The Return to Hogwarts

In the early stages of the war, assassinations and defections will be the main themes, while he and Dumbledore will be hesitant to act too drastically due to their positions.

This wasn't because Amosta lacked sufficient understanding of the cruelty of war, nor was Dumbledore's interference the main factor; it was simply that he himself couldn't bear it. He was well aware of how many of the children in Slytherin had followed Voldemort.

But judging from Furong's resolute gaze, Amosta knew that his persuasion had probably not had any effect.

Fleur invited Professor Blaine to dance, and Professor Blaine did not refuse. This 'bold' act was noticed by the little witches, who still did not understand the difference between adoration and admiration. They would not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After the two finished dancing, they all flocked to Amosta's side and invited him with hopeful eyes.

In this environment, Amosta saw no need to dampen the student's spirits. He suppressed his worries and nodded with a smile.

For more than half an hour after that, he was unable to get off the stage at all.

A grand fireworks display took place outside the Ice Castle. Fred, George, and their mutual friend, Lee Jordan, painstakingly pulled out most of the Amos Tower fireworks they had bought to celebrate and stuck them into the ice. They lit them with their wands, and the fireworks soared into the sky and exploded into dazzling sparks.

The crystal-clear ice castle reflects dazzling light and shadow, and under the cold night sky, it becomes colorful, breathtakingly beautiful.

Even the villagers in Hogsmeade were drawn to the commotion at Hogwarts, and they all came out of their homes to watch the snowstorm and wait anxiously in the darkness.

Laughter and cheerful voices filled the Hogwarts campus, like the last hurrah before a storm.

When a sweaty, panting Amostella jumped off the stage and returned to the VIP area to get drinks, his Hogwarts colleagues all smiled at him.

“You’re really popular with your students, Amostella—” Professor Sprout adjusted her clean wizard hat and chuckled. “The difference between when I started school with you is simply incredible.”

“We all know that Amosta doesn’t like to show off—” Professor McGonagall said with a straight face, but a slight smile still appeared at the corner of her mouth.

“But I dare say Albus must have seen through it all along, didn’t he?” Professor Flitwick stood on the table, turning to look at Dumbledore, who was smiling.

“Oh, actually, Severus noticed Amossta’s exceptional qualities much earlier than I did—” Dumbledore stood up and said with a chuckle, “I had no idea at the time that I was about to have a formidable competitor—”

Dumbledore's teasing elicited a burst of laughter, and Amosta shook his head and smiled slightly.

To be honest, this is what makes Hogwarts so precious. In a way, the school's faculty and staff all have pure hearts; they dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to their professions, day in and day out, for decades. The relationships between colleagues are equally simple. If it were the Ministry of Magic, and a newcomer like Amosta were considered a successor, the opposition would surely be overwhelming.

How wonderful!

Dumbledore came around from behind the table, clinked glasses with Amosta, and looked at the students—those dancing wildly on the stage, releasing their youthful energy; those eating and drinking heartily at the table; those chasing ice sculptures under the ice tree; and those laughing and setting off fireworks in the square outside the castle, where the wind and snow were kept at bay by magic. Dumbledore looked at these children, took off his half-moon glasses, and gently wiped his moist eyes.

"Who says it's not?"

Amosta took a sip of whiskey and smiled faintly in agreement.

"This wonderful moment belongs to everyone, Amosta, we shouldn't leave anyone behind."

Dumbledore's seemingly random remark caused him to frown slightly. He turned to look at Dumbledore, only to see Dumbledore's smile fade and his meaningful glance directed at Professor Moody, who sat quietly at the end of the faculty and staff dining table, watching the children playing.

"I don't quite understand—"

After a moment of silence, Amosta averted his gaze, then shook his head slightly.

"Isn't she our enemy?"

"Oh, about that--"

Dumbledore smiled pleasingly.

"I wasn't the one who signed Professor Moody's advance payment application, Amosta, and I wasn't the one who gave him the candy either."

Amosta's lips twitched, his face darkened, and his mood soured.

"--She saved Sirius Black on the night of the Quidditch final,"

Dumbledore said gently,

"Moreover, look at the children living in the Forbidden Forest, Amosta, I don't think Miss Clona is the kind of evil dark wizard people think she is."

"No one's life is smooth sailing, Principal. Everyone has their own unspeakable difficulties—"

Amosta remained unmoved.

"With your wisdom in life, you must know that sometimes, good and evil are not important; what matters is one's stance."

“Oh, ho ho, perhaps you overestimate my wisdom, Amosta. I naively believe that good and evil are always more important than one’s stance.”

Dumbledore said softly,

"If you don't understand, think of Sirius's brother, that brave boy named Regulus, who once idolized Tom, but he did not abandon his conscience because of it, and even gave his life to defend his conscience."

And then there's Severus, who was once swayed by Tom's rhetoric and vowed to follow him, but he ultimately returned to our side. I think Severus did this not merely out of love for Harry's mother, because love stems from goodness, and Severus himself was a good person—”

Dumbledore's expression turned solemn as he watched Amostella, who was bowing her head and pretending to admire the crimson liquid in her glass.

“I’m not shirking responsibility, Amosta, but you are more suitable than I am to approach Miss Clona in this matter. I think, like Severus back then, Miss Clona must be filled with confusion and pain now. Perhaps you can guide her in the right direction.”

Even if we follow your lead, Amosta, if you can change her stance, wouldn't that be a remarkable victory for us?

Amosta sighed and slammed the wine glass down on the table.

Professor Moody, still clutching his bottle, was perhaps too engrossed in the joyful atmosphere of the hall. His alertness and the blue, demonic eye in his socket had little effect until Amostella's shadow crept onto his contorted face. Only then did he snap out of his daze, hastily rising to his feet, leaning on his cane.

"Oh, is there anything I can do for you, Professor Blaine?"

Professor Moody gripped his flask tightly and spoke in a gruff voice, looking a little nervous.

"Oh, I've come to invite you to dance, Professor Moody—"

Amosta smiled slightly, but upon seeing the astonishment on that grotesque face filled with scars, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Just kidding, Professor Moody. I'm planning to go on patrol outside. Hmm...would you like to come for a walk with me?"

Chapter 715 Step by Step

2024-01-26

Stepping out of the towering gates of the Ice Castle, the two stood for a while, quietly watching the mischievous little wizards running wild in the square.

Having grown tired of fireworks, Fred and George turned their business to 'foreigners,' offering their recently popular canary cookies. Lee Jordan selflessly stepped forward to demonstrate the success of their joke product to the young wizards from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

After a rapid tremor, Li Jordan transformed into a beautiful canary under the watchful eyes of many. He then strode confidently back and forth in front of the crowd, his strange appearance causing Gabrielle to giggle incessantly. Even Fleur's eyes lit up, and she generously pulled out a handful of Galleons from her pearl-embroidered pouch.

Amosta secretly reminded himself that if he received any snack boxes from the junior wizards at school recently, he would definitely remember to check them before eating them.

After watching for a while, Amosta took the lead and walked forward, while Professor Moody turned around and glanced back at the castle that seemed to be built with the purest crystal before silently following behind.

On the right side of the square, on the ice, there is a flowerbed made of vines and beautiful flowers, the work of Professor Sprout.

This undoubtedly provided a good place for students who were unable to control their emotions. Amosta and Moody, who were walking from the flower garden to the lake shore, noticed that in the shadows that the light emanating from the ice castle could not reach, at least seven or eight couples were passionately kissing. Some of them were even 'accidentally' losing their dancing skirts.

Amosta walked quietly through the flowerbeds, her expression unchanged, without making a sound. Moody, however, whose Magic Eyes had observed more details, moved his lips, his expression slightly unnatural, and deliberately softened the sound of his prosthetic leg and cane striking the ice.

Just as the two were about to step out of the area enveloped by the light emanating from the ice fortress, Amosta suddenly stopped at the boundary between light and darkness. Moody's reaction was a little slower; his magic eye only noticed the movement ahead a moment later.

It was Harry and Hermione. They had somehow gotten to the shore and, for some unknown reason, were running breathlessly toward the Ice Castle.

They had no idea they would suddenly run into Professor Blaine and Professor Moody. In their haste to run, they couldn't stop in time. Suppressing the urge to scream, one of them bumped into Professor Moody's arms, and the other fell headfirst into Amosta's arms.

“The socks are beautiful, Potter--”

Professor Moody grinned and said in a gruff voice that his Magic Eye pierced through Harry's robes.

"Oh—yes, Dobby the house-elf knitted it for me, um, a Christmas present."

Harry said breathlessly, seemingly in a hurry to leave, and kept giving Hermione, who seemed dazed from the impact, meaningful glances.

“Watch out, Miss Granger—”

Amostah looked at Hermione, whose nose had bumped into his chest and whose eyes were filled with tears from the pain, and smiled.

"I think Mrs. Pomfrey has had a bit too much to drink tonight. If you have a nose problem, you'll just have to bear with it—"

"Oh, sorry, Professor—"

Hermione rubbed her sore nose, feeling guilty and not daring to look at the two professors' expressions. She racked her brains to come up with a reasonable explanation for her and Harry's flustered behavior. However, Professor Blaine very considerately made way for her, seemingly not intending to pursue the matter.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a knowing glance, both noticing the surprise in each other's eyes. However, they had no time to waste. After a quick apology, they helped each other run toward the Ice Castle and soon blended into the joyful crowd in the square.

Amosta and Moody watched the two men blend into the crowd, then turned around. Before they could even take a step, hurried footsteps echoed from the darkness.

"Amosta and... Moody?"

Professor Snape, wrapped in his robes and with a livid face, rushed over. He frowned and looked at the two of them suspiciously.

"Did you see anyone go by, Amosta?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see anything, Professor Snape—"

Amosta said with a smile,

"Where's Professor Karkaroff? I saw you leave with him."

"Back on the ship—" Snape said in a low voice, "He probably doesn't like the tricks you and Dumbledore have pulled. What are you planning to do?"

"Professor Moody and I plan to patrol the field in case anything goes wrong."

Amosta was still smiling.

"Would you like to go for a walk together, Professor Snape?"

Snape didn't even glance at Moody, but instead stared intently at Amosta, then coldly uttered "Not interested," before quickly walking past the two of them.

It's highly likely that Potter and Granger were following Snape and Karkaroff, and were discovered eavesdropping on their conversation.

A faint sense of crisis rose in Moody's heart, but he couldn't help but feel a few strands of absurdity.

Last time, Karkaroff and Snape's secret meeting was accidentally discovered by Potter and Granger, and this time it was the same situation. For a moment, Moody didn't know whether to lament Snape and Karkaroff's bad luck or laugh at Potter and Granger's audacious courage and boundless curiosity.

But what exactly were Snape and Karkaroff talking about?