The Return to Hogwarts

Sparkle was incredibly grateful for Mr. Blaine's care for its owner, but Mr. Blaine's questions made it extremely uncomfortable; it shifted its body uneasily.

"But the mistress insisted that Azkaban visit Master Buddy. Mr. Blaine, the mistress loved Master Buddy so much that she was willing to give everything for him, and Mr. Crouch couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had to let her go. Not long after the mistress returned from Azkaban, she left us."

As Glitter's voice fell silent, Amosta finally ended his leading questions. He turned to look at Dumbledore, and the two exchanged a look of surprise and relief.

Chapter 699 Opinion

2024-01-17

Amosta was speechless as he watched Brilliant happily accept a wool sock from Dumbledore, bow twice to him, and quickly disappear into the headmaster's office.

This was the first house-elf he had ever seen who was happy to be expelled. Shiny, who might now be in Barty's house, hadn't even thought about saying goodbye to Dobby, with whom he had shared a difficult time.

It seems that Flashy is indeed loyal to Barty Crouch.

However, from another perspective, this also reflects the free will of house-elves. Even though it already belongs to Hogwarts, it still misses Barty the Elder, which shows that house-elves can also choose their favorite masters.

Amos Tower, who had been standing there in thought for a while, turned around and looked back. He thought he would see Dumbledore looking sentimental, but to his surprise, Dumbledore was staring at the only wool sock in his hand, his old face full of reluctance.

"how?"

Amosta raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a special story behind that sock, Principal?"

"Oh--"

Dumbledore sighed, stuffed the last remaining wool sock into his pocket, seemingly with no intention of throwing it away.

“These are some of the few wool socks I have left, Amosta. For a long time, people have insisted on giving me all sorts of books for Christmas. They probably aren’t wrong to think I’m an old man who likes to pass the time with reading, but—”

Dumbledore faced Amos Tower, his azure eyes filled with anticipation.

"--Ignoring my real needs."

I understand how you feel—

Amos rolled his eyes.

"Just like how I have a particular fondness for golden Galonnaise and beautiful gemstones, yet so far, no one has been able to guess what I'm thinking."

After a joke, the two sat down again.

"Do you think Voldemort could have seen through my probing, Headmaster Dumbledore?"

To uncover some of Barty Crouch Jr.'s secrets, examining his memories would be the most convenient approach. However, neither Amosta nor Dumbledore would consider this option, as the risks of sending him back would be too great. Therefore, Amosta could only try to obtain some clues by asking seemingly normal questions.

“I doubt Tom even bothered to examine Gilgamesh’s memories, Amosta—” Dumbledore’s smile faded, and his expression turned solemn again.

"What frightens me is if he were to go to such lengths to examine a little elf's memories, and Barty Crouch Jr.—"

Dumbledore lowered his head and pondered for a moment before slowly speaking in a sorrowful tone,

"--He will definitely question Shining, there's no doubt about it. He's a smart boy; if I remember correctly, he earned twelve certificates at the OWLS level."

“Do you think he might have some doubts?” Amosta asked urgently.

“Yes, Amosta, but I don’t think you need to worry too much—”

Dumbledore said in a deep voice,

“If Barty Crouch Jr. hadn’t completely abandoned the good things in his soul like Tom had, then he should have been grateful to Sparkle. He would have had doubts, but he would have convinced himself it was just his imagination. Because if he had told Tom all this, he would have realized he would immediately lose Sparkle—”

It must be said that Dumbledore was a true master of manipulating people's hearts, even without his unfathomable magical abilities. After a moment of thought, Amostella nodded slightly.

The clues about how Barty helped his son escape Azkaban have already been gleaned from Gilgamesh's hesitant answers, and Dumbledore and Amosta, these two highly intelligent wizards, have essentially reconstructed Barty's actions.

This is undoubtedly a regrettable thing.

Even Amostella never imagined that a ruthless high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic like Barty had such a soft side, not towards his son, but towards his wife.

In a way, Barty's wife's love for her son was no less than that of Harry's parents. These great parents were willing to sacrifice themselves to give their sons a chance to live.

However, neither Dumbledore nor Amosta were willing to discuss the topic in depth. Now that they knew what had happened, that was enough. Neither Amosta nor Dumbledore would be so compassionate as to sympathize with the plight of their mortal enemies.

"I'm sorry, Amosta--"

Having finished dealing with things in Amostela, Dumbledore finally began to recount his journey.

"I spent a few days with Horace under the pretense of reminiscing about the good times we had together, but he was unwilling to discuss Tom with me. Horace is a clever wizard, and I guess he figured out my plan the moment he saw me at his door—"

"Dumbledore said with a hint of regret."

"But the importance of this matter is self-evident, Headmaster Dumbledore—"

Since this involved Dumbledore's old friend, Amosta couldn't say much and could only offer a tactful reminder.

“We need to find out if he has any crucial clues. Have you considered a different approach—”

“Horace is a respectable wizard, Amosta. Unless absolutely necessary, I try to avoid using force. Otherwise, how would we be any different from Tom?”

Amosta could only sigh helplessly at Dumbledore's noble words.

Both of them had been traveling for several days, and as soon as they returned, they were eager to discuss the matter of Baty and his son. Even now, Amosta is still hungry.

Looking at Amostella's retreating figure as he was about to leave his office, Dumbledore, who was getting up to change his robes, blinked and suddenly called out to him.

"Is there anything else you would like to say, Headmaster Dumbledore?"

“Oh, I just wanted to remind you, Amostella—” Dumbledore’s azure eyes gleamed, and a smile played on his lips.

“You can’t ignore the difficulties Minerva is facing. In the next few days, perhaps you should focus some of your energy on the Christmas ball. You can’t let the children down, can you? Even from here in this office, I can hear their expectant voices—”

"Hermione, Hermione!"

Harry and Ron almost had to jog to keep up with Hermione, who was striding ahead. Harry called her name loudly, but Hermione ignored him, her gaze fixed straight ahead, refusing to look away, letting the cold wind make her already messy curls even more disheveled.

Even in his dazed state, Harry knew Hermione was throwing a tantrum, and for no apparent reason.

Eager to know what Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine were investigating, Harry looked to Ron for help, but for some reason, Ron avoided his gaze, seemingly wary of provoking Hermione at this moment.

"Hermione, what do you think Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine are investigating?"

Harry had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue the charade.

"do not know!"

Hermione walked quickly with her head held high, still not looking at Harry.

Harry could easily tell that Hermione's anger was mainly directed at him, which made him even more confused. He really didn't understand what he had done to offend her again. Could it be that some of his statements in the headmaster's office had displeased Hermione?

Harry racked his brains trying to recall what he had said in the headmaster's office, but he couldn't find anything that would make Hermione angry.

"Hermione?"

When they moved to the Gryffindor tower, Harry finally couldn't help but ask again.

What are your thoughts on the questions posed by Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine?

Snapped!

Hermione finally responded, her feet landing heavily on the ground as she turned her head, her clear eyes reflecting the firelight.

"Instead of asking Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine's questions, Harry, I'd like to ask you what your opinion is on Fleur inviting you to the Christmas Ball?"

Chapter 700 The Style of Boys

2024-01-19

What do you think of Fleur's invitation? Harry was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion.

What opinions could she possibly have? Fleur already said that she chose him because of Harry's friendly behavior when she first arrived at Hogwarts, and because she really liked the dress he gave her. Of course, there were some misunderstandings involved, and Harry did want to explain, but Fleur didn't give him a chance to speak, did she?

Hermione was angry because Harry accepted Fleur's invitation?

Ron was also stunned. He looked at Hermione with a strange expression.

Looking at the two dim-witted boys in front of her, Hermione shook her head and sighed heavily, looking like she thought, "You're hopeless." However, her anger dissipated considerably as a result.

"Let's talk about it when we get back—"

After saying that, Hermione continued walking forward.

The year's classes have ended, and although the professors have assigned a mountain of homework, none of the young wizards, except Hermione, could bear to leave this endlessly joyful time in the dreary library. The lively Gryffindor students have been living a life of pure bliss these past few days.

During the day, they would go to the grounds outside the castle in groups to have snowball fights and play games. As night fell, they would return to the common room to gather until late at night before gradually dispersing.

As the portrait of the plump lady was unfurled, the warm candlelight of the common room illuminated the room, creating an even more festive atmosphere than in the previous days.

Fred and George are standing at a round table selling their new product, a very interesting cookie.

Once you eat it, you'll transform into a canary covered in feathers and stay that way for a minute. Since Neville was 'tricked' into advertising this cookie, it's sold incredibly well, and Neville himself seems quite fond of it, sending Fred George a considerable amount of silver biscuits for it.

"Oh, look who's here! The most enviable boy right now!"

The twin brothers, standing on higher ground, immediately spotted Harry and his two companions as they slipped through the doorway. The two brothers leaped up, jumping over the heads of another pair of brothers (Colin Creevey and Dennis Creevey), and landed in front of the unsuspecting Harry.

"You always manage to work miracles, don't you, Harry!"

George patted Harry's arm hard, while Fred winked at him.

"Let's take a picture, Harry, as a celebration!"

Before anyone knew it, Colin had already raised his camera and said eagerly.