The Return to Hogwarts

Chapter 353 Low-level Error

2023-06-27

Amosta stared in astonishment at the sounds of the Wicked Bird's cries, the clattering of nearby wizards attacking each other, and the distant, incessant cursing at the magical creature market.

Just now, upon hearing the mental attack from the evil bird, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly realized something!

In the nearly ten months since he received the manuscript, he has conducted countless experiments but has never succeeded. In order to find the reason for the failure, he repeatedly deduced and demonstrated the spell configuration of the Blood Curse based on the remaining information in the manuscript, but no matter how much he tried to improve, it was not effective.

But now, he thought of a possibility.

Before conducting his first experiment, in order to find information about the Druids, he staked most of his Galleons on Kakus Foley. To save on the cost of the experiment, he used only weak, ordinary creatures as his experimental subjects.

Normally, this shouldn't affect the results of the experiment. However, he overlooked an important matter: the source of the Blood Curse's power is the soul of the creature, and the soul of an ordinary creature is very weak and cannot bear Amosta's magic power at all.

Therefore, at crucial moments in the experiment, the soul of the cursed seed would dissipate, leading to the failure of the experiment. Although this is just speculation, Amosta is certain that this is most likely the reason for the failure!

"What a stupid mistake."

Having figured it out, Amosta shook his head and chuckled, amused by his own slowness.

But that's how magical experiments are; a small mistake can lead to complete failure. Moreover, people with profound magical skills like Amosta often attribute mistakes to those difficult points to overcome, while ignoring errors that even junior wizards might be aware of.

This is what is known as the obstacle of perception.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A ball of bright red light flew into the air and suddenly shot out several dazzling red beams under the cold eyes of many people. The evil bird in the cage and the wizards whose minds had been confused were all quieted down after being hit by the stun spell, and their bodies slumped to the ground powerless.

"At what price are you planning to sell these wicked old hags?"

Amosta asked after waking the Vagado wizard, whose body was covered in colorful totems.

The bewildered wizard Vagado took several minutes to recall what had just happened. He jumped up and kicked the cage holding the evil bird viciously, cursing incessantly. It took him a long time to calm down.

"Are you Mr. Golden Viper?"

This Vagado wizard was a habitual smuggler. He recognized Golden Viper in no time, and his eyes lit up. In the underworld, reputation was always directly linked to wealth. Golden Viper was renowned in the underworld for his excellent skills and extremely high mission completion rate. A bounty hunter like him must be very wealthy.

"Five hundred Galleons each, Mr. Golden Viper. There are six here in total. If you'd like to buy them all, I can give you a 10% discount!"

Seemingly sensing the chilling aura emanating from the Golden Viper, Wizard Vagado quickly added,

“You can’t imagine how much effort I put into getting these lively little guys here, Mr. Golden Viper. The British Ministry of Magic has banned the use of flying carpets, and I was caught by border patrol thugs when I landed. It cost me a fortune to get them to let me go, so the price is—”

"One thousand and five——"

Amosta, not wanting to waste time arguing with him, directly quoted a reasonable price.

"If you don't agree, I'll let you lie on the ground for a while longer."

And so, the deal was done amicably.

The materials for the curse seed are ready. Amosta also needs a recipient for the curse seed, and this recipient should ideally be an intelligent magical creature.

The frightened house-elves have not yet returned to the Underworld. In the current Magical Creatures Market, the only intelligent magical creatures that can be found besides centaurs are Veela and leprechauns.

"I should have left a few werewolves behind--"

After putting away the evil bird, Amosta muttered to himself, his gaze shifting back and forth between the three magical creatures, hesitant and uncertain.

Having only recently established a friendly relationship with the centaurs of the Forbidden Forest, Amosta didn't want to get his hands stained with the blood of his own kind unless absolutely necessary. Veelas were the best choice, as one of their two forms possessed a soul trait very similar to that of wizards. But precisely because of this, after some hesitation, Amosta spared the already tragically fated Veelas.

Irish goblins are also popular in the underworld, and the reason is directly related to their innate 'trickery'.

While they might not be able to fool the cunning goblins of Gringotts, and most large alchemy workshops and companies have ways to distinguish genuine Galleons from fakes, the magical world is full of ordinary people who lack discerning eyes. These wicked guys in the underworld will do anything to cheat and swindle, and the profits they can get from an Irish goblin can even exceed several medium-difficulty quests.

After spending another two thousand Galleons, Amosta finally had all the high-end 'experimental materials' ready. Now, he still needed to find an undisturbed experimental location.

The guesthouse he was currently staying at certainly couldn't be used for magical experiments; the commotion Rita Skeeter had caused a few days ago had already made him less welcome at the hotel. After hesitating for a while between the Screaming Shack and Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Amosta ultimately chose Grimmauld Place. That old house was protected by a lot of magic; if anything went wrong, at least it wouldn't be exposed.

boom!

After a dizzying spin in the gray, turbulent void, Amosta landed steadily in the narrow corridor behind the door of Black's—no, now it could be called Blaine's mansion. Before he could even shake off his bewilderment at the clean, bright corridor before him, a vicious, shrill voice rang in his ears.

"A despicable and shameless thief, a vile, filthy mud-blood, actually..."

Wow!

The high-pitched, dizzying curses abruptly stopped at their climax, replaced by a joyful scream.

"Mr. Blaine!"

With a string of snot bubbles hanging from his chubby nose, Kreacher trotted comically over from the portrait of Sirius's mother and stopped in front of Amostella.

“Kreacher has been wondering when he could meet you, Mr. Blaine. Is there anything Kreacher can do for the great Mr. Blaine?”

Ever since Amostall, Remus, and Sirius retrieved Regulus's body from the cave where Voldemort hid the Horcruxes, the house-elf who had previously been unfriendly to the three of them had reconciled with them. Remus thought the house-elf was grateful, but Amostall felt that the power he had displayed in the cave that night had played a crucial role.

"Oh, Kreacher, it's you—"

Amostella smiled and casually remarked as he walked past Kreacher.

"Are you reminiscing with your former master?"

"The old master has been in a bad mood lately, Mr. Blaine—"

Kreacher followed Amosta with servility, speaking cautiously.

"For so many years, the old master had hoped that young master Regulus had simply run away from home. But since you and young master Sirius brought back young master Regulus's body, she had to face reality and could no longer convince herself."

This was indeed a tragic thing, but for the sake of Regulus and Sirius, Amosta decided to overlook the unfinished words from the portrait and let it hang on the wall for a couple more days.

Pushing open the door at the end of the corridor, Amosta went up the stairs, intending to go back to his previous room to rest for a while and get himself back to his best condition before starting the experiment. Kreacher followed closely behind him, cautiously watching him, as if he had something to ask but dared not offend him.

Oh, right--

Before pushing open the door and stepping into the room, Amosta paused, looked down at Kreacher, and said gently,

“I almost forgot, Kreacher, I have two pieces of good news to share with you.”

Chapter 354 Cruel Magic

2023-06-28

Sirius will be free soon—

Amosta said with a smile.

“You’ve been staying in this house all day, so you probably don’t know what’s happening outside. The Ministry of Magic has already published the truth about what happened back then in the Daily Prophet. In a few days, Wizengamo will officially begin the trial of Peter Pettigrew, the real murderer who killed the Potters. I should be in attendance. After that, Sirius will probably be able to come back.”

Kreacher was happy for Sirius Black.

Upon hearing this news, Kreacher blinked its bloodshot eyes and, mustering its courage, raised its head and asked,

"When Sirius Black returns home, it will be time for Regulus's funeral."

Well, born of the same mother and both direct descendants of the Black family, the difference in the treatment they receive is truly striking.

Amostah pursed his lips, not answering Kreacher's question. He reached into his robes, rubbed his hands for a moment, and then pulled out the exquisite locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin himself, showing it to Kreacher.

This time, Kreacher's reaction was much more 'normal'.

Its bulbous, red, swollen eyes instantly filled with tears, its body trembled violently, and it stared at the locket in Amosta's hand with an incredulous expression.

"You...you...Oh, Kreacher can't believe it!"

Kreacher tentatively reached out a finger, wanting to touch the open locket, but he ultimately lacked the courage.

“Kreacher tried so many times, but the powerful dark magic on the box stopped him. But you did it, Sir Blaine. You fulfilled Master Regulus’s last wish. You are the greatest wizard Kreacher has ever seen!”

Amostella's cheek twitched a few times. This old house-elf was quite adept at changing its tune. But then again, it seemed to really respect Regulus Black.

"Yes, the magic on this locket has been destroyed."

Amosta said, while Kreacher had already fallen to the ground and was wailing, muttering to himself.

Regulus's dying wish was also Kreacher's obsession. For so many years, it had been living a painful life alone, burdened by this task that it could never complete. Now, Amosta had freed it from its suffering, and one can imagine how grateful it was!

"Alright, Kreacher--"

Amosta stopped Kreacher, who was rolling on the ground, with a gentle voice.

"From now on, you can live a little easier. Hmm, could you please make me lunch? I'm a little hungry—"

"No problem, Mr. Blaine!"

Kreacher sprang to its feet with a somersault, wiped its snot bubble from its nose, and excitedly prepared to go downstairs. Serving wizards was an innate command etched into the souls of house-elves, and they took pride in it.

“Since you can clean this house, Kreacher,” Amosta called to Kreacher, who had run to the corner of the stairs, “please clean yourself up before you cook!”

After enjoying a carefully prepared and delicious lunch, Amosta returned to his room to rest for a while, trying to shake off the fatigue he had felt from forcibly controlling the Titan skeleton that morning. It wasn't until the sun began to set and the sunlight shifted from a golden hue to a crimson glow that he opened his sleepy eyes and lazily got out of bed.

Amusta glanced at the wall clock, checked the time, and clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. Perhaps it was because life had become too comfortable, but he felt himself becoming lazy lately.

Regulus's body was placed in the room he lived in when he was alive, which was on the fifth floor, while Amosta's room was on the fourth floor. Out of respect for Regulus, Amosta went to a guest room on the third floor, spent some time moving the furnishings to other places, made some changes, and then ordered Kreacher not to enter the room without being summoned.

The magical creatures possessed intelligence that ordinary animals lacked. The evil bird, which had fallen to the ground, cried out in a heart-wrenching voice, and the sharp noise of its claws scraping against the blackboard gave Amosta a headache.

Meanwhile, the Irish leprechaun with its comical chestnut mustache was cursing Amosta in the most vile language it knew. If it weren't for the fact that its body was bound by a venomous snake as thick as a thumb, it probably would have jumped up and pounded Amosta's knees. Even in this state, it didn't forget to make an obscene gesture with its short, stubby hands.

Amostella waved her wand with a calm expression, and the two noisy little ones simultaneously fainted and died.

The upcoming magical experiments require their souls to remain in a stable state; intense emotions are detrimental to the experiments.

The experiment on this spell had been conducted many times, and Amosta was already very familiar with it. After controlling the two little guys to fly onto the test platform, he closed his eyes to calm his mind. A moment later, when he opened them again, only cold rationality and a thirst for magical advancement remained in his purple eyes.