cross Station, hmm, leaving at eleven o'clock. Am I reading this right?"
He flipped the ticket over several times, staring at the iconic platform number to be sure he wasn't mistaken.
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters? Amanda, Draco, do you know what platform that is?"
"Ah, Harry, you really are clueless. The barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten—there's a wall there. You just have to walk straight through it," Draco explained.
"Walk through what? That wall?"
Once again, Harry felt overwhelmed by his own ignorance.
Fortunately, Draco had grown used to his endless questions over the past days.
"Of course. If you've never done it before, wait for us there."
…
A week later, when Amanda stepped onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross, she spotted Harry and Draco standing beside the scarlet Hogwarts Express.
"Hey! Amanda! Over here!"
Harry waved enthusiastically, drawing curious glances and whispers from several older students passing by.
"Look at that boy's excitement. Just like you your first year."
"Don't remind me. I still remember you were so thrilled you stayed up all night and made everyone in the dorm dance flamenco until dawn."
To avoid a greater commotion once Harry's identity was recognized, Amanda quickly pushed her luggage trolley toward the two boys.
"Harry! Draco! You're here so early?"
Amanda stopped, slightly out of breath.
It had taken her quite some time to arrive by subway and bus.
"I... I was so excited I begged the Dursleys to bring me here early this morning. 'There's no Platform Nine and Three-Quarters,' Uncle Vernon said. They all laughed, waiting for me to make a fool of myself. But guess what they saw?"
Harry paused dramatically.
"I saw Draco before I even got out of the car. He was with his parents. I ran straight up to him, shouting his name. You should've seen Uncle Vernon's face, it turned liver-colored! Hahaha..."
"Alright, let's get on the train. We'll grab seats before it gets crowded."
Draco's cool voice cut across Harry's story.
They pulled their luggage through groups of chatting students and finally found an empty compartment near the back of the train.
"Ahhh..."
All three sighed in relief at once.
Amanda dropped her suitcase, shut the compartment door, and began twirling her wand idly in her hand.
"Thankfully, no one's noticed Harry yet," she said, still tense with lingering fear.
Only Merlin knew how worried she had been while passing through that swarm of lively first-years.
"If they did, I can't even imagine. This place would turn into a circus."
Draco snorted.
"Am I... really that famous?"
Harry was still a little surprised to realize just how well-known he had become.
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