The Return to Hogwarts

"That is—who exactly wants to ruin Hogwarts' chance to become the host of the Triwizard Tournament!"

"This matter is actually not complicated—"

Seeing that both Batty and Ludo were looking at him, he blinked and said lightly.

Not troublesome?!

The fact that the other party was able to bypass all the hotel's security measures silently, sneak into their room to destroy the security plan, and leave before Amosta could return—there must be a powerful person or force behind them who could do all this.

Moreover, Amosta himself said that no clues about the murderer were found in the ruins—the fact that the murderer was able to fool a wizard like Amosta shows that the person who committed the crime was very experienced.

Without concrete clues and evidence, in Barty's opinion, even if the British Ministry of Magic invested all its connections and resources, it would likely take a considerable amount of time to find and convict these people.

Thinking of this, Barty's expression turned slightly cold.

The British Ministry of Magic under Cornelius Fudge's leadership is deteriorating day by day. Their weakness makes them vulnerable to attack. Recently, Peter was even murdered on his way to Azkaban—something unthinkable under Minister Andorra's leadership!

Seeing Batistuta and Ludo holding their breath, Amosta smiled slightly. He fumbled in his pocket for something, and after a moment, pulled out a tattered object.

"what is this?"

Ludo immediately moved closer, swallowing nervously.

"It looks like a panoramic telescope. What, was it left by an intruder? But didn't you say there were no clues left behind, Amosta?"

Ludo reached out to grab the panoramic binoculars from Amosta's hand, but Amosta skillfully dodged him.

"No, this thing is mine—"

Batistuta remained composed, waiting for Amosta to explain, but Amosta didn't keep him in suspense and spoke directly.

"This thing is a modified panoramic telescope, I call it a surveillance mirror. You should remember, Barty—last Halloween, after I returned to Hogwarts, Dumbledore should have helped me apply to the Ministry of Magic for permission to use it at the school to monitor the castle's security. At that time, Minister Fudge gave me the approval note. According to the regulations, the assistant minister should have filed it with the Ministry—"

Barty narrowed his eyes, carefully pondering the vast sea of ​​documents.

"Dolores did indeed seem to have a note approved by Connelly for filing and storage, a surveillance camera. If I remember correctly, it can monitor and record."

Barty's voices rallied.

"So, this thing recorded everyone who broke into the room?"

If he was only 80% sure before, now Amosta is 100% sure of his guess.

Before he knew it, Ludo's forehead was covered in sweat. He wiped it with his sleeve, and his noticeably protruding belly began to contract more and more frequently. He pursed his dry lips.

"But...it, but you said--"

"Yes, it was destroyed by the intruder's magic, and it was severely damaged."

Amosta looked at Ludo with a meaningful gaze, but his smile was genuine. He noticed that Ludo's tense expression had relaxed, and then casually remarked...

"It will probably take me about a week to fix it."

"Okay, that's settled then!"

Barty let out a heavy breath, his fists clenched tightly.

"Let those despicable scoundrels have their fun for a few more days. After the inquiry is held the day after tomorrow and Hogwarts becomes the host of the Triwizard Tournament, we'll deal with this matter. At that time, I'll have Rufus send all his capable men over here. Whoever did this, I'll make sure he stays in Azkaban for life!"

"What's wrong, Ludo?"

Amosta looked at Ludo Bagman, whose body was visibly trembling and whose face was pale as if he had just had a high fever, and asked with concern.

Amosta's greeting also drew Batistuta's attention. He noticed Ludo's unusual expression, his eyes darting around and the deep wrinkles between his brows.

"Ahem, you all know what I did last night!"

Ludo immediately roused himself, trying his best to make his smile seem normal.

"Although I hate to admit it, my stamina might not be what it used to be, and I'm finding it a bit difficult to handle those enthusiastic, uh, fans."

"Oh, I see—"

Amosta's hand left Ludo's arm, and a faint, ethereal pattern slipped silently into Ludo's sleeve. Amosta gave Ludo a knowing smile.

"I can only imagine, Ludo, you must have been exhausted last night!"

"indeed so!"

Ludo nodded eagerly, then looked pitifully at Barty Crouch.

“I need rest, Batty, I’ve been up almost all night—”

"Get out of here, Ludo!"

With his doubts dispelled, Barty glared at Ludo Bagman with wide eyes and roared.

"Stop causing me trouble, Ludo. Go find somewhere we can't see you and go to sleep!"

Ludo practically sprinted out of the room, and even after his figure disappeared from sight, Batistuta still looked like he was gritting his teeth.

"To appoint someone like that to the Ministry of Magic... If this matter weren't so inextricably linked to the Department of Magical Sports, I would never have let him get involved!"

"At least, I think Mr. Bagman has a good sense of humor—"

A glint of insight flashed in Amosta's eyes. After a slight smile, he turned and walked towards the tent.

“Come on, Barty, with your keen eye, let’s take another look at this plan and see if there’s anything that can be improved.”

"Wait, Amosta—"

Barty's angry panting gradually subsided. He frowned slightly and called out to Amosta's retreating figure.

"Speaking of which, your surveillance camera was modified from a panoramic telescope?"

“Yes—” Amosta turned around and asked in surprise, “Is there a problem?”

"But you didn't get permission from the Ministry of Magic to modify it, nor did you pay patent fees to the workshop that produced it, right?"

Barty looked suspiciously at the tattered surveillance mirror in Amosta's hand.

Amosta chuckled. What did that mean? At a time like this, Batistuta was still trying to find fault with him?

“If you also want to send me to Azkaban, Batty--”

Amosta's lips twitched.

"I'll write back to the ministry now and have someone fix these issues—"

Barty said bluntly.

"I think we can include surveillance cameras in our security plans. I'm confident it will be a major advantage!"

Amosta must admit that he hadn't expected that using surveillance cameras to monitor the game would not only enhance the viewing experience but also greatly ensure the safety of the warriors during the competition.

"but--"

After a moment's thought, Amosta said in a heavy voice,

"Let me tell you in advance, Barty, I don't have any money to pay patent fees—"

Chapter 410 The real murderer

2023-08-09

Because of Bati's reminder, Amosta needs to dedicate a separate chapter to his security plan.

First, he needs to explain to the committee what a monitoring mirror is. Second, he needs to give a detailed explanation of the preventative role that the monitoring mirror can play in the Warriors' competition activities. Finally, the use of monitoring mirrors allows spectators to more intuitively appreciate the Warriors' wonderful performance on the field, which is also a great advantage.

The original security plan was unremarkable and, barring other factors, wouldn't give Hogwarts any advantage in the rankings. However, with the addition of the surveillance cameras, Amostella had reason to believe that his plan would be the deciding factor.

Nothing much happened during the day.

Amosta and Batty spent the entire day in the room working on the contingency plan. By 10 p.m., once the overall structure of the plan was finalized, Batty immediately took his leave of Amosta, as he needed to return to his department to handle some urgent matters that he hadn't had time to deal with during the day.

Furthermore, Batty asked Amosta for half a day off, as he needed to ensure that the surveillance mirror invention was legally sound before their contingency plan was finalized.

This isn't something that can be resolved with just a few words. According to the normal procedures, this thing must be submitted to the ministry, go through layers of approval, and have the corresponding patent fees paid and the taxes payable on the income from this invention determined before it can be shown to the public in the magical world.

Batistuta's plan to resolve all of this during the daytime is already considered remarkably efficient.

In the dead of night, the azure sky transformed into a dazzling and mysterious starry sky. Within the fragmented cave, the still-intact air circulation magic continuously provided fresh air to the room, creating a gentle breeze that lingered throughout the vast space.

Amosta leaned back in a deckchair on the undamaged lawn, holding the draft plan in one hand and a quill pen in the other, revising the manuscript paper filled with annotations. Perhaps it was because the breeze around him was too pleasant, but Amosta's writing speed slowed down, and his previously bright eyes gradually became hazy.

As his consciousness faded, his hands, which had been resting on the armrests of the recliner, gradually lowered, and the quill pen he was holding slowly drifted to the ground under the influence of a gentle breeze.

Without the scratching sound of pen nib against paper, the room felt even more ethereal, but this didn't last long, as Xin Duodi's soft snoring broke the silence once again.

As time passed, the starry sky above grew ever deeper, and Amosta, bathed in starlight, seemed to have completely fallen into a beautiful dream.

A few glistening tears clung to the corners of his mouth. In his sleep, he mumbled a few words unconsciously before kicking his shoes off by rubbing his feet together. He then curled up on his side in the recliner.

Bang, bang, bang!

Suddenly, a series of rapid explosions shattered the tranquility of the room, and the pleasant breeze instantly turned chilling.

It's a fairy!

Nearly thirty goblins suddenly appeared in the room. These dark-faced goblins, only half the size of Amosta, were all on guard. They were different from the goblins who usually served wizards at Gringotts counters. They didn't have eyes full of Galleons, but rather eyes filled with hostility and faces full of ferocity. Almost every goblin had scars on their bodies, and the most serious one even had a missing arm.

The goblins were extremely vigilant, and they immediately spotted Amosta Blaine, who was still fast asleep in front of the tent.

After a series of nimble movements, more than thirty goblins surrounded Amosta on the recliner. Each goblin pointed a finger at Amosta, as if they would attack without hesitation as long as they received a command!

These little goblins were well-trained. Even after discovering that Amosta was still asleep, they did not relax their vigilance at all. On the contrary, their eyes became even more alert.