The Return to Hogwarts

Amosta stepped out of the tent, only to find the chaos outside only intensifying. Everywhere he looked, there were wizards from various countries running back from the forest. Most of them were packing their belongings to leave that very night, while many others angrily rushed up to any Ministry of Magic employees they saw, demanding an explanation of the evening's schedule.

Further away, the faint sounds of Muggle fire trucks and police cars could be heard. The commotion caused by Amosta's battle with Vitia and Voldemort was so great that it couldn't have been completely hidden from the Muggles. These Muggle government officials had received the alert and came to check the situation.

But the Muggles' good intentions will undoubtedly increase the workload of the Ministry of Magic many times over, and Mr. Weasley probably won't be able to go home to sleep this month.

A little further away, Rita Skeeter suddenly appeared out of thin air, carrying her handbag that she always took with her. She was like a man possessed, bombarding everyone she met, from tourists to Ministry of Magic employees, with questions.

Rita Skeeter is a current affairs reporter who is better at covering political events and current hot topics. Sports events are not usually within her scope of attention, but tonight, she undoubtedly missed a big news story.

The chaotic world before him made Amosta sigh slightly. He couldn't help with the cleanup; it was up to the Ministry of Magic to handle the people's anger properly.

Composing himself, Amosta took a step forward, his body instantly flashing into the spatial rift. After a dizzying moment, the next second, Amosta appeared in the magnificent hall of the Ministry of Magic.

Chapter 480 Fudge's Attitude

2023-09-15

The Ministry of Magic's magnificent halls, usually bustling with people, were now empty of people, even on ordinary days, when wizards came to handle various matters. But now, in the dead of night, and with this incident, the halls were deserted. The guards and alarm personnel had been urgently dispatched to the Quidditch arena to calm the frightened crowd.

Dumbledore was standing at the Fountain of the Magic Brothers, counting with great interest the shimmering silver Sickle and bronze Nate at the bottom of the pool. Before Amostella's true form descended, he had already sensed it and turned his head to look at the air that was rippling slightly.

"You're quick, Amosta. I thought you'd have time to change before you came—"

Looking at Amostella, who appeared out of thin air, Dumbledore smiled and said.

"Thank you for reminding me, Principal. I didn't notice that at all."

Amostella glanced down at his attire, snapped his fingers, and instantly his dusty robes became brand new. His gaze swept across the empty hall, and he strode towards Dumbledore, his brow slightly furrowed.

"With such a big incident, the Ministry of Magic staff are all at the Quidditch stadium calming the public down, while Fudge, the Minister of Magic, has run back to his office. What is he thinking?"

"Sometimes, Connelly's practices and views do indeed cause some controversy and confusion—"

Dumbledore's deep blue eyes fixed on Amostella, who had come to his side. His tone was calm, seemingly unsurprised by Fudge's foolish behavior.

"For example, before I left his office, he asked me if there was a way to keep you in Hogwarts without you going out."

"Hehe--"

Amostella tidied his disheveled hair in front of the pool, and upon hearing Dumbledore's words, he immediately laughed.

"Is he afraid I'll take this opportunity to demand his resignation?"

"At least he didn't ask me how to put you in Azkaban—"

Dumbledore's silver beard trembled, but there was little smile in his eyes.

"The abilities you displayed to the magical world tonight have exceeded Cornelius's acceptable limits. If you show a strong desire to become Minister for Magic, I believe many people will support you, and Cornelius will be unable to stop you. In particular, people will certainly blame the Ministry of Magic for tonight's disaster."

Therefore, it's not hard to understand why Connelly made such a humorous request. However, Amosta, I'm sure you understand that from now on, Connelly probably won't be as kind to you as before—”

Meeting those piercing, deep blue eyes, Amosta pursed his lips.

“You can tell our beloved Minister of the Land that if he can persuade the Board of Trustees to double my salary, I might be happy to stay at Hogwarts for the rest of my life.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, I’m sure Connelly will find a way to grant your wish, Amosta—”

Hearing Amostella say that, Dumbledore's smile became much more genuine.

Cornelius Fudge wasn't the only one afraid of his ambitions growing too large; Albus Dumbledore, standing before him, was also one of them. In fact, he was even more worried than Cornelius Fudge, a fact that Amosta was well aware of.

At the fountain, Dumbledore and Amostella fell into a brief silence. They gazed at the clear water, at the golden sculptures of the wizards and priestesses above, and at the centaurs, goblins, and house-elves surrounding them, looking at them with boundless adoration. After a long while, Amostella spoke softly.

"Is there anything you need me to answer, Headmaster? Without touching on some of my secrets, I'm willing to do my best to clear things up for you—"

Upon hearing Amosta's words, Dumbledore's aged face relaxed slightly, his eyes flickered, and his voice became very gentle.

“I want to thank you, Amosta. If it weren’t for your timely appearance, it’s unimaginable how many people would have lost their lives tonight.”

Amosta shook his head slightly; Dumbledore was as brilliant as ever.

"The witch I fought tonight was here to take Harry away—"

Their eyes met again, and Amosta said calmly,

"Perhaps you've already heard about the dream Harry had during the summer that caused his scar to react; the woman in Harry's dream was her—"

Tom has indeed found himself a good helper.

Dumbledore said calmly,

"When I heard about the existence of a wizard whose age and magical power were not much different from yours, you can't imagine how surprised I was, Amosta. So, you mean this young lady wanted to take Harry away at the World Cup on Tom's orders?"

"It shouldn't be --"

Amosta shook his head.

"Voldemort is furious that Vitia Creona appeared at the Quidditch match tonight. He is indeed plotting to get Harry, but his plan is certainly not to publicly kidnap Harry in front of 100,000 wizards. He has another plan, and I suspect that his plan has not been approved by his companions. This irrational move was probably Vitia Creona's own doing."

"Clona--"

Amos Tower's statement that Voldemort wanted Harry didn't surprise Dumbledore at all; in fact, both of them had anticipated it. However, the name of the witch Amos Tower mentioned greatly concerned Dumbledore.

"If I heard correctly, this particular surname comes from --"

“You’re right, Headmaster. She’s from the Druids. It’s the surname passed down through generations of leaders in that sect. Vitia Kriona is the current priestess of the Druids—”

"That's really amazing,"

Dumbledore blinked.

"Although I've never interacted with them, I do know a bit about them. I thought they were a group of peace-loving people. Oh, it seems I need to look at Tom in a new light. How did he manage to convince them to work for him?"

"That's also what I'm curious about."

Amosta's eyes flickered. There were some things he was still investigating, but there was no need to reveal all the information he already had.

Seeing the perfectly measured confusion on Amostella's face, Dumbledore's beard twitched, but in the end, he chose not to press the matter further.

The two took the elevator to the basement level, where Fudge's office was located. After the Graybury incident, Amosta frequently entered and exited the magic world for a period of time, so he was not unfamiliar with this place.

Pushing open the door, Fudge was not alone in the bright and luxurious office. Rufus Scrimgeour, the Auror's chief of staff, was also there, reporting something to Fudge. When he saw Amostella enter the office first, Rufus immediately shut his mouth, and his usually sharp, lion-like eyes darted away under Amostella's gaze.

Rufus disliked Amosta. He always believed that Amosta was not a respectable wizard, and that Amosta's act of giving Fiend a new name at the press conference announcing the extermination of Greyback was undoubtedly a deception of the public.

"Ah, it's Amosta, you've arrived!"

Earlier in the box, Fudge had also suffered a minor injury; his arm had been broken by falling ceiling material, and his right hand was currently bandaged. Before Amosta and Dumbledore entered, he was sitting in his seat listening to Rufus report something, which must have been difficult for him, as a hint of reluctance lingered on his chubby face.

When Fudge saw Amosta, he instinctively wanted to stand up to greet him, but halfway up, he inexplicably put his bottom back down. After fidgeting a few times, he gave Amosta a slightly awkward smile.

Amosta noticed Fudge's subtle actions, but smiled and remained humble.

“Headmaster Dumbledore said you wanted to see me, and I do need to explain to the wizarding world what happened tonight, so I came. But you seem to be dealing with other important matters. Do you think I should excuse myself?”

"Oh no—"

Fudge quickly waved his hand.

"You, you stay. We need your help with this too. Cough cough, I mean, Rufus, do you think you could go and take care of your own business first?"

Chapter 481 Fudge Collapse

2023-09-15

Rufus was very sensible; he kept his head down and simply left the minister's office.

Now, only Fudge, Amosta, and Dumbledore remained in the office, and the three of them sat down one by one at a round conference table in the minister's office.

"What's going on, Minister Fudge?" Amosta asked curiously. "What difficulties have you encountered with Scrimgeour?"

"That dark wizard, Amosta, is the witch you captured—"

Fudge took out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat, looking somewhat uneasy.

"The attack tonight—I mean, the group of wizards in black cloaks who caused the trouble—Rufus just ran over to tell me that she was the only one captured alive. Apart from a few who died at the hands of the Aurors, the rest escaped. Rufus is downstairs interrogating her, hoping to get their motives out of her, but, oh—"

Fudge glanced cautiously at Amosta and Dumbledore, who were now separated on either side.

"Rufus wants to get authorization from me. He wants to access the dark wizard's memories or use something like a truth serum."

Is there a problem with this?

Amosta feigned confusion.

"If I remember correctly, the Ministry of Magic can use some extraordinary measures against criminals who have committed serious crimes."

“Of course, that’s why I approved Rufus’s application, but the problem is—” Fudge said slightly awkwardly, “that cage you conjured up to trap the Black Witch, well… in a sense, also protected her. Rufus and his men tried many methods, but they couldn’t open it.”

The Auror Office, led by Rufus Scrimgeour, was the most elite force under the Ministry of Magic. Yet, even this group of wizards couldn't open a cage casually conjured by Amostrath Blaine. This was not only a humiliating situation, but it also made Fudge realize that Amostrath Blaine's power was completely beyond the Ministry's control.

"Oh, I see—"

Amosta simply nodded and then fell silent, neither agreeing nor refusing Fudge's request.

This attitude undoubtedly put Fudge in a very difficult position, leaving him completely at a loss and forced to turn to Dumbledore for help.

Dealing with Dumbledore was a miserable experience for Fudge.

On the one hand, he needed to be wary of Dumbledore's influence and prestige; on the other hand, when he encountered difficulties, Dumbledore could indeed offer many constructive suggestions.

But at least compared to Amostall Blaine, Dumbledore seems more reliable. This is not Fudge's personal prejudice, but rather because Dumbledore's low-key and humble demeanor over the past half-century has made him seem less dangerous.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his long fingers interlaced. He knew perfectly well what Cornelius's gaze was trying to convey, but he ignored it. He met Fudge's gaze, his azure eyes gleaming with a solemn light.