"Just like Senior Lin Yue's smile."
Luna turned her head and gave Amanda a hazy, dazed smile.
"Thank you, but I'm not good-looking."
Amanda thanked her politely, adding what she believed to be the truth.
Luna shook her head gracefully, her silver eyes fixed on the Black Lake not far away.
"I think Senior Lin Yue is good-looking, and your appearance should be considered good-looking by the standards of most normal people."
Looking at the genuine expression on Luna's face, Amanda, who was familiar with micro-expressions, naturally knew she was telling the truth, that it was what she truly thought.
But... was she really good-looking? She wasn't sure.
However, there was one thing she could be sure of; she stood up and extended her hand to Luna.
Luna tilted her head as she looked at Amanda's outstretched hand, placed her hand in it, and stood up with her help.
Amanda held her wand in her other hand and cleared the snow from where Luna had been sitting.
"The snow is too cold; sitting on it isn't good for your health."
After saying this in an indifferent voice, Amanda finally let go of Luna's hand and sat back down where she had been.
Probably no one was more familiar with the feeling of being in ice and snow than she was.
That feeling of cold seeping into the marrow, that sensation of freezing cold tearing at the skin.
In the past, her hands, feet, and knees had developed not only Chilblains but also serious bone issues due to prolonged contact with ice and snow.
That was why, upon seeing Luna sitting directly on the snow, she had pulled her up and cleared it away.
"Thank you, Senior Lin Yue."
Luna's dreamy voice sounded, and the two sat quietly, watching the Black Lake before them.
One absolutely rational, the other unusual—two seemingly completely different people now appeared to be on the same wavelength.
The feast on Christmas Day was incredibly lavish, especially the Turkeys piled like small mountains in the Great Hall, which greatly shocked Mr. and Mrs. Granger.
Everyone enjoyed the feast to their heart's content, and Amanda was no exception; she stopped thinking about study points and simply enjoyed the dinner.
After Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Granger left Hogwarts Castle, but before leaving, they made sure to confirm something.
Hermione would wake up the day before the summer holidays, and due to her consistently excellent academic performance...
...the Professors of all subjects had agreed to exempt her from the Second Year Final Exams and let her proceed directly to the Third Year.
Even Professor Snape had no objections—though, of course, it was also possible he just didn't want to see any Gryffindor in his classes for even one more year.
As winter turned to midsummer, the Final Exams at Hogwarts were completely over.
None of the Second Year students had any doubt about who would be first in the year.
Hermione was still petrified in the Hospital Wing, and it was even more impossible for anyone else to outscore Amanda.
So, without a doubt, the top spot belonged to Amanda.
As it turned out, Amanda did not betray their "trust," securing first place in the Second Year with full marks in every subject.
Of course, the Professors only announced this one ranking; they only revealed who was first and didn't publish the rest.
This was a tradition at Hogwarts.
On the day before the students were to head home for Summer Break, the Mandrakes were fully mature.
This meant that Hermione would soon be able to recover from her petrified state.
Upon hearing the news, Amanda waited in the Hospital Wing, reading a book while waiting for Professor Snape to deliver the Potion.
Harry, Ron, and their mutual friends "sensibly" waited at the entrance of the Hospital Wing to ensure that the first person Hermione saw upon waking was Amanda.
"When Hermione wakes up... will she give Amanda a hard time? After all, that was... the Cruciatus Curse."
Marietta Eckmore lightly elbowed Cho Chang beside her; Cho gave her a helpless yet indulgent look.
"Would you have the heart to give Amanda a hard time?"
"No," Marietta Eckmore shook her head without hesitation; she was her dear junior, after all.
In fact, as long as Amanda wasn't hurting herself, Marietta Eckmore would say she did well no matter what she did.
Even if she were to storm the Ministry of Magic right now, overthrow Fudge, and become the Minister for Magic herself, Marietta Eckmore would cheer her on.
To prove that she was more suited for the position of Minister for Magic than Fudge.
"There you go then," Cho shrugged. "If even you can't bear to, do you think Hermione would?"
"She'll probably just say a few words to scare her—all bark and no bite."
"True."
Marietta Eckmore nodded and continued to peer through the crack in the door into the Hospital Wing with Cho and Penelope.
As for Harry and Ron, they conscientiously decided that as boys, they shouldn't be peeping at Hermione and Amanda like that.
Hermione was still petrified, so Amanda simply sat by her side reading her book carefully, without making any other moves.
Or rather... she hadn't even known herself that she would come to the Hospital Wing today.
She was supposed to go to the Library to study as usual, but upon hearing that the Mandrakes were mature and Hermione would recover today...
...her feet had automatically carried her toward the Hospital Wing, and she hadn't even eaten breakfast.
It wasn't until eleven in the morning that Professor Snape strode into the Hospital Wing with a bottle of Potion.
"I assume you realize that I cannot deliver the Potion if you are blocking the doorway."
The low, slow voice sounded; Cho and the others stiffened and immediately turned around to move out of the way.
"Sorry, Professor. Please come in."
Penelope gave a forced smile and opened the Hospital Wing door for Professor Snape.
Professor Snape glanced at her, Cho, and Marietta Eckmore, but ultimately said nothing.
However, when he finally saw Harry and Ron, he let out a cold snort.
Harry and Ron had no reaction; it was Professor Snape and they were Gryffindors—they understood and were used to it.
Striding into the Hospital Wing, Amanda—who usually became immersed in study whenever she read—quickly turned her head to look at Professor Snape.
Professor Snape stopped and held out the Potion. "I assume you know how to use it, Miss Amanda?"
"I do, Professor. Thank you, Professor. Thank you for your hard work."
Amanda stood up, took the Potion with both hands, and bowed her head to thank Professor Snape.
"Instead of wasting time thanking me, you'd better hurry up and give the Potion to Miss Granger."
Professor Snape couldn't help but remark before turning to leave.
But before he completely exited the Hospital Wing, he added, "If there are any problems, find me in my office."
Amanda looked up at his retreating back, her voice devoid of emotion. "Alright. Thank you, Professor Snape."
Turning back, Amanda looked at the petrified Hermione, uncapped the Potion, and slowly poured it into Hermione's petrified mouth.
Fortunately, Hermione's mouth had been open when she was petrified; otherwise, she would have had to use magic to slowly force the Potion in, which would have taken a long time.
The thought flashed through Amanda's mind; if it took a long time, it meant Hermione's time in a petrified state would be extended.
That was not good; her brain made that judgment.
The Potion entered her mouth and slowly merged into Hermione's body without needing to be swallowed.
Amanda watched with her own eyes as the petrified parts of her body slowly diminished.
The feet were the first to be cured, their fair color replacing the gray of the stone.
Then the calves, thighs, hands, and head. After seeing Hermione completely cured, Amanda reached out and slowly helped her up.
"Hermione, how do you feel? Are you okay?"
Hermione blinked blankly; it took a few seconds for her to fully regain her responsiveness.
The first thing she did upon regaining her responsiveness was reach out to pinch Amanda's ear.
"You're really something, aren't you? You actually dared to use the Cruciatus Curse on yourself!"
"I told you not to punish yourself, but you not only did it, you even upgraded the punishment!"
Anxious and angry, Hermione wanted to give Amanda's ear a hard tug, but once she gripped it, she realized she couldn't bring herself to do it.
She could only hold her ear and glare at her huffily.
"Hermione being petrified... was because I wasn't skilled enough and didn't completely eliminate the Basilisk. Hermione told me not to punish myself, but she was petrified because of me. I..."
Before Amanda could finish, Hermione let go of her ear and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"You dummy! In everything except studying, you really are a dummy!"
"How could I possibly blame you?" Hermione's voice softened as her right hand gently stroked Amanda's back. "It was only because of your warning that I even had the chance to be petrified; otherwise, I might have died."
"You gave me the chance to live, Amanda. You saved me."
"Thank you."
Amanda's brain stopped functioning; Hermione's words overlapped with those of Professor McGonagall and the Grangers—they were all saying she had done well enough and that Hermione's petrification wasn't her fault.
"Mm..."
Closing her eyes slightly, Amanda's body relaxed.
"Also," Hermione let go of Amanda and held her shoulders, "did you go looking for the Basilisk to avenge me?"
Amanda looked into Hermione's eyes and nodded honestly. "Yes."
"I knew it," Hermione's eyes reddened, filled with both emotion and heartache. "You really... honestly, five Cruciatus Curses, and then you went after the Basilisk."
"Do you have any idea? Hearing you cast the Cruciatus Curse five times in a row, I wished your wand had been pointed at me instead."
"When the curtain was blown up and I saw you walking out so weakly, I hated myself so much—hated that I was too weak to protect myself."
Two lines of tears slowly slid down as Hermione looked at Amanda through tearful eyes. "If something happened to you because of me, what would be the point of my safety?"
Amanda opened her mouth, wanting to say that Hermione's life was more important than her own, that it had a higher priority.
But she remembered what Hermione had once told her about how life cannot be measured that way.
"I was wrong."
Amanda lowered her head and obediently admitted her mistake. Hermione, dragging her still somewhat stiff body, knelt up and hugged her, pressing her cheek gently against Amanda's.
"No, I was the one who was wrong. I shouldn't have left you alone; I should have stayed with you the whole time."
Amanda's lifeless gaze flickered slightly, returning to its usual dullness after a few seconds.
"Also..."
Hermione pulled back and wiped the tears from her face. "I heard everything you said to me on Christmas, too."
Amanda looked up at Hermione, her face still expressionless, yet somehow she seemed indescribably cute.
"I really like your gift; it's truly beautiful."
Hermione glanced at the quill on her bedside table. "And it's really impressive that you managed to become an Animagus."
"Also..."
Hermione arched an eyebrow and broke into a smile through her tears. "I've also figured out how to complete the part of that sentence you didn't finish."
"You participated in my past by looking at the photos; you participated in my present by entering the photo; and my future..."
Hermione paused here, then spoke the following words one by one.
"...you must participate in as well, and walk the entire journey of life with me."
Amanda's mind quickly resumed functioning, pondering the meaning of Hermione's words.
To have herself participate in Hermione's future and walk the entire journey of life with her.
It probably means staying by Hermione's side forever; there's no problem with that.
After all, she wanted to ensure Hermione's safety, and... she and Hermione were friends.
"Okay," Amanda nodded mechanically, her voice as flat as a light breeze.
Hermione watched her mechanical movements and heard her emotionless voice, sighing helplessly.
She reached out and ruffled Amanda's hair. "Not on the same wavelength..."
Staring fixedly at Amanda, affection and possessiveness continued to grow in Hermione's heart.
During her days of petrification, she had plenty of time to think—to reflect on every detail of her time with Amanda.
She also had plenty of time to think about what Amanda had said to her on Christmas.
After thinking for a whole term until the petrification was finally lifted, she had finally figured it out.
She simply liked Amanda—liked the kindness she maintained toward others despite everything she'd been through.
She liked the unique protection Amanda gave her, her seriousness in life and study, and every aspect she displayed.
As for Amanda... based on that sentence she'd said, the now-enlightened Hermione was certain that Amanda felt the same way about her.
It was just that her emotions hadn't completely "grown" yet, so she couldn't understand or express them well.
But it didn't matter; she could wait and teach her slowly. They were still young, and there was plenty of time.
Hermione's words made Cho and the other two outside widen their eyes. Amanda might not have caught on, but how could they not understand what Hermione meant?
"Hiss... Has Hermione... realized her feelings?"
Marietta Eckmore sucked in a breath and looked at Cho Chang beside her.
"It seems so," Cho nodded with a serious expression.
"So early," Penelope frowned slightly. Although they trusted and liked Hermione...
...that didn't mean they wanted their junior to be spirited away so quickly and so early.
However, Amanda's emotions hadn't fully "grown" yet, let alone her realizing her own feelings.
It seemed Hermione still had a long way to go.
The three seniors, who were just saying Hermione had realized her feelings too early, were now starting to think about how Hermione should navigate this path to reach Amanda faster and bring her out.
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