The Return to Hogwarts

"I have some ideas. Of course, they are not perfect, because some key safeguards are still missing."

"What is being guaranteed?"

“To ensure Harry’s ‘safe’ death,” Dumbledore said. “Please forgive me for not being able to share my brilliant ideas with you at this time, Amosta, but I can assure you that defeating Voldemort will not be achieved at the expense of Harry.”

This is truly a contradictory situation.

If everything is as Dumbledore says, and Harry is indeed Voldemort's Horcrux, then to completely kill Voldemort, Harry must first be eliminated. But Dumbledore's statement...

Amosta lowered his gaze, staring at the water bobbing in his cup, its surface already tinged with a stale brown. Even the tea leaves were old and stale; what a heartless old man.

"so--"

After a long pause, Amosta frowned slightly and said,

"Actually, there is a way to separate Voldemort's soul from Harry's soul, and that way is to have Harry 'killed'?"

"Let me keep a little mystery to myself, Amosta."

Dumbledore took a deep breath and refused to return to the question.

Several hours had passed since the incident at the Quidditch pitch during the day was resolved and the two men went into the headmaster's office. Moreover, they had been discussing those exhausting issues, so both Dumbledore and Amosta were quite tired.

Seeing Amostella put the bottle that sealed the Dementors back into the Dark Pouch, Dumbledore hesitated for a moment but did not stop her. Like all the faculty and staff, he was also very averse to these unpleasant creatures that the Ministry of Magic had placed around the school.

"Oh, right, Amosta—"

Amosta took his leave, but Dumbledore, who rose to greet him, suddenly stopped him.

"During my time away from Hogwarts, if Black—"

"Don't worry, Headmaster Dumbledore, I won't let him harm any life in this school, not even a mouse."

"Of course, I believe in your abilities, Amosta, but..."

"only?"

“Well, before we took Harry to the real Chamber of Secrets set up by Slytherin, something you said inspired me, Amosta, so—”

Dumbledore hesitated before speaking.

"So, I hope that if you find any clues about Black, you can involve Harry and his friends to some extent in capturing him, provided that safety is guaranteed."

Amosta raised an eyebrow, inviting the three little ones to participate in Blake's capture.

After a moment's thought, Amosta agreed. As long as it didn't affect his payment, it wouldn't hurt to let the little guys play with him.

“I will take care of it, Headmaster Dumbledore.”

Amosta pushed open the gleaming oak door to Dumbledore's office, glancing at the two stone monsters snoring softly outside, who only pretended to open their eyes wide when he came out. The gentle breeze that greeted him cleared his somewhat dazed mind.

Amosta suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten to ask Dumbledore about the 'soul perspective' he had mentioned, as well as the clue related to the Horcruxes.

"Tsk, Voldemort's Horcruxes, each one is worth eight thousand."

Amosta turned and walked down the tower, clicking his tongue in amazement as he pondered that if he ever came across Voldemort's Horcruxes again, he would sell them to Dumbledore at this price if he could find a hundred or so.

Wow, retiring on the spot and reaching the pinnacle of life is actually quite exciting!

Dumbledore's office was in a separate small tower. Descending the spiral staircase to the ground floor, Amosta headed towards the foyer, preparing to return to her post.

Oh no, he was keeping a close eye on the surveillance cameras in his office all night. If Sirius Black had been secretly watching the castle all along, he should have noticed that the Dementors guarding the school gates had disappeared. A normal person wouldn't think that Hogwarts had let its guard down, but for a madman who had been tormented by Dementors in Azkaban for twelve years, he might see tonight as a good opportunity to make his move.

"lie!"

Amosta was pondering his thoughts when he heard an angry growl coming from the foyer. Judging from the voice, it was Argus Filch, Amosta's only legitimate subordinate... Hagrid was Dumbledore's "hound".

"What's going on, Argus?" Amosta asked, strode into the light and shadow.

Unexpectedly, besides Filch, Professor Snape was also standing in the foyer with a mocking expression. When he saw Amostella suddenly appear, the gloom surrounding him noticeably faded.

“We are interrogating this empty-headed Mr. Longbottom,”

Snape tilted his chin and sneered.

"Breaking school rules by wandering around the castle and trying to sneak through the gate, we caught him red-handed. Amosta, want to hear his ridiculous excuse?"

"Professor Blaine!"

Filch said with a smug look on his face.

“I think the reason this little wizard wants to leave the castle is because he wants to secretly tell Black that, as you know, the Dementors have all been imprisoned by you, and that the criminal might take the opportunity to break into the castle and kill people tonight.”

Are you guys just looking for fun?

Amostella rolled her eyes at Filch and said to Longbottom, whose entire body was trembling.

"So, what is your explanation, Mr. Longbottom?"

"He lied and said he had lost his wand."

Snape carefully looked Amosta up and down, staring intently into his eyes for a while, then let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief and said lazily.

"I don't have a professor—"

Longbottom, his lips trembling as if surrounded by two hungry wolves, looked utterly desperate.

"That...that's my dad's magic wand. If I lose it, my grandma will kill me."

“No wizard would be foolish enough to throw his wand around carelessly, Professor Blaine. Look at this little liar, still trying to argue!”

Filch's roar was extremely jarring in the empty castle. He looked at his leader with great enthusiasm and said eagerly,

“I have instruments of torture in my office, Professor Blaine. I can get them now if you need them. Of course, you can also interrogate him in my office!”

"Lost your wand?"

Amosta sighed, rubbing his forehead. This little guy is usually so absent-minded.

"So, you think you left your wand on the Quidditch pitch?"

Neville nodded pitifully.

"All right--"

Looking at the deep night and Longbottom's arm, scratched by his Hinkpunk, Amostella thought for a moment and then said...

“You can go to the playground with Mr. Argus tomorrow morning to look for the wand, but for now, Mr. Longbottom, I think you’d better go back to your four-poster bed and get some rest.”

Upon hearing his words, Filch reacted like a little wizard hearing that the Halloween party was canceled, his expression comically blank. Before he could even express his true thoughts, his superior spoke in an unyielding tone...

“Argus, please escort Mr. Longbottom safely back to where he belongs.”

Chapter 219 Trouble from a Past Life

"So it seems Dumbledore has already solved your problem?"

Professor Flitwick and Hagrid were guarding the gate, while Professor Snape and Filch were assigned to patrol all night. Amostella, who was responsible for the safety of all the teachers and students of Hogwarts, couldn't very well go back to his office to sleep. After sending Filch and the rather confused Neville away, Amostella took a walk in the courtyard with his old headmaster.

Under the gradually cooling moonlight, as the gaze crosses the undulating forest, one can clearly perceive that the white expanse on the snow in the far distance has begun to spread towards the world.

The wind blowing across the lawn carried the scent of winter; it seemed that the first snow of the winter of '93 was approaching.

Snape turned his head slightly, looked at Amostella who had stopped and was gazing at the distant snow-capped mountains, and asked a question lightly.

"I'm afraid the headmaster can't solve my problem—"

Amosta yawned, stretched, and said...

"My situation is rather complicated, and I'm afraid that apart from myself, no one else can offer me much help."

Snape understood what Amostella meant; his prized student was saying that he was equally helpless in dealing with Amostella's problem.

"When exactly did you get yourself into this trouble?"

Suddenly, Snape said angrily,

“I’ve warned you so many times, Amostella, the outside world isn’t as simple as Hogwarts. You can’t just foolishly throw out a couple of spells that can blow up a crater in the ground and expect everyone to cheer. But you still insist on doing dangerous things for those insignificant gold coins!”

“My troubles didn’t start after I left the school, my dear Professor Snape,” Amostella said with a gentle smile.

"Then what is——"

Snape was stunned by the answer; his long, narrow nostrils tightened, and his eyebrows rose.

"Could it be that it's at Hogwarts?!"

"Who knows?"

Amosta stood with his hands behind his back, squinting as he gazed into the distance, letting the cold night wind ruffle his hair.

"Perhaps it was trouble I caused before I was even born."

Madam Pomfrey insisted that Harry stay at the school hospital over the weekend. He didn't argue or complain, but he just wouldn't let her throw away the Nimbus 2000 wreckage. He knew he was being foolish and that the Nimbus 2000 couldn't be repaired, but Harry couldn't control himself because he felt it wasn't just a broom, but his best friend.

Hagrid, Ginny, and the entire Gryffindor team

During the weekend, he was visited by a steady stream of people, each trying their best to cheer him up and hoping he could recover from yesterday's terrible defeat. But to be honest, Harry didn't feel any improvement in his mood; instead, he felt even more exhausted.

Except for leaving the meeting at lunchtime, Ron and Hermione hardly left during the day because they had found a common goal—to cheer themselves up. Hermione and Ron seemed to have completely made up. They took turns talking about the news they had heard in the Great Hall at noon, trying to cheer Harry up. However, neither of them noticed the cloth bag containing the Nimbus fragments that Harry had hidden in his bedding.

"The last time was when Mrs. Lorris was attacked and Professor Binns told me about the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin in class!"

Hermione, sitting by his bedside peeling an orange for him, said indignantly,