The Return to Hogwarts

Thirteen years ago, Sirius Black and Remus were left with unresolved regrets from the war, and this time, they hope to prepare as soon as possible.

“I know you and Dumbledore are probably prepared, Amosta, but I hope…”

Sirius blew his nose, his gray eyes filled with sadness, while Remus across the table stared blankly at his hands resting on his knees, seemingly lost in memories as well.

"--I hope I can play a role in protecting Harry from harm."

The scars of war never truly heal; with the passage of time, the pain they inflict becomes ever more profound and unforgettable.

Amosta leaned back in his chair, looking up at the old ceiling of the Weasley living room, silent.

In the latter half of last year, ever since he accepted Dumbledore's invitation to return to Hogwarts as the head of the student safety office, he had already made the decision to stand on the opposite side of Voldemort in the future.

Neither Dumbledore nor Amosta himself underestimated Voldemort despite their combined efforts, for they were about to face not just a duel, but a war.

The outcome of a war is not determined by the result of one or two duels; it involves many complex factors.

However, despite sharing the same goal of thwarting Voldemort's plot, both Dumbledore and Amosta had significant differences in their specific approaches to the impending chaos.

Dumbledore was more concerned with Voldemort himself, and he hoped to win the battle with the least possible cost and the least damage to the wizarding world. Amosta, on the other hand, hoped to use this fierce conflict to rid the wizarding world of some deep-seated problems.

Moreover, things are a bit more complicated for Amosta.

The fact that Vitia Creona joined Voldemort was definitely not as simple as it seemed. It also involved the schemes of the four leaders of Hogwarts, as well as several people from mythological figures like Helbo and Merlin who were originally unrelated. After the priestess and Voldemort joined forces, the intricate connections finally began to show some clues.

The trip to Azkaban taught Amostella about the origins of Dementors, these abhorrent and evil creatures. However, he still couldn't understand why Goroina Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor were so determined to eliminate these special beings. Furthermore, the changes in his Patronus after encountering Dementors made him uneasy.

Voldemort's return will bring to light some conspiracies against Amosta, but until then, the truth remains shrouded in mystery.

"Amosta?"

Amostella's prolonged silence puzzled Sirius and Remus, and Sirius asked softly.

"I'm thinking about some things--"

Amosta said calmly, but after saying that, he fell silent again, only tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table.

Sirius Black and Remus both wanted to play a more active role in fighting Voldemort and protecting Harry, while Dumbledore's plans were mainly centered around Harry, and he didn't seem to have them in his core. But for Amosta, both of them were trustworthy and could indeed provide him with some help.

It was truly a wonderful coincidence that they found themselves.

Amosta turned his gaze to Sirius, and he could tell that Sirius was eager for him to offer reasonable advice.

Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Department of Magical Creatures Control and Management; Department of International Magical Cooperation; Department of Magical Sports; Department of Mysticism; Wizengamor Tribunal

Amosta meticulously listed the Ministry of Magic's major administrative departments and important agencies one by one.

After a long silence, Amosta finally spoke, looking at Sirius Black and asking in a slow, calm tone,

"Would you be interested in working in the Auror's office, Sirius?"

Chapter 495 Prepare for a rainy day

2023-09-23

When Amosta calmly announced his plans, a long silence fell over the Weasley living room. Sirius Black's mouth was slightly agape, his brow furrowed, and judging from his astonished expression, he seemed to think Amosta was joking with him.

Remus knew that Amosta clearly wouldn't show any humor on this serious matter, and his eyes gleamed with thought as he tried his best to understand why Amosta would make such an absurd suggestion.

"Join the Auror Office and become an Auror."

Sirius leaned back, his mouth still agape.

"You mean, you want me to become Cornelius Fudge's subordinate?"

"Perhaps you and Connery Fudge don't admire each other, but you don't have any grudges either, do you?"

Amosta said with a smile.

“That’s not the problem, Amosta—”

Sirius rubbed his face hard with his outstretched palms to clear his head. "You want me to become an Auror, to turn a criminal who's been imprisoned in Azkaban for over ten years into an Auror who catches criminals. Amostella, what are you thinking?"

"First of all, you have been proven innocent, Sirius. Your imprisonment in Azkaban was merely a mistake by the Ministry of Magic and Wizengamor."

Amosta's gaze, fixed on Sirius's face, was incredibly profound.

"Secondly, I think this job is a perfect fit for your personality, isn't it? Exciting, dangerous, and fighting against evil, I believe you'll like it."

“That’s not the problem, Amosta—”

Remus finally voiced his opinion.

"The Auror Office is the elite force of the Ministry of Magic. I learned from an acquaintance in the Ministry that every Auror needs to undergo a long and rigorous training and assessment before they can officially enter this position. Of course, Sirius Black is capable enough, but even Albus probably couldn't skip those selection mechanisms and make Sirius Black an official Auror directly."

“Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be very difficult—” Amosta nodded, her expression unmoved, “but fortunately, I just did the Ministry of Magic a great favor, and from Cornelius Fudge to the heads of various departments, they are all eager to repay this favor. I think if Sirius carries my letter of recommendation, the Ministry of Magic will seriously consider it; at least, it's more likely than if I were to personally offer to serve as an official in a department of the Ministry of Magic—”

Silence descended once more as Sirius Black pondered whether the Auror class was truly right for him, while Remus considered the possibility that Amostella might be able to make it happen.

call--

After a long while, Sirius and Remus both breathed a sigh of relief. They had to admit that Amosta's seemingly absurd suggestion actually made some sense upon closer examination.

However, this did not mean that the two of them agreed to the proposal. Remus stared intently at the young yet strangely authoritative face sitting opposite him, behind the wisps of smoke, and asked directly the question that worried him most.

"What are you planning to do, Amosta? Are you trying to send Sirius Black to the Auror's office as a spy? Do you want to become Minister for Magic?"

Remus lives in a magical world full of discrimination and targeting, and he naturally harbors a sense of rejection and disgust towards politicians. Therefore, after keenly sensing the possible motives behind Amosta's proposal, he immediately became vigilant.

"Ha, politics isn't something to joke about. Remus, Fudge represents the interests of a group of people. Getting rid of him isn't something that can be done by sending a spy."

Amosta chuckled.

"Furthermore, I don't want to be Minister of Magic, because I don't want to spend the rest of my life thinking about and weighing the interests of all parties in such a boring way."

Remus nodded unconsciously at the gaze that Amosta cast his way; indeed, this was in line with Amosta's style.

"I must admit, being an Auror seems to be quite an interesting thing--"

Sirius looked thoughtful.

"But what does that have to do with my purpose? I mean, I hope to take care of Harry and play a positive role in the fight against Voldemort, but when it comes to Aurors, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with that?"

"This brings me to some of my judgments and thoughts--"

Amos set down his teacup, his fingers interlaced on the table, his deep gaze revealing no thought. Remus seemed momentarily dazed, then instinctively straightened his posture as well.

"On the night of the World Cup final, after Cleopatra fled from me and the riots gradually subsided, Cornelius Fudge did not stay at the scene to direct the rescue or appease the crowd. He immediately returned to the Ministry of Magic and urgently notified Headmaster Dumbledore to come see him."

Amosta said in a calm tone,

What do you think Fudge was thinking at that time?

"What?" Sirius asked instinctively.

Fudge asked Dumbledore if there was any way to keep him permanently at Hogwarts—or, to put it more simply, he wanted Headmaster Dumbledore to imprison him at Hogwarts—

"How dare he make such a request!"

Sirius Black's eyes widened as he angrily slapped the seed, while Remus's face was equally tense, a faint sneer playing on his lips.

"Ha, that's not surprising. The power I displayed that night was completely beyond the Ministry of Magic's control. Cornelius Fudge knew he had no way to restrain someone like me, and he also anticipated that if I wanted to seize power, this incident would allow him to remove me from office, even if I didn't become Minister for Magic. So, even though the Ministry of Magic's credibility was on the verge of collapse, his first thought was still to guard against me. He was wary of Albus Dumbledore, but compared to him, he seemed to think I was more dangerous—"

Seeing the two listening attentively, Amosta continued,

"If in the future, the wizarding world is plunged into war because of Voldemort's return, I believe that the Ministry of Magic, under the leadership of a narrow-minded minister like Cornelius Fudge, will accomplish nothing but hinder Dumbledore. Headmaster Dumbledore knows this, but because of his own 'noble character,' he does not want to interfere with the Ministry of Magic. I, on the other hand, hope that the Ministry of Magic will listen to some rational advice at that time."

"You want me to take on the Aurors and have some say in the Auror offices, is that right, Amosta!"

Sirius blurted it out.

“That’s right—” Amosta smiled again, “The Auror Office is a very important department.”

“Scrimgeour won’t give up his position easily, Amosta, and simply making Sirius an Auror won’t do much good.”

With his calm demeanor, Remus grasped the crux of the problem.

Rufus Scrimgeour was definitely not one to be on Amosta's side, and Amosta knew that very well.

"There will always be a way."

Political struggles are the same in any world, Amosta said vaguely, not wanting to reveal his full plan too early.

After some explanation, Sirius understood Amosta's plan, but he was still hesitant. To be honest, he had never thought of becoming an official in the Ministry of Magic like Arthur. Moreover, Amosta seemed to want him to become the head of the Auror office. This was a major decision, and even the decisive Sirius couldn't make up his mind for a while.

Amostella didn't pressure Sirius to agree immediately. While Sirius was deep in thought, he turned his gaze to Remus.

"As for you, Remus, you wish to stay in Hogsmeade so that you can rush to Harry's aid if he falls into any danger. But frankly, there's absolutely no need for that. If Harry encounters a danger that neither Dumbledore nor I foresaw, then you probably won't be able to help—"

Chapter 496 The Forms of War

2023-09-24

"Yes, I understand—"

Amosta's blunt words did not embarrass Remus, who calmly replied.

Remus wasn't unaware of these issues. Hogwarts had Albus and Amosta, and with them around, it was difficult for any schemes or tricks to get close to Harry. However, that didn't mean he was willing to stand idly by.

James and Lily, Peter, Sirius and himself—of his many friends from Hogwarts, only he and Sirius are still alive. Harry, James and Lily's child, is their only descendant. Remus still wants to do something for him.

"The Ministry of Magic has issued a statement saying that the group that attacked the World Cup was just a bunch of foreign dark wizards, and you and Albus have remained silent about it. However, Sirius and I both know that Amostella, Harry's dream has already explained a lot."

Facing Amostella's gaze, Remus calmly said,