The Return to Hogwarts

"Who are you---"

In the foyer of the Screaming Shack, Amosta squinted at the large, ginger-colored cat, about the size of a tiger cub, struggling violently in his hands, his expression somewhat strange.

"If I remember correctly, you're Hermione's pet, the cat named Crookshanks. By the way, what are you doing here?"

Chapter 181 Unknown

Everything in the room was shrouded in illusion magic, except for a candlestick that was about to peel off the wall, which still emitted a dim but steady candlelight. Amostah tugged at the fur behind Crookshan's neck, afraid that his handsome face would be ruined by the big cat's sharp claws.

"Why aren't you with Hermione? What are you doing here, Crook Hills?"

Amosta asked, frowning in confusion.

When it heard the wizard, whom it had met once before, accurately call out its name and its master's name, Crookshank calmed down a little. It turned its head and looked around the dilapidated room, then faced Amosta and tried its best to look innocent.

Meow meow—

Crookshan raised one of its front paws and gestured twice at Amosta.

"Are you asking what I'm doing here?" Amosta raised an eyebrow, surprised by the big yellow cat's intelligence. After a brief pause, he put Crookshan down, shrugged, and said...

"I need a quiet place to conduct my magical research. As you can see, little one, this place is secluded, and there won't be any disturbances. By the way, you still haven't answered my question?"

Crookshan looked away, sniffed around, then rushed into the kitchen, nimbly leaped onto the counter, and meowed at an empty spot.

"A perceptive little fellow—"

Amosta smiled, snapped his fingers, and then the space gradually shed its disguise like old newspapers being devoured by the embers, revealing a huge wooden cage holding several large rats.

So you see—

Amosta went back into the kitchen, amused to see the two front paws resting on the cage, occasionally turning their heads to meow anxiously at Crookshank.

"You smelled the mice, so you came looking for food? Could it be that you've wiped out all the mice at Hogwarts, and even Ron's Scabbers ended up in your stomach?"

Crookshan blinked and lowered his head to avoid Amosta's gaze.

"Alright, although I don't have much stock left, I can't let you make a wasted trip—"

Amosta muttered to himself as he reached into the cage, picked out the fattest field mouse, and stuffed it into Crookshan's mouth.

"Alright, that's enough. I need to go back and rest. You should get back to school too."

Crookshank jumped off the counter, but it didn't leave immediately. Its eyes were still fixed on the wooden cage. After whimpering a few times with the mouse in its mouth, it ran to Amosta's feet and rubbed its head against his ankle.

Amosta was amused by this comical behavior. He squatted down, gently stroking Crookshan's fluffy blond fur, and teased him.

"Are you treating this place like a cafeteria, little one?"

Crookshan remained silent, only gazing at Amosta with longing and pleading eyes.

Amosta scratched his itchy hair, pursed his lips, thought for a moment, then stuffed the wooden cage from the kitchen ceiling into the dish rack, and smiled down at Crookshan.

"Alright, the cage is here. If you really can't find anything to eat, you can come and wander around. But I suggest you come while I'm here. When I leave, the warning spells on all four sides of the house will be activated, and any living thing that enters or leaves here will alert me."

Meow--

Crookshan's eyes gleamed as he nodded under Amosta's gaze.

What a clever cat!

Amosta was once again amazed by Crookshan's cleverness. He had only mentioned it casually and did not expect a cat to understand him, but to his surprise, the cat actually understood.

"Oh, right--"

Amosta, as if struck by a sudden thought, gave a solemn instruction.

"Don't you dare seduce Hermione and those adventurous young wizards to come here on an adventure—"

He waved his wand to seal the door, and the mountain breeze and the dazzling starlight that rushed towards him invigorated him. He rubbed his sore eyes, and suddenly, a vague, pre-arranged feeling of being watched welled up in his heart.

"who?"

Amosta stared intently at a spot down the slope, his gaze furrowed, and demanded an explanation in a sharp voice.

Under the clear moonlight, a black wild dog the size of a black bear suddenly sprang out from behind a mound of earth half a mile away. Realizing it had been discovered, the big black dog did not hesitate at all; it turned and ran at a speed comparable to that of a cheetah.

At the same time, Crookshan, who had been docilely nestled in Amosta's arms, suddenly jumped to the ground, his yellow fur bristling, baring his teeth and making a pouncing motion towards Amosta.

Amosta scratched his suddenly itchy hair and looked at Crookshan strangely.

"You've made a good friend?"

Crookshan stood firmly in front of Amosta, his limbs gripping the ground, unwavering.

Amosta shook his head and chuckled, then turned and walked towards another village. But after a few steps, he suddenly stopped, looking with suspicion in the direction the big black dog had fled.

"--Did I just run into some bad luck?!"

More than a month has passed, and topics such as Black's escape from the Ministry of Magic again and the prophecy that Harry Potter might die have lost their appeal at Hogwarts. Only Malfoy, who is still wandering around the castle with bandages all day long, reminds the young wizards of Hagrid's disastrous Magical Creatures Protection class during the first week of school. However, this topic is also rapidly losing its luster as the first Quidditch match of the new school year is about to begin.

The night was clear, and under Madam Hooch's supervision, the Gryffindor team practiced until nearly ten o'clock before dragging their exhausted bodies back to the castle.

As expected, the Gryffindor common room was still bustling with activity at this time, filled with the sounds of chattering discussions.

"Can someone tell me what happened?"

As the weather turned cooler, the fireplace in the common room once again emitted a warm flame. Harry walked over to Hermione and Ron, who were leaning over the wooden table beside the fireplace, finishing their astronomy lesson's star chart, and asked curiously.

A minute later, Harry, who had been overjoyed by the excellent training results, slumped into his chair, his face turning somber.

Spending the weekend in Hogsmeade was clearly not something that would concern him before Black was caught.

Harry stared listlessly at the flickering flames, lost in thought.

“Now that the Ministry of Magic has already discovered Black once,” Hermione said, seeing through Harry’s thoughts, “it’s only a matter of time before he’s caught. Harry, I dare say you’ll be able to come with us next time.”

“The next time will be a long time from now—” Ron glared at Hermione with dissatisfaction. “If you ask me, Harry, you should go and ask McGonagall. She can’t just leave a third-year student like you in the castle, can she? Besides, if Black had any brains at all, he wouldn’t have gone to Hogsmeade and made any rash moves.”

"Have you forgotten what Professor Lupin said, Ron?"

Hermione said seriously,

“Although Black is evil, the fact that he was able to escape from Azkaban proves that he is a very cunning dark wizard. He will definitely choose an opportunity that none of us think is possible to strike at Harry!”

Harry hesitated, because both Ron and Hermione had valid points, and he wasn't sure who to listen to. If it were his second year, Harry thought he would most likely have listened to Ron, but the things he had experienced recently had changed him. Harry had to admit that Professor Blaine's advice at the end of the summer and Professor Lupin's previous warnings still instilled a sense of awe in him.

By the way, Professor Blaine—

Harry blinked, his expression suddenly lightening. Professor Blaine had told him he would stay in Hogsmeade until Black was caught.

Hogwarts is safe not because of Dementors and ancient magic, but because of Professor Dumbledore. Similarly, with Professor Blaine around, nothing bad should happen at Hogsmeade!

Chapter 182 A Failed Exchange

“Alright, Ron, I can find an opportunity to ask Professor McGonagall.”

Encouraged by Professor Blaine's presence, Harry made a decision that better suited his own wishes.

Hermione's beautiful brows furrowed, and she glared at Ron with displeasure, opening her mouth as if to retort, but just as she was about to speak, Crookshan appeared out of nowhere, carrying a fat, terrified rat on her lap.

"Does it have to eat that stuff in front of us? It'll make the common room stink!"

Ron frowned and said with a look of disgust.

"You can eat this in the courtyard, Crook Hill—"

That's a good point. Even Hermione wouldn't want rat intestines and blood to get on her clean wizard robes. She said gently, trying to pick up Crookshank and take it out of the Gryffindor common room. But unexpectedly, Crookshank, who was sitting on her lap, suddenly jumped nimbly onto the coffee table, dodging Hermione's hand, and stared straight at Ron with its pair of yellow eyes.

"Get it away, Hermione!"

Ron angrily pulled out the planetary trajectory map he had painstakingly created all night from the foot of Crook Mountain, glaring at Crook Mountain with disgust as he spoke.

"It almost ruined our astronomy assignment, and besides, Banban is sleeping in my bag. Do you want it to watch this cat eat its own kind?"

Crookshank stared at Ron without moving, but upon hearing this, the tip of its fluffy tail twitched. It glanced at Ron's backpack, raised its chin, and showed Ron the mouse it was carrying in its mouth, its yellow eyes gleaming with an inexplicable light.

"What exactly are you going to do?"

Crookshank's appearance made Ron even more wary. He hugged his backpack and asked impatiently, but Crookshank didn't budge. He just stretched his neck forward and gently nibbled at the mouse in his mouth.

"Let me think about it again—"

Hermione was confused by Crookshanks' appearance, but Harry suddenly laughed. He couldn't help but look at Ron and voice his thoughts.

"It probably wants to trade the mouse in its mouth for your Scabbers, Ron!"

Ron paused, then glared angrily at Hermione.

"See that, Hermione? This crazy cat tried to kill Scabbers. I really don't understand why you had to bring that beast back!"

"Don't talk nonsense, Ron!"

After silencing Harry with an overbearing gaze, Hermione said impatiently,

"There's no reason for Crookshan to do this; it might just want to introduce Banban to a friend!"

As she spoke, she stood up and tried again to hold Crookshan down.

Crookshanks once again dodged Hermione's embrace. It seemed to realize that the deal had failed. The little boy in front of it was unwilling to exchange the fake mouse in its bag for the real one in its mouth. So, it jumped onto the armrest of the sofa and slowly squatted down, a fierce glint in its eyes.