No one else knew what the Little Snakes were thinking, but on Harry's side, he didn't even wait for the end of the banquet before returning to the Dormitory and handing his flying broomstick directly to Umbridge.
"Harry, why did you actually give her the firebolt! Are you really not going to participate in the matches this school year?!"
Ron looked at Harry with a face full of shock; Harry was now not just the Seeker for the Gryffindor House Team, he was also the Captain of the Gryffindor House Team.
A Quidditch team without a Seeker and without a Captain on the field—could they really win?
Harry raised an eyebrow, sat back down opposite Ron, and took a large gulp of the pumpkin juice in front of him.
"Did I ever promise Umbridge that I wouldn't participate in Quidditch matches?"
"Uh, no, but you even gave away your firebolt!"
Ron shook his head, yet he still looked at Harry with a fair amount of anxiety.
Harry scoffed, glancing with indifference and even contempt at Umbridge, who was smiling triumphantly at the Staff Table.
"I only handed it over to her now to get some peace and quiet, so she'd stop talking near me all the time. It's nauseating."
"When it's time for the match, I'll just use Accio to get the firebolt back and play. We're Wizards, Ron."
"You had it all planned out!"
Ron pointed at Harry, and the two boys shared a knowing laugh.
To completely lock down a Wizard's belongings would require quite a few complex spells, but Harry didn't believe Umbridge was capable of such magic.
Others in the Great Hall also saw Harry handing over the firebolt. Cho Chang expressed her deep approval; she tucked her long hair behind her ear and nodded in praise.
"Harry's thinking is quite clear. Giving the firebolt to Umbridge now buys him peace, and a single Accio will be enough when the Quidditch match comes."
"Harry's ideas are usually quite reliable," Hermione said, putting down her knife and fork to wipe her mouth, "especially in certain emergencies."
"It's just that there are also many times when he's too lazy to use his brain, like when he's doing homework."
Regarding her close friend, Hermione maintained her usual attitude, praising him without hesitation while speaking the blunt truth just as freely.
"If I remember correctly, isn't the Quidditch match between Gryffindor House and Slytherin House this Saturday?"
Marietta Eckmore turned to Cho Chang with great excitement. Originally, she didn't much watch Quidditch matches between other houses, but this time she could see Harry summoning the firebolt and Umbridge having a total breakdown—how interesting! She didn't want to miss it.
Tilting her head to think for a moment, Cho Chang nodded. "Yes, it's this Saturday."
"Let's go watch it together then," Hermione chimed in, lightly patting Amanda's shoulder. "We'll go together, okay?"
"Okay."
Amanda, who had finished her dinner long ago, sat on the bench and gave a stiff, formal nod.
Before the Quidditch match could arrive, there was the fifth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class that Amanda was responsible for. After the banquet, she and Hermione headed straight for the eighth floor, entering the Room of Requirement early to prepare.
Calling it preparation, it was actually Amanda providing the ideas while the Room of Requirement handled the implementation; they didn't need to lift a finger.
"The convenience of magic..." Hermione sighed with emotion as she watched everything around her change rapidly.
"If this kind of magic could be applied to building residential housing... it could help people without much money save on renovation costs, or even save the money needed to buy a house."
With a house that could change at will according to your thoughts and needs, who would ever need to renovate it?
Furthermore, who would need to buy a house with a huge floor area? Buying just this one room would allow it to be used as countless rooms.
Amanda, who had just finished setting up the venue to meet the teaching requirements, turned to look at Hermione upon hearing her words, and a sense of softness spread through her half-dead eyes.
Hermione was always so kind; she was always more likely to think about problems from the perspective of the 'weak,' considering the difficulties they faced and how to help them solve them.
Influenced by the education of her original world, Amanda had once believed that those who couldn't keep up with the pace of human development and couldn't push human progress forward were dead weight; such people should be scrapped during their student days.
But after interacting with Hermione and everyone else in this world, and after reading the books Hermione had recommended to her, she knew that this way of thinking was wrong—and ridiculously so.
Humans should be flesh-and-blood beings, not steel machines that constantly iterate and discard old models.
"Hermione's idea is very valuable. A rough estimate suggests it would indeed improve the life happiness index of the general public. I will conduct relevant research and arrange for factory production."
Walking to Hermione's side, Amanda's voice was indifferent, yet it carried a hint of gentleness.
"I just thought of it and mentioned it; you don't need to take it too seriously. You're not allowed to let yourself get too tired."
Hermione reached out and gently pinched Amanda's cheek.
"I won't. I'll make sure to rest." Feeling the smooth touch of those fingers on her face, Amanda's cheeks instinctively flushed.
"Then I'll research it with you."
Hermione tossed her bushy hair. Being able to focus on a research project together with Amanda seemed like a very enjoyable thing to think about.
The two girls had only been talking for a short while when almost all the fifth-year students from the four Hogwarts houses arrived. As soon as the Young Wizards entered the Room of Requirement, many of them surrounded Harry after greeting Amanda.
"Harry, why did you give the firebolt to Umbridge?"
"Are you unable to participate in this school year's Quidditch matches?"
"Don't listen to Umbridge. Just treat her talking like a toad croaking; the other Professors will all be on your side."
The Young Wizards discussed amongst themselves, and in the end, Harry even had to raise his voice, relying on shouting to make everyone understand that he had only handed over the firebolt to get some peace, and when the Quidditch match began, he would use Accio to summon it back.
Hearing him say this, the surrounding Young Wizards all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The Little Snakes in particular relaxed. Good, Harry Potter was still going to participate in the Quidditch match; they didn't have to worry about that issue.
Damn Dolores Umbridge! Did she consider the potential worst-case consequences when she did that?
If she pissed off that Amanda because of Harry Potter's situation, what would they do! Merlin knows they had only just joined Amanda's camp not long ago.
Amanda gave everyone five minutes to chat, and after five minutes, she held up both hands to signal for silence.
The Young Wizards present immediately fell silent, looking at Amanda in unison.
They still remembered the perfect experience of Amanda's teaching in their Second Year, and wondered if this time would be the same... "Merlin's carved wand," Ron and Harry bent over, supporting themselves on their legs, and waved a hand toward Hermione opposite them, "Hermione, won't you... won't you take a break?"
Hermione, who had been practicing defensive spells, was currently just as drenched in sweat. She raised a hand to brush away a soaked strand of hair from her eyes.
"Amanda will definitely let us rest when it's time. Being able to completely master the defensive spells that might be on the O.W.L.s in a single night is such a good thing."
As she spoke, she also glanced at Harry and Ron, signaling for the two of them to get up and continue.
The two boys groaned but straightened up to continue practicing.
Amanda's gaze swept rapidly across all the Young Wizards in the room. Every student's practice situation and physical condition were firmly grasped within her mind.
The O.W.L.s Exam was undoubtedly very important for wizards; it determined to a great extent the careers they could choose after graduating from Hogwarts.
Therefore, Amanda had increased the intensity compared to when she taught in the Second Year. However, considering she also had to ensure everyone's health, she didn't demand they perform at the level of her own 'revision' for important exams, but instead arranged the practice according to everyone's average limit.
Based on everyone's average limit plus her assistance, a single night would be enough for everyone to practice and master all the defensive spells that might appear on the O.W.L.s Exam.
And so, with Amanda's guided practice and explanations of defensive spells interspersed, a night passed, and the minds of the Hogwarts fifth-years were firmly packed with a great deal of knowledge.
Everyone could feel their heads were full and their bodies were sore. When they walked out of the Room of Requirement, many were supporting each other; their sleep tonight would certainly be very good.
"Miss Amanda is indeed very sensible."
"Her teaching ability is also very strong. It would be great if she could stay at Hogwarts to teach in the future."
"The children are exhausted tonight."
"Their usual studies are just too easy, which is why they can still maintain the energy of a Troll."
Faint voices spoke at a corner, and four figures moved toward other parts of the Castle at the same time.
The fifth year of study was undeniably intense. Perhaps because the O.W.L.s Exam was approaching, the Professors had unconsciously increased the workload slightly—though it was only slightly.
At least for Amanda, this increased workload was still very easy. She could still maintain highly efficient self-study and research the Room of Requirement-style magical housing she and Hermione had discussed before.
Life at Hogwarts was fulfilling and joyful. Everyone was busy, yet everyone was enjoying it. Time flowed quietly, and when everyone next realized it, Saturday had arrived. The Quidditch match between Gryffindor House and Slytherin House was being held this morning.
Amanda sat among a group of Gryffindor Little Lions with Hermione, her arms frequently filled with bags of snacks.
chocolate frogs, liquorice wands, cauldron cakes—every time she finished the snacks in her arms, another snack would surely be added within two minutes.
Amanda accepted everyone's kindness with gratitude. While chewing on snacks, her gaze was locked onto the nearby staff stands.
On those stands, Umbridge had a triumphant expression on her face and would look over at the Gryffindors from time to time. Clearly, she believed that Harry, without his firebolt, would absolutely not be able to participate in this Quidditch match.
However, reality was destined to disappoint her. When the teams from both sides emerged, Harry was standing at the very front of the Gryffindor House Team, leading his teammates onto the field with large strides.
Umbridge's face instantly darkened. Her mouth moved as she muttered something inaudible, and she stood up, wanting to leave the stands and enter the Quidditch Pitch.
Seeing this, Amanda's fingers moved slightly, and five powerful Binding Curses 'bound' Umbridge to her chair, so that even her neck couldn't move so much as an inch.
She could clearly see Umbridge's mouth opening and closing widely. Through lip-reading, Amanda interpreted that she was calling out to the surrounding Professors for help.
However, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and Professor Snape didn't even give her a glance. All the Professors tacitly treated her seat as if no one were there.
As Harry finished shaking hands with the Captain of the Slytherin House Team, both sides took a step back simultaneously. The Little Snakes of the Slytherin House Team stood unhurriedly in place, watching Harry raise his wand high.
"Accio firebolt!"
With last year's experience, Harry used the summoning charm with a calm mind this time, no longer feeling any nervousness.
Watching the firebolt whistling toward him from the distance, summoned by him, Harry reached out and gripped it steadily.
Madam Hooch nodded, a bright smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. She kicked off the ground and flew into the sky. After confirming that all members of both teams were ready, the whistle blew, and the match between Gryffindor House and Slytherin House officially began.
The players on both sides moved back and forth in the sky, everyone ruthlessly demonstrating their abilities.
Among the members of the Gryffindor House Team, the newly joined Ginny performed very well. As for Ron, Amanda could clearly sense his nervousness.
Or rather... he was a bit too nervous. Watching him narrowly stop a Quaffle from the Slytherin House Team, Amanda's eyebrows knitted slightly. Hermione, sitting next to her, also keenly noticed that Ron's state was not very good.
"Ron is too nervous," Amanda said, scanning Ron's entire body and reaching a conclusion. "Eighty-one percent of the muscles in his body are in a state of excessive tension. This will seriously affect his performance."
"We should have gone over to talk to him during breakfast."
Hermione clenched her fists somewhat anxiously, her eyes full of concern for her friend. "Don't worry, Hermione. Harry will probably call a timeout halfway through."
Amanda's mind was constantly performing calculations. After calculating the success rate of Ron's goalkeeping, she said with certainty that Harry, as the Captain and Ron's close friend, would definitely notice that Ron's state was off.
Whether for the team as a whole or for Ron, he would definitely call a timeout.
When that happened, she and Hermione would go over to see him and find a way to help Ron relax.
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