The Return to Hogwarts

Having been teased by the students, Snape, somewhat embarrassed and angry, finally revealed his true abilities. He lifted his wizard robes and rolled them forward, enveloping his entire body in dark magic, transforming into a swirling black cloud that shot directly into the air.

Within the vast space, the rapidly drifting black clouds left clear black trails in the air. These smoke-like trails did not dissipate over time, but remained gathered and gradually sank, like black cloud rings imprisoning Amosta.

"interesting--"

Amosta watched the rapidly closing black cloud rings with interest and smiled slightly.

"It forbids teleportation and is highly poisonous. Interesting magic, Professor Snape. You didn't teach me this trick."

"That's not all, Amosta."

Suddenly, the dark clouds hovering above Amostella swirled violently inward, the ethereal mist gradually becoming more tangible, floating in mid-air like bats. Professor Snape reappeared, looking down at Amostella with cold indifference, and said...

"If you touch these black rings, then..."

Before he could finish speaking, Snape's sallow face darkened again, because a vortex of silver and black had appeared out of nowhere above Amostall's head. Although it was only the size of a millstone, it possessed an extremely powerful magical absorption ability, like an eye in the sea. The black cloud rings, whose shapes were not very stable, collapsed one after another under the attraction of the eye in the sea and were all swallowed up.

call--

Snape landed back on the ground, looked at Amostella strolling leisurely, and did not attempt to attack again.

Although it was only a few rounds of combat, he had used all the magic most suitable for dealing with opponents of all levels, and as a result, he didn't even touch Amosta's wizard robes!

"Your defenses are indeed watertight, Amosta—"

Snape himself was an extremely talented wizard, and such people are always proud. Seeing himself so easily surpassed by a student he once protected, his thoughts were inevitably complicated.

"But that doesn't mean you can—"

Boom!

A sudden, low hum interrupted him again. One second ago, Snape only saw Amostella smilingly raise his wand in preparation for a downward strike. Then, the uncontrollable surge of magic within him made his consciousness blur for a moment. It seemed like only a second had passed, yet it also seemed like a long time had gone by. With his rich combat experience, Snape raised his wand the instant he regained his senses, instinctively creating an ironclad barrier in front of him. But before his arm was even halfway up, another young hand suddenly pressed down on his wrist.

Snape turned his head in bewilderment and was met with a familiar face with a gentle smile.

Looking down at his captured wrist again, Snape felt a moment of disorientation for some reason. He suddenly recalled that night in the Forbidden Forest six years ago, when he seemed to have just held down Dumbledore, who was about to make another move.

“You should trust me, Professor Snape,” Amostall said gently. “You should trust me under all circumstances.”

As he gazed at the young face, Snape's expression subtly changed.

Since the night Lily died, he had lost all sense of time. At this moment, he suddenly realized that twelve years had passed since that heartbreaking moment, and he had transformed from a foolish young man into a weary middle-aged man.

He looks old.

Under the boundless starry sky, Dumbledore and Amosta stood side by side, watching Snape's figure gradually disappear at the end of the road as he strode towards the castle.

"The lone traveler."

The cold wind howled in the dead of night. Amosta pressed down on his wildly flying gray hair and sighed for no reason.

Severus could never escape the past.

Dumbledore's eyes were no longer clear, but rather cloudy and filled with pain. Snape was not the only one who could not escape the past.

"Is it because of Harry's mother?"

Amosta asked in an affirmative tone.

"I'm afraid so--"

Dumbledore didn't ask Amosta where he knew this, but simply said with a troubled expression.

Dumbledore is always seen as an all-powerful and confident figure, but only he knows the extent of his helpless suffering.

"--If you'd like, Amosta, once Sirius Black's matter is settled, I can talk to you both about Severus's past."

After a brief silence, Amosta nodded.

"I heard from Lupin that you've already arranged a place for me?"

"Head of Student Safety at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, what do you think of that title?"

Dumbledore blinked his clear, azure eyes and gave a playful smile.

Chapter 189 Return (Part 2)

Head of the Student Safety Office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

Amosta blinked and smiled noncommittally. It sounded better than the title 'Castle Security Officer'.

"--I easily persuaded the school board to agree to my request. Perhaps the turbulent past two years have made them realize that we really should consider the safety of the young wizards."

Dumbledore said in a relaxed tone,

"I plan to place the castle keeper and the hunting ground guard under the management of this department. In addition to arranging the daily patrols of the castle by the male and female student council presidents and the deans of each college, this department will also have a very special right."

Amosta turned to look at Dumbledore, awaiting his explanation.

"--Those surveillance devices you left at the school, Amostall, I think it's a waste to have them sitting in Argus's office. I've spoken with the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic, and in special circumstances—I mean, if something happens that threatens the safety of the young wizards at the school—those alchemical tools will be legally used."

Amosta raised an eyebrow in surprise; this was not an easy matter to negotiate.

Speaking of this, Dumbledore showed a hint of regret.

“Minerva and I have talked about this, and we both agree that your alchemical tools are indeed useful. If it weren’t for them, perhaps many more young wizards would have been harmed before Miss Weasley was taken to the Chamber of Secrets last semester. Tonight, if they were here, we probably would have been able to spot Black breaking into the school immediately.”

"Is there a reasonable deduction, Headmaster Dumbledore?"

Amosta asked, frowning.

"The most likely explanation is that Blake took a longer route through the Forbidden Forest,"

Dumbledore pondered for a moment and said,

"But that'll have to wait until Hagrid asks his magical creature friends."

With Dementors guarding it and numerous ancient magical defenses, Hogwarts is like an impregnable fortress. If Amostella wanted to sneak into Hogwarts, he would most likely choose to do so through the Forbidden Forest. However, sneaking into Hogwarts from the densely vegetated Forbidden Forest, inhabited by a large number and variety of species, is still a very difficult task. You never know that there might be a pair of eyes watching you from that corner of the Grove.

"Regarding the Director of the Student Safety Office—"

Dumbledore then suddenly smiled and said,

“When things are less stressful—I mean, when teaching activities can proceed normally—you are free to leave Hogwarts to do your own thing, Amosta.”

Amosta smacked his lips, unsure of what to say. Had Dumbledore changed his ways? Was he deliberately sending him out to earn extra money?

"--The Director of the Student Safety Office bears a heavy responsibility for the personal safety of all young wizards. The Board of Trustees considers this position to be as important as the Vice-Principal's. Therefore, your salary is the same as Minerva's, Amosta's, 1500 Galleons—"

Ahem, Dumbledore, you need to get to the point when you speak!

Before dawn, a bone-chilling cold enveloped the earth. No light could be seen at the horizon where the earth met the sky, but the starlight and moonlight above the sky gradually dimmed, and the darkness that was so intense it was overwhelming.

The brilliant firelight flashed and disappeared in the deep night, and two equally thin figures, one short and one tall, appeared on the steps outside the castle gate.

Everything before my eyes was almost exactly the same as when I left. This ancient castle seemed to reside in the cracks of time, standing alone and steadfast as the years flowed by.

“Minerva will be very happy—” Dumbledore said with a smile, his beard glistening with dew. “As the vice-principal, in addition to teaching, she also has the responsibility of ensuring the smooth operation of the school. Whenever special circumstances arise, she is always very anxious. Now, finally, someone can share some of the responsibility with her.”

"It is the headmaster's responsibility to ensure the smooth operation of the school, not the vice-headmaster's or the head of the security office, Headmaster Dumbledore."

Amosta rolled his eyes and said politely.

"Oh, if that's the case, then I have to do it for myself."

Dumbledore wanted to explain something, but Amostella ignored him, walking directly to the magnificent gate, pursing his lips, and smiling slightly.

"Hogwarts, I'm back."

The young wizards, who had been discussing anxiously how Black had sneaked into the school late into the night, fell into a deep sleep. Regardless of what happened tonight, tomorrow's classes had to continue. Under the starry sky, the only sounds in the Great Hall, apart from the occasional light footsteps of professors passing by, were the rising and falling snores of the young wizards.

Although Hermione and Ron were asleep, Harry was only pretending to sleep with his eyes closed. While the other young wizards could treat Black's intrusion into the castle as a strange occurrence, he couldn't. After all, Black had come for him, and Harry wasn't sure if this cunning criminal was still lurking in the shadows, ready to launch a surprise attack while Dumbledore was away from Hogwarts.

Earlier, Professor Lupin had already rushed back to the castle to join the night patrol.

Snape also returned to the school. He had clearly figured out that the old friend he met with Lupin was not Black. Upon his return, he went upstairs with a sullen face and did not reappear. However, Professor Dumbledore has not been seen at all. Shouldn't the three of them have returned together?

Hogwarts without Dumbledore is never quite reassuring. Harry couldn't stop thinking about where Professor Dumbledore had gone. He tossed and turned in his sleeping bag, restless for a long time. Finally, unable to bear the heat any longer, he decided to get up and get some fresh air.

Crunch!

The whistling sound of the door hinges turning was extremely jarring in the quiet Great Hall. Harry, who was halfway up, quickly scrambled back into his sleeping bag, facing the direction of the castle gate, and peeked out using the bright starlight filtering through the illusory night sky on the Great Hall ceiling.

Oh!

With just one glance, Harry let out a cry of celebration, as if he had just won a Quidditch match!

When Amostall stepped back into the office from the previous semester and saw the furnishings, he knew that Dumbledore had probably been planning how to get the title of Head of the Student Safety Office. Tonight, Black's raid on the castle and his unexpected encounter with Professor Snape had given him a perfect opportunity.

The desk, bookshelves, cot, fireplace—everything was just as it had been before, even the black curtain covering the surveillance wall was spotless.

A temporary meeting is being held in this reopened office. Attendees include the office's owner, Amos Tower; Headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Lupin; Vice-Headmaster Minerva McGonagall; and Castle Keeper Argus Filch, who is now officially under the management of the Office of Student Safety.

"Although I said that just a few months ago--"

Professor McGonagall, who had been busy for most of the night, had her small, round bun at the back of her head disheveled, and the weakness in her eyes showed that she was very tired. However, she still managed to force a smile at Amostella.

"But I still want to say it again, Amosta, welcome back to Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall--"

Amostra waved his wand and conjured several chairs, helping the elderly and overworked Professor McGonagall to sit down. Dumbledore, who was even older but full of energy, clearly knew he wouldn't receive such treatment, so he cheerfully found a stool and sat down himself.

With a gloomy expression, Lupin went to the shelf above the fireplace to make tea for everyone. Only Filch, facing his new direct supervisor, looked hesitant and unsure of what to do.