The Return to Hogwarts

"I do, Harry—"

It was the most beautiful sound in the world, Harry truly felt.

Amidst the cheerful music played on the ice piano and the scattered pale golden light, Harry finally took Cho Chang's slightly warm hand.

This was the most wonderful feeling in the world, as if all sadness and pain had completely left him, and his heart was filled with nothing but joy. Harry even had the illusion that if he were to draw his wand now and cast the Patronus Charm, he could probably wipe out Azkaban all by himself!

Harry's one hand hovered close to Cho Chang's slender waist, while his other hand gripped hers tightly. He gazed intently at the girl's face—Cho Chang's long, dark eyelashes fluttered, her fair skin had a rosy glow, and beneath her pert nose, her rosy lips stirred an irresistible impulse within Harry.

But reason prevailed over the impulse. Harry knew he couldn't do it. If he did, Cedric would immediately rush over and punch him in the nose, and then his reputation would be ruined. In fact, if all that could buy him lasting happiness, Harry would gladly 'test the law'.

But he didn't do that, because he knew very well that it would be a hurtful thing for Qiu Zhang, and she wouldn't be happy to see him do it.

Cho Chang shyly looked away, avoiding Harry's eager gaze, and at the same time, she didn't want Harry to see the pain in her eyes.

I was originally planning to invite you--

After Dumbledore and Mrs. Maxim finished their dance, a symbol of the friendship between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, Hagrid, who had been eagerly waiting, immediately came up and shook Mrs. Maxim's hand. As he passed by Harry, the overly excited Hagrid brushed against Harry's back, causing him to stumble.

Harry stumbled forward a step, and then he pulled Cho Chang into his arms.

"Well--"

This unexpected accident caught Cho Chang off guard. She stayed in Harry's arms and didn't break free immediately. The two were so close that they could even feel each other's breath.

"--Invitation to the ball--"

Harry sensed a murderous intent coming from behind him. He knew Cedric had definitely discovered what was happening and would be rushing over to protect his girl.

The brief moment of happiness quickly turned into boundless depression. Harry realized that Cho Chang was about to leave him, and most likely would never return to his arms. Just thinking about it made Harry feel as if his heart was being gripped by an icy hand, and he even felt that his future was shrouded in darkness.

But before we separate, at least... at least tell her!

“I was going to invite you—” Harry said quickly, holding his breath, “but Diggory beat me to it. I…I actually—”

"I'm sorry, Harry—"

Cho Chang finally responded to Harry's gaze. She interrupted him, staring into his emerald eyes as the flame within them faded. Her voice was slightly damp.

"sorry--"

Cho Chang said that the next second, she pushed Harry away from her chest and left his embrace.

Chapter 713 The short-lived beauty

2024-01-25

As the music resounding through the Ice Castle turned cheerful, the young wizards, who had been itching to dance, flocked to the dance floor. These young children, filled with budding emotions and beautiful thrills, couldn't wait to embrace their partners and start dancing.

The faculty and staff responded enthusiastically. Dumbledore invited Mrs. Maxime to dance, Ludo Bagman approached Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick went to the dance floor together, Professor Moody, looking sullen, received an invitation from Professor Sinestad, and even Mrs. Pince and Filch exchanged awkward smiles and walked into the dance floor hand in hand.

Percy stared at Fred and Angelina's exaggerated dance moves on the dance floor, momentarily lost in thought, then his expression turned slightly melancholy, as if he were remembering someone. But soon, a sixth-grade girl appeared before Percy, extending an invitation to him with reverence. Then, the two of them walked onto the stage.

On the faculty and staff's desks, only Snape and Karkaroff remained unattended. The two men had remarkably similar expressions; despite the cheerful atmosphere, they wore indifferent expressions, and their eyes even revealed disgust.

“We need to talk, Severus—”

Karkaroff glanced warily at Amosta Blaine, who was casting a spell to make snowflakes fall gently from the ceiling, and then moved closer to Snape.

"There's nothing to say, Igor, if you're afraid—"

Snape said impatiently, but Karkaroff didn't give him a chance to refuse. He grabbed Snape's sleeve, went around the stage, and peeked out from behind the ice trees before leaving the Ice Castle.

Amosta wasn't unaware of what was happening; he simply couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

Lately, Karkaroff had been privately trying to talk to Snape about the unusual movements of the tattoo on his arm, and Snape reported all of this to Dumbledore, who then informed him of the situation.

Igor Karkaroff was probably planning to flee immediately if the situation worsened, but neither Dumbledore nor Amosta were particularly concerned about his life or death. However, they needed to carefully consider how to properly settle Durmstrang's young wizards.

That said, Professor Snape only reported these messages to Dumbledore and never mentioned them to me. This wasn't a matter of trust, but rather because Snape never wanted to get involved in the fight against Voldemort.

He seemed to still harbor illusions, believing that once Voldemort returned to the wizarding world, he could distance himself from Hogwarts. With his power, he thought that as long as he kept a low profile, he should be able to protect himself. Amostah could only shake his head and smile bitterly at this idea.

This is a life-or-death struggle; there is no way to remain uninvolved. From the moment Amostella decided to return to Hogwarts after graduating, he was already aware of this.

Two rows of long tables appeared on either side of the magnificent Ice Castle hall. Amosta waved his wand, and all sorts of exquisite and tempting desserts and butterbeers immediately appeared on the tables.

“Mr. Blaine—”

A timid yet expectant voice suddenly appeared behind Amosta. He turned around and saw Gabrielle Delacour, Fleur's sister.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Miss Delacour?"

Amosta's smiling words made Gabrielle blush. She pointed to an ice reindeer strolling under an ice tree twenty feet away, her voice filled with anticipation.

"May I ride it, Mr. Blaine?"

"Oh, of course, no problem--"

Amosta chuckled and waved to the reindeer. The reindeer then trotted over obediently, gently nuzzled Gabrielle's cheek, and knelt down beside her.

With Amosta's help, the little girl climbed onto the reindeer's back. Then, the reindeer suddenly rushed out, carrying Gabrielle as they glided around the spacious hall. In an instant, the little girl's clear laughter echoed in every corner of the Ice Castle's hall.

This scene piqued the interest of many idle young wizards, who one by one approached the snow-mimicking animals that could be seen everywhere in the hall. George and Lee Jordan of Gryffindor even fought each other over the majestic lion.

A relaxed and cheerful atmosphere permeated the Ice Castle's hall. Even Amosta, caught up in the atmosphere, unconsciously hummed a dance tune played on an ice piano. He waved his wand again, and bundles of hard-to-pull fireworks flew out of the open bag in his hand, neatly stacked on a long table for the young wizards to take as they pleased.

Having done all this, Amosta breathed a slight sigh of relief, picked up his beer, and walked briskly back to his seat at the main table.

A small group of students had already left the dance floor and come to the tables to enjoy their food and beer. The fireworks he had just thrown down were also being enthusiastically received, with some students scrambling to grab the ones that had been painstakingly pulled out.

Amosta saw Harry jump off the stage in a daze and walk towards Hermione, who was resting on the side. The two whispered a few words and soon walked out of the castle together.

Amosta also felt many eager gazes falling on him. Perhaps the older girls hadn't bothered him earlier because they saw him busy making some preparations, but now that he had stopped, they were starting to get restless. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if they missed it, they wouldn't get another chance.

While they were encouraging themselves, someone else had already taken action.

Fleur, having left Cedric behind, took a few deep breaths. Then, she saw Amosta Blaine sitting on the main stage. Almost without hesitation, she jumped off the stage, lifted her skirt slightly, and ran to him.

"You said you wouldn't mind dancing a couple of dances with someone at the ball, right?"

Hibiscus raised her beautiful face and gazed at Amosta.

Undeniably, Amosta was somewhat surprised.

He thought that his almost rude rejection last time had made Furong back down, but he didn't expect that this proud girl was even more resilient than he had imagined.

Amosta frowned slightly, his penetrating gaze piercing into her hibiscus-blue eyes, peering into her heart, and sensing an almost unwavering resolve. He had to admit he was somewhat moved; this girl's emotions were not superficial, and her honesty and courage in facing her own feelings shone brighter than her beauty.

“Of course, Miss Delacour—”

After a brief silence, Amosta slowly rose and spoke gently.

"I can find no reason to refuse to dance a dance that symbolizes friendship with you."

Amosta's pointed words did not anger Fleur in the slightest. After hearing Amosta's agreement, a genuine smile of happiness finally appeared on her radiant face. She took Amosta's hand and led him onto the stage.

Amosta gently supported Hibiscus's slender waist, while Hibiscus's fair, delicate hand rested on Amosta's shoulder. The two remained unaffected by the cheerful melody, their dance steps slow and graceful.

Furong tilted her head back, gazing adoringly at the man she was dancing with, her voice slightly hoarse.

"I love the castle you conjured up, it's beautiful—"

“Perhaps you haven’t noticed, Miss Delacour—”

Amosta smiled.

"Headmaster Dumbledore and the faculty and staff of Hogwarts also contributed a great deal; it was not something I accomplished alone."

"But the idea came from you, didn't it?"

“Oh—if you’re determined to take all the credit for me—” Amosta scoffed, “Whatever makes you happy.”

Hibiscus chuckled softly, but the smile stirred up her sorrowful memories. Her melancholy gaze lowered and fell upon Amosta's chest.

"Will this castle still be here after the ball is over?"

Amosta's eyelids twitched slightly, and he remained silent for a moment.

At the faculty and staff dining table, Professor Moody, who was resting there, watched Amosta Blaine and Fleur Delacour on the dance floor. His hand holding the wine jug was raised in mid-air and remained motionless. The blue magic eye in his eye socket seemed to be frozen in place, while only his normal eye was filled with loneliness in its depths.

Chapter 714 Good and Evil, and Stance

2024-01-26

After the dance ended, Hibiscus reluctantly let go of Amosta's hand.

"I hope my clumsy dancing won't embarrass you, Miss Delacour--"

Amosta took a step back without making a sound and said politely.

However, Fleur did not react to Amosta's attempt to muddy the waters; her stubborn, affectionate gaze remained fixed on Amosta's eyes.

"I plan to work in the UK after graduation. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Furong said.

Amosta gazed intently at Fleur, his brow furrowing unconsciously.

"While I have no right to interfere with your choices, Miss Delacour, I hope you will think carefully and act prudently, as this concerns the trajectory of your future life—"

Amosta's tone was solemn; this was his sincere advice.

His advice wasn't solely out of a desire to prevent Fleur from acting impulsively; it was also because he foresaw a rapid deterioration in the British wizarding world, and if Fleur insisted on getting too close to him, she would likely face retaliation from the Death Eaters.