The Return to Hogwarts

Amostella laughed, meeting Snape's angry gaze with a relaxed tone, yet one that exuded immense confidence.

"You probably have a misunderstanding about my current abilities, Professor. In the wizarding world today, apart from that old man eavesdropping on our conversation outside the door, I don't think there's any wizard I'm taking seriously. In fact, what you should be concerned about is whether Black can handle me?"

Amosta's almost arrogant words stunned Snape. He looked Amosta up and down, and suddenly felt that the young man in front of him, who was both his most admired student and like his younger brother, was a bit of a stranger.

"The growth of young people is too dazzling, Severus."

Dumbledore, standing outside the door, gazed up at the pure, flawless starry sky after the thick clouds had dispersed, and said with a smile, "So much so that we often subconsciously ignore it."

Amosta lowered his eyes, smiled noncommittally, and said nothing.

However, Snape was somewhat taken aback by Dumbledore's heartfelt praise. Indeed, Amostella was the most outstanding young wizard he had ever seen in his teaching career, and even in his thirty years of life. In fact, he thought that even he himself might not be able to suppress Amostella in his current state.

Aside from Dumbledore, no one could handle him. Amosta's arrogant self-assessment even received the approval of the greatest wizard of his time, which truly baffled Severus Snape.

Chapter 187 Defeat Me, Amosta

Snape stared intently at Amostella, who wore a faint smile, with his uniquely sharp gaze, trying to see through the essence beneath that confidence. However, Amostella responded to his scrutiny with unwavering composure, showing no sign of timidity whatsoever.

When was the last time we saw Amosta take action?

Snape couldn't help but start thinking about the question. It didn't take him long to remember that it must have been the night before Christmas in his fifth year. That night, Amos Tower had a huge fight with a black witch of unknown origin in the Forbidden Forest. And when Dumbledore returned, he even touched hands with him.

At the time, he was so focused on saving Amosta from Dumbledore that he didn't even think about how incredible it was that a fifth-year wizard could withstand Albus Dumbledore's Disarming Charm. When he came to his senses later and tried to figure out Amosta's true fighting ability, he realized that he was finding it difficult to force him to go all out.

This child was in fifth grade.

Snape moved his lips, then suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Amostella fight in six years.

Six years—that's a very long time for a young wizard with exceptional talent, enough for his strength to undergo a dramatic transformation.

but--

Snape's dark eyes flickered. He held his breath, still unable to comprehend how Amosta dared to claim that only Dumbledore could earn his serious attention. Wasn't that a bit too arrogant?

No, Snape shook his head inwardly, rejecting the idea.

He watched the child grow up and knew that Amosta was not someone who lacked self-awareness. Moreover, Amosta had been traveling around for the past few years and had a clearer understanding of the current state of the wizarding world than he had, who had always stayed at Hogwarts.

"Perhaps you have now abandoned the virtues of humility and prudence, Amosta—"

Snape narrowed his dark eyes, and as he spoke softly, a sinister and intense magical power surged from his body.

“But since you think that a dangerous criminal like Black is not worth your serious attention, as your dean, I think it is necessary for me to make you realize what a ruthless dark wizard is capable of.”

"You want to fight me, Professor Snape?"

Amosta frowned strangely. "I thought you knew I wasn't the kind of person who would spout nonsense."

“That’s what I used to think, Amosta, but now I might have to change my mind.”

The rows of flickering candlelight on the ceiling began to tremble violently under the deep magic, and the tip of a birchwood wand peeked out from Snape's wide sleeve.

“Take out your wand, Amostall, and try to defeat me. If you can’t, then take your confidence and get out of here.” Snape’s tone wavered for a moment, but then, like his eyes, it hardened.

"Never come back!"

Dumbledore remained silent, and even through the door, Amostella couldn't discern his expression. However, it was clear that he tacitly approved of Professor Snape's actions and might even be trying to get a closer look at him.

Looking at the resolute Professor Snape, Amosta sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had only spent Halloween with Lupin at their residence when Sirius Black, whom he had been looking for for some time, suddenly appeared, and even Professor Snape wanted to draw his wand and challenge him to a duel.

Could it be that I still carry the lingering aura of Voldemort's curse, and that I resonated with it because I was too close to Lupin?

"If you insist on doing this—"

To show respect, Amosta abandoned his frivolousness, his expression returning to calm. His right hand, which had been hanging naturally, suddenly opened. Before Snape could react, the cozy living room they were standing in had rapidly expanded several times in size, and Amosta, who had been standing right in front of him, now appeared a hundred feet away, approaching Snape with leisurely steps.

"Then, as you wish."

The moment Amostella's voice faded, Snape, who had been in a daze, suddenly felt as if he had fallen into deep water. A clear pressure surrounded him, so heavy that it made him feel suffocated!

The slender figure approaching from a hundred feet away suddenly appeared tall and insurmountable, even the rhythmic footsteps exuding authority.

This feeling—

Snape's eyes showed fear; he had experienced it with the Dark Lord before!

He may not be the most powerful, but calling him the most evil would be perfectly acceptable – the Dark Lord.

Most of the wizarding world has never experienced what it feels like to face Voldemort, but Snape, who once followed him, knows that overwhelming sense of powerlessness, fear, and despair that takes deep root in the heart, making it impossible to muster the courage to resist.

But now, many years later, Snape never dreamed that he would relive this nightmarish fear with another wizard, and this wizard was his prized student.

At this moment, Snape was convinced that Amostella possessed the strength to face a legendary wizard like Dumbledore, but he still struggled to raise his wand, wanting to test whether Amostella could actually do it.

"Except your weapons!"

With a sharp, low shout, a red beam of light shot from the tip of the staff, covering eighty feet in the blink of an eye, grazing Amosta's cheek with remarkable precision. However, it missed.

Da da da

The steady, unwavering footsteps made Snape's eyelids twitch; his test had failed. That young man was truly no longer the young wizard who had been so wary of every little sound during the Sorting Ceremony many years ago!

In the short time he was distracted, the distance between the two had grown to fifty feet.

Snape swallowed hard. He knew he had to use more powerful magic, but he was worried about it. He narrowed his eyes, then raised his wand again and suddenly pointed it at Amostella.

Silent spell, upside-down golden bell!

Boom!

Amos Tower made no move to dodge the spell. The milky-white iron armor barrier that appeared out of thin air, after being modified twice, did not stick to his front. Instead, it unexpectedly appeared five feet in front of Snape. This directly caused Professor Snape to be blown away by the explosion caused by the dissipation of the magic power of the Inverted Bell Curse he had released!

Da da da

The footsteps remained steady. Snape, his greasy black hair plastered to his cheeks, looking utterly disheveled, got up from the ground and looked at Amostella with an expression of disbelief.

Snape knew his prodigious apprentice was extremely skilled at modifying standard spells, but to make the Armored Barrier appear directly in front of his opponent across such a distance... he didn't know how that was done, but he knew it meant that Amostra had the ability to make the Armored Barrier undergo more complex transformations.

The distance between them had shrunk to fifty feet, at which point Snape could clearly see Amostella's expression. Like the deep blue sea, it was calm without a ripple, but beneath the unfathomable surface lay an irresistible fear.

A sense of powerlessness welled up in Snape's heart. He had not yet exerted his full strength. He also knew many profound dark magics, some of which were powerful spells personally taught by the Dark Lord, possessing terrifying effects that were astonishing.

But Snape never intended to use those spells, initially because he didn't want to hurt Amostella, and now because he knew that even if he did, it wouldn't have any effect.

Seeing only a part of the whole picture – it doesn't mean you have to fight a lot to see your opponent's true skill level.

"Do you remember the magic I taught you, Amosta?"

Sweat streamed down his face. Snape straightened up, slightly out of breath, and said, "I warned you that it should only be used when your life is threatened."

"The Divine Blade is Without a Shadow--"

Amosta didn't stop walking. He smiled and said, "It's a very powerful offensive spell. I used this spell to kill that red-scaled dragon in the Norwegian Fire Dragon Nature Reserve two years ago."

Snape's face darkened. If this were to be exposed one day, his lifelong reputation would be ruined.

Chapter 188 Return (Part 1)

"I hope you can handle this, Amosta."

One after another, pale silver blades descended from the dome to the ground like curtains, slicing through the earth with overwhelming force. The air, similarly torn apart, emitted a sharp shriek. The powerful magic made this space, expanded by the magic, extremely unstable, and everything in sight was distorted and turbulent.

It must be said that Professor Snape was a powerful wizard. Last semester, Amostella had taught the young wizards in Defense Against the Dark Arts class how the long-standing secret wizards judged a wizard's strength. At that time, he mentioned that the senior students of the four houses of Hogwarts were all at the level of 'court wizards' in their respective fields of expertise, and they were equally worthy of this title in the field of actual combat.

In particular, Professor Snape, whose studies leaned more towards dark magic, was superior to the other three professors in practical combat!

"What are your plans to do about this, Amosta?"

Snape finally used the magic he had invented himself, which was also his specialty.

How to deal with it?

Amostella pursed his lips and smiled, a playful thought suddenly arising in him. Under Professor Snape's gaze, facing the sharp, incoming silver blades, he closed his eyes and opened his arms as if giving up resistance.

"Amosta!"

As those swift, sharp silver blades sliced ​​through 'Amostra's' body like hot knives cutting butter, his shattered torso lay limply on the ground. Snape's face turned deathly pale. In an instant, he let out a shrill scream. He had just taken a step forward when an unexpected weakness made his body go limp, and he collapsed to the ground!

Outside the house, Dumbledore, who was quietly admiring the starry sky, twitched his beard, and a hint of helplessness could be seen in his expression.

Cough cough--

With despair in his eyes and tears welling up, Snape suddenly froze. He stiffly turned his head toward the direction from which the coughing came, only to see another unharmed Amos Tower putting on an expression as if he were a little wizard whose prank had been discovered by the professor, trying his best to appear nonchalant.

Snape turned to look at the pile of shattered torsos, only to see the broken limbs drifting away like phantoms.

"Illusion magic!"

With his strength returning, Snape gritted his teeth and stood up.

"I didn't expect you to be good at this, just like Felius, Amosta!"

"Having achieved some skill—"

Amosta said with a smile, silently thanking Professor Lockhart once again in his heart.

Wizards skilled in Occlumency have strong resistance to this type of magic, and Professor Snape happens to be a master in this area. If he were in a calm state, Amos Tower's illusion magic would likely have no effect. However, Professor Snape was emotionally agitated by Black's intrusion into Hogwarts and his own appearance in Hogsmeade, and Snape exploited his mental weakness.

For wizards whose will is not very strong, illusion magic can often play a role in surprise, just like when Lucius Malfoy was completely unable to resist the illusion woven by Amostella at the Leaky Cauldron.