The Return to Hogwarts

Chapter 550 Understatement

2023-10-22

"yes--"

Amostah nodded slightly, speaking calmly as if he hadn't told Fudge at all, and said...

“I warned her that this was not the same as the sensational articles she had written in the past, and advised her to fully consider the consequences of doing so. This did make her hesitant, but I think, Minister, you should talk to her about this in person.”

“Of course!” Fudge walked out of his desk, pacing anxiously back and forth in front of everyone with his hands behind his back.

"I'm going to warn her face-to-face, if she doesn't listen."

Fudge paused, glancing first at Amosta, then hesitating for a few seconds before shifting his gaze to the bewildered group at the conference table. "Alright, Rufus, you'll come with me later. We're going to meet that troublemaker, Rita Skeeter!"

"Yes, Minister—"

Rufus strode up to Fudge, his eyes flickered for a moment, then he leaned down and whispered in Fudge's ear,

“What we’re discussing now, I mean, Remus Lupin, that werewolf, do you think the Auror office needs to take some steps to remove him from the St. Mungo’s meeting place—”

Fudge was about to yell at people to figure out what was really urgent, but he suddenly realized that the werewolf had caused quite a bit of trouble, and one of the people involved was right there in his office.

Knock, knock, knock—just then, the office door was knocked on again.

"Who is it?" Fudge interrupted his thoughts and asked impatiently.

"It's me, Tonks, Minister. Oh, is Mr. Scrinker also in his office? I have something to report!"

The crisp sound outside the door revealed obvious joy.

"Tonks, is she that exceptionally talented little girl from your department?"

Fudge thought for a second or two before remembering who Tonks was. Generally speaking, employees don't report things to their superiors or higher-ups. Tonks outside the door made both Fudge and Scrimgeour frown at the same time.

Go ask her what's wrong.

Fudge gave the instructions to Rufus, then turned and walked toward the coat rack to get his hat.

The door opened, and Tonks, who was excitedly looking around, was startled to see the angry face of her boss, Rufus Scrimgeour. Her bright red hair seemed to change several colors in an instant.

"What do you want to report, Tonks?"

Rufus stared down at the somewhat timid Tonks, his tone icy.

“Oh, Mr. Scrimgeour--”

Tonks took a few steps back, startled by Rufus Scrimgeour's menacing expression. Because of the limited visibility, she couldn't see Amosta in the office. So, regaining her composure, Tonks raised her voice to make sure everyone in the office could hear her.

"Lucius Malfoy wishes to see you, Minister, and Mr. Scrimgeour!"

"Lucius Malfoy?"

Fudge's voice came from the far end of the office. He repeated it, puzzled, then raised his voice and said...

"I don't have time to see him right now, tell him to come at another time!"

"You heard the minister's orders, Tonks—" Rufus said in his usual icy tone, "And another question, Tonks, when did you start doing the work of the minister's assistant?"

Needless to say, Tonks knew that her abrupt report had displeased her boss, but she didn't back down and continued to speak loudly.

"However, Mr. Lucius Malfoy has brought in a criminal. He came to the Auror office and told me that a thief tried to break into the office of the head of the Malfoy family factory last night to steal a famous painting adorned with precious gems. He was caught red-handed by the factory's security personnel. I thought this might be related to the case you are discussing, so—"

"Oh, it's true!"

Sirius let out an incredulous cry of surprise. He rushed over, squeezing past the stunned Rufus, his eyes fixed intently on Tonks.

"The real culprit has been caught, right!"

"This should be!"

Tonks and Sirius exchanged an excited glance, barely suppressing a laugh as they spoke.

Beside the coat rack in the office, a dark green top hat lay on the floor. Fudge stared at the door, his expression of astonishment almost identical to Rufus Scrimgeour's.

"What's wrong, Minister?" Amosta asked with concern. "Has the ministry encountered any major cases lately? Do you need my help?"

Fudge's broad shoulders trembled slightly. He slowly shifted his gaze, fixing it on Amosta's face. In those few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Fudge's mind, but his gaze finally settled on Amosta Blaine's distinctive, incredibly deep purple eyes.

"You don't know?" Fudge's voice was shrill and unlike his own. "You don't know about Remus Lupin?"

"Remus?" Amosta blinked, puzzled. "What happened to Remus?"

Fudge was speechless for a moment, while Amosta frowned, looked out the door, and asked loudly,

"What happened, Sirius? What's wrong with Remus?"

Sirius, pulling Tonks aside the statue-like Scrimgeour, entered the office. Now, he finally understood: it was Amosta who had orchestrated everything, though he didn't know exactly how!

"Recently, some workshops and companies have reported to the Ministry of Magic that they have been invaded. Oh, of course, they didn't actually lose anything. We were sent out on alert, and Remus was discovered."

"Oh!"

Amostah's brow furrowed even deeper. He interrupted Sirius, looking at Fudge with a puzzled expression.

"Could it be a misunderstanding, Minister? I know Remus; he's not the kind of person who would do such a thing. Is it possible—"

Amosta paused, then asked.

"As far as I know, Remus was actually looking for a job; ever since he left Hogwarts, he'd been trying to find a new path—"

"This is impossible!"

Delix, who was overwhelmed by the series of events, shouted.

"I'm just offering a possibility--"

Amostella didn't seem to mind Delilah's shouting. He shrugged and said in a deep voice,

"Of course, this requires a thorough investigation by the Ministry of Magic before any conclusion can be drawn. If Remus has indeed committed a crime, then he deserves to be punished. Is that right, Minister?"

Fudge's hand holding the list twitched as if it were cramping, and under Amosta's gaze, sweat began to seep from his forehead again.

Fudge's lips twitched a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"minister?"

Amosta asked again with concern.

"Oh, cough cough, yes, of course. Of course!"

Fudge took a few deep breaths and forced a smile at Amosta.

"Let me think. Hmm, yes, we need to investigate this thoroughly, so—"

Fudge wiped the sweat from his brow, remained silent for a few seconds, and then addressed everyone.

"--Tonks, go and take Lucius Malfoy to the temporary prison. Rufus, Dexter, and Kingsley, the three of you come with me to see Rita. We're dealing with a big problem that involves you all. Sirius, go and confirm if things are as Amosta said. Is it possible that Remus was on business and had an appointment? Anyway, go and ask around. If there's any misunderstanding, clarify it as soon as possible!"

Fudge and a few others left his office almost as if they were fleeing a disaster, forgetting to even say goodbye to Amosta as they left.

"it's over?"

Sirius looked at Amosta in surprise.

"if not?"

Amosta chuckled softly.

"Oh, do you mean you're planning to help Remus apply for compensation?"

Chapter 551 Workshop Owner

2023-10-23

This time, Remus's injuries weren't too serious. He only suffered a slight impact when he fell from the building. During the two days he was imprisoned in St. Mungo's, he was almost fully recovered. However, it took several more days before he was actually discharged from the hospital.

On the day Amos Tower visited the Ministry of Magic, Fudge sent Sirius Black to negotiate with the Weysmith family, the apparent controllers of Floo Boom, to confirm whether Remus had simply suffered an undeserved misfortune.

But everyone knew this was a clumsy excuse. If Remus had truly been summoned to discuss something, they should have made it clear beforehand when the Ministry of Magic sent Aurors to guard the area. Sirius and Tonks, upon receiving their orders, immediately wanted to rush to St. Mungo's to release Remus from his confinement, but were dissuaded by Amostella.

He went to great lengths to create a way for Fudge to gracefully step down, and Fudge, who clearly realized something was amiss, didn't expose the truth. Instead, he cooperated by giving Remus a chance. However, if they released Remus immediately, the Minister of Magic would lose face.

So, he still managed to contact the Weysmith family through Gringotts' channels and obtained a letter of employment from them from which 'three months ago' Froboom had hired Remus Lupin to handle security work, thus bringing the whole incident to a close.

"--The list of general-purpose components for the machine and their material performance requirements are in the list I just gave you. There's absolutely no need to produce these components in-house. The fairies will help you investigate some reputable supplier factories. If you think it's okay, you can make your own decision and sign a cooperation agreement with the factory."

At the end of October, the midday sun, like a slightly intoxicating wine, lazily spilled onto the black stone pavement of the complex entrance alleyway of the Diagon Alley industrial district.

Amosta, Sirius, and Remus, who had just been brought from St. Mungo's, walked slowly down the alleyway, chatting as they basked in the warm sunlight.

As the group ventured deeper, the once quiet surroundings began to echo with the muffled roar of machinery. The road widened dozens of times, and in the factory areas on both sides of the road, some towering chimneys were belching out large swells of white smoke.

In each workshop, many people dressed in different styles were busy at work. Most of these people were natives of the magical world, just like the villagers of Hogsmeade who made their living through agriculture.

Few Muggle-born wizards choose to do the most menial jobs in workshops after graduation, because they would rather return to Muggle society. A significant portion of those who choose this profession are similar to Squibs; they have more magic than Muggles, but their magical talent is so limited that they are not even good enough to be admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Therefore, they have no choice but to work in the factories of nobles to make a living.

They did everything they could to stay in the magical world, hoping that one day their family's descendants would have enough talent to enter Hogwarts, graduate and have a respectable job, thus escaping their inferior fate.

Perhaps stung by the numbness on the workers' faces, Remus withdrew his gaze.

"What about the key components?" Remus asked. "Can the core of the Magic Corridor, which enables functionality, be mass-produced?"

"Not yet—"