The Return to Hogwarts

"Oh, shut up, Harry!"

Hermione had been listening patiently, but she suddenly interrupted Harry's questions, looking nervously up at the top of the Great Hall, "Professor Blaine is coming!"

“Alastor fought evil his whole life, and as you can see, he himself suffered much persecution in this long struggle, Amosta—”

No one reported to Dumbledore what had happened in the foyer earlier, but after coming down from his office to the Great Hall, he naturally knew everything. He patiently comforted Amostella.

"He has a low tolerance for certain behaviors. Of course, the way he used magic to punish the young wizards was inappropriate, but that doesn't mean he's as incapable of controlling his emotions or as unstable as you might think."

"Hehe, our beloved principal has always been very tolerant of people with special talents—"

Amostella remained silent, but Snape, who had overheard these comments, gave a mocking laugh.

“But be careful, Amosta. That madman sees everyone as a dark wizard except for Dumbledore. Your good reputation is worthless to him. He might even demand a search of your office and suitcase next—”

Amosta looked at Professor Snape with slight surprise.

"What, Professor Moody made such a request of you?"

Snape pursed his thin lips, his face darkening. Dumbledore, who clearly already knew about it, didn't seem surprised, only giving Professor Snape a slightly apologetic look.

“I have already emphasized to Alastor that you are trustworthy, Severus.”

“Oh, it is an honor to have your trust, Headmaster Dumbledore.”

Snape coldly uttered a single sentence.

Neither Amosta nor Professor Snape would change their personal opinion of Mad-Eye Moody because of his few words. Dumbledore knew this well, and after a helpless sigh, he said nothing more.

The atmosphere at the faculty and staff table was a bit stiff. Amosta didn't like being in that kind of atmosphere, so after wiping his mouth with a napkin, he got up and left.

Instead of returning to his office, he walked down from the Great Hall to the Gryffindor table.

Where he passed, the discussions at the dining tables seemed to be silenced by a silencing spell, and the young wizards all cast curious glances at him.

"Would it be convenient to say something, Harry?"

Amosta stood behind Harry and spoke.

“Oh, of course, Professor Blaine!” Harry said hastily, getting up.

"And you, Hermione, I also need to speak with you. Come to my office—"

Amostella then looked at Hermione, who was focused on pouring gravy over roasted potatoes but had her ears perked up, and said...

Hermione and Harry hurriedly got up and followed Professor Blaine to the foyer. Across the table, Ron, disappointed at not receiving a greeting, put down his cutlery and puffed out his cheeks as he watched the three leave.

Although it's only September, the winds of late autumn already linger in the ancient castle of Hogwarts, nestled among mountains and rivers, after dark. The winds blow against their faces, giving Harry and Hermione goosebumps. However, the change in climate has almost no effect on a powerful wizard like Amostella.

As he walked down the second-floor corridor, he paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on the spacious lawn. He squinted at it for a few seconds before continuing on his way.

“Professor Moody—” By the light of Hagrid’s hut, Harry spotted a limping figure on the playground and whispered in surprise to Hermione, “He’s still on patrol.”

They were already familiar with Professor Blaine's office, so without being told what to do, Harry and Hermione went to the sofa on their own after entering, while Professor Blaine did not return to his desk but sat down next to them.

“Well, here’s the thing—” Amosta looked at Harry, “This afternoon I met Sirius in Hogsmeade.”

Harry's eyes widened immediately, his face filled with anticipation.

Amosta sank into the soft sofa and said with a smile,

"He came for two main reasons. First, he hoped I could convey his apology regarding the argument you had during the summer vacation."

"Why didn't he tell me himself?" Harry said indignantly.

“Heh heh, I didn’t ask--” Amosta smiled knowingly at Harry, whose eyes and brows revealed the rebellious streak unique to teenagers. “However, it’s probably similar to the reason you don’t want to apologize to him in person.”

Harry, his face flushed red with embarrassment, pretended not to notice Hermione covering her mouth and chuckling, and quickly changed the subject.

"What's the second thing, Professor Blaine?"

"The second matter is actually none of your business, but since Sirius is your godfather, I think you have the right to know this—"

Amosta's smile faded, and he said calmly,

"Sirius has decided to join the Ministry of Magic and become an Auror. You know what an Auror is, right? Harry, that's what Professor Moody did before he retired."

Harry nodded instinctively, but when he truly realized what he had heard, he immediately gaped open, gasping for breath in astonishment.

Sirius Black became an Auror?! How could this be? Why would he even think of doing this?!

“There’s nothing strange about that. Sirius is an energetic and highly skilled adult wizard. Now that he has cleared his name, it’s only natural for him to find a job to demonstrate his value. Just think of Headmaster Dumbledore, who was over 110 years old and still dedicated himself to his work.”

"But--"

Harry closed his mouth, his emerald eyes gleaming with worry in the bright yellow light.

Aurors are responsible for fighting dark wizards, and Harry got a firsthand feel for how dangerous that job is from his experience with Professor Moody. Sirius Black isn't like Professor Blaine or Professor Dumbledore, who can handle any situation. Like on the night of the Quidditch final, Sirius struggled to deal with the three masked wizards who appeared in their box. In fact, if it weren't for Cleopatra's help, he might very well have met his demise that night!

Harry felt a sudden urgency and rushed back to his dormitory to write to Sirius, urging him to make a careful choice. But then he thought that since Sirius had made his decision, he should support him.

Two conflicting thoughts battled in Harry's mind, leaving him unable to make a decision for a moment.

Amosta didn't say anything more to Harry, but looked directly at Hermione.

"Hermione, I called you here to find out how everyone's training is going so far?"

Chapter 510 Explanation

2023-10-01

"Training progress?"

Hermione was also wondering why Sirius had suddenly joined the Ministry of Magic. From their previous interactions, it was clear that Sirius didn't particularly admire Minister Cornelius Fudge. She instinctively asked a question, then immediately realized...

"Training progress! Oh, I see!"

Hermione tensed up, facing Professor Blaine. She quickly recalled everyone's progress in training, but this didn't make her feel relaxed; instead, she looked somewhat ashamed.

"No one has yet been able to reach the finish line while being attacked by dung balls, Professor—"

The expected harsh criticism did not come; Professor Blaine simply nodded slightly and continued to look at him.

Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself down, and then gave a detailed report on the situation of most of the people.

The best performer was no longer Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff; in fact, he only ranked third. Luna was the closest to the finish line, barring the possibility of being hit by the dung bomb. Neville was second, though she and Harry were both among the top performers.

Amosta wasn't particularly surprised by the result, only clicking his tongue in slight disappointment.

"I originally planned to finish your training in the first semester, but it seems that the timeline may need to be delayed—"

Amostella glanced at Hermione, who was staring at the coffee table with her head down, her fists clenched in guilt, and shook her head slightly.

“There’s no need to feel guilty. I’m not blaming you, Hermione. This is not an easy thing to do, which is why I chose the young wizards I thought were the best to join us. There will be new content in this course.”

Harry and Hermione both benefited from Professor Blaine's course. Without this training, who knows what terrible things might have happened on the night of the Quidditch final!

Neither of them would underestimate Professor Blaine's class. In fact, upon hearing that there would be new material, Harry immediately stopped thinking and looked at Professor Blaine expectantly.

"I'll let you know Wednesday night. Now, you can go back to what you're doing—"

Amosta wasn't going to reveal the secret now, he said with a smile.

Harry knew it was time to leave. He and Hermione got up and walked toward the door, but just as his hand touched the cool doorknob, he remembered his doubts. This was a good opportunity to find the answers. The person who knew everything was in this office, and if he didn't ask him, there was no one else who could help him resolve his confusion.

"Professor Blaine—"

Harry turned to Professor Blaine, who was making that bitter tea in front of the fireplace, and said softly,

Can I ask you some questions?

"Helping students resolve their doubts is a professor's responsibility; I see nothing wrong with it."

Amosta blew on the floating tea leaves in his teacup, a smile on his face.

Hermione immediately realized that Harry wasn't asking about magic; he wanted to know what he had said in the Great Hall. She didn't stop him because she was just as confused.

"About Bertha Jorkins—"

Harry mustered his courage and said,

“You know she’s dead, don’t you? The witch who died at Voldemort’s hands and with Voldemort’s gang. You captured her and imprisoned her in Azkaban. She knows this too, but the newspapers say the Ministry of Magic still considers Bertha Jorkins missing—”

Amosta was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.

"You must have more questions than just this one, so why don't you just say them all?"

So Harry and Hermione, who were about to leave, returned to the sofa.

After listening to Harry's rapid-fire questions, Amosta didn't answer immediately. He lowered his head, his fingertips tracing the rim of the scalding hot glass. His deep gaze, shining through his pale purple eyes, fell on the emerald green leaves floating and colliding in the water. After a long while, he finally spoke softly.

"What do you think is the purpose of an organization like the Ministry of Magic?"

What is the purpose of the Ministry of Magic?

Harry blinked, puzzled, not understanding what Professor Blaine was trying to say, while Hermione, after a moment's thought, relaxed her furrowed brow.

"The Ministry of Magic is the organization responsible for managing wizards, Professor. I think its purpose is to maintain order."

“This isn’t class time, otherwise I would definitely give you five extra points, Hermione—”

Amostella nodded, glancing admiringly at the spirited little witch.

"Yes, that's right. The purpose of the Ministry of Magic is to maintain order, or rather, stability, in wizarding society. And all your questions point to one thing at their core—Voldemort."

Hermione pursed her lips and her shoulders hunched slightly.