The Return to Hogwarts

“Alright, I hope you can do your best to reconcile with your friends, Draco. I hope to see a change in you before Easter—”

Professor Snape said with a gloomy face, then looked at Amostella, hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask,

"When did you become acquainted with Lucius, Amosta?"

"We weren't exactly friends, just met once."

Amostella spoke calmly, noticing Snape's confusion. He glanced discreetly at Draco, whose ears were perked up, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

“He encountered a small problem, and during our last meeting, he learned that I have a talent for solving problems for people, so he came to see me.”

Snape wasn't a fool; he immediately realized that Lucius was probably facing far more than just a minor problem. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed into Hogwarts during the Christmas season to ask him to introduce him to Amostall. Thinking of this, Snape's mind raced, and he suddenly remembered something.

Not long after the start of the school year, Draco approached him, saying that someone was threatening his parents. When he asked who was doing it and why, Draco remained silent.

Later, he even wrote a letter to Lucius to inquire about the matter, but all he got were some vague answers from Lucius. Because nothing unexpected happened afterward, and then came the incident of Sirius sneaking into Hogwarts on Halloween, Snape completely forgot about the matter.

So, Lucius came to see Amosta hoping he could help resolve this problem?

In a flash, Snape guessed the general truth of the matter.

After a brief silence, Snape narrowed his eyes and spoke in a soft, almost murmured tone.

"Is there anything I can do to help, Amosta?"

"It's just a minor issue, Professor."

Amosta smiled and emphasized again.

Since Amostella was unwilling to get involved in this matter, Snape didn't want to force him. He now understood that the student he had his eye on no longer needed his protection; on the contrary, perhaps one day in the future he would need his help.

"Hmph, I didn't realize—"

After Snape and Malfoy left, Sirius immediately asked Amosta to turn him back into human form.

"Snotty-nosed guy seems to care about his own students. I bet he doesn't treat the other three colleges the same way."

Amosta calmly watched as Professor Snape and Draco walked down the third-floor corridor to the first floor and entered the Great Hall. After giving some brief instructions, Snape went to the faculty dining table, while Draco walked stiffly toward Crabbe and Goyle, who were waiting for him.

"I need to go out for a bit—"

Amosta said calmly

"If you're bored by yourself, I can send you to Remus."

"Remus is working,"

Sirius understood Amosta's meaning. He picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet from the corner of the table, admiring his still-present wanted poster, and lazily waved his hand.

“I don’t want to bother him. You can lock the door if you’re afraid I’ll wander around and cause you trouble.”

"It's not that I don't trust you, Sirius—"

Amosta said with a chuckle, then casually locked the door.

During the mealtime, the Great Hall returned to its usual bustling state, with about 30-40% of the students back. Small groups of students sat scattered around the four long tables, enthusiastically discussing the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch match that would take place on the first Saturday after the start of the school year.

Amostella floated past the students without disturbing anyone, because the young wizards couldn't see the hidden head of the security office.

At the Slytherin table, Miss Pansy Penkinson sat a few seats away from Malfoy. She looked sadly at Malfoy, who was mechanically eating, and seemed hesitant to speak. Unfortunately, Malfoy's consistently indifferent response made her hesitate.

Draco, Vincent, and Gregory were the oddballs in the Great Hall. They treated eating as a chore, and while they didn't interact with others, they also had no communication with each other.

In this fast-paced environment, Malfoy and his two companions quickly finished their lunch and, without wasting any time, got up and left. However, a slight mishap occurred when they were walking out of the hall and into the foyer.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron came down the stairs from the other side. The three little guys seemed to have had a pleasant Christmas holiday, and each of their cheeks looked a little fuller. They were chatting and laughing as they walked into the Great Hall, but when they saw Malfoy coming towards them, the three of them immediately stopped in their tracks.

Harry and Ron's eyes blazed with fury, and even Hermione, who rarely showed hostility towards anyone, glared at them angrily.

What grudge have they gotten into this time?

Amosta frowned slightly, standing a few steps behind Draco, his arms clasped as he watched the scene unfold. At this moment, he did not want any complications to arise.

Fortunately, no conflict occurred. Hermione was the first to suppress her temper, and she pulled the two eager little wizards away. Draco and his two little henchmen didn't linger either, and went straight down the stairs on the right to the basement.

Amosta followed the three of them all the way to the Slytherin common room, then followed them upstairs and into the dormitory.

Standing at the head of the three unfortunate little ones' bed, Amosta surveyed the room with a gaze that commanded attention—the exquisite chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the gap between the bed and the wall, the wardrobe piled high with clothes, and the desk adorned with magic books and magazines.

Amosta's feet were a few feet off the ground as he floated around the dormitory. The pale green light emanating from the lakebed outside the window pierced through his body without leaving a trace on the ground or walls.

Not here

Ten minutes later, Amosta made his judgment.

For most of the afternoon, the three Malfoys lay stiffly on their beds like puppets. Even when their roommates Nott and Sabine returned from their vacation, the three Malfoys didn't get up to talk to them.

Amosta remained extremely patient, 'sitting' in the air and waiting quietly.

As the sun set and the water at the bottom of Black Lake turned pitch black, the three people, as if receiving instructions, sat up one after another, tidied themselves up briefly, and then slowly walked out of the basement.

Chapter 280 Dangerous Person

2023-05-04

When Amosta saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle walk back into the brightly lit auditorium, the ceiling reflecting the pure and mysterious starry sky of late winter and early spring, he felt a little disappointed.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset, and taking advantage of the fact that the young wizards were not paying attention, he took two potato pancakes and hid them in his sleeve. He then leaned against the marble door frame leading into the Great Hall and slowly chewed them.

There were more young wizards in the Great Hall than at noon. After a while, Harry and Ron reappeared in his sight, but Hermione wasn't with them. Amosta guessed that the diligent little witch had already started her study plan for the second half of the school year.

Amos Tower wasn't the only one to notice Harry's presence; Oliver Wood was also at the Gryffindor long table.

Hey, Harry!

The Gryffindor captain shoved aside the chair behind him and leaped through the crowd to stand in front of Harry.

How was your Christmas?

“Aside from being forced by Filch to clean every bathroom on every floor from the first to the eighth, everything else is pretty good,” Harry said wistfully.

"Oh, okay--"

Harry's answer made Wood a little embarrassed, but after taking a deep breath, he steered the conversation towards Quidditch.

“I thought about it a lot during the holidays, Harry. I’ve been thinking about it ever since the last match, what if the Dementors come again in the next match? I mean, we can’t afford it. Well, of course, I believe Professor Blaine has effectively deterred them, but how should I put it?”

Wood paused, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh, about this--"

Even if it meant cleaning every single toilet in Hogwarts again, Harry wouldn't want to lose his eligibility for the competition, he quickly said.

“After the last one, I’ve been working with Professor Lupin to figure out how to deal with them. I think I can probably handle it, I mean if there aren’t too many Dementors.”

“Ah, that would be perfect—” Wood’s hesitant expression vanished, and his face brightened. “If that’s the case—I really don’t want to lose you, Harry, either. And have you ordered a new broom?”

“He doesn’t need to order one, Wood,” Ron finally found the opportunity to drop the bombshell. “Harry received a Firebolt for Christmas.”

"But I can't use him yet."

Before Wood could even utter a word of surprise, Harry proactively explained the problem.

"Professor Lupin believes that this fire bolt was given to me by Sirius Black, who is said to be hunting me down, and that throwing me down from mid-air is the easiest way. Professor Lupin thinks that I should not use this broom until it has been inspected by Professor Blaine."

"Have you gone to see him?"

Wood pressed for more information.

Harry and Ron looked at the empty seat next to Snape at the staff dining table, and Harry said sullenly,

“We’ve been waiting for him, but he hasn’t come back yet. Sigh, I really hope he can be as ‘dedicated’ as Filch.”

Amosta, leaning against the doorframe, rolled his eyes.

"But today, when I was discussing Quidditch tactics with Cedric, he told me that Professor Blaine had returned to the school. Apparently, he came back very early this morning, and Cedric saw him greeting Professor Sprout while he was having breakfast."

Harry immediately looked surprised and delighted. He was about to say something, but Malfoy's approach made him close his mouth in alarm.

Amosta didn't listen to Harry and the others' stories about him and followed Malfoy upstairs.

Malfoy's pockets were bulging with a large bag of food. Upon seeing this, Amosta smiled slightly.

Along the way, the three controlled little guys were very alert. They deliberately chose secluded routes and tried to avoid the little wizards who occasionally came up and down. They arrived at the West Tower and hurriedly rushed into the dark owl huts.

Amosta stood on the windswept corridor, bathed in the cool moonlight, his expression calm and undisturbed.

Unexpected, yet reasonable.

It was dinnertime, and also the peak time for returning to school. No young wizard would choose to send a letter at this time, but the wizard who controlled them was vigilant. He had the big guy Crabbe and Goyle block the door, leaving only Malfoy inside the shed.

Seeing this, Amosta slowly increased his floating height. He stepped out of the corridor and hovered a thousand feet in the air, letting the gale whip his robes around. He remained unmoved, his unfathomable gaze falling on the owl hut on the ground, which was covered with a layer of light spots like a fence.

Finally, apart from the faint rustling sounds coming from the owl coop as night fell, a mouse crawled out of the darkness under the shelf and came into Amosta's view.

The mouse was extremely wary. It didn't rush to approach Malfoy, but instead, like a normal, frightened mouse, it darted past Malfoy's feet and disappeared into a pile of brooms on his left.

A few minutes later, the mouse poked its furtive head out. Its whiskers trembled slightly in the air, and its tiny black eyes, no bigger than mung beans, darted around. As soon as it sensed any movement, it would escape through the hole it had made behind the pile of brooms.

Amosta watched all this quietly, feeling a mixture of sadness and admiration.

Tragically, this guy named Peter Pettigrew, who pushed Harry's parents into the abyss for his own peace of mind, ended up in this situation himself. So, what did he get in the end for deciding to betray his friends and join Voldemort?

What we admire is Peter Pettigrew's will to survive.

In order to survive, not only has he been hiding as a rat next to Ron for so long without being exposed, but now he is hiding in this shed full of owl feathers and droppings, just to live.