The Return to Hogwarts

Sirius Black's expression remained calm, showing no particular anger. However, Harry noticed that the veins on the back of Sirius Black's hand were indeed bulging. He grabbed Sirius Black's wrist and said anxiously,

"No! Sirius, it's nothing serious, I'm used to it."

"Habit!"

Harry's attempts to calm things down only enraged Sirius. He slammed his arm away from Harry's and strode toward the basement. His terrifying expression startled Neville and the others who followed him out of the dark underground passage. They all huddled against the wall, not daring to stop Sirius.

“I’m not used to just watching my godson get bullied by a snotty-nosed brat.”

"I'll stop him, you guys go find someone who can handle this!"

Harry, finally realizing what was happening, yelled and turned back into the underground corridor.

“Solve this!” Hermione exclaimed hastily. “But… Oh, Professor Dumbledore, he’s not at school these days!”

"Are you out of your mind!" Ron grabbed Hermione's wrist and dragged her toward the marble steps. "Who can stop them except Professor Blaine!"

Sirius was destined to make a wasted trip, because the person he was looking for had already entered Amosta's office through the fireplace in the office.

To be honest, although the two had a special relationship and were now colleagues, Snape rarely visited Amosta. Instead, Amosta liked to drop by Snape's office when he had nothing to do, and also visit the old professor's storage room.

Inside the fireplace, the sudden burst of intense red light from the ashes of the extinguished body caught Amostella's attention as she was deep in thought. Then, Snape emerged from a dazzling green fire tornado.

Among the Hogwarts faculty and staff, Amosta's office was the most modest, and he was the only one who had his bed in it. After looking around to make sure there were no other visitors, Snape glanced at the cot in the corner by the window and said casually,

"Why don't you get yourself a room to sleep in?"

"You know I don't care about this--"

Amosta answered casually, then lowered his head and went back to his own business.

"what are you doing?"

Snape walked to Amostella's desk, his gaze falling on the seemingly old manuscripts on the desk. Amostella appeared to be calculating something, the parchment used for drafting filled with obscure formulas and spell patterns. These things were very profound, and even with Snape's magical expertise, he could only understand a small portion of them.

Wizarding research is highly private and precious, but Amostella was unconcerned that Snape was spying on his findings; his mind was preoccupied with his own research.

"An ancient meditation technique that enhances one's perception of magical shifts in the surrounding environment. However, the entry barrier is extremely high. In my opinion, currently, the only person in all of Hogwarts with the talent to master it is Luna Lovegood. I'm trying to see if I can simplify it—"

"Luna Lovegood?"

Snape frowned, quickly searching his memory for the person who matched the name.

“That strange second-year girl in Philius’s house? Her potions grades are average, and she’s easily distracted in class. I don’t see the kind of talent you’re talking about.”

Snape had practically watched Amosta grow up, and the magical talent this guy possessed was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. Being recognized by Amosta aroused a bit of curiosity in Snape.

"This young girl is indeed exceptionally talented, but her talent hasn't received proper guidance, and she herself lacks a proper understanding of her own abilities. So, speaking of which, what can I do for you?"

Research requires an undisturbed environment, and Professor Snape, who rarely visits, certainly wasn't here to kill time. Amostella put the quill back into the inkwell and rubbed his temples. He gestured for Professor Snape to sit down, then went to the mantelpiece to make tea.

There was no need to hide their relationship. Snape sat on the sofa, his face grim, and asked directly.

"Did you give Potter that watch?"

Amostella paused, squinting as he turned to look at Professor Snape on the sofa. In an instant, a multitude of thoughts raced through his mind.

Did Snape notice something was wrong with the watch?

Theoretically, it was impossible. The magic and alchemical techniques used to conceal the true function of the Amos Tower watch were ingenious, and it was protected by numerous interlocking magical barriers. Dumbledore could see that something was wrong with the watch, but he couldn't remove the disguise without directly destroying it.

Could it be that this was Dumbledore's private instruction?

Given Dumbledore's attention to Harry, he would definitely notice the watch. Amosta originally planned to gloss over the issue when Dumbledore asked. So, Dumbledore anticipated this possibility and directly asked Professor Snape, who was closer to him, to ask.

But wasn't this old man away on a business trip these past few days?

"That's right, to thank Harry, Ron, and Hermione for their help in finding the Chamber of Secrets. Is there something wrong with that?"

Amosta brought a steaming teacup to the sofa and asked, seemingly casually.

Professor Snape is a trustworthy man, but some things are too complicated for him to handle without him having to figure them out.

“I’m just here to confirm something,” Snape said expressionlessly. “There are some things you probably don’t know, Amostall. That Potter and his two inseparable friends have a habit of stealing. I have clear evidence that some valuable materials that went missing from my private storeroom last year were related to them.”

This lie was clearly intended to divert attention, and Amosta couldn't possibly miss it.

Just then, the fireplace, which had just gone out, lit up again. As soon as Amosta turned around, a silver phoenix the size of a swallow swiftly leaped out from the swirling flames and hovered in mid-air.

"Oh, Severus, you're here too—"

Dumbledore's aged voice held a hint of surprise.

“I have something important to discuss with you in person, Amosta, but since you have a guest here, I can arrange another time.”

Snape tried to get up and leave, but Amosta stopped him.

"Stay here, Professor. If any trouble comes my way later, I'll need your help to deflect it."

Snape's lips twitched, while a hint of helplessness flashed across Dumbledore's Patronus Phoenix eyes. After saying "Wait a moment," the Patronus Phoenix, deprived of its magical support, vanished like a sand painting.

About ten minutes later, Dumbledore came out of the fireplace. He was in a hurry and was wearing a purple travel cloak. It seemed that he had just returned to Hogwarts and had rushed to Amostall without having had time to rest.

"Please sit down, Principal—"

Amosta gestured for Dumbledore to sit on the sofa, while he himself went to the fireplace, picked up a jar, shook it vigorously, and poured out some tea stalks and crumbs.

"What's wrong, Severus—"

Dumbledore noticed a hint of gloom in Professor Snape's eyes, and blinked curiously, asking...

“If my unsolicited visit interrupted your pleasant conversation with Amostella, Severus, I can arrange another time—”

Snape's lips curled into a faint sneer, and he chuckled coldly twice without saying a word.

No need --

Amosta approached with a bowl of tea covered in a layer of tea dust, and said with a smile.

“I gave Potter a watch a few days ago—to thank Harry for his help in finding the Chamber of Secrets last year. Professor Snape was curious about it because of some unpleasant past events, and he mistakenly thought that Potter had stolen it from me. Anyway, the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”

Chapter 387 The Rejected Request

2023-07-23

"A watch?" Dumbledore looked surprised, seemingly very interested, and asked with great enthusiasm, "What does it look like?"

"A watch made of magical metal. It doesn't have any special abilities. Its main special features are that it can accurately tell the time and that it is not easily damaged."

Amosta said, dispelling his doubts that Dumbledore had sent Snape to him.

The three wizards sitting in this office knew each other well and were aware of each other's character.

Dumbledore knew perfectly well that the watch Amosta gave Harry was probably not a watch in the traditional sense, but he didn't ask any questions; it was an unspoken understanding between the two of them.

"So, Principal, regarding what you just said—"

Amosta stopped speaking as soon as he opened his mouth, his gaze pointing towards the door. At the same time, Dumbledore's beard twitched, and a smile appeared in his eyes.

"You're really busy here, Amosta—"

“Bad things always seem to happen in clusters,” Amosta shook his head.

"Professor Blaine, Sirius went to find him, cough cough!"

"Harry went after them too!"

Hermione and Ron rushed into the office shouting, but when they saw Professor Dumbledore sitting on the sofa with a smile on his face, Hermione's face turned red and her fists clenched tightly with tension, while Ron was speechless as if his mouth had been sawed off.

Professor Dumbledore was fine here, but when Professor Snape, who was sitting there stiffly, gave him suspicious looks from both sides, Hermione and Ron's faces turned from red to white, looking completely at a loss.

This is a truly suffocating situation!

The two of them came to Professor Blaine for help, hoping he could stop Sirius from causing trouble for Snape, but they didn't expect that one of the two sides in the conflict was right there. What should they do?

“They’re here for you, Amosta.”

Dumbledore interlaced his long, slender fingers on the sofa, pretending to be interested in the sunset that had painted half the sky red outside the window, as if he had no intention of getting involved.

Amosta glanced at Snape, whose face had turned ashen, then looked at the two young wizards who seemed to be under a petrification spell. His lips twitched, and he had a vague guess in his mind. He took out his wand, and the tip of the wand, which emitted a fluorescent light, drew ripples on the water-like space. A solid, strange snake with one black and one white wing on its back swam in the air.

Hermione noticed that Professor Blaine's pale purple eyes flashed with a deeper purple light for a moment, and at the same time, the eyes of the monster with its head held high and wings outstretched, surrounded by an aura of majesty, also flashed with purple light. Then, Professor Blaine's Patronus passed through the wall as fast as lightning and disappeared from the room.

“Don’t worry—” Amosta said, his fingers interlaced on his crossed legs. “I’ll have Sirius come to me.”

Amostella chuckled and shook her head as she watched Hermione and Ron flee the office with even more frantic steps than when they burst in.

“I warned you, Severus—”

Dumbledore withdrew his gaze, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, yet he spoke solemnly to the expressionless Snape.

"What you see is only what you want to see. Some things that happened in the past have clouded your judgment, but if you put aside your prejudices, you will find that he is a lovable child."

Snape clearly disagreed with Dumbledore's opinion of Harry; he snorted and said dryly,

"You only see what you want to see—wise words, Headmaster Dumbledore, and they apply to you as well."

Sirius, who had come up empty-handed in the basement, quickly appeared on the third floor. Amostella expected to see an angry face, or even to enter the room and draw his wand, ready to fight. But to his surprise, Sirius came in with a relatively calm expression, though his eyes showed undisguised hatred as he looked at Snape.

"I am coming--"

Sirius nodded to Dumbledore and Amosta.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder. Amosta dared not let the two hostile men sit side by side. He had the chair behind his desk float behind Sirius and gestured for him to sit down.

Amosta and Dumbledore exchanged a glance, and then Amosta spoke calmly.