The Return to Hogwarts

This is indeed a problem, Amosta pondered silently.

Oh, I understand.

Before long, Amosta had figured out the key point.

Fearing that the Golden Viper might hear the news and flee, Greyback forbade Lucius Malfoy from making any public inquiries. However, if he were to ask Cacus about the Golden Viper's identity, it would likely leak the information and alert the Golden Viper.

Hum hum——

Amostah chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Greyborough is quite confident, isn't he?"

"Alright, Mr. Malfoy, I understand why you've come."

After a long silence, Amosta finally spoke, but her words chilled Lucius, who was anxiously awaiting a response.

"Now you can leave my office."

"Mr. Blaine!"

Lucius's face darkened. He jumped up from his stool, eager to say something, but Amostella stopped him with a raised hand.

"Leave my office--"

Amosta repeated himself in an unyielding tone.

Lucius's disappointment was palpable. He racked his brains, hoping to come up with a way to make Amosta Blaine change his mind, but when his gaze fell on the calm expression and unperturbed eyes of the wizard across the desk, he was momentarily stunned. Then, his disappointment vanished, replaced by a hint of joy.

How could I have become so slow-witted!

Lucius Malfoy berated himself, knowing full well that Amosta Blaine wouldn't grant him any of his requests.

"Well, it's a pity we couldn't reach an agreement."

Lucius let out a soft sigh and nodded gratefully to Amosta.

"I'll leave now."

After saying that, Lucius Malfoy didn't linger and turned to leave the office.

They're not hopelessly stupid.

Amostah chuckled to himself. He withdrew his gaze from the doorway and stared with interest at the twenty egg-sized rubies on his desk, which seemed to have been forgotten by their original owner.

"What exactly happened, Amosta?"

After the spell was broken, Sirius, who was full of questions, couldn't wait to ask.

“You clearly refused Malfoy’s offer to help, but why does he look like he’s gotten his way? And,” Sirius glanced at the valuable gem with disgust, “Lucius Malfoy has gone so far as to give you a gem worth over ten thousand gallons as a mere gift?”

Sirius's lack of tact in this regard was understandable; his question was not unexpected by Amosta.

"No matter what, I will never make any deal with Lucius Malfoy, you understand, Sirius?"

Sirius frowned, pondering hard. After a moment, he hesitated and nodded.

Indeed, whatever it is, once Amosta agrees, it's tantamount to giving others ammunition to use against him. A cunning wizard like Malfoy might use it as a pretext for threats at any time. Although he may not have the guts, it's still a handle.

"What was Malfoy's final attitude?"

"As the Head of the Hogwarts Student Safety Office, it's only natural for me to take action when some dark creatures living in the gutter try to use the safety of students to force their parents to do things against their will."

Amosta smiled happily as he put the gems one by one into his storage bag.

"Oh, you cunning Slytherins!"

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"So, you're planning to help Malfoy deal with Greyback?"

snort--

After tidying up the jewels on the table, Amosta snorted coldly, picked up the charred claw left behind by Lucius with his fingers, and quietly admired it. The cold light flashing in his eyes sent a chill down Sirius's spine.

"Speaking of -"

After not receiving a response from Amosta for a while, Sirius asked another question.

"Golden Viper is the name you used when you were operating in the underworld of Knockturn Alley, right? I don't think Lucius Malfoy knows that name at all. So why did he find you?"

"That's a long story, but in short—"

Amosta said in a lazy tone,

“Lucius Malfoy’s connections in the underworld are not as extensive as his influence in the Ministry of Magic. Because of some previous events, he guessed that I was probably active in the underworld, so he came directly to me when he had no better options.”

Sirius had many other questions, such as what kind of person Golden Viper was in the underworld, how he came to have a grudge against Greyback, and how Amosta and Remus had met, which he had forgotten to ask Remus before.

Judging from the tone of Remus's previous statement, it seems to be related to his identity as Golden Viper.

Sirius wanted to voice these questions, but just then, the office door was knocked on once again at an inopportune moment. Judging from Amosta's expression, he knew that the person knocking was not Remus.

"This is really troublesome!"

Sirius waited impatiently for Amostella to transform him into a cat.

"I'm going crazy from spending all my time in your office looking like a cat. I'd rather wander around the playground and the Forbidden Forest looking like my own Animagus form."

I won't stop you from doing it--

With a light tap of Amosta's wand, Sirius Black was enveloped in a fleeting ray of magical light and instantly transformed back into Lenny.

"Just don't cause me any trouble."

Where is Lucius?

The office door opened, and Professor Snape strode in, followed by a displeased Draco Malfoy.

"He's been gone for a while, didn't he say goodbye to you?"

"I'm going to talk to him about Draco again!"

Professor Snape said with a grim face, stepping aside to expose Draco to Amostall's view.

"I don't understand why such a small setback would keep you depressed for so long, but now that he's gone—"

Snape gave Amostella a disgruntled look, because it was precisely his grueling practical lessons that had left Draco in such a dejected state.

"Why don't you talk to Professor Blaine about your thoughts?"

“I have nothing to say,” Draco said dryly.

How dare he speak to me like that? Is this still Draco Malfoy? Could that insignificant blow have really had such a big impact on him?

Amosta frowned almost imperceptibly as he stared at Draco, who was looking down at his toes. He vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

"Nothing to say?"

Draco's reply surprised and angered Professor Snape. His chin twitched, and his eyes turned dangerous. Just as he was about to say something, Amostella suddenly spoke first.

"Lift your head up, Draco."

Amosta's voice carried an air of undeniable authority, and upon hearing him speak, both Snape and Lenny, who were not particularly interested in the scene, looked at him in confusion.

“Look at me, Draco.”

Amosta spoke sternly, and under his harsh command, Draco's body swayed like a willow in a storm. His already pale face became even more bloodless, and beads of sweat were visibly forming on his forehead. He seemed very unwilling to do this, but under Professor Blaine's orders, he could not refuse, otherwise, he would seem too suspicious.

The moment their eyes met, Amosta's heart skipped a beat. He sensed another fleeting 'figure' in Draco's eyes.

Chapter 279 Tracking

2023-05-04

"What's wrong, Amosta?"

Snape frowned, glanced at the trembling Draco, and then looked at Amostella and asked. In his memory, this seemed to be the first time he had seen Amostella speak to a junior wizard in such a stern tone.

Snape's question immediately jolted Amostrath awake. He quickly composed himself, his solemn expression vanishing in an instant, replaced by a gentle one.

"nothing--"

Amostella gently shook his head, and after answering Snape's question, he looked at Draco apologetically.

“I didn’t expect that practical lesson would cause you so much trouble, Draco, that even two months later you still haven’t gotten over it. If, well, do you need me to talk to your friends?”

"No need, Professor Blaine—"

Draco's body swayed for a moment, then he lowered his head again, staring at the floor, no longer making eye contact with anyone.

"I am able to solve my own problems."

"Can you solve this?"

Snape's questioning voice was filled with anger.

"Draco, do you know how many professors have given me feedback on your problems lately? They say you're like a block of wood in class. Ah—of course, after my previous reminders, your homework has finally returned to a normal level, but..."

Snape seemed to have had enough of Draco's loser behavior, and taking this opportunity, he unleashed all the rebukes he had been holding back for some time. Amosta leaned back in his chair, watching the scene unfold without uttering a word.

It wasn't until five minutes later that Professor Snape finally stopped talking, panting slightly. However, when he saw Draco still with that submissive expression, he was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed.

“I think we need to give Draco a little more time, Professor Snape—”

Amosta said calmly, "After all, he may never have dealt with such a situation before."

Professor Snape was about to retort instinctively, but before he could speak, he saw Draco's shoulders trembling slightly, as if he was trying to break free from something. His heart softened, and he ultimately kept quiet.