The Return to Hogwarts

These are all underage wizards who should be protected, but unfortunately, the magical world lacks the ability to protect them in the face of fierce conflict, so they are forced to protect themselves.

"Good evening, Professor Blaine—"

Amosta quietly walked past one arched window after another, deep in thought, when suddenly a youthful yet ethereal and carefree voice greeted him.

"Good evening, Miss Lovegood--"

Amosta replied casually, lost in thought, and continued walking slowly forward.

However, after a few steps, Amosta suddenly stopped. He turned around and looked at the little witch by the window, who had her wand clipped to her ear and was staring intently at the night sky, with a strange look in her eyes.

interesting--

For a wizard like Amosta, concealing his presence and tracks is almost an instinct. He passed by the little witch without making a sound, so how did she discover him without even turning her head?

Amosta made no attempt to hide his doubts. He took a few steps back and asked gently,

"How did you notice me walking behind you, Miss Lovegood?"

"It was the harassing fly that told me, Professor Blaine—"

When Luna turned around, Amosta noticed that the little witch was wearing a necklace made of butterbeer bottle caps.

"what?"

Amosta frowned.

"Those gnats, they're always buzzing around my ears. Just now, when you came close, they all flew away. I guess they're afraid of you—"

Amostella scanned her surroundings with her all-seeing magical gaze, but found no magical creatures capable of concealing themselves.

If it weren't for the earnest glint in Luna's silver eyes, Amosta would have thought the little witch was toying with him and harassing the fly.

Looking at the little witch before him, who exuded a cool and ethereal aura, Amosta's brow twitched slightly, and a strange light shone in his eyes.

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, Miss Lovegood, you're a second-year student in Ravenclaw, right?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Amosta nodded thoughtfully.

“Well, Miss Lovegood, I’m planning to launch an unprecedented course for third and fourth-year wizards. I think you have extraordinary talent. Would you be interested in participating?”

Chapter 366: Deep Love between Father and Son

2023-07-05

Back in his office, Amostah was still thinking about the Ravenclaw wizard Luna Lovegood he had met outside.

Considering safety, ability, time, and other factors, Amosta decided to first recruit third and fourth-grade wizards into his new course. However, Luna's appearance reminded Amosta that there were also many gifted children among the wizards in other grades, and he should also give them some opportunities to grow.

Amos Tower had taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, and apart from the young wizards who had just entered Hogwarts the previous year, he was quite familiar with all the children attending the school.

For two whole hours, Amosta sat in his seat, quietly contemplating under the steady, bright candlelight. Every now and then, he would add a name to the parchment in front of him. By the time the bright moon was almost at the center of the sky, the parchment was full of names.

But the matter didn't end there. His new course also needed teaching materials, and Amostella didn't intend to use the existing magic books on the market as textbooks. He decided to compile a new textbook and corresponding teaching plan himself, so that if he left Hogwarts one day, the course could continue to exist.

Tap-tap--

Amosta, lost in his thoughts, was startled awake by a sudden knock on the door. He looked up, recognized the person through the door, and smiled helplessly.

"Please come in, gentlemen—"

There are quite a few young wizards who dare to wander around the castle outside of the designated activity time, but not many have the courage to knock on his office door. Unsurprisingly, it was the Gryffindor group.

Knocking on Professor Blaine's office in the dead of night was not without its unease for Harry, Meghan, and Harry. However, when they walked in, surprise immediately replaced their apprehension. The three of them stared blankly at the wall to the right of the door, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"Are you wondering where those surveillance videos went?"

Amosta stuffed the parchment in front of him into the drawer, stood up and stretched his stiff limbs. He saw the puzzled expressions on the three little ones' faces and chuckled.

Professor Blaine's office was probably the simplest of all the professors' offices, but everyone who entered would inevitably notice the wall perpetually shrouded in a huge black curtain. While Harry and his friends knew this was Professor Blaine's method of monitoring the school, it remained a secret to most of the young wizards.

Amostella walked to the sofa and waved her wand; three steaming glasses of milk appeared on the coffee table.

"To avoid ruining your sleep for the rest of the night, I won't offer you tea. How about some warm milk? I'm sure you don't want to miss Professor Black's Defense Against the Dark Arts class because you're sick—"

"Actually, we think it would be good if you were the coach—"

Harry grinned.

The three of them sat on the sofa as instructed by Professor Blaine, but Ron still hadn't forgotten the magical surveillance wall. He kept glancing at the wall, which had returned to normal, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Using that method to monitor the school is illegal; it's just a special response in an emergency. After Sirius Black was confirmed innocent, Headmaster Dumbledore immediately reminded me to remove it in time. So, you probably won't see it in this office anymore."

Amosta smiled and said.

“Oh—” Ron shrugged. “Frain and George will be disappointed; they’ve been very interested in this.”

Amostella knew about this; the Weasley twins had even been researching it in private. They weren't capable of creating the original, but with their own intelligence, they had developed similar alchemical tools, which Amostella had seen in Filch's office.

Before getting into the main topic, there was always some small talk. Harry, his friends, and Amosta asked him about the Ministry of Magic's investigation into Peter's murder. Amosta couldn't very well tell the three kids the truth—that he had Peter killed himself.

"Well--"

After a moment's thought, Amosta spoke slowly.

"The Ministry of Magic has not yet achieved any encouraging results, but as far as I know, they suspect that an insider was involved in the murder."

"An insider?!"

This answer shocked the three little ones; however, Hermione quickly recovered.

"The Daily Prophet reported that Peter Pettigrew died en route to Azkaban, which means there must have been an insider providing the information—"

"Oh!"

Ron said with a look of disgust.

“Dad always told me that the Ministry of Magic is like a sieve, it can’t keep any secrets, but I really didn’t expect them to make a mistake in something like this. But, to be honest, he deserves it, doesn’t he?”

Keeping a criminal-turned-rat as a pet for several years was definitely the thing Ron least wanted to remember in his life.

Harry had very mixed feelings about Peter's death. This guy not only made him an orphan, but also caused Sirius Black to suffer an injustice. Judging from his crimes, his fate was entirely commensurate with his actions. But would his father also want to see Peter die such a miserable death in the end?

Harry was pondering this question when the office door rang again.

The sudden appearance of the 'attacker' made the three little ones nervous.

Besides them, the person who would visit Professor Blaine at this time is most likely another professor, such as Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore. Harry and Hermione are still in detention for following the professor!

"Don't worry--"

Seeing the three frightened little ones, Amosta said with amusement,

"It's Professor Black. I think he's retained some of his bad habits from his student days, like visiting other people's homes in the middle of the night."

"Sorry to bother you so late, Amosta--"

After a series of events, Sirius became more polite than before. He knew it was impolite to barge into someone's office so late, and immediately apologized upon reaching the door.

"I was just reading through the materials Remus left me in the office, the learning progress for each grade and such. Classes start tomorrow, so I have to digest those materials tonight."

"Since that's the case—"

Amostella glanced at Sirius, who was holding a birdcage.

"Why didn't you quietly study the documents in your own office? Instead, you brought a birdcage to my place in the middle of the night—"

Sirius was about to explain when he looked up and saw three uneasy little wizards standing by the sofa. He paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Oh, it's the three of you. What are you doing in Amosta's office? Could it be..."

Sirius blinked, walked over to Harry, and patted him on the shoulder.

"You were on an adventure, and then you got captured by Filch and sent to Amosta?"

"You should have confidence in your son's nighttime loitering skills, Sirius—"

With the sofa full of people, Amosta had no choice but to return to his seat behind his desk.

“About this owl—” After sitting down, Sirius immediately stated his purpose, “Since the three of you are here, things are simple. It’s a gift from me, Ron—”

"Give it to me?"

Ron's eyes widened. He glanced at the little owl clucking in its cage, then his gaze fell on Professor Black's face.

"Yes, I ordered it a few days ago, and today the post office delivered it directly to my office. It seems quite excited, probably because it's in a new environment, and I happen to need a quiet place right now—"

Sirius smiled and looked at Ron, who seemed a little flustered, and said...

“Even if it’s compensation to you, Ron, I know from Crookshanks that you took Peter—I mean, you valued that mouse named Scabbers, but because of me, you lost it.”

Ron puffed out his cheeks in surprise, and although he didn't say anything, everyone could see his delight.

The Weasleys were struggling financially; the family shared only one owl, and none of his brothers or Ginny owned a pet of their own.

"Take it, Ron. Hedwig will be happy to have a new friend!"

Harry said with great enthusiasm.

"All right--"

Ron hesitated, his face flushed, but in the end, he nodded shyly under the encouraging gazes of Harry and Hermione.

Now it was Harry and his two friends' turn to explain their intentions.

"Oh, actually it's like this—"