The Return to Hogwarts

"Don't look so gloomy, Amosta—" Ludo said cheerfully, "I have some good news to tell you!"

"I hope it's a good thing, Ludo, but please hurry—"

Amosta sighed softly, being dragged behind a tapestry by Ludo.

"Well, Amosta, to thank you for your generosity earlier this year—I mean, when we went to Paris together—I want to share some valuable information with you. Oh, every word I say is worth a fortune in Galleons!"

"You're welcome, Ludo, please speak—"

Amosta remained expressionless, having anticipated this turn of events.

Ludo didn't speak. Instead, he cautiously peeked out from behind the tapestry, carefully surveying his surroundings. Finding nothing amiss, he withdrew his head and said in a low voice,

"I have some inside information, Amosta, cough cough, some friends told me--"

Ludo looked at Amosta, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"You surely know that the fairies who got the broadcasting rights for the tournament have set up betting odds in Paris. A group of Germans are betting a huge sum of Galleons on whether that little girl from Minerva Academy, who's considered a strong contender for the title, will be able to finish the match. It's not a small amount, Amosta. Once this group officially enters the game, people will flock to bet. At that point, Granger's odds will be skyrocketed by the fairies. If, if!"

Ludo gripped Amosta's arm tightly, his voice trembling.

“We can go toe-to-toe with those Germans, as long as you can make sure Granger finishes the match. Amoesta, just think about it, Amoesta, your office will be overflowing with Galleons!”

Amosta's face was grim as he stared at Ludo Bagman for a long time, his soft voice carrying a chilling undertone.

"In my opinion, Ludo, Azkaban suits you better—"

With that, Amosta prepared to leave.

Then, Ludo wouldn't let him go, still holding his arm with pleading eyes.

"You disagree with this plan, Amosta? Fine, fine, I really don't understand, gold delivered right to my door."

After taking a few deep breaths, Ludo shouted,

"Well, at least for the sake of our friendship, Amosta, lend me some money. I swear on my Hornets jersey, if I win, I'll pay you back with interest!"

Chapter 706: A fleeting moment

2024-01-22

“I’m warning you, Ludo—”

Amosta snatched his hand back, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light, leaving Ludo Bagman frozen in place.

“I warned you before, but I might as well say it again today: don’t think about making a fortune through the tournament. If you continue to be so stubborn, I dare say you’ll end up in Azkaban sooner or later!”

Ludo seemed about to argue, but just then, a shout came from the stairs coming down from the third floor.

"Who's there?!"

Ludo immediately fell silent, while Amostella narrowed her eyes, adjusted her expression, and gracefully stepped out from behind the tapestry, appearing in front of Harry and his two companions as they came downstairs.

“Ah, it’s you again—” Amosta’s expression softened again, “What a coincidence—”

The person who made the sound was Hermione. Even Amostella couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at the radiant little girl on the stairs.

Hermione was different from any other she had ever been at Hogwarts that morning. She seemed to have done something to her hair; it was no longer messy but smooth and shiny, styled into an elegant updo. She wore a robe made of flowing, pale purple-blue fabric, and her demeanor had changed considerably, perhaps because she had shed her usual satchel and stiff wizard's robes.

Standing next to Hermione, Harry was equally tall and dashing. Perhaps due to his training, the teenage boy retained a sharp edge in his eyes while also exuding competence and composure.

In comparison, Ron's appearance was indeed... well, mainly due to his retro-style suit. Obviously, Ron himself probably knew that his image was not good. When the three of them went downstairs, he subconsciously kept his distance from Harry and Hermione, and his gaze kept avoiding Hermione, as if he didn't dare to look at her.

Looking at the three young wizards in front of him, who were already not much shorter than him, Amosta was in a daze.

Two years ago, when he first returned to Hogwarts, the three little wizards in front of him were just tiny figures, barely reaching his chest. Time flies, and before he knew it, these little guys had grown up to be so impressive!

As Professor Blaine sized up the three of them, Harry and his friends were also sizing him up.

In the past, Professor Blaine mostly wore old robes during his time at school. Moreover, perhaps because of his extraordinary magical abilities and his usually calm and expressionless demeanor, he always gave the young wizards the illusion that he was quite old.

However, Professor Blaine, with his hair styled and dressed in a youthful suit, looked like a radiant star.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron realized for the first time that Professor Blaine's age difference with the three of them wasn't that significant!

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor, I...I didn't know it was you—"

When Hermione saw Professor Blaine emerge from behind the blanket, her imposing manner immediately weakened. She pursed her lips slightly and then spoke softly. Although she wanted to lower her head, she couldn't tear her gaze away from Professor Blaine.

"Aha!"

Ludo Bagman suddenly jumped out from behind the blanket, smiling at Hermione.

"This is our youngest warrior!"

Ludok didn't notice that Hermione's demeanor was quite different from when she played the first match. In his eyes, the Hermione who appeared before him was shining with a mesmerizing golden light!

Ludo's sudden appearance caught Hermione and the others off guard. Before they could react, Ludo had already bypassed Amostella and was offering them his bright, smiling face.

"How is the research going, Miss Granger?"

"Well?"

Ludo's tangent topic caught even the quick-witted Hermione off guard for a moment.

"The golden egg, that golden egg!"

Ludo reminded him,

"How's the clue for the second event of the competition? Any progress, Miss Granger?"

"Oh!"

Hermione, realizing what had happened, blushed with shame. Just as she was wondering how to answer the question, Professor Blaine came to her rescue.

"Why discuss this on such a beautiful holiday, Ludo? Let's go down—"

Amosta gave Ludo a threatening look, then waved to Harry and his friends.

"Come on, let's go to the foyer and show your friends just how radiant you are—"

When Amostall, Ludo, and Hermione descended into the foyer, it was already packed with people. Although the vast majority of young wizards below the fourth year were not in the Great Hall, the number of people here seemed several times greater than usual. The students were no longer all dressed in black robes, but in colorful formal gowns of various styles, which made Amostall sigh with admiration as he looked at each face.

"Hey Harry, over here!"

Upon seeing the group descend, Furong, who was waiting in the crowd, waved her slender arms.

Fleur indeed wore the silk gown from the Elegant Wizard's Clothing Store. With her naturally exquisite features and the sparkling brilliance of the diamonds adorning the dress, Fleur was undoubtedly the most stunningly beautiful among the girls, as if she were radiating flawless white light.

As she took her graceful steps, the crowd automatically dispersed, and the boys' eyes simply couldn't leave her.

As Fleur passed Amosta, she raised her head, making her fair neck even more prominent. She resisted the urge to look at Amosta Blaine and went straight to Harry, ignoring his protests, and affectionately took his arm.

"You look really handsome tonight, Harry—"

Harry's face showed an unnatural expression, and he snorted. He still wanted to pull his arm free from Fleur's grasp, but when he suddenly saw Cedric and Cho Chang looking at him from the crowd, he suddenly didn't want to struggle anymore.

"Oh, you look good too—"

Fleur, of course, noticed Hermione. She was surprised that this unassuming little girl had become quite presentable after all that. As for Ron, she completely ignored him.

Amosta and Ludo walked side by side to the front of the Great Hall, where all the faculty and staff had gathered. Professor Dumbledore was talking to Professor Karkaroff and Mrs. Maxim, who also noticed Amosta and Ludo approaching them.

After greeting the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic, Karkaroff immediately turned to Amosta with a sinister expression.

"What's going on, Amosta? Did I get the date wrong—"

Karkaroff grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, and feigned surprise as he swept his gaze across the dimly lit Great Hall and the restless young wizards.

"Is this where we're supposed to celebrate Christmas—?"

He kissed Mrs. Maxim's hand, which was adorned with many opal rings, nodded to Dumbledore, and then...

"Come with me--"

Amostella cleared her throat and amplified her voice with her wand.

"Now, all students, please line up behind your professors. We are heading to the venue for the Christmas party!"

The chaotic noise suddenly amplified tenfold, and the students saw Professor Blaine and Professor Dumbledore walking side by side toward the entrance hall, with Mrs. Maxime and Professor Karkaroff following beside them, looking puzzled. Together they walked toward the castle gates.

The outside world was still covered in ice and snow, with a biting wind.

Without walls to protect them from the cold, the young wizards, dressed in various 'light' outfits, shivered from the cold. Many gentlemanly men took off their robes and draped them over their female companions.

"What the hell are they doing—"

Fleur from Beauxbatons was particularly intolerant of the cold, but she could only follow behind the main group through the snow. The biting cold stripped her of her elegance, and she practically clung to Harry.

"have no idea--"

Harry saw Ron taking off his own formal robe and draping it over Hermione. As he hesitated about doing the same, Professor Blaine, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped, turned around, and cheerfully said to them...

"We've arrived--"

The young wizards, who wished they could bury their heads in their clothes, looked up, and when they realized they were now on the frozen shore of the Black Lake, they all showed expressions of astonishment and confusion.

Chapter 707 Ice and Snow Castle

2024-01-22

In the desolate world, the wind howled fiercely, whipping snowflakes across the land. The young wizards by the Black Lake were almost unable to lift their heads under the weight of the snowstorm. However, they still endured the pain of the snow squinting their eyes, straining to find a place on the completely frozen surface of the Black Lake where they could eat and dance.

However, by the faint light emanating from the castle, the young wizards discovered that there was nothing on the lake!