The news of Harry and Ginny dating spread throughout Hogwarts within days, leaving many boys and girls heartbroken.
As he grew older, Harry became increasingly handsome, and combined with his title as the Savior, countless girls secretly harbored affection for him. Now that he suddenly had a girlfriend, many girls found the fact hard to accept.
As for Ginny, it was even simpler: she was the recognized beauty of Gryffindor House. The sudden news that she and Harry were a couple caused many boys distress.
However, many people also felt that the two of them being together was completely normal and perfectly suited—they were practically a match made in heaven.
Fred and George had already graduated. As Ginny's only remaining older brother at school, Ron originally planned to write a letter informing the family about Harry and Ginny dating.
But Ginny stopped him with a firm attitude. "Why not?" Ron looked at her, utterly surprised. "Are you worried Mom and Dad won't agree to this?"
He looked at Ginny as if she were telling him a joke that Merlin couldn't do magic.
How could their parents disagree? How much Mom and Dad liked Harry was obvious to the entire family. If Ginny's boyfriend was Harry, Mom and Dad would definitely approve wholeheartedly.
"This has nothing to do with whether Mom and Dad agree, Ron."
Ginny rolled her eyes helplessly. "I just think this is something I should say myself. Harry has promised to visit our house during Christmas, and I'll tell them then."
"Fine, I can't argue with you, so I'll do as you say." Ultimately, Ron, who doted on his sister, put away the letter paper but secretly planned to call Charlie back from the dragon reserve in Romania.
Bill hadn't left the UK yet, so there was no need to call him specifically, but Charlie should definitely be called back. Their sister was dating and bringing her boyfriend home to meet the parents; all the older brothers should be present.
Ginny saw the look on her brother's face and knew exactly what he was planning, but she didn't intend to stop him.
Bicker as they might normally, Ginny was well aware of her brothers' protectiveness towards her, and that certainly included Ron. They all loved and protected her wholeheartedly.
Time quickly passed, and it was soon time for the Young Wizards' first trip to Hogsmeade this school year.
When Amanda and Hermione put on slightly thicker wizard robes and walked out of Hogwarts Castle, Harry and Ginny had already started their date at The Three Broomsticks pub.
"If this were a few years ago, I never would have imagined we could go to Hogsmeade without fear, even after Voldemort returned."
Hermione tightened her wizard robe and casually pulled Amanda into her embrace as she spoke.
"After all, the Ministry of Magic was so unreliable a few years ago. Once Voldemort returned, the only safe place left was Hogwarts."
Amanda obediently leaned into Hermione's arms, tilted her head back, and lightly kissed the corner of her lips.
"That's right." Hermione kissed Amanda while walking, keeping her eyes forward to guide them around the crowd. After nearly two minutes, she finally let go.
Hermione said, slightly breathless, "Shall we go to The Three Broomsticks pub for a drink first?"
"Okay." Amanda nodded in agreement.
The two girls walked arm-in-arm into the Leaky Cauldron. Being a year shy of adulthood, they could, of course, only drink butterbeer. Slowly savoring the butterbeer in her hand, Amanda motioned for Hermione to look back.
Hermione subtly looked back, raised an eyebrow after seeing Harry and Ginny, and then slowly turned back around.
"It looks like Harry and Ginny's date is going very smoothly," Hermione said with a smile, taking a sip of butterbeer.
"Mhm, those two were always a good match," Amanda responded seriously.
After finishing their butterbeer and walking out of The Three Broomsticks pub, Amanda's gaze continuously swept over the people walking by. Many of them were Aurors hiding in plain sight, responsible for secretly protecting Hogsmeade.
It seemed her training hadn't been in vain. Amanda nodded in satisfaction.
Of course, the final results of the training still needed to be tested in real combat.
Just as Amanda was thinking this, a burst of arguing up ahead drew her and Hermione's attention.
The two exchanged a look and quickly walked forward. Amanda immediately recognized the two people arguing: one was the Hogwarts student Katie Bell, and the other was an Auror sent by the Ministry of Magic to maintain order in Hogsmeade.
The Auror was pointing at a necklace on the ground, earnestly explaining to Katie, "Young Wizard, this object really is a Dark Arts item; it's very dangerous."
"Impossible!" Katie rejected the possibility without hesitation. "Senior Malfoy gave this to me!"
"Besides, Senior Malfoy is now on Senior Lin Yue's side. How could he use a Dark Arts item to harm me?"
"Katie, good morning." Amanda calmly spoke, cutting into their conversation after glancing at the necklace lying silently on the ground.
"Senior Lin Yue!"
"Miss Lin Yue."
Katie looked at Amanda joyfully, while the Auror standing opposite her instinctively snapped to attention.
Amanda nodded, and before she could say anything, Katie pointed at the necklace on the ground.
"Senior Lin Yue, this Auror insisted that this necklace is a Dark Arts item. Is it really?"
"I'm afraid, Katie, the Auror is correct."
"What?!" Katie believed Amanda without question. She took two steps back away from the necklace on the ground, seemingly afraid it might jump up and bite her.
"But, but hasn't Senior Malfoy already sided with you, Senior Lin Yue?"
"Yes," Amanda nodded, squatting down to examine the necklace carefully. "So the person who gave you the necklace was likely not Draco Malfoy himself."
"Polyjuice Potion." Hermione and the Auror spoke simultaneously. The Auror quickly reacted, looking at Amanda squatting on the ground and Hermione who remained standing.
"Minister Granger, Miss Lin Yue, should we begin evacuating the Hogwarts students?"
"No need," Amanda raised her hand, signaling him to drop the idea in a calm voice. "Since this Death Eater only dared to come after drinking Polyjuice Potion, it proves he doesn't have the guts to launch a direct attack."
Because he knew Amanda was here, and Headmaster Dumbledore was also nearby at Hogwarts. If he dared to do anything openly, it would be easy for either Amanda or Headmaster Dumbledore to capture him.
Drawing her wand and giving a gentle flick to make the necklace float, Amanda stood up and nodded slightly to the Auror and Katie.
"Mr. Auror, please continue your patrol. Katie, you go on enjoying Hogsmeade. Shall we handle the rest?"
Amanda looked inquiringly at Hermione, unsure if her girlfriend would enjoy this "little activity" in the middle of their date.
"Oh, of course, darling," Hermione stepped forward, hugged Amanda, and kissed her cheek forcefully, while quickly drawing her wand with the other hand. "I was looking forward to getting some exercise with you."
"Alright, Miss Lin Yue, Minister Granger, I'll continue my patrol. Goodbye."
The Auror quickly turned his head away, finished speaking rapidly, and strode off. He wasn't needed anymore. Miss Lin Yue and Minister Granger hunting someone down... he mourned for the "poor" Death Eater.
"Senior Lin Yue, Senior Granger, goodbye." Katie looked at Amanda and Hermione with stars in her eyes, turning around with a delighted expression and happily walking toward her next destination, showing no fear whatsoever about almost being harmed.
After all, in her eyes, or rather, in the eyes of most Hogwarts students, as long as Amanda was present, it meant there was a 99% chance that nothing bad would happen.
"It seems the Death Eaters' hands are truly itching for trouble."
After the Auror and Katie left, Hermione, who was embracing Amanda, narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"We just need to chop off their itching hands," Amanda said calmly, raising her wand toward the sky.
A white beam of magic shot toward the sky, exploding high up the next moment and turning into a massive magical shield that enveloped all of Hogsmeade.
This was the Anti-Apparition Charm, modified by Amanda. It not only restricted everyone within the area from Apparating but also allowed her to know in real-time if anyone had just attempted to Apparate within the region.
After casting the spell, Amanda stood calmly, rubbing the wand in her hand. Hermione, standing beside her, was equally unhurried.
Now they only had to wait five minutes to determine the identity of the Death Eater who gave the necklace to Katie.
Five minutes was the maximum waiting time Amanda estimated the person could endure. If he were a typical Death Eater, seeing that nothing happened after so long, he would realize his failure and Apparate away.
In that case, she and Hermione could easily capture the person. However, if no one Apparated within five minutes, it would prove that the person was not an ordinary Death Eater but a Hogwarts student. In that scenario, she would have to use her own methods to find and capture them.
Five minutes passed, and the protective magic set up by Amanda showed no sign of being triggered. "It looks like it's a Hogwarts student."
Hermione shook her head with a scornful laugh. They had put so much effort into making Hogwarts impenetrable, yet there were still rotters.
"Start the investigation directly with the children from the Pure-blood families who haven't agreed to side with us."
Amanda said without hesitation. Based on behavioral analysis, others had no reason to betray them or Hogwarts. Only the children from the Pure-blood families who hadn't sided with them had an absolute reason to do this.
Because they were the ones who most wished for Voldemort's victory.
Hermione acknowledged this, and the two immediately began searching Hogsmeade.
Like a cat playing with a mouse, Amanda and Hermione were not in a hurry to catch the person. Not only would the person not dare to attack openly, but even if he became desperate, the Young Wizards of Hogwarts were all wearing protective badges. No matter how much he attacked, what good would it do?
Hogsmeade was now sealed off by Amanda. She and Hermione were completely unconcerned, treating the whole affair like a game. They were the cats, and they were hunting the rat that betrayed Hogwarts.
All along the way, Amanda's eyes never stopped moving. Her gaze swept over every child from the Pure-blood families who had not sided with them, easily distinguishing their expressions through micro-expressions and deducing what they had done.
As they passed the Honeydukes Sweetshop, Amanda suddenly grabbed Hermione's arm.
"Found him?" Hermione turned around with interest, looking toward the Honeydukes Sweetshop.
"Mhm, found him. Crabbe."
Crabbe used to be Draco Malfoy's friend, so it was perfectly normal for him to have his hair.
Amanda rubbed the wand in her hand and tilted her head to look at Hermione. "Hermione, you handle protecting everyone else?"
"I can." Hermione nodded slightly.
The two walked into the Honeydukes Sweetshop with natural expressions. Crabbe, who was standing inside intently looking at Gummy Bear, clearly froze. If you looked closely, you could see his body trembling slightly.
Amanda and Hermione were in no rush. Hermione's hand, hidden under the sleeve of her wizard robe, gently moved. After casting several Nonverbal, Wandless Shield Charms to protect everyone else in the shop, the two began to enjoy the sight of Crabbe shivering.
The immense psychological pressure from Amanda and Hermione's arrival caused Crabbe's forehead to sweat and his face to turn pale.
Seeing this, Amanda smiled sarcastically. With such poor mental fortitude, how dare he try to harm someone using a Dark Arts item?
It was ridiculous.
Raising her wand and giving a gentle wave, the Gummy Bear in front of Crabbe instantly "came alive." Two Gummy Bear jumped up, lunged at Crabbe's face, and punched him right in both eyes.
"Ah!" The sudden attack gave Crabbe no time to react. Feeling a sharp pain in his eyes, he screamed out in agony.
At the same time, Hermione stretched out her hand, signaling everyone else to remain calm. "Don't move around, and don't step outside the protection range of the Shield Charm. Crabbe is suspected of using a Dark Arts item to harm a student, and we are handling the situation."
Seeing that Amanda was the one taking action and hearing Hermione's words, everyone present, including the manager and staff of the Honeydukes Sweetshop, immediately calmed down and stood still.
"I'll buy all these Gummy Bear," Amanda said in a stern voice, waving her wand again. The entire box of Gummy Bear immediately began leaping out of the container, while the thumb-sized Gummy Bear started merging and growing continuously.
When the entire box of Gummy Bear had finished merging, the resulting gummy bear shape was noticeably taller than a person.
Bang!
With a dull thud, the gummy bear, controlled by Amanda, landed a heavy punch on Crabbe's body. Crabbe, who was still shouting while covering his eyes, was sent flying without any ability to fight back.
Amanda gently flicked her wand, and the gummy bear immediately rushed out, raising its foot to stomp heavily on Crabbe.
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