The Return to Hogwarts

"You are very wise, Mr. Blaine--"

Barna nodded, his eyes showing appreciation.

"Before you arrived in Paris, the news that Dumbledore had decided to appoint you as the representative of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was only circulating in a very small circle. Most people did not know this and still favored Hogwarts. However, Ludo Bagman and Mokrich believed that the fierce competition for the hosting rights was beyond Albus Dumbledore's expectations. He was afraid that failure would damage his reputation, so he sent you to take the blame."

Amostah's cheek twitched slightly. "You can't talk about ice with a summer insect," the ancients were right.

"Ludo Bagman and Cuthbert Mocrech have bet their entire fortunes. They don't have a single Galleon left in their vaults. If they bet on the wrong thing, you can imagine what will happen to them. So, after learning this news, they immediately came to me, hoping to get their money back and reinvest it in Beauxbatons, which is a better option than Hogwarts. Of course, that's impossible, and I refused their request."

Barna said quickly,

"To hedge against the risk, Ludo Bagman and Cuthbert Mokrich then borrowed fifty thousand Galleons from us, using their personal names as collateral, and invested it in Beauxbatons—ha, wizards are no less greedy than goblins, Mr. Blaine."

"Humph--"

Blaine snorted coldly, his face turning frosty.

"Don't confuse the concepts, Mr. Barna. With your status and position, you wouldn't risk stealing Hogwarts' security plans for a mere few tens of thousands of Galleons, nor would you do so twice for the requests of Ludo Bagman and Cuthbert Mokrich. The reason you're willing to do this is because you trust Ludo's judgment and are afraid of losing your own interests."

Bana twitched his beard, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he kept his mouth shut.

Cunningly, it hoped to use words to direct Amosta Blaine's anger towards Ludo Bagman and Cuthbert Mokrich, but it never expected that Amosta Blaine would be so experienced and see through its plan so easily.

Gerson Bana wasn't confident that Amosta wouldn't kill him!

If this matter were to be exposed, the British Ministry of Magic would inevitably suffer a great loss of face. However, precisely because of this, the enraged British Ministry of Magic would seize upon the goblins' weaknesses and not let the matter rest until it had torn a piece of flesh from them.

Wizards always show great unity when facing beings of other kinds.

Moreover, if Amosta Blaine chooses to kill them all tonight, Gerson Barna believes that, given the magic the wizard in front of him has just displayed, this matter is very likely to become an unsolved case, with neither wizards nor fairies able to find the culprit.

"How much money is in the pool now?"

Looking at the silent fairy, Amosta asked coldly.

"It has already exceeded two million Galleons."

Bana hesitated for a moment, but still answered the question truthfully.

Its answer made Amosta lift his forehead, his eyes turning sinister.

Amosta wasn't surprised that someone would bring this up for a bet; what he hadn't expected was that it was Ludo Bagman who orchestrated it, and that there would be so many busybodies.

If he were to uncover such a large pool of funds, it wouldn't necessarily cause turmoil in the European magical world, but there's no doubt that he would be resented by many.

At this moment, the wizards who are involved in or aware of the Triwizard Tournament are either in high positions or wealthy, making them the target of jealousy. In peacetime, Amostra would find it difficult to walk in the magical world under the sunlight. Not only him, but even Dumbledore would not dare to act rashly.

Thinking of this, Amosta frowned.

Dumbledore's intelligence network was extraordinary. It was set up by Ludo Bagman and the betting scheme was fueled by the goblins. Perhaps he had already heard about it. Maybe Dumbledore also had some intention of not wanting to unwittingly aid and abet evil, which is why he brought him out.

However, there's no point in dwelling on this now; what's important is how to handle the situation.

Amosta had no intention of causing a massacre here, but now that he had exposed this high-stakes gamble, if the fairies didn't back down, he was going to flip the table.

The most important thing is how to deal with Ludo Bagman and Cuthbert Mokrich.

Sent to Azkaban?

Sending a director and a chief of the Ministry of Magic to Azkaban is no small matter; it requires a formal trial by Wizengamor, which would make the matter known to the world, and the upcoming Triwizard Tournament would inevitably be canceled as a result.

Not to mention the political influence within the British Ministry of Magic, and the intricate web of nepotism.

Amosta tapped the table, quietly pondering how to resolve the issue properly.

Meanwhile, the cunning old man, Bana, was constantly observing Amosta Blaine's expressions and trying to see through his inner thoughts.

“Without a doubt, Mr. Blaine, we have committed a sin; we have offended the interests of Hogwarts and yours—”

Barna spoke with caution.

"We are willing to pay for this. How many Galleons do you think would be needed to quell your and Hogwarts' anger?"

Chapter 414 A Knife Delivered to Your Door

2023-08-11

"Who do you think I am, a robber?"

Amosta's chilling words left Gerson Barna speechless.

Wizards like Amosta, once they lower their standards, will have countless people trying to stuff their pockets full of glittering gold coins. However, some benefits can be fought for, while some money will only put you in an extremely disadvantageous position if you take it.

Fairy money isn't so easy to take. If he accepts a bribe from a fairy tonight, his disgrace will soon be sealed.

The magic within the natural environment grew heavier and heavier with Amosta's emotional fluctuations. Although he did not intentionally release any intimidation, the pressure, like a raging sea, still made the elderly Gerson Barna feel suffocated.

Bana remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was pondering how to gain some initiative in front of Amosta. As he racked his brains, a sudden flash of inspiration entered his mind, causing the wrinkles on the old goblin's face to smooth out slightly.

"Your noble character is admirable, Mr. Blaine--"

Bana nodded slightly to Amosta.

"Although all of this was caused by Ludo Bagman's greed, it is undeniable that we also damaged your and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's valuable interests, and we should make compensation. Since you are unwilling to accept gold, I can only try another way—"

"Oh?" Amosta paused his thoughts for a moment and asked with interest, "What do you plan to do?"

You will definitely be satisfied--

Barna smiled calmly, stood up, walked around the chair to the wall behind him engraved with reliefs, and scratched the crisscrossing patterns with its sharp fingernails. Immediately, the wall rippled, and a dragon-skin box floated out from the softened, glowing wall.

"There's a list in this box, Mr. Blaine—"

The old goblin placed the box on the table, beckoned with his finger, and the dragon-skin box slid gently to Amosta's feet. Meeting Amosta's questioning gaze, Bana smiled enigmatically.

"This is a list of all the wizards involved in this betting game, and the amount they wagered. I hope this will be helpful to you."

List of all wizards who participated in the betting?

Amosta did indeed take a little interest. He tapped the armrest of the chair with his finger, and the box opened silently, revealing a thick notebook with a black cover floating in front of Amosta.

As the notebook unfolds and the pages slowly turn, the names of renowned wizards are reflected in the deep, dark sea of ​​Amosta's mind.

"Page 20, line 3, Mr. Blaine--"

The old witch kindly offered this reminder.

Wow!

A gentle breeze swept by, causing the pages to tremble rapidly. Amosta's gaze fell on the third line of page 20—Joshua Belle de la Guern (Demstrang, 8,000 Galleons).

Amosta raised an eyebrow slightly, her eyelashes fluttering. "This Joshua Belle is—"

"It is Mr. Whip Dregern's wife, Mr. Blaine."

No matter how the fairies disguised themselves, their smiles always carried a hint of shrewdness and cunning. Bana noticed the fleeting joy in Amosta's eyes, and his voice became much cheerfuler.

"Ms. Joshua Belle and Mr. Whip Dregern met half a century ago during the catastrophe that swept across Europe, fell in love while fighting together against that terrible dark lord—Gattler Grindelwald, married after the war, and spent half their lives together—"

Bana filled Amosta's glass with wine and continued slowly.

"Ms. Joshua Bell is German, and her alma mater is Durmstrang. So, when she learned that the Triwizard Tournament was about to be held and that Durmstrang was vying to be the host, she would naturally choose to support it."

It's like someone immediately brings you a pillow when you're sleepy, or someone thoughtfully hands you a knife when you want to kill someone!

Amosta was determined to clear the way for Hogwarts to become the host of the Triwizard Tournament. He had planned to go out tomorrow to find some dirt on Whip Dregorn, but unexpectedly, he got something from the goblins.

Amosta glanced at Gerson Barna with a half-smile, and had to admit that the old fox was indeed a very clever fellow.

Indeed, it is perfectly reasonable for Durmstrang wizards to support their alma mater, as Barna just said. But will the world think that way?

If word got out that the wife of a member of the International Wizarding Federation's competition judging committee had placed a large bet on Durmstrang in a betting game run by fairies, imagine what kind of rumors would circulate.

Human nature is dark, and people will only assume that this was entirely at the behest of Whip Dregern. Although the magical contract stipulates that the judges cannot accept any form of bribe from the three schools, this does not mean that the members of the judging committee cannot use their positions for personal gain.

This is not entirely a frame-up; Amosta simply does not believe that Wip Dregern would be unaware of his wife's actions, and this very speculation may very well be the truth.

Aren't you afraid of offending people?

Amosta's lips curled slightly as he scrutinized Gerson Weiner, refraining from mentioning anyone's name to avoid leaving any evidence against him.

"Between two evils, choose the lesser, Mr. Blaine. This is a skill that fairies must master to survive under the heavy pressure of wizards—"

Gerson Barna smiled and said that he knew the list he had risked sending out had played a crucial role, and he felt much more relieved.

"very good--"

Amosta nodded in satisfaction.

“I am fairly satisfied with your gift, Mr. Barna. As long as you stop secretly plotting against Hogwarts, I will not hold it against you for using the tournament as a betting platform.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Amosta stood up and turned to look behind him.

The group of fairies he had brought with him had been completely slaughtered, leaving only Jin Ge and La Di, who had fainted from blood loss and were barely breathing. Amostah lightly waved his wand, and the stone spears pinning the two fairies instantly turned to dust. Before blood could gush out, two emerald orbs of light from the tip of the wand instantly crossed the distance and plugged the gruesome wounds. The restorative power contained within them also restored some color to the pale faces of the two fairies.

Thank you for your generosity.

Gerson Barna then stood up and bowed gratefully to Amosta. After a brief hesitation, it asked softly,

“We will not interfere with this competition in any further way, but Mr. Blaine, Ludo Bagman, and Cuthbert Mokrich.”

During his previous deliberations, Amosta had already made his decision. He stated simply,

"This is none of your business; I'll handle it myself—"

After a few seconds of pause, Amosta continued,