Chapter 378 Pointing to a Certain Intersection of Destiny
The library was silent, with only the soft rustling of quills scraping against parchment, and the occasional sound of snowflakes hitting the glass outside the window.
On the long table by the window, there are three or four books piled up, including "Study of Ancient Spells", "Study of Wizard Runes", and "Analysis of Spells: From Curse to Countermeasure".
Amanta just stared at the thin record of white magic, motionless.
The paper was a little yellowed and the edges were torn, but the words on it had a light silver luster and vaguely resembled some kind of lost spell language from the past.
It is not something that can be seen in regular Hogwarts textbooks. It is a deconstruction law centered on logical chains and rune configurations. Its core seems to be not to cast magic, but to dismantle them.
Hermione frowned and studied the silver structure diagram carefully, muttering, "It can not only identify the main spell veins of the evil curse, but also analyze the subordinate position of its magic source... This is too advanced."
She looked up at Amanta, her eyes filled with amazement. "This is not a level that students can access. It is even higher than the theory we learned in "Advanced Curse Breaking"."
Amanta tapped the page of paper lightly with her fingers, but her expression did not seem relieved by her discovery.
"You don't look very happy." Hermione noticed. "What's wrong?"
Amanta didn't say anything, but just turned the cup of hot tea beside her around, and the wet bottom of the cup drew an arc on the table.
Hermione asked in a low voice tentatively, "Is it because of...Julius? Did he say anything to you last night?"
"He did say something last night." Amanta finally spoke in a low voice, "But it wasn't about this... I had a dream. About my mother."
She briefly recounted what happened at the ball and what her mother Livia had said to her in her dream.
Hermione was strangely quiet, but her brows furrowed a little.
"She said Julius was the key to some kind of change."
"But you're not sure that's a good direction," Hermione added.
"He used this record in exchange for me being his dance partner." Amanta whispered, "And this record... is really useful, even beyond my expectations."
"That's why you feel uneasy." Hermione said firmly, "He did give you 'good things', but you instinctively know that there must be a price behind it."
The library bell rang.
Amanta looked at the white magic records on the table with heavy eyes: "He is not manipulating me... but he is leading me to a place he wants me to go. I am not sure if I am willing."
"Then don't just look at what he gives you." Hermione said softly, "You have to look at what he wants you to pay."
She paused, then added seriously:
"For me, Amanta, if one day I use something very precious to ask you to do something for me, you should also ask clearly whether this is something you are willing to do, rather than owing me something."
Amanta was stunned for a moment, tapping her fingertips on the paper, and didn't speak for a long time.
Hermione raised her head, her eyes gentle and determined.
"You are not his opposite, nor should you be his pawn. You are you - the Amanta Merlin who has magical talent, judgment, and conviction."
Just as Hermione finished her words, there was a sound of light footsteps coming from the direction of the bookshelf behind them.
Then, a calm male voice sounded:
“But people with judgment and conviction may not always make the right choices.”
Amanta's back stiffened, and Hermione seemed to be immobilized by someone, and they both turned their heads at the same time -
Julius Hoffmann, holding two heavy spell books in his arms, had a calm expression, as if he had been standing there for a long time, just listening to all their conversations, and chose this moment to speak.
"…When did you—?" Hermione's eyes widened slightly.
“When you said, ‘What he gave may have a price,’” Julius said calmly, as if he was reciting a lesson, “I heard it clearly.”
He walked closer step by step, his black school robe fluttering slightly, but his eyes were fixed steadily on Amanta's face.
"It turns out that what I said and what I did constitute a dangerous case worthy of study in your eyes."
Amanta wanted to remain calm, but her throat choked for a moment.
Hermione's face flushed a little, and she said quickly: "The library is a public space, we don't have--"
“No one is talking behind my back?” Julius raised his eyebrows and smiled, his expression expressionless. “I don’t mind. It’s just that some of your opinions…maybe worth refuting.”
He gently put the book down and said calmly, "For example, 'those who give good things must have ulterior motives'. Does that mean that you can only feel at ease if you accept useless gifts?"
Hermione opened her mouth, but didn't know how to refute.
Julius turned his gaze towards Amanta, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice:
"I admit that I am not a selfless person. But the white magic record you received is real and effective, isn't it?"
Amanta looked into his bottomless black eyes, which were like some calm lake in the night, reflecting her own slight uneasiness.
She tried to change the subject: "Are you here to look for information?"
Julius chuckled, as if seeing through her evasion: "Not really."
He straightened up and uttered another calm blow:
"I came to see you."
Hermione glanced at her subconsciously.
"The dream you had last night." Julius' eyes were sharp. "What did your mother say to you in the dream?"
Amanta tightened her fingertips: "Nothing..."
His tone was calm as he continued, "I am very interested in dreams, especially dreams of foreboding that come from... the residual magic of family blood."
Amanta bit her lip and didn't answer.
Hermione couldn't help but ask, "Why are you asking her so hard?"
Julius tilted his head slightly, his smile not fading. "I was just trying to understand her dream. After all, that was the central topic of your discussion."
He turned his gaze back to Amanta's face: "You don't have to say it. I'm just curious."
The words were spoken so lightly and softly, but they were chilling to the bone more than any threat.
He didn't seem to be in a hurry to get an answer, he just wanted to see her struggling, hesitating and wavering with his own eyes.
It was a kind of scrutiny, but also a declaration of certainty that he had entered her defenses.
Amanta looked at him, and she suddenly realized that he also understood her to some extent, accurately.
This is more difficult to prevent than danger.
"...She said that the real 'Blue Eye' holds the key to some kind of change."
Amanta spoke hesitantly, her tone unhurried, as if she was weighing how much to reveal with each word.
Julius nodded slightly, still looking into her eyes, and spoke gently but with undisguised interest: "Go on. What else did she say?"
"That's not very important." Amanta tried to finish, waving her hand lightly, "It's just a dream."
"I don't think so." He leaned forward, his voice lowered with a sense of oppression, "Dreams caused by blood are often much more real than we think."
He raised his finger seemingly nonchalantly and tapped twice on the white magic record: "Especially someone like you - a descendant of Merlin."
"What do you mean 'such a person'?" Amanta raised her eyes and was about to ask back.
"Cough cough!" A cough with the smell of cloves interrupted the confrontation between the two, along with the sound of footsteps and the tinkling of a long string of earrings.
Hermione sat up straight as if someone stepped on her foot: "...Oh no."
——Professor Trelawney, holding her purple shawl that was almost dragging on the floor in one hand, came over with a mysterious and excited look on her face.
"Amanta Merlin," she squinted, "I heard it. Dreams, right? Dreams of blood?"
Amanta's scalp tingled: "Uh... Professor, this is just--"
"This is a spiritual resonance caused by bloodline! The star chart and the line of destiny have intersected!" Trelawney lowered her voice, but she was so excited that she seemed to be spinning in circles at any second. "Is your mother a psychic? Or does she have the ability of clairvoyance? Have you ever had a similar dream before? Have you ever seen a dead ancestor? Or a projection that traveled through time and space?"
"Well..." Amanta almost wanted to burrow into the books. "Maybe? A little bit?"
"She really came!" Trelawney opened her eyes wide, her breathing trembling, "That's the return of the soul! It's the resonance of blood and spirit! I saw a gray-white figure in the tea leaves, and a string of constellations - the Pluto! How many times have you dreamed of her? What day was it? What color clothes were you wearing at that time?"
Hermione silently buried her face in the book. Julius also coughed lightly, which was rare. His eyes slightly shifted away, and it was obvious that he didn't want to get involved.
"Uh, I don't really remember it..." Amanta said, trying to make light of the situation.
"You don't remember?" Trelawney seemed to be stimulated by something and suddenly grabbed Amanta's wrist. "No! You remember! You just chose to forget!"
Then her face suddenly changed, her pupils dilated, and her whole body leaned back an inch.
"... those eyes... black as the grave..."
She suddenly shouted: "-No! That thing can't fall into... No, no-!"
"Sh-!"
From deep within the library, there came a roar of anger.
Madam Pince rushed out from the corner angrily, her face as cold as if she was frozen, and she was holding a torn-up copy of "Curses and Counter-Curses" in her hands.
"Sybil!" she growled. "This is a library, not an astrology meeting!"
Trelawney's face turned pale, and she continued to mutter: "... the stars turn, the fates intersect, there is a throne under the tomb, the fragments are reassembled..."
She muttered as Hermione gently held her and forcibly led her away in the direction of the corridor.
Madam Pince's anger had not yet subsided as she glanced at the remaining two people.
"You—get out too." She gritted her teeth. "You're discussing this like you're having a Christmas party."
Amanta quickly packed up her things, and Julius shrugged and closed the book slowly.
Walking out of the library, Amanta couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Hermione wiped her forehead, "I bet she'll make some nonsense out of your dream in the next Divination class."
Julius chuckled at the side: "I find it very inspiring."
He turned his head to look at Amanta, his eyes were calm but meaningful:
"The key your mother mentioned may not just be the Azure Eye."
Amanta didn't respond, she just dropped her eyes.
But new questions had begun to arise in her mind.
——If her dream really points to a certain intersection of destiny, how will she distinguish the true direction from it?