The Return to Hogwarts

Aside from the start of the school year, summer vacation, and Christmas holidays, Hogsmeade Station is much quieter, with only a handful of Hogsmeade villagers serving the vast station.

Outside the station, the Hogwarts carriages used to pick up and drop off students were neatly lined up on the platform. These carriages had been washed and cleaned, and a brand-new red carpet was laid on the ground from the exit to the boarding point. On both sides of the red carpet, there was a bright flower basket every few steps.

When Harry entered the station, he noticed that two flags were planted on the two steel pillars supporting the main building—the flags of Hogwarts. Between the two pillars stretched a huge banner that read, "A Warm Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

"Whose idea was this?" Milison asked, clicking his tongue in amazement.

“It can’t be Dumbledore—” Draco said casually, staring at the flower-decorated station with interest. “It can only be Professor Blaine.”

The sparse sunlight finally illuminated this ancient landscape. In the sky, the faint sound of a train whistle drifted among the mountains. The young wizards waiting in the station perked up and quickly stood in formation according to the rehearsed plan, each of them puffing out their chests with pride.

Today, the ancient castle by the lake will once again become the focus of attention in the European magical community and even in the world's magical civilization!

Chapter 616 Hogwarts is much more presentable

2023-11-25

To be honest, Lucius Malfoy wasn't particularly willing to come to Hogwarts. Hogwarts had that vain old man he hated most in the wizarding world, and every time he saw that smirking expression on his old face, Lucius felt physically and mentally uncomfortable.

In the past, no matter what, he would always come here once a year, after all, he was a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors and needed to come here to exercise his authority.

But ever since he was effectively kicked out of the Board of Governors by Dumbledore in the first half of last year, he has never once considered coming to this unpleasant school, except for the time he asked Amostall Blaine for help.

However, he still came today, and with his wife. This wasn't because he was particularly interested in the Triwizard Tournament, nor was it a sudden urge to see his son; it was because of Amosta Blaine's invitation.

If there was one person among all the staff at Hogwarts that he would want to meet, it would definitely be Blaine.

To be honest, Lucius was quite surprised when he received Amosta Blaine's invitation. He certainly didn't expect Blaine to fawn over the Malfoy family like everyone else. If either of them needed to curry favor, it would be him.

Mutual exploitation—this was something Lucius Malfoy had long known.

The common goal for both of them was the Dark Lord. By now, Lucius had seen it clearly: the Dark Lord's true purpose was not to lead them to restore the glory of the pure-blood family. He was a complete tyrant; all he wanted was to rule and make everyone his slaves.

He wanted to escape, but he lacked the courage. Lucius knew better than anyone the Dark Lord's methods of dealing with traitors; on many occasions, he himself had carried them out.

Blaine didn't deliberately hide his intention to fight the Dark Lord; he clearly recognized the difficulty of the matter. Therefore, he hoped—no, perhaps he saw that the Malfoy family still had some value, which is why he was given an opportunity to be used.

Lucius couldn't refuse either option, so he had no choice but to bet on both.

This behavior is dangerous, but fortunately, it's exactly what the Malfoy family excels at.

"Honey?"

Narcissa opened the sliding door of the private room and walked in. She saw her husband staring intently at the scenery passing by outside the window, completely unaware of her arrival.

"Hmm—" Lucius responded with a nasal sound, then turned to look at his wife sitting opposite him, "Who did you meet?"

“Mrs. Fudge—” Narcissa said, “Fudge didn’t come, but he got a spot for his wife. We’ve arranged to go shopping in Paris together next week.”

Lucius mumbled something, which Narcissa didn't hear clearly. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke to her husband.

"There are quite a few interesting people on this train, darling, don't you think so?"

As a business tycoon, Lucius was well aware of the importance of interpersonal relationships in business, and in the past, he certainly wouldn't have missed such an opportunity. However, today, faced with his wife's suggestion, Lucius shook his head. He wasn't in a good mood, which was understandable. He could have returned to Hogwarts as the owner, but now he could only come to the school after receiving an invitation.

Lucius's bad mood persisted until he disembarked from the Hogwarts Express. He immediately noticed that the remote little station was completely different from what he used to be. He wasn't the only one amazed; everyone who had ever been there marveled at the transformed Hogsmeade Station. Of course, they also noticed the welcoming banners and flower baskets that greeted them upon exiting the station.

However, Lucius wasn't focused on that. After exiting the station, he quickly discovered that Hogwarts had sent a welcoming party, and these people were all young wizards. This made Lucius feel a bit annoyed, as he saw it as a sign of disrespect. When he noticed that his son Draco was among the young wizards, his eyebrows furrowed.

Narcissa also noticed her son standing straight in the flower basket. He looked straight ahead and exuded a capable air about him, quite different from the impression she had of him before.

"Draco!"

Lucius and Narcissa strode over to Draco. Looking at their dashing son, Narcissa couldn't help but beam with joy.

How did you get here—?

"I'm on a mission, Mom--"

Draco remained unblinking, only managing to squeeze out a sentence through clenched teeth. Lucius withdrew his gloomy gaze from the scarred boy, and upon hearing his son's words, Lucius's eyelids twitched.

"Was all arranged by Blaine?"

Before Draco could reply, Mrs. Fudge and Ms. Burns walked past the Malfoys. Mrs. Fudge looked around with great interest and said in a remarkably thoughtful voice,

“My goodness, it’s been so long since I’ve been here! Professor Dumbledore even arranged a carriage for us! This is wonderful! I remember we used to have to walk, and if we were lucky enough, the villagers of Hogsmeade would give us a ride in their carriages.”

“Dumbledore has always been meticulous—” Ms. Burns said with a slight smile, “but I believe that these arrangements could not have come from Dumbledore.”

St. Mungo's medical team hurriedly boarded a carriage, and then three young wizards who came to greet them immediately followed, escorting the carriage toward Hogwarts.

After the carriage drove away, the old witch Bana, who had been watching this scene, looked away and gazed at the antenna erected on the distant mountaintop, a hint of a smile appearing in his cloudy eyes.

"Dad, how did we get the invitation?"

A beautiful woman in her early twenties blinked her eyes curiously and asked a middle-aged wizard beside her. The daughter's adoring gaze made Kakus Foley smug; he coughed twice, feigning composure, straightened his back, and said with feigned authority,

"Don't forget, Beatrice, we are still the Foley family, one of the Twenty-Eight Sacred Clans. Cough cough, and besides, I personally have a fairly good relationship with Mr. Blaine—"

The father and daughter then quickly boarded the carriage arranged by the school. Harry watched the father disappear from sight, his brow furrowing. He felt the man looked vaguely familiar.

"Will I be able to see Mr. Blaine soon, Grandpa?" Alger tugged at his grandfather's sleeve, excitedly shouting, "Do you think he'll still remember that he saved me?"

“Oh, I think so, Alger—”

Wip Dregern smiled gently at his grandson, but when he looked up at the distant black castle, his expression became complicated.

One carriage after another, escorted by young wizards, slowly departed Hogsmeade Station. Narcissa lifted the curtain, looking at her son who was following closely beside the carriage, her eyes filled with pity. "Come on up, Draco. Let Greengrass and the two little girls from the Parkinson family get on too. You don't need to walk all the way to school, do you? It's too silly—"

"I'm on an escort mission, Mom. You can't let me become a laughingstock—"

Draco didn't glance at his mother. His eyes were wary as he scanned the woods, which were now brighter. Suddenly, a clump of bushes nearby began to tremble abnormally. Draco's eyes sharpened immediately, and his wand flicked rapidly. A black serpent darted out and, in the blink of an eye, emerged carrying a trembling fox in its mouth.

"Oh—" Draco sighed in disappointment, but still called out to Astoria, who was preparing to provide support on the other side of the carriage, "Danger cleared!"

The Malfoys, sitting in the carriage, witnessed this scene. They looked at each other, both seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.

Draco's move just now wasn't complicated, but the decisiveness and sharpness he displayed were astonishing even to elites like them who had experienced life-or-death crises on the battlefield!

Narcissa stopped trying to persuade Draco to get in the car. She watched the castle gradually come into focus among the dense forest, her voice tinged with complex emotions.

"Hogwarts is finally starting to look decent, isn't it, darling?"

What do you want, Amosta Blaine?

Lucius Malfoy was not as happy as he had imagined. He looked at his solemn-faced son through the curtain, his heart filled with worry.

Is it possible that one day we will face off on the battlefield, Draco?

Chapter 617 Scene

2023-11-26

The Triwizard Tournament's arena, in terms of both size and grandeur, is undoubtedly far inferior to this summer's Quidditch final.

However, there's nothing to complain about. After all, the latter was spearheaded by the Ministry of Magic and brought together almost all the resources of the British magical community to create the scene, while the Triwizard Tournament arena was essentially created by Amosta alone.

However, in terms of the caliber of the spectators, it is by no means inferior.

Although no Minister of Magic from any country personally attended the match, to emphasize its importance, in addition to Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the British Ministry of Magic, Amelia Bornes, and Mrs. Fudge also attended in person to show their support for Hogwarts.

In addition, Mr. Gerson Barna, the president of the Gringotts World Bank and the goblin leader who had not appeared in public for almost half a century, also came to the scene, both to support the goblins' business and to show his support for his close friend Amosta Blaine.

Not to mention, the Wizarding Confederation's chairman and vice-chairman, Albus Dumbledore, Whip Dregane, and Amosta, who also holds the title of vice-chairman, are also gathered here.

Karkus Foley, a giant in the British wizarding underworld and a figure of great importance in the shadow world of the entire European wizarding world, was also present. Lucius Malfoy, sitting in the pure-blood wizarding family formation, looked up at Karkus Foley, who was arm in arm with Amosta Blaine, his face turning ashen with hatred and his teeth clenched.

He finally figured out how Amosta had seen through the grand spectacle he'd staged at the Quidditch World Cup to please the Dark Lord, whose return was imminent.

However, looking around the referee's table at the wizards who held significant positions in their respective fields and enjoyed the best viewing spots, Lucius was secretly alarmed. Objectively speaking, even Cornelius Fudge didn't have the power to bring so many people to Hogwarts to watch the Triwizard Tournament. Amostra Blaine's network of connections was astonishing.

Of course, Lucius also understood that Albus Dumbledore's influence was equally undeniable. Gazing at the two faces, one old and one young, standing side by side, yet both equally imposing, Dumbledore and Blaine, Lucius's already unwavering gaze hardened even more.

Today and tomorrow, the sky is clear and there is not a single dark cloud.

Otherwise, given Amosta's sometimes stubborn personality, if the weather didn't cooperate, he might very well fly to the top of the world and use magic to shatter those rain clouds before he would be satisfied.

However, at the end of November, it was almost impossible to enjoy the warm and comfortable sunshine at Hogwarts. The cold wind blowing across the desolate mountains was still biting. Fortunately, Amostah had taken this into consideration and made sure that all the winds blowing into the arena were gentle and mild in order to provide a comfortable environment for everyone.

The match was scheduled for the afternoon, and it was obviously impossible for all the guests who came to watch the match to flock to the Great Hall of Hogwarts for lunch. Although none of them came here for food and drink, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to express their praise for Hogwarts on an empty stomach.

So, when it was time to eat, the young wizards running along the aisles that divided the viewing area told everyone in a polite and strong tone that there was a menu hidden in the space between the armrests and the small tables in their chairs. As long as they read out what they wanted to eat from the menu, the Hogwarts kitchen would immediately bring the food to them.

"A really interesting idea, isn't it, Barty?"

Ludo seemed to have forgotten about the failed negotiations with Amosta that morning, and smiled as he spoke to Batistuta, who still looked rather listless.

"We could use this idea when the Ministry of Magic holds its next big event. Let me think—"

The referee's box was much larger than the spectator stands, enough to accommodate several long tables placed in front of the seats, Ludo tentatively called out.

"How about a steak?"

boom--

After a slight cracking sound, a sizzling, oily pan-fried steak appeared on the table in front of him!

"Remember to control your appetite, Ludo—"

Amosta said with a smile,

"I forgot to include a restroom when I designed this building, so if you have an upset stomach, you'll have to go outside and find your own way—"

The people around him chuckled good-naturedly, while the fairy Bana glanced at the flustered Ludo, a hint of amusement in his eyes.