The Return to Hogwarts

“I’ll lend you Fox, Amosta—”

Despite having reservations about Amosta's assurance that "there won't be any problems," Dumbledore ultimately agreed to Amosta's plan, as Amosta was indeed the most suitable person to handle the matter. He glanced at Fawkes hovering overhead and said to Amosta...

"The most important thing now is to buy time, and Fox can help you --"

“Thank you—” Amosta readily complied, and after saying ‘Wait for my news,’ he and Fawkes disappeared into the flames of the explosion, leaving Dumbledore alone on the covered walkway, his brow furrowed, staring at the growing darkness outside the castle.

London, Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley's popularity didn't diminish much after nightfall compared to the daytime. Although most locals didn't spend their time there at night, foreign wizards who came to visit filled the void. Shops like Ollivanders, Hobbling & Playful Magical Joke Shop, and Eeyore Owl Shop were still crowded with wizards who came from afar.

In addition, the station at Diagon Alley was also bustling with people.

The train that came from the sky stopped at the station. The cargo boxes were opened, and the workers who had been waiting rushed forward, quickly unloading boxes of raw materials for making magical goods from the carriages and loading them into the cargo wagons.

Along both sides of the railway, at intervals stood a stern-faced wizard, wand in hand, their sharp eyes constantly scanning the bustling platform, wary of any suspicious individuals. These raw materials are crucial for the production of various magical goods. First, they are extremely expensive; second, their composition must be strictly kept secret, as this involves trade secrets.

The wizards who oversaw the railway construction did not come from the same family; their robes were embroidered with different patterns, which were the emblems of their respective families.

Urged on by the workers, their efficiency increased dramatically. In just over an hour, all the raw materials, fully loaded with goods, were loaded onto the horse-drawn carts.

The station opened a special freight passage. Strong horses, their nostrils flaring with heat, pulled their orderly convoys, one by one, carrying goods away from the platform. The workers awaited the next train, while the overseer wizards frantically found their carriages, leaping onto their roofs to escort the goods to the factory. This was a brief moment of chaos in the otherwise orderly unloading process; everyone was focused on the departing cargo, and no one noticed that beneath the train chassis, a shadowy figure, shrouded in moonlight and clouds, silently slipped under a carriage.

Diagon Alley is not just a wizarding commercial street, but a complex and vast architectural complex.

There are businesses, residences, black markets, and factories here.

The carriage convoy left the train station and took to the main road. They traveled for a while, and when they were still half a mile from the city center, they quickly split up and disappeared into different narrow alleyways under the cover of night.

The sound of the wooden wheels rolling over the stone pavement was harsh and mechanical. Coupled with the swaying carriage and the deep night, even the alert guards couldn't help but yawn. But the dark figure lurking at the foot of the carriage—those eyes remained vigilant.

The carriage remained navigating through the maze-like alleys for about an hour before finally slowing down.

No normal person would imagine that, from above, amidst the vast, crowded and dilapidated buildings of Diagon Alley, there would be such a spacious factory area. In fact, such factories are not uncommon in Diagon Alley, but they are all protected by powerful magic, and those unaware of the truth cannot recognize them from the outside.

There were no signs outside the factory gate where the convoy stopped, only a towering iron gate comparable to the entrance to Hogwarts.

The carriages stopped one by one, and the supervising wizards on the roof of each carriage jumped down at the same time and stood silently beside the carriages.

A man who appeared to be the foreman had a brief exchange with a group of wizards waiting at the gate, reporting on the escort process. Although nothing had happened, the wizards guarding the gate did not let their guard down. They started by checking the first carriage and proceeded to check each one in turn.

The inspection was very thorough. They would open the carriages and crawl inside, where the space was magnified many times over, to check for any hidden personnel. Of course, the bottom of the carriages was also thoroughly searched.

A wizard guarding the factory approached the carriage belonging to the infiltrators. As usual, he searched the carriage, but finding nothing, he bent down and squinted to examine the chassis. His sharp eyes didn't miss a single detail, but the uneven chassis was clearly visible. There was nothing wrong with it, so the inspecting wizard let the carriage go and moved on to the back. However, he overlooked the extremely faint exhalation mixed in with his heavy breathing as he straightened up.

The inspection was completed, and with the creaking sound of doors opening, the convoy, which had been parked for half a day, set off again.

The convoy drove into the factory, navigating the spacious factory area which contained only one factory building and a newly built office building. Not far away, another group of workers were already preparing to unload the goods.

Knowing he had to leave, the lurker disappeared into the bushes as the carriage passed a clump of shrubs, taking advantage of another cloud covering the moonlight and the moment when the escorting wizard relaxed his guard as they approached their destination.

The once quiet factory area suddenly became lively, with shouts and commands ringing out from time to time. The lurker withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the office building with a few lights on. Just then, the thick clouds in the sky above dispersed, and the clear moonlight shone on the office building.

Floo-Pow

The huge, dark gold plaque shimmered in the moonlight.

Chapter 537 Gossip and Misfortune

2023-10-16

As night fell, the clear moonlight shone brightly on the earth.

One by one, the lights in the office building went out. The wizards, exhausted from a long day's work, dragged their elevators down to the first floor and lined up in front of the fireplace in the lobby. This was a completely enclosed factory area. The factory gates did not allow people to pass through, and the space inside was bound by the Anti-Apparition Charm and the No-Fly Charm. Apart from using a specific fireplace, the staff inside had no other way to leave.

The office gradually quieted down, but the roaring noise continued from the tall factory building across the street. Sirius stood on the edge of the office building's rooftop, gazing at the enclosed factory without even windows, letting the noisy wind brush against his cheeks, a hint of worry in his eyes.

"for you--"

A voice suddenly came from behind him, but Sirius wasn't surprised. He turned around, took the sandwich his colleague handed him, opened the wrapper, took a big bite, and mumbled something between chews.

"Oh, it's delicious, thank you, Tonks--"

"You're welcome--"

Seemingly pleased by the praise, Tonks tossed her hair, silently turning her chestnut brown to violet. She leaned against the railing, gazing at the factory across the way, and after a long while, muttered softly.

"It's a complete waste of time—"

Sirius smiled helplessly upon hearing the complaints, but inwardly he completely agreed with Tonks's statement.

Two weeks ago, several well-known companies in the magical world were burglarized. Thieves broke into the core office areas despite the companies' tight security. Strangely, however, these thieves, despite their abilities, didn't take anything; they only searched the offices of the company's top executives.

The thieves were careful and didn't disturb the office, but the shrewd business owners still managed to uncover the truth through some surveillance magic and subtle clues. They joined forces with some vital companies that hadn't yet been robbed to put pressure on the Ministry of Magic, demanding that they arrest the culprits.

Unable to withstand the pressure, Cornelius Fudge directly mobilized the Ministry of Magic's elite forces, one part to investigate the clues and the other to prevent any potential problems.

So Sirius and Tonks were sent here.

The FlooBoom Company, which produces Floo Powder, has a complete monopoly in the wizarding world. The company was founded by Ignata Willsmith in the 13th century, who invented Floo Powder, and it is the only company in the wizarding world authorized to produce Floo Powder.

Since it concerns the daily travel of tens of thousands of wizarding families, it's easy to imagine how much importance FlooBoom receives.

Sirius and Tonks were on guard on the roof, while Kingsley and Dexter were lying in wait in an office below.

However, as Tonks said, there are many important corporations in the wizarding world, and it's simply impossible for the Auror's Office to provide a complete defense with its limited manpower.

"Did you hear that?"

Tonks showed absolutely no awareness that she was on a mission; she spoke in a normal, nonchalant tone.

"Next week, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons' men will be arriving at Hogwarts!"

Tonks looked on with envy.

"Why couldn't the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Sports do anything when I was at Hogwarts? I wonder if Mr. Scrimgeour would allow me to take two days off for the Triwizard Tournament?"

"You're dreaming, Tonks--"

Sirius said with a wry smile.

"Ever since I became an Auror, the ministry hasn't given me a single day off. I've been planning to find some time to visit Harry at Hogwarts—"

“Oh, the boy who survived, Harry Potter!” Tonks suddenly became interested and asked with great enthusiasm, “Do you think he will participate in the Triwizard Tournament?”

"impossible--"

Sirius said with a smile

“Of course, I know Harry. He certainly won’t be afraid of the dangers of the Triwizard Tournament. But the problem is, he’s too old. With Amosta at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends probably won’t find an opportunity to exploit any loopholes. By the way, Tonks, you and Amosta went to Hogwarts together, didn’t you?”

"We were even put in solitary confinement together, in Snape—"

Tonks said with pride and deep emotion,

"He was two years older than me. His time at Hogwarts was very different from today. He didn't like to talk to people, but you could tell from his eyes that he wasn't afraid to talk to others. Wherever he went, he carried a basket of books with him. He was a famous bookworm back then."

"It sounds a bit like Harry's friend, a little witch named Hermione Granger."

Sirius Black pursed his lips and smiled slightly.

"When I was at Hogwarts, the most studious person was Lily, you know her, she's Harry's mother. She was the smartest witch I'd ever met, and many people admired her. James, needless to say, loved to cause trouble for Lily, but really he just wanted to get close to her. And Peter, well, let's not talk about him, Remus was the same way. He especially admired Lily's intelligence, of course, he wasn't bad himself either. Remus was the most hardworking one among us—"

"Remus told me about how you two became friends—"

Tonks immediately perked up and said enthusiastically,

"He told me that when we were in school, you were one of the few students who didn't care about his status!"

"He actually brought this up to you?"

Sirius looked at Tonks with some surprise. "This guy doesn't easily talk about his past. I bet Remus really likes you, Tonks!"

Although she knew that Sirius's "like" didn't mean that, Tonks was still so happy that her hair turned pink. She looked at Sirius with eager eyes and asked him to tell her more about their past.

Sirius Black is a legendary figure in the Ministry of Magic. His unique life experiences have attracted many people, and many are curious about his story. Therefore, he did not find Tonks' request strange at all. Moreover, since Amosta asked him to make more friends in the Ministry of Magic, he never kept his past secret, except for some unspeakable secrets.

To prevent the Dexter and Kingsley below from discovering that the two were slacking off, Sirius casually set up a spell to prevent outsiders from eavesdropping on their conversation. Then, he chatted with Tonks about the past.

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they forgot the passage of time. Tonks would tell Sirius what Amosta Blaine was like in her memory when he was studying at Hogwarts, and Sirius would also tell Tonks about their adventures at Hogwarts.

Time passed slowly, and the moonlight appeared even brighter against the backdrop of the deep night.

The two men watched as a large convoy of carriages stopped outside the factory for inspection, and then watched as the convoy drove into the factory's unloading area.

Sirius Black looked away and continued the conversation.

"After graduating from school, I had a falling out with my family, so I moved in with James's family. James's family treated me very well; they practically treated me like a second son. James and I both tried to persuade Remus to move in as well, but he always refused. He was always afraid that one day he would lose control and hurt James's family."

Later, the war intensified, and we…

Boom!

The floor beneath their feet suddenly trembled, as if magma had erupted. A large ball of fire broke through the wall and shot into the air. A figure wearing a black cloak was sent flying by the powerful shockwave.

"Tonks, Sirius, what are you doing?!"

Thrown into the stairwell by the explosion, Kingsley, with one arm bleeding profusely, used his other hand to blast the ceiling with his wand, and roared at the huge hole.

Meanwhile, Delilah had already broken through the thick smoke, his face contorted with rage as he lunged at the black-cloaked wizard who had been thrown unconscious on the ground.

Under the bright moonlight, Sirius and Tonks on the rooftop stared in stunned silence at the face lying on the ground with its mask shattered.

Chapter 538 Trustworthy