The Return to Hogwarts

After a brief moment of thought, Harry shook his head. He neither liked dogs nor wanted to earn himself a day of jail time from Filch before the Quidditch match on the first weekend of school.

“Then let it stay here. Hagrid will take good care of it,” Hermione said. “It’s Crookshanks’ playmate.”

The little black dog incident was just a minor episode for Harry and his friends. Tomorrow was the first day of school, and most of their classmates from Hogwarts had returned to school. Moreover, Harry was finally able to use his Firebolt, and even Black's charge into the castle couldn't dampen his good mood.

After Hermione handed Crookshank to Axe, the three of them turned and headed toward the castle. Sirius, who had been quite frightened by Harry, finally breathed a sigh of relief as Harry walked away. He tilted his head to avoid Axe's outstretched tongue and looked toward the Forbidden Forest, where distant cries could be heard from time to time. His gray eyes revealed the excitement of regaining his freedom.

Unbeknownst to them, above Hagrid's garden, a panoramic telescope, the same color as the air, hovered in the sky, flapping its wings. After Harry returned to the castle and Sirius Black dashed into the Forbidden Forest, the telescope circled twice like an eagle before finally making a sharp swoop and flying towards the West Tower!

As clouds drift and the moon rises and sets, the glittering candlelight in the dark castle shines through the windows, mingling with the laughter and chatter of children strolling through the campus, brightening the deep night.

Tonight is the first night since Halloween last semester that all teachers and students have gathered in the Great Hall to celebrate, and Dumbledore has not yet returned. If Sirius were to sneak into the castle, this would be an excellent opportunity.

Scabbers had been crouching on the Marauder's Map for a long time. It had no interest in the castle filled with names and its wary eyes only scanned the outer edge of the map. But even as the young wizards left the Great Hall one by one and the lights in the dormitory went out one by one, it still found nothing.

Has Blake really given up on seeking revenge against himself?

In the stillness of the night, Peter gazed at the bright moon high in the sky, a hint of confusion creeping into his eyes.

No, that can't be!

But a moment later, Peter said to himself again.

He knew Sirius Black well; a man like him would never give up easily in the face of difficulties. In the current situation, it was more likely that twelve years in prison had made Sirius Black more patient and less reckless and impulsive.

Such a change in Sirius was undoubtedly dangerous for him.

Peter sighed, banishing those 'naive' fantasies from his mind, and lowered his head to continue examining the map.

Filch wandered around in the second-floor corridor, Snape left Remus's office and was going down from the foyer to the Slytherin dungeons, Professor McGonagall was heading to her office from the normal teaching lavatory, and Hagrid and Tooth, who were patrolling the courtyard, were also preparing to return to their huts to rest.

Peter followed Hagrid and his dog back to the hut, then turned to look towards the school gate. But suddenly, a name that appeared behind the hut made Peter jump, and his dark eyes flashed with a sharp light!

The third floor of the castle, the security office.

Amusta, leaning back in his chair, gazed at the single image displayed on the opposite wall, pieced together from hundreds of small screens. A slight smile played on his lips.

"So, what are you going to do, Peter?"

Chapter 287 Leaving

2023-05-09

Perhaps it was because of all the new experiences accumulated during the Christmas holidays, or perhaps it was because of the Quidditch match that was about to begin and decide the fate of the two houses. In any case, before everyone could catch their breath, the first Saturday of the new school year had already arrived, and today was the day for Gryffindor and Ravenclaw to face off.

Today's weather is quite unusual for January.

There were no chilly winds, nor were there any oppressive clouds in the sky. Instead, the weather was clear and dry. Early in the morning, as the golden rays of dawn streamed into the castle through the doors and windows, casting lively shadows on the floor of the Great Hall, the faculty and staff dining tables were already filled with professors.

They are all witnesses to the upcoming match.

Professor McGonagall is usually very meticulous, but today she seemed a little flustered. While drinking a bowl of pumpkin soup with a silver spoon, her gaze kept wandering as she looked at the hallway steps, and she didn't even notice that some soup had spilled onto the table.

Several colleagues at the faculty and staff dinner noticed that Professor McGonagall seemed a little distracted, but none of them found it strange, because everyone knew how important this game was to Gryffindor.

"Don't worry, Minerva—"

Professor Lu Ping, with dark circles under his eyes, smiled gently.

“Gryffindor is a very strong team, and Harry has a brand new broom. In my opinion, they have a very good chance of winning.”

"Why doesn't anyone want to send a Flame Bolt to the Ravenclaw team's Seeker?"

Remus's statement was tantamount to Ravenclaw losing the game today, and Professor Flitwick's shrill voice, which had already predicted the outcome of the match, was tinged with disappointment.

"Cedric's team is the strongest Hufflepuff team in recent years, but I don't think they have a good chance of winning a single game."

Professor Sprout spoke with a hint of melancholy, tilting her head to look at Professor Snape, who remained silent to the side.

"Speaking of which, Severus, Slytherin has won the championship for several years in a row?"

"Seven years—" Professor McGonagall said immediately, her face tense. Clearly, she had been harboring resentment for a long time, but had never expressed it.

The professors were all shrewd; they all sensed the sorrow in Minerva's voice. Snape, upon hearing the number, felt slightly embarrassed. He was about to say something when Amosta walked from the Slytherin table to the faculty dining table, glancing at Draco Malfoy discreetly as he passed by.

Amostella usually sat next to Professor Snape, but when he sat down to eat breakfast, he found everyone's eyes were on him. Amostella fluttered his eyelashes and smiled casually.

"What's wrong, everyone? Is there something wrong with me?"

Why are you dressed like this?

Snape squinted at Amosta, who was dressed in black casual pants and a brown jacket, looking exactly like a Muggle, and asked.

"Oh, actually it's like this—"

Amostella seemed completely unaware that his attire stood out at the faculty table, where everyone was dressed in wizarding robes. He blinked at Professor McGonagall, raising his voice slightly so that everyone at the long table, including the young wizards at the front who were also observing him, could hear him.

“I received a letter last night, um, it's a bit urgent. I have to go to London today, but don't worry, Professor McGonagall, if things go smoothly, I should be able to make it for breakfast tomorrow--”

"Are you going out, Amosta?"

Professor McGonagall frowned immediately. She pursed her lips and hesitated for a few seconds, looking somewhat troubled, but finally she spoke.

“While it’s your right to come and go from Hogwarts at any time, Amosta, shouldn’t you reconsider? I mean, you surely know what day it is today, and what if those gatekeepers at the school gate collectively lose control again?”

During the last Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff match, the Dementors went berserk due to hunger, nearly causing serious consequences, a memory that Professor McGonagall still vividly remembers.

“There’s no need to worry, Professor McGonagall. I believe the Ministry of Magic and those Dementors know the serious consequences of trespassing on campus again without permission.”

This response was clearly unsatisfactory to Professor McGonagall, but she couldn't say anything, because, as she had just said, it was Amosta's right.

There was a slight awkward silence at the faculty and staff table. Amosta was happily cutting a sausage with his head down, while Severus and Remus were both staring at him suspiciously. Moreover, they both noticed that their attention was on Amosta, so after a brief exchange of glances in mid-air, they both looked away.

Just then, a burst of enthusiastic cheers suddenly erupted from the foyer. The professors at the dining table looked up and saw that the Gryffindor team, dressed in scarlet jerseys, had finally made their dazzling entrance amidst everyone's attention.

Perhaps to boost morale, Wood deliberately put Harry at the front, exposing the conspicuous Firebolt nameplate on the outside. This indeed had a remarkable effect, as a series of clattering sounds came from all four bedside tables as chairs overturned.

"You didn't say Harry had Firebolt before you bet me ten Galleons!"

Amid the commotion, Miss Crevat's voice broke down as she angrily yelled at Percy.

“Believe me, Penelope,” Percy said awkwardly, “I only just found out about this myself—”

Compared to the warm welcome received by the Gryffindor team, the Ravenclaw team, led by captain Davis and Seeker Cho Chang, received much less favorable treatment. When they appeared in the Great Hall, hardly anyone even noticed their presence.

"I have to encourage them; it's too early to lose faith!"

Professor Flitwick couldn't sit still any longer. He jumped off his special high stool, hurried across the Great Hall to the Ravenclaw table, and spoke to the team members. His departure seemed to be a signal, as the professors also left their tables. Some went directly upstairs, bypassing the students, while Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Hooch squeezed past the young wizards on the periphery and tried to get closer to Harry.

"What are you doing in London? And who wrote you that letter?"

While most people's attention was focused on Harry and the Firebolt, Snape asked directly and bluntly with a stern face.

Lucius Malfoy--

Amosta pursed his lips and smiled, "The letter said he found clues about the group that threatened him before and asked me to help him deal with them."

Amos Tower made no attempt to hide his intentions, paused for a moment, then pulled the keys from his pocket and tossed them to Snape.

"This is the key to my office. I'll need your help keeping an eye on it when I leave the school, in case anyone needs assistance and can't find me and gets anxious."

Amos Tower's words were clearly loaded with meaning, and Snape, unable to grasp his true intentions, hesitated for a moment before speaking hesitantly.

"Over in London."

"Don't worry, it's no problem."

Amosta wiped his mouth with a napkin and said casually.

Snape knew Amostella didn't want to discuss the topic further, so he sighed inwardly and left his seat.

"Our friend?"

Remus, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while, came to Amosta's side and asked...

"I haven't been feeling well these past few days, and I've been busy teaching. I hope he's alright with you?"

Amostella glanced at Remus, judging from his complexion what state he was in. His eyes held a strange look. After a brief silence, he spoke.

"He's had enough of my place and doesn't want to bother you, so he's been staying in the Forbidden Forest these past few days, spending his nights with Crookshanks, you know, Hermione's cat, Hagrid made him a little house. Don't worry about him, Remus, I think you should go back to your office and get some rest."

Here's my plan—

Remus smiled helplessly, "But at least we have to wait until Harry's match is over. We can't guarantee that those Dementors won't cause any problems, can we? Amosta, especially when we're not at school, I always have to keep a closer eye on them."

"That's true--"

Amosta gave a cryptic smile.

"Well then, good luck, Remus—"

After saying this, Amosta didn't give Remus a chance to ask any questions. He stood up and hurried down to the Great Hall. He walked straight to the foyer without looking to either side. Under Remus's confused gaze and Malfoy's blank stare, he strode out of the castle and disappeared into the golden morning light.

Chapter 288 Victory

2023-05-11

The Quidditch pitch, bathed in bright sunshine, was not as joyful as usual; instead, it exuded a sense of solemnity. The reason for this was simply that this match would determine who would win this year's Quidditch Cup.

Hufflepuff has already lost to Ravenclaw, and their chances of winning the championship this year are slim. The young wizards from that house are only here for the sake of fun. But Ravenclaw is different. They are still strong contenders for the championship. If they defeat Gryffindor today, they will have the opportunity to challenge Slytherin.

Slytherin, who were trying to defend their championship title, clearly wanted Gryffindor to lose the match, not only because the two houses were bitter rivals, but also because Gryffindor, with Potter, was always a greater threat than Ravenclaw.

For Slytherin, if Ravenclaw wins today, then Captain Marcus Flint can basically pat himself on the chest and say that the glory belongs to Slytherin!