The Return to Hogwarts

“We also hope to hear different opinions, Amosta--”

Dumbledore smiled gently; he clearly already knew Remus was alright and was satisfied with how Amos had handled things.

"We're discussing tomorrow night's menu. Considering our guests might not be entirely comfortable with Hogwarts food, we'll need to make some adjustments—"

Professor McGonagall, not wanting the topic to veer off course, said with a stern face.

"Also, I'm thinking about whether we should persuade the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to live in the castle. After all, they've come from afar, and Hogwarts needs to show good manners and etiquette. Oh, and the Goblet of Fire too!"

"What's wrong with the Goblet of Fire?"

Amos asked with concern that this was far more important than the menu and accommodation.

"The Ministry of Magic sent the Goblet of Fire to Hogwarts yesterday—"

Dumbledore looked at Amostella and blinked his azure eyes.

"Since you're not at school, the Goblet of Fire is currently in Argus's office. I think it's best if you keep it safe, Amosta. Argus is worried about something going wrong, so he's been staying in his office and didn't get any rest last night."

"Oh, is that so--"

Amosta smiled noncommittally.

"Understood. Leave it to me. I won't let those mischievous little wizards find a chance to do anything—"

Chapter 553 Arrival

2023-10-24

Since last week, when the heads of the various houses announced in the castle that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would be the two schools participating in the Triwizard Tournament, arriving on the evening of October 30 (of course, the young wizards in the physical education class knew the news even earlier), a joyful atmosphere of anticipation has filled the castle.

Not to mention the young wizards, even the large-scale visit of people from outside schools was a spectacle that many professors who had taught at Hogwarts for most of their lives had never witnessed.

As the date drew near, some unprecedented changes suddenly appeared in the castle.

For example, after Hermione pointed it out, Harry and Ron noticed that the girls in their year and upperclassmen had become more enthusiastic about dressing up, and their hair accessories were much more elaborate than before. Also, most professors were putting in much more effort in their classes than before, as if they were afraid of being criticized by the students from the two visiting schools for their poor teaching, which would make them feel humiliated.

The temperature at the end of October was already quite chilly. Although the sun was not blocked by the clouds, Harry, Ron, and Seamus still shivered as they walked out of the warm dormitory and down to the foyer from the cold air rushing in from outside the door.

Girls tend to wake up earlier than boys, and Hermione is no exception.

Harry noticed that the scrambled eggs on Hermione's plate, which was adorned with the SPEW badge, had been emptied, and the glass of milk was more than half gone.

"Oh!"

Ron excitedly sat down opposite Hermione, looking around the walls of the Great Hall, and said excitedly,

"It's different now, isn't it?"

Ron was referring to the new decor of the Great Hall, which had been completely transformed overnight. Huge silk banners hung on the walls, each representing a house in Hogwarts: Gryffindor with a lion on a red background, Ravenclaw with a bronze eagle on a blue background, Hufflepuff with a black badger on a yellow background, and Slytherin with a silver boa constrictor on a green background.

Behind the faculty and staff dining tables, directly above the front of the Great Hall, hangs the largest banner, featuring the Hogwarts emblem: a lion, eagle, badger, and snake joined together to encircle a large letter H.

The young wizards around the four house tables were talking animatedly, and at such a moment, their conversation could only revolve around the two visiting schools and the Triwizard Tournament.

Ginny and Colin are discussing how the two schools will visit.

How will they get here?

Colin asked with great interest,

"Taking the train? They're going to stay here for a whole school year, they must have a lot of luggage!"

"Then they'll have to get to London first to board the Hogwarts Express. With so many of them, they'll probably attract the attention of Muggles."

Harry was also listening intently. He instinctively thought of flying broomsticks, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized it was unlikely. Even Harry, a Quidditch enthusiast, had to admit that traveling such a long distance across the border on a flying broomstick was not a good option.

“Professor McGonagall wouldn’t tell me how the warriors are selected—” George said resentfully to Ron at this point. “She just told me to shut up and focus on transforming my raccoon.”

Ron looked a little disappointed; he turned his head toward Harry.

"I bet it doesn't necessarily have to be an adult young wizard to complete the competition, right? We've done plenty of exciting things before, if we could participate—"

Ron said with a sense of loss.

"A thousand Galleons can at least make up for our losses in the Quidditch World Cup."

Harry didn't speak. He knew Ron was still resentful about the goblin coin Bagman had given him. To be honest, Harry himself couldn't believe that Ludo Bagman, the renowned Director of the Department of Magical Sports and Motion at the Ministry of Magic, would deceive them for a little gold. Most likely, Bagman had just made a mistake. However, Harry knew that Ron and his twin brother had written to Bagman to inquire about the matter but had never received a reply, which made the truth of the matter a little suspicious.

Hermione, who had been engrossed in her book, trembled upon hearing Ron's resentful murmur. She looked up, about to say something, when a figure descending from the second floor into the foyer and entering the Great Hall surprised her.

"Professor Blaine?"

Hermione's exclamation drew the attention of a crowd, and Harry, equally surprised, whispered, "..."

"When did he get back? Oh, now Snape will have to give up his class for the last period this morning, won't he?"

Surprisingly, Professor Blaine didn't head towards the staff dining table; instead, he walked towards them. Hermione assumed he was coming to inquire about the physical education classes from last Friday and this Wednesday, but instead, Professor Blaine waved to Fred and George.

"Fred and George, come with me for a moment, I need to speak with you—"

With that, Professor Blaine led the bewildered twin brothers away.

"What trouble have they gotten into this time?"

Ron frowned as he stared at Professor Blaine, Fred, and George as they walked out the door.

"Perhaps it's to give them a warning—"

Hermione looked at Ron, her eyes full of meaning, "Professor Blaine probably considered that some young wizards would definitely disregard the rules and try to participate in the selection of warriors."

Fred and George returned sooner than expected, and puzzlingly, their expressions became somewhat strange. They looked happy, yet there was a clear sense of loss, and George's chest was noticeably bulging, as if he were hiding something.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked immediately after the twins sat down.

“The good news is—” George lifted a corner of his robe, revealing a money pouch in his arms, and said with a slightly smug look on his face, “We’ve secured an investment from Remus, a full thousand Galleons!”

pat!

Ron was struck dumb, and the spoon in his hand fell onto the silver plate with a crisp sound.

“And the bad news is—” Fred sighed, “Remus can’t partner with us to open the shop anymore. Professor Blaine said he’s now in charge of a workshop and doesn’t have as much time—”

"Remus has become the workshop manager?" Harry blinked his bright green eyes and asked in surprise, "Whose property?"

“I asked, but Professor Blaine wouldn’t say—” George glared at Professor McGonagall and Professor Blaine at the faculty dining table, “These adults always have a lot of secrets!”

"But--"

Harry was thinking hard, looking a bit like Dudley solving a math problem.

"Who would hire Remus, I mean, besides Professor Dumbledore?"

Harry looked at Hermione and saw that Hermione was looking thoughtfully at Professor Blaine, who was talking to Snape.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, snapping out of his reverie. "That's possible!"

“A thousand Galleons—” Ron muttered absently, “Can you believe it, Harry? We could have had that much gold, oh, Ludo Bagman. I have to find him. Maybe I can get Dad to help us get the money. It’s what we deserve.”

The news that Remus had become the workshop owner and that Fred and George had received a real thousand Galleons briefly became a hot topic in Harry's circle. Ron was distracted all day and didn't even pay much attention to Durmstrang and Beauxbatons who were about to visit.

But apart from them, the other young wizards were more concerned about the visiting guests.

All day long, a sense of anticipation filled the air. In class, no one paid attention; everyone was thinking about the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's men that evening. Potions class wasn't as unbearable as usual, and during the last period of the morning, physical education, quite a few people still asked Professor Blaine about the competition events and the methods for selecting warriors.

When the afternoon bell rang, Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed to the Gryffindor Tower, put down their bags and textbooks as instructed, put on their cloaks, and then hurried down the stairs to the foyer.

It was a cold, crisp evening. Night was falling, and a bright, translucent moon hung in the sky above the Forbidden Forest.

The deans of the four houses did their best to maintain order. Except for Hagrid, all the faculty and staff in the castle were present. They stood in a neat row behind the student line, looking solemn. Even Filch took out his moldy tailcoat for this solemn occasion.

Professor Blaine and Professor Dumbledore were the only two professors at the front of the student line, facing the direction of the Black Lake with calm expressions.

"Ah, if I'm not mistaken, Beauxbatons' representative has arrived!"

Just as the young wizards were getting impatient, Dumbledore suddenly called out.

Amosta raised his head slightly, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

All of this is finally about to begin.

Chapter 554 The Influence of Amosta

2023-10-24

When Professor Dumbledore spoke up to remind them, the young wizards finally found their target: above the Forbidden Forest, against a backdrop of pure white snow-capped mountains, a dark dot appeared and disappeared in the void. They noticed it incredibly quickly; almost every blink of an eye, the dark dot grew larger.

"what is that!"

Justin Finley of Hufflepuff screamed excitedly.

"Could it be an enormous flying carpet?!"

Hermione gave a rather dismissive look. Normally, she would have told Justin that the flying carpet was an illegal mode of transportation in England, but this was an unusual occasion, and she said nothing.

The young wizards watched in disbelief as the colossal object hurtled toward them across the deep blue sky at incredible speed. As it grew clearer, they could faintly hear a terrifying whooshing sound in the air, which Dennis Crevy described as sounding like a house about to crash down on them.

The truth was very close to what Dennis had said. When the huge, dark creature swept over Hagrid's roof, everyone could see clearly that it was a huge, powder-blue carriage flying, pulled by twelve winged horses. They were all silver-maned horses, each as big as an elephant!

To counteract the powerful impact of its flight speed, the carriage landed with a deafening thud, startling many young wizards who screamed. Professor McGonagall immediately ordered them to be quiet and not to lose their composure in front of the guests, but she herself was so startled that her hat tilted to one side.

When the dust settled, a skid mark over a hundred feet long appeared on the lush green field. When Mr. Filch, the castle caretaker, saw it, his face immediately fell.

When Mrs. Maxim got out of the carriage, Amostah heard the expected gasps of surprise from the young wizards behind him. They clearly hadn't expected that, besides trolls, there was someone in the world who could rival Hagrid in height.