The Return to Hogwarts

"I hope we can reach some consensus here today--"

Amosta's voice was authoritative and left no room for argument.

“You despise each other and have no intention of reconciliation. I am not an idealist and have no intention of changing your views on each other, but this is Hogwarts, home to hundreds of young wizards thirsting for knowledge. You must understand that if a conflict breaks out between you in the castle, it could very likely affect those underage children—”

“What Amosta said also represents my opinion.”

Dumbledore also said sternly,

"I hope you can realize and truly understand the responsibilities that a professor should bear."

Amos Tower and Dumbledore's words did have some effect. Sirius Black and Snape, who seemed intent on killing each other with their eyes, each looked away, their faces expressionless. But after a few seconds, Sirius Black turned his head back, gave Snape a defiant look, and then fixed his gaze on Dumbledore.

“I’ve made a decision, Headmaster Dumbledore. I’ve already spoken to Amostella about it, but he wants you to know as well.”

"Oh, what is it?" Dumbledore's voice was deep and somber.

"This summer, I'd like to take Harry out of his aunt and uncle's house. I've asked Harry about it, and he's very willing to do so—"

Snape raised his eyebrows, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing, only his face suddenly looked a little pale.

A long silence fell over the office, and this silence itself represented an answer. Snape, whose expression had been rather unpleasant, underwent a subtle change, a faint smile curving his lips—his usual sarcastic smile. Sirius, who had been certain that Dumbledore wouldn't object, now had a dark expression.

"I'm sorry, Sirius—"

Dumbledore finally spoke, staring calmly at Sirius Black.

"I cannot grant your request."

"I am Harry's godfather!"

Sirius Black stood up abruptly, glaring angrily at Dumbledore.

“Harry himself is happy to live with me, and you probably don’t know, Harry’s Muggle aunt and uncle have been abusing him. Harry told me that before coming to Hogwarts, they made him live in the cupboard under the stairs!”

Sirius Black grew angrier as he spoke, rattling off everything Harry had told him about his time living with the Dursleys. Snape, who had initially been somewhat gloating, experienced a subtle shift in his mood. He was first shocked, and then a surge of anger, which he himself didn't quite understand, welled up inside him.

Penny Evans. That ridiculous and laughable woman actually dared to...

"In fact—"

Sirius was still complaining about the injustice Harry had suffered, but Dumbledore interrupted him in a slightly weary voice.

“I probably know more about Harry’s life at his aunt and uncle’s than you think, Sirius—”

Sirius Black immediately shut his mouth, staring at Dumbledore with an incredulous look just like Snape's.

"Why!" Sirius said coldly.

"Since you knew, why didn't you rescue Harry from that wretched Muggle couple? Why did you stand idly by, Dumbledore? If it weren't for James and Lily, if it weren't for Harry, we might still be living under Voldemort's thumb. What you're doing—"

Amosta guessed that Sirius might have meant to say that Dumbledore had used him and then discarded him, but in his anger, out of the last bit of respect he had for Dumbledore, he forced himself to hold back. However, looking at the ashen faces of Sirius and Professor Snape, it seemed that Dumbledore wouldn't be able to clean up the mess without coming up with something substantial.

Dumbledore clearly realized this as well; the wrinkles on his forehead deepened considerably in those few silent seconds.

"Sit down first, Sirius, and Severus, I will give you a reasonable explanation."

Chapter 388 New Job

2023-07-24

This may be the first time Dumbledore has realized that his orders are not working very well at Hogwarts.

Sirius Black still stood there, radiating a chilling aura, while Snape stared at his profile with a sinister gaze.

"I want to hear some reasons that can answer my questions, rather than the high-sounding words you usually say to me."

At this moment, Amosta felt a little sorry for Dumbledore. These two irreconcilable middle-aged men were standing in the same trench for the first time ever, just to force him to give an explanation.

"Alright, if you'd like to stand and listen, but I want you to understand that what I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential and cannot be revealed to anyone. Of course, I hope the people involved themselves don't know about it for the time being—"

Dumbledore sighed.

"First of all, I'm sure you haven't forgotten what happened on that terrible night twelve years ago, when Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow and came after the Potters. James and Lily died, and little Harry became famous overnight for defeating Voldemort."

Upon hearing this, Sirius and Snape both slowed their breathing, their lips pressed tightly together, looking distressed.

Amosta lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and settled down to be a listener. He knew some of the things, but there were others he was hearing for the first time.

Dumbledore recounted everything in a low voice.

When Professor Snape heard that Lily Evans had sacrificed her life to create an extremely powerful protective spell within Harry's blood, he was struck dumb. Amostella could feel the pain gushing from those dark, hollow eyes; even Occlumency could not completely conceal this intense emotion.

Amosta knew very well that this pain came not only from the death of his beloved, but also from the fact that the baby Lily Evans was willing to risk her life to protect was the son of her mortal enemy, which almost demonstrated the depth of Lily Evans' love for James Potter.

"So it wasn't Harry, it was Lily—"

Sirius murmured absentmindedly.

"It was Lily's magic that defeated Voldemort."

"It was Lily Potter's unconditional and pure love for her son Harry that defeated Voldemort,"

Dumbledore was also deeply saddened, but he still corrected Sirius's statement, saying, "Love is a great power, a power that is incredibly strong, and I think Voldemort will never understand it."

Sirius seemed quite moved. He slowly sat down, covered his face with his hands, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

He would never forget that it was because of his mistakes that Lily had to sacrifice her life; he was culpable.

Sirius's remorse didn't surprise Amostall, but Professor Snape's 'regretful' look was quite astonishing.

Could it be that Professor Snape also played a role in the deaths of the Potters?

"But Voldemort is finished, isn't he, Dumbledore? The protective magic you cast on Harry—"

After a long while, Sirius raised his head and stared at Dumbledore with bloodshot eyes, his voice hoarse as if he hadn't drunk water in the desert for days.

“Harry no longer needs the protection of blood ties offered by that Muggle couple; he can perfectly well—”

Do you really believe Voldemort is truly finished?

Dumbledore's voice suddenly hardened, and his questioning silenced Sirius once again.

"I have a question, an academic one, Headmaster Dumbledore—"

Amosta asked thoughtfully.

"If I kill the Dursleys, does that mean the protective magic you cast on Harry will fail?"

Amos Tower's question immediately drew angry glares from Sirius and Snape, but Dumbledore knew that Amos Tower was indeed concerned with academic matters. After a brief silence, Dumbledore said...

“That is true, but that is just another layer of protection on top of the magic I cast on Lily. Even if my magic fails, the magic in Harry’s blood will continue to exist, and Voldemort will still be unable to touch or harm Harry.”

"Where are his disciples?"

“This protection only exists between Harry and Voldemort, but I’m not particularly worried about that possibility. Amosta, if you know Tom as well as I do, you’ll understand that he’ll definitely have to do it himself to regain his prestige.”

"If I remember correctly, that kind of contract-like magic has a time limit—"

"Until adulthood,"

Dumbledore stared intently into Amossta's eyes, his tone suddenly becoming detached.

“Of course. Without a doubt, we need to be absolutely sure, Amosta, you know about Harry and Tom. So, we may need new precautions.”

“I understand what you mean, Dumbledore—”

Amosta frowned.

“But things don’t have to be that complicated. I mean, Voldemort can’t possibly fight us all at once. Hmm,”

Halfway through his sentence, Amosta suddenly realized something, and his tone shifted, showing some hesitation.

"Fine, I won't interfere with your plans. Who knows what might happen in the future?"

Sirius and Snape both realized that Dumbledore and Amosta were discussing something extremely important, related to protecting Harry, but they couldn't understand it. Moreover, Sirius and Snape both understood that the two 'Riddlers' in front of them were not going to explain what they were discussing.

When Sirius and Snape left, they both looked dejected and lost.

"Then, Headmaster Dumbledore—"

After the two exchanged a few words about the previous topic, Amosta asked,

"You just said you had something important to discuss with me. What is it?"

"Actually, it's like this—"

Dumbledore's tone became cheerful again.

"This matter is currently top secret, and only those directly involved are permitted to disclose it. I've been devoting most of my energy to it lately—an ancient competition that hasn't been held for many years will be revived next school year—"

"An ancient competition?"

Amosta's brow twitched, and when he heard the name of the tournament Dumbledore mentioned, even though he was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

"The Triwizard Tournament, you mean that competition that has been banned for centuries due to its extremely high injury rate?"

"That's the one—"

Dumbledore said with a smile,

"For centuries, there have been several attempts to revive the tournament, and each time they have been successful. However, our Department of International Magical Cooperation and Department of Magical Sports of the Ministry of Magic believe that the time is ripe for another attempt. The Ministry has taken concrete steps, and we have reached an agreement with two other outstanding magic schools—you surely know them, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang—and the International Confederation of Wizards has also secretly passed a resolution."

"amazing."

Amostah clicked his tongue in amazement. He truly hadn't expected that this ancient tournament, which had already entered the history of magic, would one day have the possibility of being revived.