Chapter 377 The End of the Dance and the Prophecy Dream
The dance continued and the music flowed.
The orchestra had changed the tune, from the elegant waltz to the more lively classical dance. People were crisscrossing in the dance floor, long skirts were like waves, and candlelight shone in every smile and every spin. The whole Hogwarts seemed to be temporarily free from the tension of the Triwizard Tournament, like a grand dream.
Amanta's palms felt slightly cool.
She couldn't remember how many times Julius had led her into the next rhythm. His movements were precise and in sync, neither fast nor slow, just like the feeling he gave people - at ease and with his own rules.
"Can you still dance?" he asked her in a low, almost gentle voice.
"You seem to have a special passion for your dance partner's endurance." Amanta responded lightly, glancing at his fingers with the corner of her eyes.
“That’s because you never refused.” Julius smiled back. “I’ve always thought that you’re not one of those people who give up easily.”
Amanta did not respond immediately. After a few seconds, she said calmly, "People like you are always used to saying nice things to trap others."
"Are you trapped then?" His voice became even lighter, like snow falling in the fog.
"No." She looked at him sideways, expression unchanged, "But you want me to fall into it."
Julius did not deny it, but suddenly lowered his head and moved an inch closer to her ear.
"I just thought... that when you were lonely, I happened to be there too."
Somehow, these words hit a very deep crack.
Amanta's fingers tightened slightly, but she said nothing.
She was not unaware that Julius was different tonight. He was no longer hiding his edge, but seemed to have deliberately removed a little disguise, probing and approaching, like a hunter wearing a gentle mask, slowly setting up a net.
But she didn't dodge.
She couldn't tell whether she was consciously in control of the situation or was gradually losing control in some kind of confusion.
At this moment, a clear but untimely voice broke the rhythm of the dance floor.
"Students, please stop for a moment."
Dumbledore's voice sounded, calm and gentle, but it made the entire ballroom quiet. Everyone looked at the high platform in front of them. The headmaster stood between the silver candlesticks and the starlight curtains, wearing a purple and gold robe with intricate totems, with a calm but solemn expression.
"Thank you all for participating in the dance tonight." He smiled. "Before the next stage of the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts welcomes all warriors, guests and professors to spend a warm and peaceful night here."
"Please remember that every dance and every laugh tonight are the most precious moments in our lives."
The crowd applauded.
Amanta suddenly felt her head heavy.
She looked down at the golden champagne in the glass. It tasted sweet and bubbly, but it quietly made her feel dizzy in her stomach.
Since when, she has been unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.
She turned to look at Luna and met the girl's worried gaze.
"Are you okay?" Luna asked Harry softly as she stood on the edge of the dance floor with her arm around him.
"I'm fine." Amanta smiled, her voice a little floating.
But she knew she was not okay.
She suddenly remembered that world.
A gray, noisy, paper-like world. The ever-repeating train tracks and cold white sunlight, even the air smells poisonous. She once walked out of the room in her dreams and onto the street, and no one ever looked back at her. She was transparent.
Then she came here.
She became a descendant of Merlin, a student of Hogwarts, possessed magic, had the friends of her dreams - Harry and Draco, and even had more than one possible future.
She used to be so high-spirited and full of desire to change her destiny, revitalize Slytherin, and stand at the forefront of the world.
But now——
She seemed to be trapped in a grand dream, with lights flickering, dancing steps wrapping her, magic music whistling in her ears, and Julius' eyes in front of her.
Those eyes were dark and bottomless.
Like a whirlpool, quietly, stealthily, almost gently, it sucked her in.
She didn't struggle.
I didn't even know if I had the strength to struggle.
She just felt that everything started to blur.
Like snow falling into a lake, dissolving silently.
*
Amanta couldn't remember how she left the ball.
The hall with flying lights and shadows formed a gorgeous illusion in her eyes. The students with spinning skirts, the intertwined scents of perfume and alcohol, Julius' eyes, and the silver cup raised to his lips, everything was intertwined like a dream and shattered like smoke.
She only remembered those black eyes, cold and silent, as if they had been waiting for her to lose weight, sink, and be pulled into some abyss where she shouldn't go.
When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on the soft velvet in the Slytherin dormitory, her dress half-undone, her earrings cold, and the light as dim as a solitary lamp in the fog that was never turned off.
She felt dizzy and her throat was dry. Her consciousness was like a broken string that could not be pulled back, until a strange wind blew into her dream.
——She was dreaming again.
She stood barefoot in a field shrouded in mist, the green grass covering her calves. The wind blew past, and it seemed as if countless tiny voices were whispering and calling her name.
In front of her, the familiar light golden figure was slowly walking towards her.
"...Mom?" she called softly.
Livia was still the same as when they first met, wearing a purple dress, with long light golden hair rippling in the wind, and a gentle and calm face. She stood under an ancient oak tree, her eyes seemed to be able to see through all the confusion in her soul.
"Amanta." Livia's voice came through the mist with unquestionable tranquility.
"I don't know... what to do." The girl stood in front of her, and for the first time she was no longer the fearless manipulator. She hugged herself, like a child longing for an answer, "The Triwizard Tournament, the crown, the mermaid's promise, Julius... I can't tell enemies from allies anymore. What he said... maybe not all is false... I'm confused."
Livia frowned slightly and stroked her forehead with her fingers. Her fingertips were slightly cool, as if injecting gentleness.
"You are standing at a crossroads, Amanta. Temptation, truth and destruction are often mixed. But you must remember that fate is never a straight line." She said in a steady tone, "That boy - Julius - he is the deepest darkness in the fog, and he is also the key to some kind of change."
Amanta held her breath, her heart feeling as if it were being gripped by a hand.
"You need to find the real Blue Eye." Livia continued, "Not just the gem on the crown. The real 'eye' contains the test that Merlin left for you, as well as the way to break the curse and... distinguish true from false."
"But... who should I trust?" She whispered, her eyes revealing a vulnerability she had never shown to others. "Draco or Julius? I'm afraid... I will become a bargaining chip in their hands, or... bring disaster upon myself."
Livia hugged her gently, warmly and firmly.
"You are not a chess piece, you are a chess player. But you have to be careful, the real chessboard is not in Hogwarts, but in people's hearts." She paused and said softly, "My dear, I can't complete this journey for you. But you have to remember that what flows in your blood is Merlin's magic and my prophecy."
"Go find the key to the library." Her voice faded away. "The real eyes are not only hidden in the crown..."
The next moment, the dream was shattered.
Amanta opened her eyes suddenly.
The dormitory was quiet and silent, the firelight flickered on the green curtains. Her hand unconsciously clutched the sage ring on her wrist. Her fingertips were slightly cold, but her heartbeat was vibrating beside her ears.
She sat up, her forehead still wet with sweat.
She had to find out what Julius really intended.
And as for the "Blue Eye", she finally understood that it might not just be a gem in the physical sense.