The Return to Hogwarts

"stop--"

As the two crossed a certain boundary, the forest suddenly became lively. From where Amosta's gaze had just landed, a group of ferocious werewolves sprang out. These werewolves looked very wretched; most of them wore very old robes, some even torn in the middle, and many of them carried only their claws as weapons, without even a wand.

"What about the leader?"

"It's all," one of the two returning werewolves asked in a hoarse voice.

"Disciplining a fool in a cave who refuses to welcome new life--"

Among the wary werewolves, one stood on a horizontal branch of a tree, staring at the dead 'prey' in the hands of the two men, its body bearing numerous bite and gnaw marks. He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

"Another Muggle?"

"Wizards aren't so easy to catch!"

The returning man said angrily.

"Moreover, if wizards frequently disappear, the Ministry of Magic will definitely make a big fuss; they will always find a way to find out who kidnapped them."

After a few words, the wary werewolves made way, and the two werewolves, eager to show off their achievements, didn't linger. They grabbed the silly Muggle who longed for immortality and headed towards the rocky mountain.

Banban hid under the thick layer of decaying leaves, a hint of joy shining through its dark, shiny eyes.

They had only intended to try their luck, but to their surprise, Greyback, who had threatened the Malfoy family, and his werewolves were actually still living here.

Many years ago, when Peter was still studying at Hogwarts, the four of them ventured deep into the Forbidden Forest. Their original intention was to go on an adventure to the centaur tribe, but they unexpectedly learned from a conversation among some centaurs that werewolves roamed deeper into the Forbidden Forest.

This immediately piqued the interest of Jaime and Sirius, but they didn't reveal their thoughts at the time because Remus was with them and they knew exactly why Remus had become like this. So, later, the two of them found another opportunity and followed the centaur's directions to this place.

Driven by fear, Peter managed to express his own wishes, but as he had anticipated, his thoughts were insignificant and utterly insufficient to change James and Sirius's decision.

This happened many years ago, back when they had just mastered the Animagus skill. If it weren't for Lucius's visit to Amosta Blaine today, which revealed the feud between Greyback and the powerful dark wizard known as Golden Viper, he would have almost completely forgotten about this past event.

Peter felt disgusted by these werewolves, but also feared their madness.

Once he confirmed that they were still there, Peter didn't want to linger. After retreating outside the cordon, he took off running towards Hogwarts.

Amosta glanced at Peter as he left, then stared at one of the mountains that stood out starkly in the Forbidden Forest, his indifferent gaze carrying an unyielding chill.

After a brief hesitation, Amosta did not continue to approach the rocky mountain, but followed Peter.

The return journey was faster than the way there, and Banban returned to her 'cozy' little shack before midnight.

P.S.: I'm sorry everyone, I haven't been feeling well these past few days. It's because of writing this book that my job has been greatly affected. My company leaders are very dissatisfied with my mental state and have already started to take action against me. I'll try to get myself back on track as soon as possible.

Chapter 283 Each Person's Calculations

2023-05-06

Midnight, the moon is bright.

The cold night wind howled in the courtyard, and one after another, the owls, excited by the approaching night, took flight, gliding through the air and leaving ghostly trails on the ground.

As soon as he returned to the owlhouse, Scabbers immediately pulled out the Marauder's Map from his hole and leaned against the windowsill to examine it by the moonlight. However, after scanning the paper many times, he did not find Sirius's name on it.

Where exactly has Sirius Black hidden?

These past few days, Peter has asked himself this question countless times, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't find a reasonable answer.

Gazing in the direction of the werewolf encampment, Peter's small eyes showed a hint of hesitation.

Should Peter continue hiding and wait for Sirius to slip up, or should he try to lure Sirius out and kill him? Both methods had their advantages and disadvantages, and for a moment, Peter, unable to make a decision, sighed deeply.

“If you’re not happy leaving me in the castle, Amosta, I don’t mind spending a few days in the Forbidden Forest. You know, my Animagus form isn’t so easily detected,”

As soon as the office door opened, Sirius appeared before Amosta, his face a picture of sorrow and melancholy. He spoke listlessly,

"But you don't have to go to such lengths. I mean, starve me to death!"

“Oh, sorry!” Amosta looked surprised at first, then immediately apologized. “I forgot about you.”

Although he was no longer a professor, Amosta still had the authority to order around house-elves. He ordered the house-elves in the kitchen to bring him a few steaks, but the industrious house-elves over-interpreted the word 'a few' and removed almost all the ribs from a cow. Even his desk couldn't fit the large tray of steaks.

Sirius squatted on the ground, devouring the food laid out on the coffee table, while Amosta sat in his seat, holding a cup of green tea, gazing thoughtfully at the empty surveillance wall opposite him.

This unusual behavior quickly caught Sirius's attention. He glanced sideways at Amosta, and his chewing movements gradually slowed down.

"what happened to you?"

Amostella snapped back to reality, noticing the concern in Sirius's eyes, and smiled wryly.

"Nothing much. Oh, by the way, did anything happen today?"

Seeing that Amosta was unwilling to say anything, Sirius visibly showed disappointment. However, he also knew that Amosta was not Remus or James, and he could not expect him to be completely open with everything he knew.

After a brief silence, Sirius spoke in a soothing tone,

"Harry and his two friends came here after dinner tonight, knocked on the door for a while, and then left disappointed."

Recalling Harry's respectful attitude towards Amos Tower, Sirius couldn't help but feel a little envious and saddened. He was Harry's godfather, but now the two were indeed 'enemies'.

"I guess he probably wants me to help him examine the fire crossbow bolts you gave him."

Recalling what had happened that evening, Amosta nodded slightly and said knowingly,

"The first weekend of school is the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. This match is very important for Gryffindor. If they lose, they will lose the chance to win this year's Quidditch Cup. This little guy is probably eager to prove that this Firebolt has nothing to do with you."

"perhaps--"

Sirius's tone was still very disappointed.

“You can tell him that the fire bolts were a gift from you, Amosta.”

Amostella glanced at the self-pitying Sirius Black and smiled.

“I have no right to take credit for your work. Hmm, he will probably come to see me again tomorrow. I will check him out then. Once we find Peter and your problems are cleared up, you can talk to him yourself.”

The candlelight in the office was extinguished, with only the embers in the fireplace casting a faint glow. Sirius was asleep on the sofa, draped in an old robe, while Amosta was still hunched over his desk, sometimes working out the Blood Curse's incantation from beginning to end, sometimes putting down his pen and crossing his arms in deep thought.

That's how magical research works; before that final moment of inspiration, it requires countless nights of 'useless work'.

Tonight, Amosta clearly lacked inspiration.

It was already two in the morning when Amosta finally closed his notebook and stood up. He went to the bedside, changed into his pajamas, and was about to lie down when he found that he wasn't sleepy at all.

The Hogwarts campus at night is shrouded in an air of mystery, a mystery that comes from both magic and the castle’s thousand-year history.

Amosta stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the West Tower that overlapped with the bright moon for a long time. Unconsciously, a hint of sarcasm appeared on his lips.

Peter Pettigrew is probably still in the owlhouse, keeping watch over that map all night, trying to pinpoint Sirius's location.

Today's harvest was plentiful. Amostah found the camp of the werewolves led by Grayback. To be honest, he really didn't expect that these werewolves would actually live deep in the Forbidden Forest.

Are they not afraid of being wiped out by Dumbledore, or do they think they are well hidden and are certain that Dumbledore will not find them?

If it's the latter, then Amosta can only say that these wolf cubs are far too naive.

Dumbledore's transcendent status was not only among wizards, but also among half-wizards. Their dwelling place was neither too close nor too far from the centaur tribe, and as centaurs with a very strong sense of territory, it was unlikely that they were completely unaware of the werewolves who lived not far from their tribe.

Although the Ministry of Magic has a centaur office, given the extent to which centaurs are separated from the magical world, they are unlikely to report the situation to the Ministry. However, as the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, they will most likely mention the situation to him.

As for why Dumbledore didn't deal with it...

Based on Amosta's understanding of him, he would probably think that since werewolves exist, there must be a reason for their existence. As long as they don't harm the young wizards in the school, he wouldn't mind giving them some space to live, just like the underworld in Knockturn Alley, where there are plenty of heinous dark wizards, but as long as they don't recklessly challenge the stable order of the magical world, Dumbledore wouldn't actively try to exterminate them.

But Amosta had no intention of letting these werewolves go. The reason he didn't immediately grind them to dust was because of Peter Pettigrew.

It's not hard to guess what Peter Pettigrew is planning to do.

In fact, Amosta could have ignored the guy's inner thoughts, taken him into custody, summoned Dumbledore, and sent him to the Ministry of Magic for trial. However, before he could act, a previous request from Dumbledore popped into his mind, causing him to temporarily back down.

It was early November. After his Patronus encountered a Dementor and underwent a transformation, he had a conversation with Dumbledore. At the end of that conversation, Dumbledore expressed his hope that if Amostella discovered Black's whereabouts during his time away from school, Harry and his friends could be involved to some extent.

Amosta knew that Dumbledore hoped to use this opportunity to train Harry, but the process of capturing Sirius Black hadn't provided Harry with much of a chance to be tested, and after discovering that Sirius Black was innocent, he had no choice but to give up.

But now, Peter had nowhere to hide in his eyes, and the danger was all within his control. Amosta thought it would be better to give these three little guys some training.

Perhaps it was the cold wind blowing into the room from the open window, coupled with his twelve years in prison, that made Sirius sleep restlessly on the sofa. He frowned, sometimes looking murderous, sometimes muttering apologies in his sleep. It was easy to imagine who the people appearing in his dreams were.

"Let's play together then!"

Amosta turned with a smile and walked towards his bed, but suddenly, his brow furrowed and a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Why do I feel like I'm becoming more and more like an old man?"

Chapter 284 Before School Starts

2023-05-06

The day before the start of the semester, Amosta's office suddenly became lively. Early in the morning, Filch appeared outside his door, carrying some documents that Professor McGonagall had ordered him to send over, which needed to be approved or filed by him. Among them were some of Filch's own personal opinions.

“I cannot agree to your flogging of a junior wizard who violated school rules, Argus.”

Amosta gently twisted her hands together, and Filch stood hesitantly in front of her, speaking...

“You should know that these ancient punishments are no longer appropriate in today’s world. They are explicitly prohibited by the Ministry of Magic, and even Dumbledore could not make such a decision.”

Filch nodded dejectedly and walked out of the office without a word, but as soon as he stood in the corridor, he immediately changed his expression and excitedly slammed his right fist into his left palm.

Filch knew, of course, that Mr. Blaine would not agree to his request; it was merely a stopgap measure. He hoped to divert Mr. Blaine's attention and make him forget about the parchment. As it turned out, his plan succeeded. Mr. Blaine made no mention of his failure to properly safeguard the contraband confiscated from the little wizard!

"That old madman!"

Sirius, now back in human form, said with a look of disgust,