After the match had been going on for nearly ten minutes, Harry raised his right hand high toward Madam Hooch. "We need a timeout!"
With a loud shout, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, pausing the Quidditch match as players from both teams descended toward the ground.
The moment he landed, Harry stepped off his flying broomstick, walked over to Ron, and pulled him aside. Amanda also followed Hermione, quickly running down from the stands. As they reached the two, they heard Harry speaking to Ron.
"Ron, you need to relax, okay? Just relax. As long as you can relax, you can definitely do this. Think about the trials that day, mate—you performed so well!"
As Harry spoke, he patted Ron's arm firmly, trying to help him adjust his state of mind.
If Ron didn't pull himself together soon, their goal would essentially be "unmanned"!
"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm just... just not sure if I can do it well."
Ron covered his face with his hands and rubbed it haphazardly.
"Merlin's Bludgers, Ron, you have to be more confident." Hermione walked up to Ron while holding Amanda's hand, her expression as gentle as possible, though a hint of urgency still leaked into her voice. "You can do it, alright? Think about it—you passed the trials fair and square. You beat so many people!"
"No one can deny your ability. You just need to adjust your mindset."
"Hey, remember when we played Quidditch together at your house?" Harry held Ron's shoulders with both hands, looking him steadily in the eye.
"Just maintain that state. Loosen up, Ron. This is just... it's just a game. Don't let it become a burden. Try to enjoy it as much as possible, okay?"
"O-okay, I'll try." Ron took a deep breath, yet the expression on his face didn't look much better.
Nervousness, trepidation, anxiety, and paleness still showed on the boy's face.
Seeing Ron's still-tense state, Hermione's faintly anxious expression, and Harry's growing unease, Amanda calmly drew her wand and pointed it at Ron.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron were not on guard against her at all, nor did they have even a shred of distrust in their hearts. So, as Amanda raised her wand, all three stood there blankly, watching the scene unfold.
This included Ron himself, who was being pointed at directly. Of course, it wasn't that their vigilance was poor.
Had it been anyone else, the moment they raised their wand, three different spells would have already disarmed them and sent them flying backward.
"Fear Begone, Calm Mind."
Amanda uttered two incantations that no one present had ever heard before. With a gentle wave of her wand, the tip emitted a warm, comforting glow.
This glow slowly detached from Amanda's wand tip and merged into Ron's body.
In that instant, Ron felt as if the fear in his heart had truly been dispelled, and a warm sensation rose within him.
He even felt as if he had never been better—full of strength and brimming with motivation!
"Harry! Let's get back to the game! I feel like I can block any ball now!"
Ron let out an excited breath and turned to look at Harry, his entire body radiating eagerness.
Seeing this, the unease on Harry's face vanished, replaced once again by a confident smile.
"Good! Let's go, Ron. Let's go win another match for Gryffindor!"
Nodding to Amanda and Hermione, the two boys turned and strode back toward the Quidditch players waiting to take flight on the Quidditch Pitch.
Once Harry and Ron were out of earshot, Hermione turned to Amanda. She raised an eyebrow, looking at her with some uncertainty; after all, this girl really was capable of creating her own spells.
But the magic Amanda had just used was too casual, and its function was a bit... well, a bit too absurd.
"Amanda, that magic just now..."
"It was fake. I made it up based on what Ron needed." Amanda admitted without hesitation that she had just used a fake incantation.
"Wow." Hearing that it was a fake spell, Hermione didn't feel deceived or frustrated; instead, a surge of joy filled her heart. "Thank Merlin!"
She hugged Amanda excitedly and patted her back firmly. "You've learned to lie! You've learned how to tell a white lie!"
This proved that Amanda had taken another step toward completely letting go of her self-imposed restrictions.
In this situation, let alone Hermione, even the victim himself, Ron, would surely be overjoyed if he found out!
"Then what was that ball of light?"
Hermione released Amanda and looked at her with curiosity, her thirst for knowledge taking over once again.
Having just been praised, the corners of Amanda's lips curled up slightly, her voice carrying a hint of a smile. "I combined a silent Lumos with a Warming Charm."
"Before merging into Ron's body, the soft, warm light instinctively relaxed his mind. After merging, the warm sensation intensified that feeling of relaxation."
"It was a psychological suggestion from two angles, making him believe my spell was real—that it truly could disperse his fear, restore his peace of mind, and stop his nervousness."
"When he gives himself that psychological suggestion and believes it himself, whether the spell is real or not no longer matters."
Hermione chuckled after hearing Amanda's explanation and shook her head with a smile. "You've really used two of the most basic spells in the Wizarding World and Muggle psychology to create a very unique kind of magic."
Hermione deliberately emphasized the word 'magic.' To achieve an effect that even real magic might struggle to reach—how could what Amanda just did not be considered a different form of magic?
When Amanda and Hermione returned to their seats in the stands, the players of the Gryffindor House Team and the Slytherin House Team had already taken to the air again. Both sides eyed each other like tigers watching their prey, and the next moment, the match resumed.
After that brief timeout, everyone present noticed one thing: Ron Weasley of the Gryffindor House Team was different now—completely different.
Earlier in the match, Ron had appeared stiff. His every defensive move was disjointed, and every action betrayed a sense of frantic haste.
But now, Ron was entirely different. He seemed to have suddenly become agile, with a sense of relaxation replacing his earlier haste.
He was able to block every ball with ease and flexibility. Since the restart, he hadn't let the Slytherin House Team score a single point.
In the eyes of the Slytherin veterans, it was as if their former Keeper, Oliver Wood, had returned.
"Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!"
Chants began to erupt from the Gryffindor stands, gradually becoming synchronized and echoing through the sky over and over.
Flying in the sky, Harry searched for the Golden Snitch while listening to the cheers. He felt happy for Ron and joined the Young Wizards in the stands, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Weasley! Weasley!"
On the other side, Amanda also began to feel the heated atmosphere. She stood up and jumped along with Hermione, a faint but genuine smile appearing on her face.
The two of them cheered and waved toward the sky, shouting Ron's name along with everyone else, having seemingly blended in completely with the crowd.
With Harry making a swift dive to catch the Golden Snitch, the Quidditch match officially came to an end.
The players of the Slytherin House Team threw frustrated punches into the air but said nothing, simply landing and heading toward their stands.
"Hey, wait up."
Harry landed with his teammates and called out to the Slytherin players.
The Slytherin players turned around, including Draco, all looking at him with confusion.
The match was over—what did the Gryffindor House Team want now? To mock them?
Unexpectedly, Harry reached out and gave them a thumbs up.
"That was a thrilling match. Thank you, you guys were really great."
The Slytherin players were visibly stunned. They looked at each other, then nodded back at Harry and the other Little Lions.
"You played beautifully too. Congratulations."
Watching the Slytherins walk away, Ron stepped forward and patted Harry's shoulder. "Not bad, mate. Winning hearts and minds through kindness?"
Harry rolled his eyes at Ron. "I just feel that since we're all on the same side now, there's no need for things to be so tense. It's good to slowly ease the friction between us."
"Harry is right. Since Slytherin has come over to our side, they are no longer our potential future enemies. We should show them more sincerity and kindness."
Hermione walked down from the stands holding Amanda's hand, standing beside the two boys and nodding at Harry.
"Well done, Harry—both in the match and with that compliment just now."
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry shrugged, then gave her a mischievous smile. "I learned it from you."
"My honor," Hermione said, spreading her hands.
"Amanda, thank you so, so, so much!"
Ron waited until Harry and Hermione finished speaking before looking at Amanda with a face full of excitement and gratitude. If he hadn't known it was inappropriate, he would have wanted to grab her hands to express his thanks.
"Your spell was incredibly useful!"
Amanda shook her head gently. "I'm sorry, Ron. I lied to you earlier. That wasn't a functional spell; it was just Lumos plus a Warming Charm, nothing more."
"You stopped being nervous only because your brain thought you were under a spell, and then sent a signal to your body that you wouldn't be nervous anymore. Additionally, the Warming Charm raised your body temperature, giving you a greater sense of security."
"Under the triple stimulation of cerebral and psychological suggestion, along with the change in physical sensation, you truly broke free from your nervousness."
As Amanda spoke, Ron's expression shifted from gratitude to contemplation, then quickly to confusion and bewilderment. By the end, he shook his head vigorously.
Giving up on trying to understand Amanda's talk about brains transmitting information—words he both understood and didn't—Ron waved his hand at her.
"Well, whatever the case, I have to thank you."
Amanda opened her mouth but said nothing, eventually nodding slowly. That was true enough.
"Wait," Harry suddenly interjected, as if he had caught onto something. He looked at Amanda with obvious surprise and disbelief. "Amanda, you... you can tell lies now! You actually told a lie!"
The boy's face was beyond ecstatic. This made him happier than winning this Quidditch match—no, happier than winning any Quidditch match!
"Oh, right! Amanda, you actually lied to me! That's fantastic!"
Ron also suddenly realized, looking at Amanda with the same mix of surprise and joy as Harry.
Amanda tilted her head and blinked twice, looking a bit more lively than before. "I have to keep making progress, don't I?"
"Yes, yes, yes, you're absolutely right." Harry's grin was so wide it wouldn't close. Their friend was clearly not far from fully returning to normal; how could he possibly stay calm?
"Hermione, take Amanda and come back to Gryffindor with us. We should have a proper celebration for this!"
"Yeah," Ron agreed, nodding beside him. "And call Senior Cho Chang, Senior Marietta, and Senior Penelope too."
"Sure," Hermione agreed without hesitation, nodding to Amanda. "I'll leave Amanda with you two for now while I go get the seniors."
"Alright." The two boys nodded eagerly. After watching Hermione turn to leave, they led Amanda toward Hogwarts Castle. Around them was a large group of Little Lions discussing what kind of victory party they should throw.
Ron leaned into Harry's ear and whispered something. Then Amanda saw Harry give him an 'OK' gesture, and Ron turned to walk in a different direction.
"Where is Ron going?" she asked, tilting her head toward Harry in confusion.
"He's going to tell Fred and George to get more things from Hogsmeade. After all, our celebration today should be even bigger—there's more than one good thing to celebrate."
Amanda was slightly stunned, her lips curving into a faint, peaceful smile. "I see. Thank you for the trouble."
"You don't need to say things like that to us."
"It'll make us sad."
Two voices rang out in turn as Fred and George walked up from behind, smiling as they draped their arms over their younger brother, Ron.
"We heard everything from Ron," Fred said, winking at Amanda. "Congratulations, Amanda."
"To the young lady who told her first lie today—and the best lie at that."
"It's worth every variety of candy from Honeydukes Sweetshop!" the twins said in unison.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.