The Return to Hogwarts

Looking at the unexpected Sirius Black, Amosta smiled.

"Of course, as long as you are alive, I will allow you to live in this house as well."

Chapter 240 Lenny

Although he was eager to get to work cleaning his new house and make it comfortable as soon as possible, Amosta knew he obviously didn't have time for it right now. So, he gave Kreacher, who was wailing and cursing Sirius Black, an order to sit there for now and come back during the Christmas holidays to work together on this house that had been uninhabited for ten years.

“Stop crying, Kreacher.”

Sirius said impatiently,

“You heard everything, didn’t you? It’s just a temporary mortgage on the house. I don’t plan to sell it. Once I kill Peter, I’ll be able to raise 50,000 Galleons in no time.”

“Oh, what would my poor mistress say if she knew that the young master had given away the entire Black family mansion? How much she would hate him! Oh, she would be so disappointed in Kreacher, who watched all this and couldn’t stop the young master from doing such a foolish thing—”

Tsk tsk——

This house-elf is indeed not very likable. Amosta was wondering whether he should send it to the Underworld to sell. Because of the troll's massacre, all the house-elves in the Underworld had fled, and there seemed to be a shortage recently. If he sold it now, the price would be decent.

You are not allowed to tell any of what you heard tonight to a third person, in any way.

Amosta gave Kreacher an order, and then, with a loud bang, Amosta led Sirius back to the Shrieking Shack.

During the time they were away, the collapsed kitchen was almost entirely covered by falling snowflakes, and the howling wind in the dilapidated house sounded like the wailing of a female ghost.

Amosta waved his wand, and the broken bricks, cracked planks, and snapped beams on the ground awoke from their slumber. They struggled to their feet, shook off the snow covering them, and flew back into the air to reassemble themselves. In the blink of an eye, the house was exactly the same as before.

Although Amostella decided not to use the Screaming Shack anymore, she still repaired it. The house stood on the hillside, visible to passersby in Hogsmeade. If any busybodies came to investigate why the house had suddenly collapsed, it might cause some unnecessary trouble.

"You said this cat's name is Crookshanks, and it's almost frozen to death!"

Blake, who had run into the house first to find Crook Hill, said angrily.

"As long as it's still breathing, I can revive it—"

Amosta tapped Crookshank's stiff body with his wand. A streak of crimson light flashed across the ginger-yellow fur, followed by rising white steam. Amosta then pulled out a bottle of homemade sobering potion from his pocket. He tapped the bottle with his wand, and the swaying liquid inside transformed into an inverted stream of water that flew out of the bottle and entered Crookshank's nostrils.

"How did you end up hanging out with this cat?"

While Crookshan was awakening, Amosta casually asked a question.

"This cat is very smart. I guess it probably has some cat-like blood, because it recognized me as not a dog the moment it saw me,"

Sirius stroked Crookshank and smacked his lips. "It took me a while to make it understand who I am and what I want to do. Since then, it has been helping me find information and food. I can't wander around. The Dementors and Aurors are in the village. Then, it tried to bring Peter to me, but it didn't succeed."

"Speaking of -"

The illusion magic dissipated, revealing the parchment piled up all over the living room floor and the small animal scraps in the kitchen. Amostah whipped the air a few times like a conductor conducting a symphony, and the things rushed from all directions to the hallway, huddled together, and then turned to ashes in a brilliant green flame.

"How did you discover this house, especially that secret passage?"

If we were to go into detail about this issue, it would involve some of Remus's secrets. Logically speaking, Dumbledore recruited Remus to Hogwarts as a professor, and Blaine, as the head of the Office of Security, couldn't possibly be unaware of Remus's werewolf identity. However, Sirius Black didn't dare to take the risk. If Dumbledore and Remus hadn't told Blaine about this, he could very well have caused trouble for his old friend.

"This secret passage... we used to use it all the time when we were in school—"

Sirius spoke vaguely, but this caused Amosta, who was cleaning, to suddenly stop what she was doing.

"us?"

Amostella squinted and repeated Sirius's words.

"So that means Remus actually knew all along that there was a secret passage under the Whomping Willow. Hmm, I suppose he also knew you were an Animagus... He had so many opportunities to say it, but tonight when I heard from Harry that there was a secret passage here, he acted like he was hearing it for the first time."

Sirius remained silent, merely teasing Crookshank, whose limbs were already twitching unconsciously. He could roughly guess why Remus had kept quiet about all of this, even though he didn't know he was innocent.

His old friend, who regarded Dumbledore as his benefactor, was afraid of disappointing Dumbledore and that Dumbledore would be displeased or even angry with their foolish behavior.

How did Harry find out about the secret passage under the Willow Tree?

Another piece of information in Blaine's words caught Sirius's attention.

"Everyone who knows James Potter says that Harry is a lot like his father. I guess he inherited some kind of talent."

“That kid really does look like James!” Sirius exclaimed immediately. “His Quidditch talent is just as outstanding as James’s!”

At this moment, Crookshank in Sirius's arms finally woke up completely. Before he could figure out what had happened, he immediately bared his teeth and claws, howling at Amostella with his gloomy persimmon face.

"Don't get agitated, Crookshan. We've already explained things clearly. Now, Amosta won't be targeting us!"

Sirius Black gripped Crookshank tightly and quickly explained what had happened.

"It's not my fault—"

Amosta looked completely innocent.

"Who would have thought things would take such a turn? Before, I thought you were an accomplice of a heinous criminal, so my actions were completely justified, right?"

Crookshan made a snoring sound, looking quite resentful.

The noisy night will eventually end, the snow is still falling, but a faint pink ray of dawn finally appears on the horizon.

“In my opinion, you should stay at home, or you can hide in the mountains like before, which is fine. I will send you food regularly. But since you insist on going to school to show off your mischievous talents, we have to think of a way to disguise you.”

Sirius dismissed this claim.

"I'll use Animagus. I can disguise myself very well, and no one will recognize me!"

"I suggest you take some time to go back to Azkaban and see if you left your brain there when you escaped."

Amostella said irritably, "If you want to stay in the castle for a long time, you'll inevitably run into Remus. He knows you're an Animagus and what your transformed form is."

And for the sake of our business relationship, I'll remind you: Animagus is a perfect disguise in magic and form, but on a soul level, you are still Sirius Black. Unfortunately, our beloved Headmaster Albus Dumbledore happens to have the ability to see a person's soul. So, you'd better be careful.”

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Sirius looked gloomy; he simply couldn't like a timid Slytherin.

Amosta had already considered this issue when they were at the Black family's old house.

With the wand pointed at him, Sirius's eyes suddenly turned wary.

"What do you want to do, Blaine!"

Sirius took a few steps back and questioned him.

"Of course, I'll arrange a new identity for you. Do you expect me to just swagger in and bring a wanted criminal back to me—"

Amosta glanced at Crookshan and said with a smile.

"From today onwards, you are the little wildcat Crookshanks found outside, the mate it chose for itself. Hmm, I think 'Lenny' is a pretty good name."

Chapter 241 The First Meeting After Twelve Years

When Amostella returned to Hogwarts with the two cats through the secret passage under the Shrieking Shack, the snow had stopped, but the sky remained gloomy, and the wind still howled across the flat lawn and playground.

Hagrid was leading Tooth into the Forbidden Forest, while Professor Sprout appeared in the greenhouse to check if her plants had been damaged by the cold. Amosta waved to her from afar and hurried toward the castle.

There is no shortage of diligent people, no matter where you are. When Amosta entered the hall, he was surprised to find that several seventh-grade students were already having breakfast. Percy Weasley was sitting near the door, holding a book called "Practical Defense Charms and Their Countermeasures Against the Dark Arts" while wolfing down a plate of sausages.

Good morning, Professor Blaine—

Noticing Professor Blaine staring at him, Percy Weasley quickly swallowed his food and eagerly ran over. He glanced at the two kittens in Professor Blaine's arms before looking away.

Is there anything I can do to help you?

“I remember you were on patrol last night, Percy?” Amosta clicked his tongue. “Didn’t you get a little rest?”

Percy took this as a compliment, and he proudly puffed out his chest, his face beaming with pride as he wore the gleaming badge of the boy council president.

“I’m not tired, Professor. I’m going to the library before the morning classes start. You know, I’ll be taking the NEWT exam in the second semester, and I want to make sure I don’t mess it up if I want to work for the Ministry of Magic. Of course, if you need anything.”

“I don’t need you to do anything, Percy—”

Amosta patted Percy on the shoulder and said approvingly.

People who have ideals and are willing to work hard for them are always worthy of admiration.

The aroma of food in the auditorium made the two cats in Amosta's arms restless, especially the black cat. After eating mice for months, its eyes practically lit up when it saw the plates of fragrant bacon, sausages, and eggs. It meowed and tried to break free from its restraints.

Amosta obviously couldn't let him cause trouble in the Great Hall, so he asked Percy to pack some food to take back to his office.

Last time Sirius infiltrated the castle, all he could think about was rushing into the Gryffindor dorms, killing Peter, and leaving immediately. He had no time to reminisce. But now things were different. Along the way, he perched on Amostella's shoulder, looking around excitedly and barely obeying commands.

"If you don't behave, I'll lock you in a cage, you hear me!"

Amostella grabbed Lennie by the ear and smacked him, speaking sternly, while simultaneously freeing Lady Lorris, whom Lennie had quickly locked inside a suit of armor.

Lenny: Meow! (Translation: Didn't you see? Filch's cat is meowing at me!)

Although he knew that his body transformation would not cause any accidents, Amosta still subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief as he walked into the office and closed the door.

Sirius was starving. After glancing curiously at the wall in the office that was covered by a huge black curtain, he landed on the floor and frantically rummaged through the bag in Amosta's hand, hoping to get a good meal.

He lit the fireplace, drew back the curtains to let the dim light into the office, and Amosta returned to his desk and slumped down.

After that night, his mission took a dramatic turn.

They still needed to find someone, only now it was Peter instead of Blake.

To be honest, this task has become more difficult. Before, he only had to keep Black away from Harry, but now he has to actively lure out a rat hiding in the shadows. And this rat is extremely vigilant and patient. You can't expect it to show itself with ordinary methods.