This year's Christmas holiday was as calm and plain as ever, as if there was no difference from the Christmas holidays of the past few years.
However, beneath this calm and plain atmosphere, Amanda and Hermione could clearly feel the undercurrents surging.
Watching the news on television reporting on the activities people everywhere were preparing for to celebrate Christmas, Hermione leaned on Amanda's shoulder and whispered softly.
"I don't know if we will still be able to watch the news here peacefully next Christmas."
Or perhaps I should say, I don't know if the news will still be as peaceful as it is now by next Christmas.
It is very likely that by next year, neither she nor Amanda will be able to spend a peaceful Christmas.
It is also very likely that by next year, Voldemort will start attacking Muggles.
"We will," Amanda said softly, "Next Christmas will still be like this."
Although her voice was very soft, she spoke with absolute certainty, as if it naturally carried a power that made people want to believe.
The two girls sat on the sofa watching television, while Mr. and Mrs. Granger were in the kitchen preparing Christmas dinner.
When the turkey was put into the oven, Mr. and Mrs. Granger walked out of the kitchen and sat down opposite the two girls.
"Amanda," Mrs. Granger smiled and raised her wrist, gesturing to the bracelet on it with a smile, "Thank you for the gift, we both like it very much."
Mr. Granger nodded approvingly from the side. Hermione turned her head to look and, sure enough, her parents were both wearing almost identical bracelets on their wrists.
Both had a golden eagle carved from gold on them, with the eagle spreading its wings and extending its sharp claws, looking majestic and extremely imposing.
"You're welcome, Aunt, Uncle. This bracelet has the function of a passively triggered portkey."
"It can automatically detect whether you are in a dangerous environment. If you are facing danger, it will immediately activate and take you away from your current location to Ravenclaw Castle, which will be an absolutely safe place."
Not to mention anything else, Ravenclaw Castle, which was hidden by her mother, Rowena Ravenclaw, using various types of magic, had never been found by anyone without her consent throughout the long years.
"Thank you." Hermione felt her heart warm up, and she leaned forward and planted a kiss on the corner of Amanda's lips.
"Hermione, there's no need to be so polite."
Amanda shook her head, recalling the soft and warm touch that had just landed on the corner of her lips, a wave of joy rising in her heart.
In the interval while the four were chatting on the sofa, the television at the Granger Residence suddenly switched from the news broadcast to the surveillance of the yard outside.
At this very moment, just outside the yard, an Owl was landing on the ground, constantly flapping its wings, seemingly confused as to why it couldn't fly.
"It looks like the gate and the walls have served their purpose very well."
Looking at this scene on the television screen, Amanda nodded with a calm and satisfied expression.
"Allow the Owl outside the yard to enter."
As her voice fell, the magic on the Owl suddenly disappeared. With a gentle flap of its two wings, it soared into the sky, crossed the ten-meter-high wall, and landed on the windowsill of the Granger Residence.
Hermione stepped forward to open the window and carefully removed the letter tied to the Owl's leg. Just as she was about to get some biscuits and water for the little guy, it had already flown away impatiently.
Sighing helplessly, Hermione shook her head, "As expected of Ron's Owl, it has the same temperament as Ron, easily impatient."
Returning to Amanda's side to open the letter, Hermione revealed a happy expression after reading it briefly.
"Mr. Weasley has been discharged from the hospital. He has been allowed by the doctors at St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to go home for Christmas, but he still needs some rest."
"That's a good thing." The corners of Amanda's mouth also lifted slightly. Whether viewed from the perspective that Mr. Weasley had once helped her, or that he was the parent of her friend, she was very happy that Mr. Weasley could recover so quickly and could go home for Christmas.
"Perhaps you can find some time to go and see Mr. Weasley."
Mr. Granger suggested. He still remembered the Wizard who was full of curiosity about everything in the Muggle World; this Mr. Weasley was truly both gentle and interesting.
"I was thinking the same, Dad," Hermione nodded, looking down at the letter again, "The letter says Mr. Weasley will go to the hospital for a follow-up check on the second day after Christmas. I think we can go on that day; maybe we can help with something."
With the plan to visit Mr. Weasley after Christmas preliminarily set, the Christmas dinner that Amanda enjoyed at the Granger Residence began.
Enjoying the dinner by chewing slowly, Amanda had now completely gotten used to eating slowly, enjoying the pleasure of eating, instead of just eating for survival.
At the same time, she had also gotten used to letting herself go on Christmas Day, no longer doing any self-study or research content.
As Hermione put it, "There is only one such day in a year. Please, Amanda, this is the most important festival of the year. A person only experiences it eighty to ninety times in a lifetime; Wizards might have more, about two hundred times or so."
"So, on this day, please let yourself relax, put aside anything related to studying, and just enjoy this day. Just this one day; how much more could you learn in just one extra day? It's better to let yourself enjoy the festival properly."
Actually, what Hermione said was also very correct. Just for this one day, even for Amanda, it would only mean reading a few more books. It would be better to give her tense nerves and study life a break.
People always need a period of rest to "reconcile" with themselves. Constantly studying without rest, constantly working without rest—what awaits such a person will undoubtedly be emotional collapse and physical decline.
Even now, after having eaten quite a bit of food seriously, Amanda still thought the turkey was delicious.
Perhaps it was because she instinctively felt that any food that could be chewed slowly, any food that could be eaten for the purpose of enjoyment, would be delicious.
Of course, it was also possible that because turkey was the first thing she ate when she slowed down her eating speed, the taste naturally seemed completely different to her.
Amanda and the Granger family were all satisfied after the Christmas dinner. After finishing dinner, Amanda and Hermione very naturally and actively took on the task of washing the dishes.
After washing the dishes, the two girls sat by the window, watching the goose-feather-sized snow falling continuously outside together.
"It's so beautiful..." Hermione whispered.
Amanda turned her head to look at Hermione, and in her heart, she even silently began to calculate, if Hermione liked watching the snow.
How long could London withstand continuous, persistent snowfall? She could use weather spells to keep London snowing, as long as London's various infrastructure and the lives of its residents were not affected.
Two days, two hours, and fifteen minutes—the calculation in Amanda's mind was completed in just two breaths.
She even accurately assessed the maximum tolerance time for London to ensure that its various infrastructure would not be damaged and that the normal lives of its residents would not be affected if this snowfall continued, and she had calculated it down to the minute.
Of course, she could also be accurate to the second, but it was not necessary.
They watched the snow scene together for a while, until the night grew deeper and the surroundings grew colder, and only then did Amanda and Hermione go upstairs to rest.
On the second day after Christmas, the two girls changed their clothes together and headed directly to The Weasley Family via the Floo Network.
By now, Amanda no longer rigidly regarded "rules" as everything. Therefore, for her now, hacking into any fireplace to connect to the Floo Network without being detected by the Ministry of Magic was just the simplest and most ordinary operation.
The Ministry of Magic didn't have many capable Wizards to begin with, and added to the fact that the magic of the Floo Network hadn't been properly maintained for who knows how long, in Amanda's opinion, it was simply a leaky sieve.
To be honest, she was now a bit convinced that most Wizards in the Wizarding World were as attentive and rule-abiding as she used to be. After all, faced with such fragile Floo Network magic, they hadn't done anything like connecting to the Floo Network privately; they would even rather take the knight bus...
When green flames ignited at 12 Grimmauld Place, especially when Amanda and Hermione stepped out of the flames.
The Weasley Family, Harry, and Sirius, who were just preparing to go to the hospital, were all shocked.
They knew that Amanda and Hermione would come today; they had received a reply from Hermione.
But they completely didn't expect that Amanda and Hermione would actually come via the Floo Network!
"Hermione... isn't your home a Muggle family? Where, where did the Floo Network come from?"
Ron stammered as he finished this sentence. If he remembered correctly, the Ministry of Magic's regulations specifically noted a rule that the Floo Network in the Wizarding World prohibited private connections to Muggle fireplaces without special circumstances or the permission of the Ministry of Magic.
It couldn't be that Amanda and Hermione applied to connect to the Floo Network and the Ministry of Magic approved it, could it?
Hermione pursed her lips and turned to look at Amanda beside her. Amanda reached out and pointed at herself.
"I directly hacked into the Floo Network and then connected the fireplace at home to it."
Which meant that other fireplaces were equivalent to being invited to connect, while she forced the connection.
The Floo Network didn't even have the possibility of refusing!
After answering Ron's question, Amanda greeted everyone present, and her gaze finally fell on Mr. Weasley.
Simply evaluating Mr. Weasley's physical condition, from his complexion to the spirit he displayed, Amanda nodded inwardly.
Not to mention the checks in the Wizarding World, from the perspective of Muggle medicine alone, Mr. Weasley's physical recovery was clearly very good.
However, as for exactly how he was, it still depended on what the doctors at St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries said, after all, they were the professionals.
After some simple pleasantries, a large group of people gathered in front of the fireplace, preparing to go to St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Not only Amanda and Hermione, but Harry and Sirius were also preparing to go along.
Plus all the children of The Weasley Family had returned home for Christmas this year, and now there were already five adult Wizards going together.
Therefore, there was no need for Amanda and Hermione to help at all, and even the Weasley children, including Ron, became the superfluous ones after arriving at St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Watching Mr. Weasley enter the examination room for a check-up, the four of them—Amanda, Hermione, Harry, and Ron—walked in another direction, preparing to come back after waiting for a while until Mr. Weasley's check-up was almost done.
"Christmas has just passed, and there aren't many people in St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries."
Ron looked at the slightly deserted hospital and sighed with emotion.
Hermione, standing beside him, looked around and nodded in agreement, "Maybe because it's Christmas, everyone is very careful and doesn't want to get hurt during the holidays."
"That's possible." Ron shrugged his shoulders.
After walking a little further, Harry tilted his head slightly, then looked at the three of them—Amanda, Hermione, and Ron—in confusion, "Why do I seem to hear Neville's voice?"
"Neville? Why would he be at St Mungos?" Ron also tilted his ears in confusion, "It really seems like it."
Amanda and Hermione looked at each other and walked toward the source of the sound simultaneously. If Neville had been admitted to St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, perhaps he had been attacked by a Death Eater. If that were the case, they should naturally go and see.
Even if it wasn't, Neville was still their friend, and they should go and see anyway.
Harry and Ron also followed the two girls' footsteps quickly. Neville was also their friend, and hearing Neville's voice here, they were also very nervous.
However, when the four of them walked into the ward, what they saw was an unharmed Neville, and two adults lying on hospital beds who looked somewhat similar to Neville.
One of the women was handing a candy wrapper to Neville. Amanda immediately realized that these two adults must be Neville's parents.
Immediately afterwards, she remembered the relevant records from the Ministry of Magic mentioned in a book she had once seen: Neville's parents, after Voldemort was killed by Harry, on the eve when everything was about to become bright, were driven mad by Death Eaters using the Cruciatus Curse.
Seeing that Neville was fine, Hermione, Ron, and Harry exchanged a tacit look, preparing to retreat silently.
After all, Neville was reuniting with his parents, and in such a situation, it was not very appropriate for them to be here.
However, before they could retreat, an old lady walked in.
"Hello, are you Neville's classmates?"
Hearing the old lady's voice, Neville turned his head. After seeing the four of them, including Amanda, his face flushed slightly, followed by the joy of seeing friends.
"Amanda, Hermione, Harry, Ron, why did you come here?"
"Is someone not feeling well? Or are you injured?"
Speaking of this, Neville's expression became nervous, and he stood up quickly, exactly the same as the state of Amanda and the others being worried about Neville in the corridor just now.
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