Chapter 375 I will finish that dance tomorrow
The small reading room on the top floor of Ravenclaw Tower welcomes studious students from any college.
On a winter afternoon, Amanta sat at a long table by the window with an ancient paper magic record spread out in front of her. The pages were yellowed and the corners showed signs of being eroded by time, but one could still make out the intricate array diagrams and rotating symbols depicted in ancient runes in the middle.
[“Ramsey Holy Ring” – an ancient white magic used to stabilize and reversely decompose forbidden barriers, which has been lost]
[Note: You need to wear purification magic tools or use the water moon stone as a carrier to stimulate your bloodline...]
Amanta stared at the annotations, her eyes gradually deepening. This was not the first time she had studied complex magic circles, but the contents of this record really shocked her. Especially the analysis of the continuous interference of the evil curse, which seemed to be tailor-made for the most difficult mixed seal on the crown.
She slowly raised her fingers and traced along the shapes, whispering to herself, "If this structure can be stabilized, perhaps it can bypass the induction spell set by Voldemort... not by force, but by cutting off the resonance..."
"You've been staring at a piece of paper for almost half an hour."
Hermione's voice came from behind the pile of books, with a hint of teasing.
"This is a record I got recently." Amanta said calmly, "It may be useful in breaking certain evil curses."
Hermione took a quick glance and said, "White magic? This magic array... looks very high-level."
“It’s really lost.”
"Julius gave it to you?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
Amanta was stunned and tilted her head to look at her: "How do you know?"
"Because the whole castle was talking about it." Hermione shrugged. "The day you agreed to be his dance partner, the supplement of Naughty Mouse sold out."
"They actually care about this?" Amanta couldn't help but sigh.
Hermione laughed, pulled a neatly folded tabloid from her lap and slammed it on the table.
[Slytherin warrior falls in love with someone else? ]
"Miss Amanta Merlyn, the descendant of Merlin who was originally considered to be Master Malfoy's "reserved dance partner", actually accepted the dance invitation from the mysterious nobleman Master Hoffman from Durmstrang!
Master Hoffman not only shined in the first game, but also defeated Master Malfoy's social advantage in one fell swoop and won the favor of the most controversial beauty in the school.
There are rumors that the two had secretly met in the library and their relationship was very ambiguous..."
Amanta rolled her eyes: "Can't they report something valuable?"
"You and Draco...really had a falling out?" Hermione's tone was lighter.
Amanta was silent for a moment, then whispered, "It's not all about falling out...it's not that it doesn't matter."
"It sounds like there's no hope." Hermione's tone was gentle, but undeniably sharp.
Amanta didn't answer, but just stared at the magic record again. She didn't want to use "hopeless" to describe her current emotional problems - but she couldn't deny that the waiting, expectation, and hurtful emptiness in her heart was indeed too heavy.
Hermione sat with her quietly for a while, and suddenly coughed: "Actually, Krum...he also invited me."
Amanta finally looked up: "Yo."
"Don't look at me like that." Hermione whispered, "I wanted to refuse. After all, I don't like too much attention..."
"So you agree now?"
"...I think," Hermione's ears blushed, "he's not that annoying, and he's quite a good dancer."
Amanta raised her eyebrows: "So what color dress are you going to wear?"
Hermione's face turned even redder: "I haven't decided yet..."
*
The night before the dance.
The corridors, stairs, and towers were filled with the sounds of excited and busy footsteps and the hushed laughter of boys and girls. The lights were on in the dormitories of the four major colleges, spells and colorful silks were flying, and even ghosts were appearing and disappearing in them, flashing silver light.
At the end of the Slytherin underground passage, Draco Malfoy stood at the door, clenching the box in his hand.
It was a silver bracelet with a gem as green as the water of the Black Lake. He had spent a long time choosing it these days, and when he thought of her snow-white wrist in her dress, he knew it was for her.
"Draco?" Blaise passed by the door and was stunned for a moment. "Where are you going?"
"Go find Amanta." Draco's tone was unstable, as if he couldn't even convince himself.
Bryce opened his mouth but didn't stop him.
*
Amanta was walking through the corridor between the library and the back building, intending to return to her dormitory to prepare her dress for tomorrow.
She didn't walk fast, still thinking about an unsolved symbol in the white magic record. Her footsteps fell on the ancient stone tiles, and the sound of footsteps mixed with the sound of the wind, until someone called her:
"Amanta!"
She stopped.
It's Draco.
He was wearing a neatly ironed uniform, his face was pale but his eyes were urgent. He walked up to her and handed her the gift box without saying a word.
"This is……"
"I was going to prepare it for you."
Amanta looked at him and didn't answer.
Draco's knuckles turned slightly white as he held the box. "I know I was wrong, a step late, and stupid... but I don't want you to appear in the middle of the dance floor with Julius again."
"So what do you want me to do now?" Amanta said, her voice as cold as the wind. "Should I tell Julius that I regret this?"
"If you would like—"
"But you already knew who he was." She suddenly took a step closer, her eyes calm, "You already knew he was not a good person, not someone you should let me get close to, but you were only concerned with backing off at that time."
"I'm not backing down!" Draco said, his voice rising sharply. "I'm - I'm just -"
"It's just that your father is more important." Amanta spoke very softly, "It's only after I turned around that you realized there's no way back even if you regret it."
The atmosphere was tense.
"I never thought of finding another partner." Draco lowered his voice. "From the beginning to the end."
Amanta stared at him, her eyes growing darker and darker.
"I'm not someone who can always come back to back you up."
These words fell upon the ground like frost and snow penetrating my bones.
Then, footsteps were heard.
"Ah, what a coincidence."
Julius' voice came from the corner of the corridor. He stood at the junction of shadow and light, with neat black hair and a calm expression, turning a silver button in his hand, as if he was just passing by.
"I was originally planning to discuss the color scheme for the ball with you." He looked at Amanta, his tone not containing any hostility, "but it seems... sorry to bother you."
Amanta said nothing.
Draco stepped in front of her.
"you do this delibrately."
Julius smiled, his eyes like a wisp of mist passing through it. "You overestimate me, Malfoy. How could I know that you would want to speak at this time?"
"You've been planning this dance from the beginning."
“I didn’t ask her to agree to it.” Julius spread his hands. “She made her own choice, didn’t she?”
"You used that record to bribe her!" Draco growled. "You've been using these methods -"
"I didn't force her." Julius interrupted him, his eyes falling on Amanta, "I just happened to be one step ahead of you."
Draco turned to look at Amanta, with a hint of pleading in his eyes.
But she didn't look at him.
She just stood between the two of them, her eyes as calm as a mirror.
"I'm tired." She whispered, "You two... stop arguing."
"Tomorrow, I'll finish that dance."
"That's all."
She turned around, and her snow-white cloak brushed against the floor tiles like a silver feather escaping from its body.
Julius didn't chase after him. He just raised his hand to hold a strand of hair on his forehead and looked at Draco with a half-smile.
"See you tomorrow night."
Draco clenched his teeth, his forehead twitching, and he didn't even hold the gift box tightly. It fell to the ground with a thud, and the silver bracelet made a slight sound as it rolled on the stone bricks.