Chapter 376: The Entrance of the Three Strongest Warriors
On December 24th, the night at Hogwarts, the stars were reflected on the lake and the moonlight was as thin as frost.
The entire castle seemed to have been completely transformed by a heavy snowfall the day before. The square in front of the main building was covered with a clean and soft silver snow blanket, and snowflakes like swan feathers fell down. The arch made of ice sculptures glowed blue in the night wind, and the long red carpet extended from the marble steps into the ballroom. Countless flying silver lights were entwined in between, lighting up this winter night incomparably gorgeous.
Everyone is waiting for tonight's protagonists to arrive.
Amanta Merlin, who was standing backstage, became the most difficult person to ignore in the whole audience.
She was wearing a dark blue evening dress, the hem of which was outlined with silver star lines like wings, light and not exaggerated. Her long light golden hair was tied up high, like the morning light in the mist under the light, with a few strands of curls falling on her shoulders and neck. The crystal tassels on her earlobes swayed gently, as if even the air dared not disturb her tranquility.
She stood quietly beside the ice sculpture lamppost, her eyes calm and steady. Standing beside her was Julius Hoffmann.
Tonight, he was wearing a deep midnight blue suit. His temperament was extremely restrained, and he looked like the quietest yet dangerous eye of a storm.
His eyes fell on Amanta and he asked softly, "Will it be too cold?"
"I have a spell to keep out the cold." Amanta replied calmly, but her eyes fell on the people who were slowly walking towards the front.
The first person who came into view was Harry.
He was wearing a dark green dress robe, his hair was still as unruly as before, but he looked very energetic. He saw Amanta at a glance, his eyes lit up, and he made a small expression to her.
Luna beside him wore a plain silver dress for the first time today. The hem of the dress was faintly shimmering, as if it had its own flowing starlight. Her hair was braided into a complex but not abrupt crown. She smiled and took Harry's arm.
Hermione was wearing a pink gauze dress, and her hair was beautifully styled into elegant waves by a senior from Ravenclaw. She looked very calm in every move. She gently held Krum's hand, and Krum was much more restrained than usual, and even wore a bow tie - although it was a little crooked.
As they approached, Harry immediately walked up to Amanta and whispered, "You are so... like a queen tonight."
Amanta raised an eyebrow: "'That' is?"
Luna blinked at the side: "It's so impressive."
Amanta chuckled, and when she looked up she saw Draco approaching last.
He was wearing a standard grey-silver robe that was almost cold, with the Malfoy family emblem on his chest. His eyes were deep and his expression was cold, but the moment he saw Amanta, he seemed to be nailed to the spot.
Standing next to him was Evelyn Pembroke, the gentle and quiet Ravenclaw girl. She had changed her hairstyle today, tied up with a light blue magic ribbon, and her face was less swollen than usual, but she still lowered her head unconfidently.
"Amanta." Draco said softly, his voice a little hoarse.
Amanta just nodded slightly, without any extra expression.
Julius greeted them with a smile: "Mr. Malfoy, the style tonight is good, in line with your family style."
"You're not bad either." Draco responded calmly, but his eyes never left Amanta.
Several people stood together, each holding the arm of their dance partner. The lights illuminated the tiny dust particles floating in the air, which looked like falling snow.
At this moment, the castle bells rang.
Professor McGonagall, who was hosting the dance, walked out of the hall and announced, "Warriors, please take your seats. The first dance will start with you."
The golden door of the hall slowly opened.
All eyes fell on these people.
Amanta took a deep breath, nodded slightly, and placed her hand on Julius' arm.
"Let's go."
And after she walked into the sea of lights, Draco clenched his hands, his eyes reflecting coldness and pain.
His partner asked softly, "Are we...going in?"
"Well," Draco whispered, "let's go."
But his step was a beat late.
The golden door of the auditorium slowly opened, and brilliant lights poured out like a tide, reflecting between the white carpet and the ice crystal columns, casting a flickering light.
The Christmas ball officially begins.
The twelve warriors walked into the hall with their dance partners. The place instantly became quiet. Only the sound of footsteps and soft music flowed out from the orchestra like spring water, spreading across the entire dance floor.
Amanta held Julius's hand, her skirt skimming across the mirror-like ice surface, her steps steady and graceful. She heard Harry stumble, probably because he stepped on Luna again, while Krum was tall, but his movements were surprisingly light. Hermione's cheeks were flushed, and she kept looking down at the tip of her shoes.
Julius, who was beside her, seemed a little gentler than usual tonight.
He did not deliberately keep a distance as usual. Instead, he lightly and naturally held her elbow when he led her to turn around. His knuckles were warm and his movements were graceful.
The music flowed softly, and in the center of the dance floor, eleven pairs of dancers spun around to perform their first dance.
"You dance very well." Julius spoke in a low and slow voice.
"Thank you." Amanta responded calmly. Her eyes were not confused, but her heartbeat inevitably fluctuated slightly with the music.
Julius smiled and said, "I thought you would finally choose to refuse before the dance."
"I always keep my word."
"So you're fulfilling your promise, but not for me?"
Amanta raised an eyebrow: "Are you trying to trick me?"
"Just some fun things to talk about while we dance." He spun her out gently and then slowly pulled her back in, his movements almost flawless. "Just like you want to know why I study white magic."
Amanta's eyes paused slightly, but she did not deny: "You really don't look like someone who is interested in this kind of magic."
"That's because you didn't ask me what I'm interested in." He suddenly chuckled, with a hint of joy in his eyes. "I'm interested in 'freedom', Amanta. The freedom from being controlled by fate. White magic was once a questioning of order. This power, hidden in the light, can cut through the darkness."
She didn't respond, but just glided along with him on the dance floor, her skirt drawing a crescent-shaped halo in the air.
"Before coming to Hogwarts," Julius suddenly said softly, "I lived in an old house on the Austrian border. The snow there in winter was even thicker than this. There were only mountains and rocks outside the house, and no one talked. Apart from my father's study, the only place I could go was the library."
Amanta was stunned for a moment, and for some reason she suddenly felt that he was not just trying to trick people tonight.
He really meant it.
She subconsciously asked softly: "Where is your mother?"
Julius paused, but said calmly: "She died before I could understand the word 'mother'."
The music just turned into the secondary section at this moment, with a slow rhythm and the lights spinning like meteors. He took her and jumped lightly, landing silently.
"You always say you can't see through me." He chuckled softly, his movements still elegant, "But in the true sense, I never belong to anyone, nor do I need to be understood by anyone."
"I grew up in an orphanage," he said lightly. "That place... had no books, no etiquette, only cold and damp beds, noisy children, and never enough candy."
Amanta frowned slightly.
"I learned to observe people very early on," Julius said, as if he were just recounting a small event. "I knew who was lying and who had a secret. I knew how to ask in order to get what I wanted. Just like an animal knows which tree holds bones."
His tone was calm, but with an almost elegant sarcasm.
"That's when I realized that people always say they like being 'kind' but never really choose it."
Amanta did not respond immediately. She could hear a tentative tone behind every word he said, a contradiction that came from wanting to be understood but not wanting to truly reveal himself.
Julius lowered his eyes to look at her, and his tone changed, but with a hint of smile.
"But you are different," he said. "You have something they don't have... You want to change your fate, but fate will not change you."
Amanta looked at him calmly and didn't respond.
He didn't get angry, and ended softly: "This is one of the reasons why I chose you tonight."
Amanta looked into his dark, calm eyes, and for a moment she couldn't find the right words to respond.
Just then, she looked over Julius' shoulder and saw Draco Malfoy at the edge of the dance floor.
He stood behind the shadow of the pillar. Evelyn Pembroke tried to speak to him, but he looked gloomy and his eyes were always glued to the dark light in the center of the dance floor.
She knew who he was looking at.
Draco's face was pale and his knuckles were white, as if he was enduring a suffocating pain.
And Evelin beside him seemed to realize something, and her expression became more and more uneasy.
The music was about to reach its climax. Julius slowly pulled her closer and whispered:
"Thank you for the dance tonight."
Amanta smiled slightly: "You dance better than I expected."
"I have much better things than you expected," he whispered.
"……for example?"
"For example..." He lowered his head and moved closer, his lips almost touching her ears, "I never care about winning or losing, but I am extremely sensitive to victory."
Amanta's eyes moved and she suddenly smiled.
"Don't be too happy too soon." She replied softly, "The outcome is not yet determined."
The lights flowed between the two people like water, eleven pairs of warriors slowly surrounded them, the music suddenly stopped, and the rotating figures stopped steadily at the moment of landing, winning applause from the audience.
The warriors finished leading the dance.
And just after that, the students and professors around the dance floor slowly walked in, the music changed tone, and the melodious winter waltz sounded again.