The Return to Hogwarts

This is not okay!

Lucius realized his predicament: if the meeting continued as it was going, he would gain nothing but humiliation.

In that case, we might as well take a gamble.

Lucius took a deep breath, pulling himself out of his chaotic thoughts. Despite the immense pressure Amostra Blaine exerted on him, he pulled his hand back into his sleeve, and after a moment, took out a bag whose space had been expanded by the Unseen Stretch Charm.

Under the watchful eyes of Amosta and Lennie, Lucius reached into his bag and pulled out a ruby ​​the size of an egg. The gem was crystal clear and shone with a dazzling light in the pale sunlight.

After gently placing the gem on the table, Lucius reached into his pocket again and took out another gem of the same quality. In this way, a minute later, Amosta had twenty valuable rubies of similar size and quality in front of him.

Amostella's eyelashes fluttered when the first gem was taken out, but she showed no further reaction afterward, maintaining her composure as she watched Lucius Malfoy's performance.

"In fact—"

Amosta's reaction made Lucius Malfoy's heart skip a beat. For a moment, he thought today's visit had failed completely again. However, his unwillingness to give up made him say one more thing.

"I've come to visit you because I have something I'd like to ask you—"

Is there something I need to ask you?

Amosta's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, Lucius Malfoy still wanted to find out what Voldemort's "precious treasure" he had damaged in that notebook.

However, Lucius's next words made Amosta realize that he had probably guessed in the wrong direction.

"--Or you could think of it as, Mr. Blaine, that I want to designate you to accept my commission, and these gems are the reward for the commission."

Lucius Malfoy bowed slightly to Amosta.

This sudden reversal finally elicited a reaction from Amosta. He narrowed his eyes and said in a light, airy voice, "Single..."

“You’ve broken the rules, Malfoy.”

In the first half of last year, Amosta accepted Dumbledore's commission from Cakus to enter Hogwarts as an investigator to investigate the Chamber of Secrets. Before entering, Cakus used his influence to persuade the Hogwarts Board of Governors.

At that time, Lucius had not yet been removed from the board of trustees, so he knew that Amosta and Cacus must know each other. Therefore, it is not hard to guess that Amosta was most likely a bounty hunter in the underworld.

There's an unwritten rule in the underworld: to prevent double-crossing, the person issuing and the person accepting a commission will normally avoid meeting each other.

Amosta didn't hold Lucius's suspicions about his past, because he had already taught Lucius a lesson about it at the Broken Axe Bar. He was just mentioning this rule to get the ball rolling.

“I have no choice, Mr. Blaine.”

Lucius Malfoy was clearly not unaware of the place; he had heard of the rule, but his current predicament forced him to risk coming to Amosta.

"You didn't go to Kakus or the other quest brokers there. It seems your quest isn't so simple, Malfoy."

Amosta said calmly.

"For Snape's sake, I'll listen to what you're up to. Hopefully, it's not an invitation for me to join your foolish plot to bring down Dumbledore—"

Chapter 277 Finding the Golden Viper

2023-05-03

Upon hearing Amosta's words, Lucius's expression immediately turned sour.

Last school year, his plan to drive Dumbledore out of Hogwarts through that secret room was actually perfect. Dumbledore had already been officially transferred away from Hogwarts. If it weren't for the man in front of him interfering, Dumbledore might not have been able to turn the tables.

However, Lucius immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Amosta had given him the opportunity to make a request, which meant that there was a possibility of success. However, how to bring it up was another question.

Lucius picked up the cup of green tea, took a small sip, and his already furrowed brows immediately tightened.

It was so bitter that he couldn't imagine how anyone could like this 'unique flavor' drink, but out of politeness, he forced himself to swallow the tea in his mouth, but the bitterness in his mouth just wouldn't go away.

Amosta did not urge him, but waited quietly.

"There's something you might need to take a look at first—"

After a brief silence, Lucius finally made up his mind. His face was grim, and he pulled his hand back into his robes, not taking it out for a long time. Seeing this, Lenny desperately tried to wink at Amostella, trying to remind him not to overlook that Lucius Malfoy was a cruel and cunning Death Eater. But Amostella, who noticed his reminder, did not react at all and just calmly sipped his tea.

Finally, under Lenny's watchful gaze, Lucius pulled his hand out from under his robe and slowly placed what he was holding on the table.

The moment he saw the thing, Lenny leaped ten feet from the sofa, his claws snapping open and gripping the table, his fierce eyes fixed on Lucius, who was somewhat taken aback by the black cat's actions.

A claw shaped like a human hand, completely charred black!

These are the hands of a werewolf!

The moment Amosta saw the black claw, he recognized it, and he also happened to know who the wolf claw belonged to.

Things get interesting.

Amosta's eyes held an unreadable light as he stared at Lucius Malfoy, who had already shifted his attention away from Lenny and was now looking at him tentatively, waiting quietly for an explanation.

"You've probably already recognized it; it's a werewolf's paw."

Seeing that he couldn't glean anything from Amosta's expression, Lucius controlled his pace and cautiously spoke,

"And its owner was that infamous werewolf, Fenrir Greyback."

when--

Amosta tapped the cup with his finger, producing a clear ringing sound, and the tea in the cup automatically filled up with a slight tremor.

"Fenrir Graybuck—"

Amosta repeated the name, smiling as she spoke.

"This is a dangerous individual that the Ministry of Magic has been dreaming of capturing. So, you took it down?"

“I don’t have that ability, Mr. Blaine—”

Thinking of what happened six months ago, Lucius's tone became harsh.

“In fact, last summer, Graybury brought a few werewolves into my mansion. He hoped that I could use the Malfoy family’s influence to help him find someone, and this paw is the ‘commission’ he left behind.”

Meow--

Upon hearing this, Lennie withdrew from his attack and instead gave Lucius Malfoy a disdainful look.

Twelve years after Voldemort's fall from power, his once loyal henchmen have started fighting amongst themselves.

"so?"

Amosta narrowed his eyes, his tone becoming subtle.

Without much thought, Amosta knew who those incorrigible big dogs were looking for. However, he certainly hadn't expected that Greyback would think of asking Lucius Malfoy for help. No, did Lucius Malfoy find him because he knew he had connections in the underworld, or was he testing him through some clues?

Both guesses are possible, and Amosta couldn't decide for the moment. But at least he was sure that Lucius wasn't sure he was Golden Viper. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so foolish as to come to him directly. Doing so would only provoke him.

"--The person Graybuck wanted me to help find is called Golden Viper in the underworld, Mr. Blaine. He has become quite famous in recent years, and I'm sure you've heard of him."

As he uttered those words, Lucius Malfoy, disregarding the risk of angering Amosta Blaine, stared intently into those distinctive purple eyes, hoping to get the answer he wanted. However, he found nothing but a chilling abyss.

Upon hearing the name 'Golden Viper', Lennie quietly opened his mouth.

Isn't that Golden Viper just Amosta?

On the day Remus exposed his identity, because the misunderstanding had not yet been cleared up, Remus thought Amosta was his accomplice, and he called out the name himself!

Lenny didn't know the details, but based on what he had just heard, Greyback hoped that Malfoy could use his family's influence to help him find the Golden Viper and left behind that charred claw. The claw belonged to Greyback, and it was probably the Golden Viper that Amosta Blaine turned Greyback's wolf claw into this state.

For some unknown reason, Lucius Malfoy went directly to Amosta hoping he would know something about the Golden Viper.

If this is a coincidence, then Lucius Malfoy is really unlucky!

Lucius was disappointed at not receiving the response he expected, but he managed to control his emotions well, confident that he hadn't given himself away at all.

“Those despicable, vile werewolves used Draco to threaten me—”

Lucius knew that Amosta had a fairly good impression of Draco, so he said that on purpose.

"--I need to find out Golden Viper's true identity as soon as possible, and I'm not allowed to make any public inquiries in the underworld, lest that dangerous guy named Golden Viper get wind of it. Some of my connections there are useless. I asked Cornelius Fudge to check some secret files in the Auror Office, but there was nothing there either. I know you understand."

"This isn't the way the Malfoy family operates as I know it, Mr. Malfoy—"

Amosta tilted his head, smiling faintly.

"With the Malfoy family's wealth, if you wish, you can push for the enforcement of relevant laws and let the official forces do their utmost to crush that pack of wolves led by Graybury."

"Doing it this way is definitely more in line with my wishes!"

Amostella's words ignited Lucius's anger; his face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth in hatred.

"But if even one werewolf escapes the strangulation, the Malfoy family will never have peace. You must know about Graybury's despicable practices!"

Lenny stared at Lucius Malfoy with disdain. He knew about the despicable things Lucius had done when he was a Death Eater, and now he actually had the nerve to rebuke Fenrir Greyback, whose behavior was just as 'noble' as his own. It was ridiculous!

Lenny turned his head and looked at Amosta Blaine, intending to warn him not to agree to any of Lucius's requests, but then he suddenly remembered that Amosta was the 'Golden Viper'!

That's interesting. What will Amosta do?

Lenny suddenly stopped being in a hurry. He lay on the table, scratched his whiskers with his cat paw, and waited for Amosta's reaction with Lucius Malfoy.

Chapter 278 Discovering clues

2023-05-03

It seems Lucius didn't connect himself with the Golden Viper; his purpose in approaching me was still to ask for my help in finding the Golden Viper. But why didn't Lucius go to Cacus Foley?

Even though the Foley family was defeated, they are still one of the sacred Twenty-Eight Pureblood families, just like the Malfoy family. These ancient families with a long history, except for extreme examples like the Weasley family, mostly maintain intricate connections. Logically speaking, Lucius's best choice should be to go find Cacus.

Moreover, it's no secret in the underworld that Golden Viper and Cacus have a good personal relationship. If Lucius Malfoy didn't know this after inquiring about Golden Viper for so long, he would be incredibly incompetent.