The Return to Hogwarts

"Moreover, barring any unforeseen circumstances, all twelve courses will be rated as excellent."

Amosta smiled and nodded slightly.

“A twelve Newts certificate is a sure thing for you to join the Ministry of Magic; no department will refuse your application, Percy,”

Amosta adjusted his posture, his forward-leaning body exuding an air of oppression.

"If that's the case, why are you still so fixated on my letter of recommendation? You could have achieved your goals through your own abilities, but if you use my recommendation, you'll only attract criticism and even be targeted. You should know that I do have enemies in the department—this will be detrimental to your future development within the department. In other words, it stifles your unlimited potential."

Percy was speechless; he hadn't considered that at all.

"With your intelligence, you shouldn't have overlooked this—"

Amosta tapped his finger on the table, his words sharp and cutting.

"However, the flames of greed in your heart have blinded your reason, causing you to make wrong judgments, and also—"

Amosta turned his gaze to Miss Krivat, who was quietly listening.

“How are you, Penelope? Professor Flitwick mentioned several Ravenclaw prefects aspiring to enter the Ministry of Magic, but your name doesn't seem to be on the list. You're a Ravenclaw prefect, so you should have the ability to do so as well—”

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor—"

Penelope was taken aback by Professor Blaine's sudden shift of the topic to her; she was initially surprised, but then her expression darkened again.

"I probably—well, don't intend to work for the Ministry of Magic—"

"Why?!"

The question, filled with shock and anger, didn't come from Amosta, but from Percy, who stared incredulously at his girlfriend of two years, Penelope, whom he had always taken for granted that Penelope would accompany him to work at the Ministry of Magic.

Penelope kept her head bowed low, but the strands of hair hanging down to the ground could not conceal her sorrowful expression and the tears that fell onto her robe.

Amosta tapped the table again, reminding Percy to watch his tone.

“Although I am not the head of Ravenclaw, Penelope, since we are discussing this topic, why don’t you tell us your plans?”

"My mother is a Muggle, and my father is a half-blood wizard, a professor—"

After a long while, Penelope managed to control her emotions, but her voice still trembled with a slight sob.

“When my father was studying at Hogwarts, the wizarding world did not welcome half-blood wizards. Therefore, he had a prejudice against the Ministry of Magic and the wizarding world. He predicted that I would not have a good future in the Ministry of Magic, so he did not want me to stay in the wizarding world after graduation. My maternal grandfather and my mother also hoped that after I graduated from Hogwarts, I could return to Gloucestershire to help manage the family farm.”

A heavy atmosphere spread from where they were, and the noise in the air seemed to subside. Now, not only Harry and his friends, but many other young wizards were also eavesdropping on the conversation.

When it came to personal privacy, Amosta moved her fingers to mute their conversation, then her gaze fell on Percy.

Upon hearing about Penelope's situation, Percy's anger not only didn't subside, but intensified, distorting his handsome features somewhat.

"But you've never told me any of these things before today!"

"I thought you'd be ashamed, Percy—"

Amosta's gaze deepened, and that pressure-filled look finally brought Percy back to some control; he was no longer the aggressive man he once was.

"--As far as I know, Miss Penelope is your girlfriend, right? And you've been dating for quite some time. Why are you completely unaware of Miss Penelope's family situation? Is Penelope hiding the truth from you, or have you been so focused on planning your own future that you've completely forgotten to care about Penelope's feelings?"

Chapter 379 Future Direction

2023-07-15

Percy was pale and speechless for a moment, while Penelope lowered her head, hot tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing the two of them like this, Amosta also lost interest and the desire to speak.

Hatred can be inherited. Penelope comes from a family of half-blood wizards. Her father personally experienced the dangerous situation that Muggle or half-blood wizards faced in the wizarding world during the era when Voldemort was active. As a father, he was not wrong to hope that his daughter could live in a relatively stable and safe society.

Percy, on the other hand, comes from House Weasley, one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Purebloods.

Although Lucius Malfoy considers the Weasleys to be a "fallen family," a disgrace to pure-blood wizarding families, and even went so far as to stuff Voldemort's Horcrux into Ginny's bag last year to cause trouble for Arthur, this also represents a degree of respect. There are plenty of ordinary wizarding families in the wizarding world, and Lucius wouldn't go looking for trouble with every single one of them.

Wealth only represents one aspect of a pure-blood family's strength; a vast network of connections is far more important. With Percy's background and his own exceptional talent as a young wizard, it's foreseeable that, barring any mishaps, his future at the Ministry of Magic will be bright.

In schools, the class differences brought about by birth are greatly weakened, but once you enter wizarding society, the harsh reality comes head-on.

Just like some time ago, when Amosta himself was rising to fame, some busybodies did say that Amosta Blaine was exceptionally talented and might become Minister for Magic in the future. However, Amosta only took it as a joke.

Under the existing structure of wizarding society, he cannot enter that circle; at most, he can only exert influence on the periphery.

Cornelius Fudge, Amelia Bornes, Barty Crouch, and several other key leaders of important departments—their surnames have shone brightly in the history of magic for hundreds and thousands of years.

Penelope

Percy's lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

The little witch, who had been silently weeping, suddenly stood up and, to Harry and the others' astonishment, covered her face and ran out of the Three Broomsticks pub.

Watching the figure disappear rapidly from sight, Percy's face turned ashen, unsure of what to do.

It's not that two people with different goals can't be together. The real issue is that Professor Blaine's words just now revealed something: what is truly the most important thing in his heart?

Is it rights, personal future development, or love?

Percy had always harbored resentment towards his father. He was capable of making their family's life better by simply changing some of his stubborn and ridiculous ideas, but he never did so and instead found contentment in a mediocre life.

Now, Percy understood a little better.

Percy could feel many eyes on him, each one seemingly tinged with reproach. But he hadn't done anything wrong; he simply wanted to become a better person and hope his future family could have an easier life.

Percy left too, looking utterly dejected as if he were under a death curse.

Amosta gently shook his head. He wanted to remind Percy not to forget the people who had always been by his side while pursuing his goals, lest he regret it for the rest of his life. But judging from the situation, Percy seemed to have been touched by something deeper.

As I said before, everyone has their own destiny, and you can't force it.

"Ah, a family gathering--"

Amosta got up and went to Harry's table, patted Harry on the shoulder, and smiled at Sirius.

"This kind of pleasant life feeling is pretty good, isn't it?"

“Indeed—” Sirius raised his glass to Amosta, “It’s all thanks to you, Amosta.”

“Professor Blaine—” Ginny stood up, calling out hesitantly, “Percy, he—”

Not only Ginny and Ron, but Harry and Hermione also looked worried. They usually had a good relationship with Percy, and the way Percy looked when he left made them worry.

Amosta eventually muted their conversation, so the little guys had no idea what was going on.

Did they break up?

Ginny asked sadly. Although the Weasley siblings often joked about Percy's girlfriend, seeing Percy so upset made them worry too. Ron, for a moment, forgot his embarrassment at running into Professor Blaine and stared at him expectantly.

That's not the case.

Amostella gently shook his head.

"Percy and Penelope, well, there's a slight disagreement about their future plans. I suggest you don't interfere too much and just leave the choice to them."

Planning for the future?

The little ones blinked in confusion, not understanding what Professor Blaine was talking about, but Sirius immediately nodded in understanding, his eyes filled with reminiscence and emotion. After all, as an adult wizard who had experienced his youth, he understood what it meant.

"So--"

Looking at the silent crowd, Amosta winked playfully at the little ones.

"I won't disturb your enjoyable weekend any longer. I suppose I'm not very popular these days."

Harry and Hermione immediately laughed shyly, while Ron lowered his head guiltily.

“Let’s have a drink together, Amosta—” Sirius said with a smile. “They’d love to receive more of your guidance. And coincidentally, I’d like to discuss something with you.”

Seeing Amostella's questioning gaze, Sirius glanced at Harry and gave him a kind smile.

"Here's the thing, I'm planning to pick Harry up from his aunt and uncle's house during the summer vacation. I've already consulted with him, but, uh, I need your permission, don't I? I don't have enough room for myself and Harry."

Take Harry out of his aunt and uncle's house?

Amosta glanced at Harry, who was trying his best to hide his excitement, and unconsciously his brow furrowed slightly.

"Have you consulted Dumbledore about this matter?"

"What does this have to do with Dumbledore?" Sirius asked dismissively, glancing at the man with his legs crossed. "James and Lily entrusted Harry to me. I am his godfather. It is my right, isn't it? Since Harry has no objections, even Dumbledore has no right to interfere."

With so many people around, Amosta couldn't explain much. He pondered for a moment.

"Go ask Dumbledore, Sirius, he might have some advice for you."

Professor Blaine's insistence gave Harry, who was full of hope, a bad feeling. He had a feeling that his plan to leave the Dursleys might fall through. But then he thought, what reason would Dumbledore have to stop him from leaving the Dursleys? They didn't even know each other. And as Sirius said, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had no right to stop him from living there, did he?

"Alright, that's enough for now, everyone. I still need to go to Joko's joke shop to get some teaching materials. If he doesn't have enough stock, I might have to make a trip to Diagon Alley!"

After saying that, Professor Blaine left abruptly, leaving the bewildered group of people sitting there looking at each other in confusion.

"Prepare teaching materials?" Harry opened his mouth, puzzled. "To Zonko's Joke Shop?"

In the following time, Professor Blaine's last sentence became the focus of everyone's discussion. Even Sirius couldn't think of anything a joke shop could find as teaching aids. However, in their plans for this afternoon, they had originally intended to visit that little shop to buy some dung balls for self-defense.

However, when the large group of people stormed into the Joker's Joke Shop and pushed open the door, the sight of Fred and George, who were inside pounding their fists and wailing, left Harry and his friends stunned.

"What happened?" Sirius was the first to react. He rushed forward and grabbed the twins. "What on earth happened?!"

"Professor Blaine!" George shouted indignantly, "He bought all the dung balls in the store!"