The Return to Hogwarts

This question seemed to be a hot topic at the orphanage, drawing the attention of all the children who eagerly awaited Hermione's answer.

"Girls I... I'm dating?" Hermione bit her lip, her cheeks flushing. "Sorry, I don't know. Well, as far as I know, I don't think I have any—"

A sigh erupted from the children in the orphanage, and little Hammer, looking rather eccentric, sighed and shook his head.

"He's just not good at this. It's such a shame. I wish he could be with Sister Vitia—"

Chapter 727 Clona and Hill

2024-02-01

"Sister Vivitia?"

Hermione's expression visibly froze, and not only her, but Sirius, Remus, Harry, and even the slow-moving Ron, all had a horrified look on their faces after they realized what was happening.

"Yes!"

Hammer was still immersed in disappointment and didn't notice the strange expressions on the faces of the group in front of him. His tone was full of regret.

"Sister Vitia is the gentlest girl we've ever met. She's a very kind person and even helped us with our school enrollment issues. Oh, and Brother Amosta even went on a date with her. We thought they were going to get together!"

The children around nodded in agreement, all looking regretful.

"I'm sorry, if you mean Vitia Kriona."

Hermione stammered as she asked, while Sirius and Remus, who had been listening to the topic with great interest, became solemn.

"Vitia Kriona?"

Hammer blinked, puzzled, and said, "It's Vitia Hill."

Vitia Kriona and Vitia Hill? Is that two people, or one person?!

"Could you tell me what Ms. Hill looks like?"

Sirius unconsciously leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Hammer.

“Wow, she’s the prettiest girl we’ve ever seen!” another little boy exclaimed eagerly. “Sister Vitia has such beautiful emerald green hair, she--”

"In my opinion, everyone—"

Sometime later, Amosta had appeared at the back of the crowd, looking at Sirius and the others with a 'smiling face'.

"Shall we leave this topic here?"

Hermione, Harry, and Ron were already sweating profusely after being swept over by Professor Blaine's slightly chilling gaze. However, Hammer just pouted, seemingly unfazed.

"Don't be so shy, Brother Amosta, we're just discussing what has already happened!"

“If you have no objections, Hammer—” Amosta’s face darkened, “After dinner, I’d like to check your holiday homework. If I find that your error rate is too high, then you can forget about leaving your room for the rest of the holiday!”

hula-

Fearing they might be caught in the crossfire, the children scattered from Sirius and his friends. Hammer made a face at the cold-faced Amostella, then hurriedly picked up his plate and ran off elsewhere.

Amosta, who had been taking care of the children, hadn't even had a chance to taste the food he had made himself. He took his plate and sat down next to Sirius, gulping down the already cold pie.

As Remus had previously mentioned, they were looking for Amosta because of some important business secrets. So, the orphanage children obediently kept their distance and closed their ears to avoid eavesdropping on their conversation. Amosta finally had time to talk to these guys about why they had come here.

"You three--"

Amosta raised an eyebrow at Harry and his two friends, who were huddled across the table, and the three of them immediately sat up straight.

"I suppose you've all done a good job with your holiday homework, right? You have plenty of time to wander around?"

Harry and Ron tensed up immediately. In fact, they hadn't even started dealing with those annoying holiday assignments yet, while Hermione looked more relaxed, having already finished them before the ball.

"Oh, don't be angry, Amosta--"

Sirius chuckled lightly.

"I just brought them out for a walk to clear their heads, aren't you curious how we found this place?"

If he were truly furious, Amosta wouldn't have let them in at all, he hummed softly.

"Only Severus and Dumbledore know about this place, and I don't think they'll tell you. Did you find out from the Ministry of Magic's records?"

Although it was a question, Amosta spoke with great certainty.

"Nothing can be hidden from you." Sirius scratched his head and chuckled.

"Amosta--"

The somber look on Remus's face hadn't faded. He knew that Amosta probably didn't want to discuss this issue, otherwise she wouldn't have stopped him earlier. However, it was something he was very curious about, and it was also of great importance.

“Vetia Kriona and Vitia Hill—”

Remus said softly,

"They're the same person, right? Emerald green hair is very rare; this must be caused by some ancient magic of the sorceress. What's going on?"

It's common knowledge that Amosta Blaine and the vicious dark witch, Vitia Creona, know each other. Many people witnessed their brief exchange during the Quidditch final, and through word of mouth, it has evolved into many farcical speculations.

Some even speculated that the reason Vitia Kriona was able to escape that night with the help of a terrifying-looking dark wizard was because Amosta Blaine had shown mercy to her 'former lover'.

According to both Amosta herself and the Ministry of Magic, Amosta had pursued Vitia Creona and her group of dark wizards, but she managed to escape.

One compelling piece of evidence refuting those far-fetched speculations is that, shortly after the Quidditch final night, Vitia Creona, who had committed a serious crime, was arrested in a joint operation between Amostrath Blaine and the Ministry of Magic, and is currently being held in Azkaban.

After the Daily Prophet published this encouraging news, the clamor immediately disappeared.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had always firmly believed in Professor Blaine's explanation, thinking that the woman was indeed just a dark wizard who had been hunted down by Professor Blaine. However, the unintentional remark from the little boy named Hammer had completely overturned their beliefs.

That Clona used to be from this orphanage. They even went on dates?!

Hermione stared wide-eyed at Professor Blaine; she could only think of one plausible explanation—

Vitia Creona appeared in Harry's dream with the Man of Void, and that night she appeared at the Quidditch match to kidnap Harry. Perhaps that woman once disguised herself as a kind Muggle to approach these children in the orphanage, hoping to get close to Professor Blaine through them, and then fled in panic after being exposed by the professor.

"I'll share this with you when the time is right—"

Amosta said, but from his indifferent expression, they all knew that this was probably just an excuse, and that Amosta had no intention of sharing this secret with them at all.

As night fell, the suburban nightlife was far less exciting than that of the city center. Just past ten o'clock, the desolate howling outside the window even made Harry feel a bit like he was still in his Hogwarts dormitory.

Although the orphanage's six-story building had many rooms, there were far more children and staff living there, and there simply wasn't enough room available for them. So, the five people from the wizarding world had to squeeze into a large dormitory room with three highland beds. Hermione's presence made it a little inconvenient, but the group didn't plan to stay long; they were just making do for one night.

Once out of Muggle sight, using magic was no longer a taboo. Remus expanded the space in the dormitory and then separated Hermione's private highland bed with a curtain, which undoubtedly made Hermione much more relaxed. After quietly changing into her pajamas under the covers, Hermione pulled back the curtain and walked towards the group who were discussing things.

Wearing a sky-blue nightgown and with her hair tied back with a hair tie, Hermione looked like a girl next door attending a Muggle high school. Among a group of men, the fresh scent emanating from her was particularly noticeable. Ron kept twitching his nostrils, but he didn't glance at her again.

"What are you talking about?"

Although Ron was avoiding Hermione's gaze, Hermione sat openly on the edge of Ron's bed, looking at his profile and asking a question.

"We were talking about whether the Muggle children living in the orphanage where Amostella grew up would still be safe if Voldemort really came back."

Remus answered the question with great concern.

Chapter 728 is planned

2024-02-01

Mr. Parker, who was in charge of the construction of the orphanage, was a very kind Muggle. Otherwise, Amosta would not have agreed to let him undertake the construction project of the orphanage. The building had a simple design, but the construction quality was undoubtedly excellent.

ah-

However, on a frigid night, even excellent construction quality couldn't stop the pervasive chill. And obviously, it was impossible for every room in such a dormitory to have a fireplace. So, Hermione, chilled to the bone, had barely sat down to say a word when her body began to shiver and she sneezed unexpectedly.

She was used to the warm environment of Hogwarts dormitories and was finding it a little difficult to adjust at first.

call--

Sirius Black drew his wand and swung it sharply. A burst of purple magic fire shot out from the tip of the wand, condensing into a fireball the size of a washbasin between the beds, continuously releasing heat.

The chilly air quickly warmed up like a hot spring, even becoming slightly hot. Harry and Ron pulled back the blankets they were wrapped in, and their pale faces gradually regained their color.

"Oh, thank you, Sirius, that feels much better--"

Hermione's hunched shoulders relaxed again, and she nodded gratefully to Sirius, but then her brow furrowed once more.

"What's going on, Remus?"

Hermione asked nervously,

"Isn't the orphanage protected by Professor Blaine's magic? Can't it—"

"Voldemort's attempt to break through the profound magic of the Faithful Charm is wishful thinking. Otherwise, Dumbledore wouldn't have chosen to use it to protect James and Lily—"

Sirius said calmly.

But the problem is --

Remus continued speaking,

"The prerequisite is that everyone in this orphanage must stay within the area protected by the Faithful Charm and not go outside. If even one person leaves the protected area, I think you all understand that, besides Albus, Amostra will also be seen as a thorn in Voldemort's side. He will do everything in his power to get rid of him, and if he can't do that, he will turn on those around him."

"You mean, the mysterious person will kidnap those children—"

Thinking of those innocent, smiling faces, Hermione turned pale and her heart clenched.

He will definitely do it—

Sirius's eyes were filled with hatred. "He will investigate everyone connected to Amostella, then capture them and use them to threaten Amostella. Years ago, when Voldemort was in power, this was his specialty for dealing with wizards who refused to submit to him!"