The Return to Hogwarts

"As you can see, it's dangerous—"

Looking at the guests who were letting out surprised gasps, Amosta's voice became more serious.

"You will be spending a whole year at Hogwarts, so I must remind you all, in your spare time, do not approach it out of curiosity. Every year, there are always a few freshmen who try to use it to prove their agility, and as for what happens to these freshmen, you can consult with Hogwarts' school nurse, Madam Pomfrey--"

Chapter 563 Unlucky Hibiscus

2023-10-29

After a chilling shriek, scattering moss splattered across the faces of the young wizards in the lead, causing them to stumble and retreat in shock and pain, creating a commotion.

But when the riots subsided, Amosta discovered that few people were afraid of the precious Whomping Willow. The young wizards Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were more interested in looking at the willow branches whipping the air, completely ignoring what he had just said.

Perhaps Hagrid should set up some obstacles around the Whomping Willow.

Amosta had this thought in mind. After all, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's young wizards were guests from afar, and any harm they suffered at Hogwarts for reasons other than the competition could very likely escalate into a serious diplomatic incident.

"Where do we go next, Professor Blaine?" a little witch from Beauxbatons asked with great interest.

"Next"

"Professor Blaine!"

As Amosta was pondering, someone in Beauxbatons' team suddenly raised their hand. Amosta looked closely and his eyelids twitched.

Is it possible for us to visit the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts?

Fleur had absolutely no interest in Hogwarts' campus. Compared to the artistic and meticulously crafted architecture of Beauxbatons, Hogwarts seemed to her nothing more than a desolate, dilapidated courtyard. But even so, there were things that interested her. Fleur looked at Amostella, whose forehead was creased with brow furrows, a sly smile playing on her lips. Her clear eyes shone brightly.

"I'm referring to the legendary Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin, where it's said you captured that amazing basilisk, ending a thousand-year-long shadow hanging over the heads of Muggle-born young wizards at Hogwarts!"

Hibiscus tossed her shimmering silver hair and looked at Amosta with a (feigned) look of utmost reverence.

"If possible, I would like to visit the secret realm left behind by the legendary wizard Salazar Slytherin!"

Fleur's tone was like that of a teenage witch meeting her idol, which led to a problem: in Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour was basically the object of every boy's affections, and her appearance immediately made the young Beauxbatons wizards, who originally admired Amostra Blaine, look unfriendly.

Amosta didn't care about the hostile looks, but Furong's demands did cause him some trouble.

"Ah, I suppose you wouldn't refuse such a trivial request, would you, Blaine?"

Karkarov spoke in a cloying tone, a smile on his face, but his eyes remained cold and sharp.

This morning, when Amosta arrived at the ghost ship where Durmstrang lived and offered to lead the young wizards of Durmstrang on a tour of the Hogwarts campus, Karkaroff immediately suggested that he also visit the Hogwarts he had long admired. However, Amosta knew perfectly well that this guy was probably afraid that his young wizards of Durmstrang would do something underhanded.

Visiting Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets is of course impossible, even though the Basilisk is no longer there, it still holds Hogwarts's great secrets.

"I'm sorry, Miss Delacour--"

Amosta said in an apologetic tone,

"Your wish is probably impossible to fulfill. You know, when I subdued that basilisk monster, a fierce battle broke out there, which made that dilapidated house crumbling. For safety reasons, we sealed it off, and now, no one can get in—"

Karkarov was about to say something, but Amosta gave him a deep look that silenced him.

"Besides, there's nothing to see there, folks—" Amosta said with a smile after turning his gaze away, "There's nothing there except for ruins and countless animal carcasses in the rotting mud."

"That's terrifying—"

Upon hearing that there were many skeletons there, Gabrielle, whose hand was being held by Furong's, shook Furong's hand pleadingly.

"I don't want to go there, sister."

Fleur, who always presented herself with an arrogant demeanor, was surprisingly fond of her younger sister. She immediately softened and gently comforted Gabrielle, while inadvertently giving Amosta a 'resentful' look. Clearly, she knew that it was just Amosta's excuse.

"May I go there and take a look, Professor Blaine?"

With her emotions calmed down a bit, Gabrielle held her sister's hand tightly. She looked at the famous Mr. Amosta Blaine with a mixture of timidity and admiration, pointed to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and asked in a clear, childlike, and adorable voice.

Perhaps due to the special nature of her Veela bloodline, Gabrielle, Fleur's younger sister, looks far too young to be in school; she appears to be a five or six-year-old girl.

"Ah, there--"

Being looked at by such an adorable little girl, even Amosta couldn't help but smile kindly.

"Of course, of course, that was one of the places we were supposed to visit today—"

Amosta smiled kindly at Gabrielle.

"That house belongs to Rubeus Hagrid, the game keeper and professor of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts. Hagrid himself served Hogwarts diligently for nearly half a century, personally leading batches of young wizards who knew nothing about magic into the magical world, accompanying them as they grew, and watching them become outstanding. It can be said that, apart from Albus Dumbledore, he is the most respectable wizard at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

“Wow--” Gabrielle exclaimed in surprise.

While in Paris, Fleur spent some time with Amosta Blaine. They met many prominent figures in the European magical world, including respected scholars, powerful politicians, and wealthy businessmen. Amosta Blaine always treated them with a calm and composed attitude, neither arrogant nor overly humble.

But she had never seen Amosta speak to anyone so kindly before!

Hibiscus's eyelashes fluttered as she glanced at Gabrielle beside her, then looked at Amosta with a hint of gritted teeth.

"Come on, everyone, for the next six months or so, Hagrid will be your professor in charge of protecting magical creatures. He's very friendly, and he might even invite you for a cup of tea—"

Just as Fleur was about to set off, she suddenly realized that Gabrielle's hand had slipped from her grasp. Then, she saw her sister, whom she had always thought was timid, run to the front of the crowd and happily follow Amosta Blaine!

"Wow, that's surprising—"

One of Beauxbatons' students noticed Fleur's surprise and chuckled as she spoke to her.

“Gabrielle has never been very friendly with strangers, but it seems she really likes Professor Blaine!”

For some reason, Furong suddenly felt a pang of heartbreak.

Most people wouldn't be interested in a rather unremarkable cottage and a large vegetable garden, but Gabrielle, following Amosta around, seemed quite curious. Every plant on Beauxbatons' campus was carefully cultivated for ornamental purposes, so Hagrid's vegetable garden was certainly a novelty to her.

"The pumpkins in the Great Hall were all grown by Mr. Hagrid, Professor Blaine?"

Gabrielle peered curiously through the fence of the vegetable garden. Hagrid had already picked all the large pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, turned them into jack-o'-lanterns, and carried them into the Great Hall. The medium-sized ones had been taken to the kitchen. Now, the pumpkins in the garden were mostly small, unremarkable ones, with some unripe fruits hanging from the branches of the vines, no bigger than a baby's fist, looking quite adorable.

"Yes, little one, I can pick one for you to take home as a souvenir--"

Amosta patted the little girl on the head and said in a gentle voice.

Just as Gabrielle's expression of surprise appeared, Fleur squeezed in from behind. Perhaps because she had spent some time with Amosta before he became so famous, the fearsome Amosta Blaine wasn't so daunting to her. Fleur glared at Amosta...

"There's no need to trouble strangers, Gabrielle, I can help you—"

"Watch out, Miss Delacour, there are—"

Amosta warned her, but Fleur, as if to prove herself a good older sister, dashed off, rounded the fence, and rushed into Hagrid's vegetable garden.

boom!

With a flash of fire and a violent bang, Fleur, her face blackened and groaning, stumbled back several steps and fell onto the muddy pumpkin patch. The explosion tore a hole in the hem of her school uniform, revealing her fair and shapely calves, which made the boys from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons stare wide-eyed.

"--There are fried-tailed snails"

Amosta said sympathetically.

Chapter 564 She likes you

2023-10-29

The loud noise from the enraged Blasttail was so loud that almost everyone in the area heard the commotion coming from Hagrid's Hut. The few young Hogwarts wizards who were strolling around the area turned their concerned gazes in that direction, and some even jogged over to see what had happened.

To be honest, even Amosta was startled by the commotion, and Gabrielle's young face showed panic. She called out for her sister, her voice trembling with tears, and frantically tried to run into the pumpkin patch to see what was happening. But just a second before she stepped into the vine-covered ground, Hibiscus suddenly called out.

"Don't come any closer, Gabrielle, it's not safe here!"

Gabrielle immediately stopped in her tracks, standing there helplessly, unsure of what to do.

Karkaroff was also startled by the loud bang, but he quickly regained his composure and looked at Fleur Delacour, who had collapsed in the pumpkin patch, his face strained with effort.

“Beauxbatons’ seeded player is injured, Blaine. I think it’s necessary to inform Mrs. Maxime. Should I make a trip?”

Amosta glanced at Karkarov indifferently, ignoring him, and with a swift movement, he jumped over the fence, took a few steps to Furong, and squatted down to check Furong's injuries.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Just then, Hagrid came out from behind the house, his trousers and shoes covered in mud, indicating he had just returned from the Forbidden Forest. He was puzzled by the young wizards Beauxbatons and Durmstrang surrounding his vegetable garden, but when he noticed Professor Blaine in the lush ivy and the female student sitting in the ground, his expression immediately turned alarmed, and he hurried towards the garden.

"Oh, it's Professor Blaine and Beauxbatons' girl—"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were obviously looking for Hagrid. They heard the commotion on the way and ran over. There were more than just the three of them among the young wizards from Hogwarts who had gathered, but only they dared to follow Hagrid into the pumpkin patch.

"It's a blasting-tailed conch!"

Harry knew exactly what was going on at a glance; they had been dealing with Hagrid's new favorite for some time now.

Karkaroff glanced at Harry casually, then prepared to cast another gloating look at Fleur, but before he could do so, his body froze. He stared intently at Harry, whose hair was disheveled from running, at the lightning-shaped scar, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Oh, this situation."

Hagrid was equally alarmed. He clearly realized the seriousness of the matter—his pet had injured Beauxbatons' warrior candidate. He hadn't so quickly forgotten how Buckbeak had scratched Draco Malfoy last year. His voice trembled as he spoke.

I'm going to find Professor Dumbledore.

However, Amosta stopped him with a calm voice.

Fleur's school uniform skirt was torn in the hem, caused by the agitated Blast-tailed Snail, but her exposed calves showed no obvious injuries. This was to be expected; if the Blast-tailed Snails caused such severe damage, Hagrid wouldn't have brought them into the classroom.

However, Furong's calves were still an unnatural red, as if they had been burned by the firelight.

"how do you feel?"

Amosta looked up at Fleur and asked calmly.