The Return to Hogwarts

In the Ministry of Magic, a wizard in his early twenties might not have shaken off the mark of an 'apprentice' yet, like the girl named Tonks under Rufus's command. Barty knows she is excellent, but she is still a 'trainee Auror'.

"Amosta--"

After a moment's hesitation, Barty decided to set aside his prejudices for the time being. He picked up his glass and walked over, and the wizards surrounding Amosta, seeing Barty approaching, wisely left on their own.

After giving Amosta a slightly stiff smile, the two toasted each other and took small sips of sherry.

"how do you feel?"

"The wine is good, and the wizards here are quite friendly—" Amosta said with a faint smile, his tone neither warm nor cold.

Batty understood what Amosta meant, and his beard twitched slightly.

“But the purpose of this party isn’t for people to make friends.” Barty’s slightly cold gaze fell on Mrs. Maxim and Fleur Delacour, who calmly dealt with the self-proclaimed elegant wizards. Barty lowered his eyes, his voice tinged with disdain.

"Madam Maxime brought that popular female student from Beauxbatons School of Magic here for obvious reasons. She wants to use her to gain people's favor. You probably don't know, Amosta, but this girl has Veela blood."

Amosta glanced at Fleur Delacour, who had a confident smile on her face, and smiled noncommittally.

How could he not tell? He's seen so many purebred Veelas.

“So,” Amosta glanced discreetly at Igor Karkaroff, who was flattering an elderly wizard with a full white beard who looked quite old,

"Kakarov seems to be a gentleman, and he came alone."

"gentleman--"

Barty's lips twitched a few times, and he said coldly,

"Yes, you can tell what kind of person Karkaroff is, right? As far as I know, there are also celebrities at Durmstrang School. It's not that he doesn't want to bring the kid, it's just that the kid is a Quidditch star and is currently preparing for the World Cup, so he can't get away."

“These tricks aren’t exactly brilliant,” Amostella joked, taking a sip of sherry. “If they worked, I could go back to Hogwarts right now and call Harry Potter over. Harry’s fame is just as good as theirs.”

Batty glared at Amosta with displeasure, telling him to be on his guard, but Amosta seemed indifferent.

"The wizard Karkaroff is talking to is named Wip Dreggen. Have you heard of him?" Barty asked in a low voice.

"Wip Dregern"

Amosta paused for a moment, then slowly spoke.

“I do have an impression of him. He seems to have worked in the Federation for many years and participated in the hunt for those extremists after Grindelwald’s downfall. He has considerable prestige and seems to want to go further. However, after Mrs. Vickia Santos stepped down from her position as president of the International Confederation of Wizards, the various national ministries of magic unanimously agreed to let Dumbledore take over.”

It is said that he was very dissatisfied with this and privately opposed Dumbledore within the guild.

"He was one of the eleven judges, and there were two other judges who had close ties with him."

"So Karkaroff is currying favor with him," Barty said in a sinister tone.

After Batty pointed out the man's identity, Amosta frowned slightly.

Undoubtedly, this person is hostile to Hogwarts. If it were just him alone, it wouldn't be so bad, but if he can interfere with the choices of the other two, then to a certain extent it is equivalent to him deciding who should host the Triwizard Tournament.

"If Dumbledore were here, Whip Dregern might not dare to openly contradict him, but since he's not here now..."

Amosta nodded. "You think he'll take advantage of this?"

“None of us can vouch for his character,” Bati said dryly.

Barty left. Wip Dregern wasn't the only member of the judging committee attending the banquet; Mrs. Maxime was also vying for the support of the other committee members, and Barty had to do the same.

Amosta discreetly observed Karkaroff and Wip Dreggan as they conversed. Barty's meaning had been clear: he wanted to handle Wip Dreggan himself. But that wasn't so easy, was it? Without any exchange of favors, getting this man to set aside his prejudices and make a fair choice was difficult.

Barty had previously told him that the members of the judging committee had signed a magical contract, prohibiting them from accepting benefits from any of the three parties involved in the election.

Of course, there are more subtle ways, but Amosta is still weighing whether to use coercion or bribery.

“Mr. Blaine—”

Just then, a clear voice came from behind Amosta. He turned around and saw that it was the little girl from Beauxbatons who had Veela blood.

"Hmm?" Amosta raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What can I do for you, Miss Delacour?"

"Oh, I just—"

Fleur Delacour shrugged, trying to flash a confident smile, but under the unfathomable gaze of the handsome man before her, her smile appeared somewhat awkward.

That's strange--

Furong thought that, generally speaking, she would not feel this awkward and uneasy in front of men.

“I just—I think we should get to know each other, shouldn’t we? I mean, we each represent Beauxbatons and Hogwarts, and the Triwizard Tournament is an event that fosters friendship—”

"what--"

Amosta nodded knowingly, a smile playing on his lips.

"Are you trying to convince me to support Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as the host of the Triwizard Tournament?"

Chapter 398 The Cocktail Party (Part 2)

2023-07-31

"Oh, what—of course not!"

Furong said blankly, and then she noticed the smile in Amosta's eyes and realized that he was just joking.

"So, are you really willing to support Beauxbatons? You know, it's one of the greatest magic schools in Europe."

Coming to her senses, Furong's eyes sparkled, and she smiled with a touch of coquettish charm.

"I have reservations about this."

Amos chuckled.

Furong's English is pretty good, though she has a slight French accent.

She told Amosta about Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and about the local customs and culture of France. For a young wizard who hadn't even graduated from school yet, Fleur's knowledge was quite extensive, but it was nowhere near as extensive as Amosta's, whose travels had taken him halfway around the world. However, Amosta didn't point out any errors in what Fleur said, but simply maintained a polite smile.

"--I have a sister named Gabrielle. When the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets came to France for an exhibition, the professor who taught us about magical creatures took us to the exhibition. Oh, it was such a ferocious creature! Gabrielle had nightmares for days afterward. I can't imagine how you managed to subdue such a ferocious creature!"

Furong patted her chest, her eyes shining as she stared at Amosta, hoping to hear a thrilling and dramatic story.

Amosta realized that the girl wasn't there to 'spy' on him; she was simply interested in him.

Amosta, having come to his senses, felt somewhat amused and bewildered. Accustomed to a life of quiet solitude, he had never expected to be targeted by a young girl he had just met, who hadn't even graduated from school.

"Hmm—there's an element of luck involved—"

Amosta chuckled and simply changed the subject; he wasn't Gilderoy Lockhart and didn't have a penchant for boasting.

"Speaking of -"

Amosta pretended to pour wine to create distance between himself and Furong, then scrutinized Furong for a moment.

"When the Triwizard Tournament officially begins, will you represent Beauxbatons, Miss Delacour?"

"certainly--"

Furong tossed her cascading, silvery hair, her large, bright blue eyes flashing as she revealed her pearly white teeth. Her silvery laughter captivated those secretly observing the scene.

"No matter which school hosts the tournament, I will represent Beauxbatons. I have read the tournament's selection criteria and I believe I can pass the test of the Goblet of Fire."

"Well then, I wish you all the best in achieving your dreams and getting great results in the championship, Miss Delacour."

Amosta knew he had to leave; otherwise, he'd be drowned by a sea of ​​envious stares. He casually raised his glass to Hibiscus, touched his lips to the rim, and smiled.

“I think we should part ways for now, Miss Delacour. I noticed Mr. Crouch is giving me a wink over there; I suppose he has something to say to me—”

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening—"

Just as Amosta was making an excuse to leave, a loud voice suddenly came from near the stage, drowning out the buzzing conversation in the banquet hall. Amosta looked in the direction of the sound and saw Karkaroff quickly leaving Wip Dregern's side and staring intently at Wip Dregern, who was representing the International Wizarding Federation tonight to entertain the entourage of the various national magic ministries and the three magic schools, and was speaking to everyone.

The Mountain Fairy Troupe paused their music while performing on stage, and the crowd gradually gathered in front of the stage, forming a semicircle.

"Tonight, the International Wizarding Federation is delighted to welcome Mr. Barty Crouch, Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation of the British Ministry of Magic, and Mr. Ludo Bagman of the Department of Magical Sports. It is thanks to the efforts of the two of you that the Goblet of Fire, which had been extinguished for centuries, has been rekindled. I think everyone present should express their gratitude to Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman for their efforts!"

Wip Dregern was the first to raise his glass, paying homage to Batty and Ludo at the front of the crowd, and at his call, the rest of the people followed suit.

With a forced smile, Batty turned his head and bowed slightly to the crowd in salute, but when he faced Wip Dreghan, a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.

But Ludo had no such reservations; he beamed with a bright smile and waved to everyone.

"Of course, we also need to thank Mr. Igor Karkarov and Mrs. Olem Maxim—"

After the applause and cheers from Ludo subsided slightly, Whip Dregern spoke again with a hint of urgency.

"It was thanks to the enthusiastic responses from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang Magic Schools that we were able to see the Triwizard Tournament truly take place!"

Amosta narrowed his eyes, and Batistuta gave him a similar look, as if to warn him.

“Oh, promoting communication and exchange between different magical civilizations has always been something we’ve been pursuing, Mr. Dregern—”

Karkarov grinned, his eyes darting around, and said in a smooth tone,

“But, Mr. Dregern, I noticed you’ve overlooked a key figure. I mean, Hogwarts—the school under Albus Dumbledore has always promoted the idea of ​​friendly exchange, hasn’t it?”

"Oh, of course I won't forget—"

Vip, who held considerable prestige within the International Wizarding Federation, stroked his graying beard and said in a deliberately playful tone,

"But Mr. Dumbledore is our president, and it is his duty to promote communication between the parties, so I don't think we need to thank him in any special way."

Scattered laughter and discussion arose from the crowd. Many shook their heads slightly, indicating their disagreement with Dreygen's statement, while others fixed their gazes on Amosta Blaine, their eyes revealing a hint of schadenfreude.

But then, Dregern abruptly changed the subject, his gaze fixed on Amostella, who was representing Hogwarts. A fleeting hint of contempt and malice flashed in his eyes, yet his face remained plastered with a sincere smile.