The Return to Hogwarts

Chapter 717 The Priestess's True Form Exposed

2024-01-28

Hogwarts never holds grudges. That's why this ancient magic school has survived countless hardships throughout history and still exists today.

Moody seemed deeply moved; his normal eye sometimes showed confusion, sometimes pain, and sometimes hatred. The intense emotions made his body tremble as he sat by the lake, his heart struggling fiercely!

Forget those deep-seated hatreds?

How long has the civilization of Muggles and wizards lasted? For over a dozen centuries, they, the Druids, have been consumed by hatred—an unforgivable hatred. But Blaine says, to survive, forget that hatred.

Amostah knew how much his words would affect the person opposite him, and he also knew that he was asking too much of them. However, as an outsider, he had a broader perspective than Vitia. What were these druids fantasizing about?

Destroy the Papacy?

Don't joke around. Just like what he said to Vitia, the Holy See, like Hogwarts, is a faith, a belief, in the hearts of Muggles; it cannot be destroyed. Moreover, there's its all-knowing influence in the Muggle world and the Holy See's unfathomable, extraordinary power hidden in the shadows.

Hoping to side with Voldemort, and after the Dark Lord conquers the wizarding world, to use all the power of the wizarding world to fight the Holy See to the death?

Amos Tower did not doubt Voldemort's ambition to enslave the Muggle world after conquering the British wizarding world. However, he considered such ambition to be nothing more than wishful thinking. Voldemort had never taken Muggles seriously, nor did he understand their potential. If he were to attempt to overthrow the order of the Muggle world, then all the powerful and extraordinary forces and civilizations around the world would swarm him and tear him apart.

The silence lasted for a long time. Amosta didn't say anything more, just silently finished off his skewers, while Moody remained in a daze, the half-eaten piece of grilled meat that Amosta had handed him earlier still in his hand.

"call--"

The house-elves had brought a lot of roasted meat, and Amosta managed to eat only a small portion despite his best efforts. He put down his skewer, gazed at the ice castle, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"I'm going back to the orphanage tomorrow--"

Suddenly, Amosta said abruptly.

"Oh--"

Moody hadn't expected Amosta to bring this up so suddenly. He stammered a reply, his mind drifting to the orphanage and the children there.

She felt guilty towards the children in that orphanage. She approached the orphanage with ulterior motives, and after achieving her goal, she quietly left, undoubtedly hurting the children's feelings. Most tragically, she was so engrossed in her revenge that she remained oblivious to this.

Moody realized that Amosta was tilting her head and staring at him, and suddenly woke up. Moody was not Vitia Kriona.

"Orphanage?"

Moody struggled to gather his jumbled, gloomy thoughts and exclaimed in surprise,

"You grew up in a Muggle orphanage? Sorry, I've never heard of that!"

Amosta's lips twitched, and he looked away.

She had investigated some of Amosta Blaine's past at the orphanage. She knew that Amosta Blaine had been abandoned at birth, and his mother had tried to throw him into the river not far from the orphanage. It was an old man who had already passed away at the orphanage who desperately saved him.

If Blaine's parents had known that their child would achieve such great things, would they have regretted abandoning him?

Did Amosta Blaine ever try to find his father?

At least, my parents love me very much, and they sacrificed themselves to protect me.

Vitia was startled by the thought that popped into her mind. Over the years, she had never forgotten the night when the light of hatred shone again. She remembered hatred, and only hatred. She seemed to have forgotten that her parents died to protect her.

"Do you hate them?"

"Out of control," Moody blurted out.

Do you hate them?

The sound that reached his ears momentarily distracted Amosta; this was the second time he had heard this question.

In the orphanage, such topics were taboo. Neither the orphanage staff nor the children living there would bring up their parents who had abandoned them.

Amossta first heard this question from Harry.

"The staff at the orphanage and the children I grew up with gave me a happy childhood—"

Amosta's answer to Vitia was different from Harry's; he smiled and said...

"Life at Hogwarts was also very fulfilling and joyful. Severus took great care of me back then, and Dumbledore was also very concerned about me. Ah, of course, his concern had ulterior motives, but I think having these things is enough."

Moody pursed his dry lips.

“Speaking of which—” Amosta’s tone softened, and he smiled as he said, “How are your old buddies doing, Professor Moody? Are they receiving care and treatment?”

Moody was stunned for several seconds before he realized what Blaine was saying.

“Hmm—” Moody nodded. “Thanks to your help, Blaine—”

Amosta Blaine knew perfectly well what she was implying.

"To downplay hatred and focus on the beauty we have in front of us is the most important thing"—this is what Amostella wants to express, which is more like the philosophy of the Druid. On the contrary, she has been distorted beyond recognition by hatred and has become increasingly indifferent to wrong and evil acts.

boom--

A crisp explosion pierced through the howling wind and snow and reached Amosta's ears. He looked towards the Ice Castle, where a series of dazzling fireworks were blooming in the sky above the square in front of the castle. The young wizards were probably having a final celebration, setting off all the Felba fireworks that Amosta had gotten in one go.

Moody was also captivated by the dazzling display at the Ice Castle. He gazed at the beautiful fireworks with a look of fascination.

However, a sudden, strange sensation in his body made Moody stand up abruptly. His heart was pounding rapidly, and his eyes were filled with horror.

Moody's hideous face suddenly began to contort, like a lump of clay being kneaded by a large hand. The eye socket that was stuffed with the demonic eye was also swollen and painful. The blue demonic eye made a cracking sound, as if it was about to be squeezed out by the newly formed pupil in the eye socket. The hideous scars on his cheek began to disappear, and his skin color became whiter at a visible speed. At the same time, many vibrant green hairs quietly appeared in the gaps of his gray hair.

pat!

The wooden leg fell to the ground with a thud, and the new leg was growing rapidly!

Oops!

Moody was horrified; he immediately realized what had happened.

Since leaving the Ice Castle with Amosta, he hasn't drunk a drop of Polyjuice Potion. Now, the time to transform has come, and he's about to be exposed!

Honestly, the exposure probably happened a long time ago. Amosta probably realized it long ago, and he should have found out the night before the Warriors Selection. However, for some reason she didn't understand, perhaps wanting to figure out why she infiltrated Hogwarts, Amosta never confronted her.

The two had maintained this wonderful tacit understanding, but now that understanding was gone, and she was about to reveal her true identity to Amosta Blaine.

Her eyes, now emerald green, were filled with boundless panic. This was not only because her and Voldemort's plan was about to fail completely, but also for other reasons, perhaps even more important ones.

She didn't want to face Amosta Blaine because of guilt, and some other inexplicable factors.

"Oh--"

Amostella, whose back was to Vitia, suddenly called out.

"It's getting late. I think it's time to put those kids who've been playing too hard to bed."

With that, Amosta jumped off the ice and headed towards the ice castle without looking back.

"Professor Moody, could you and your house-elves please clean up the grill and those empty bottles?"

Amosta waved with his back to the lakeside, then strode into the blizzard.

Snap--

The magic barrier shattered, and the wind and snow encroached upon this small patch of clear world. On the lake shore, Vitia, with her emerald green hair flying wildly, stood there, gazing intently at Amosta's fading figure.

Chapter 718 Going on vacation to Grimmauld Place

2024-01-28

On the second day after Christmas, when Harry opened his sleepy eyes and climbed out of his four-poster bed, he found that the snow outside had stopped. Pale sunlight shone into the dormitory through the drawn curtains and had already climbed up the wall opposite the bed. Harry glanced at the wall clock and realized that it was not long before lunchtime.

The dormitory was quiet. Apart from Ron, who was snoring softly with his head buried in the blankets, Neville, Seamus, and Dean's bedding and luggage had all disappeared. They had stayed an extra day for the ball and had already left the school on the early Hogwarts Express.

In fact, most of the students who stayed behind were there for last night's ball. Harry would bet that Beauxbatons' carriage and Durmstrang's ghost ship would be almost empty today.

Harry threw off the covers and dawdled off the ship. He crumpled up the expensive suit that Mrs. Weasley had chosen for him, which was lying by the bed, and threw it into the laundry basket. He might not have another chance to wear it until after he graduated from Hogwarts.

Dizzy and disoriented, Harry walked to the bedside to the rhythmic chimes of the clock, gazing at the pristine white world outside the window.

At first glance, Harry noticed that the fairytale-like ice castle on the Black Lake had vanished, and Durmstrang's ghost ship was now the only remaining structure on the frozen Black Lake.

This discovery left Harry feeling a pang of disappointment. Regardless, the ball held last night in the ice castle created by the school's professors was undoubtedly one of the most memorable nights of his Hogwarts experience. Harry bet the young wizards who didn't attend the ball would be furious when they heard about their extraordinary night.

Hatch—

Harry stood by the window, yawning incessantly. This was not solely due to the ball the previous night, but rather because after the ball, as the students returned to the castle under the guidance of the professors, Hermione suddenly and quietly pulled him and Ron, who had inexplicably danced with Lavender for quite a while, aside, saying she was going to the library and asking if they would like to accompany him.

Upon hearing this, Harry and a slightly drunk Ron almost thought Hermione had gone mad.

It's not unusual for Hermione to go to the library at any time of the semester, but last night was the Christmas Ball, a chance every young wizard has only once at Hogwarts, since the Triwizard Tournament is held every five years.

However, after Hermione explained the reason, Harry and Ron willingly went with her.

Regardless, figuring out the secret of the golden egg Hermione obtained after the first match was of paramount importance, as it concerned Hermione's safety in the second match.

Gurgle--

The growling of his stomach pulled Harry back from his wandering thoughts. He rubbed his stomach, glanced at the door, then looked back at his bed. Just as he was hesitating between sleepiness and hunger, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the dormitory door, followed by—

Clang!

The dormitory door was pushed open forcefully, and Hermione appeared before him, panting.

The exquisite and beautiful Hermione from last night was gone. Now, standing before him, Hermione's hair was disheveled again. She was wearing a yellow sweater that was much lighter in color than the Crookshanks she was holding, paired with light blue jeans. She looked like an ordinary girl next door.

"I can't believe it--"

Hermione's face was still flushed with excitement as she rushed into the dormitory, but when she saw Harry, still in his pajamas and looking bewildered by the window, and Ron, awakened by the sound of the door being pushed open and struggling to get out of bed, she immediately frowned.