The Return to Hogwarts

"Oh, no need, this is fine--"

Louise pursed her lips, her expression finally softening. She picked up the porcelain bowl with her frozen fingers, and after a few mouthfuls of the scalding hot soup laced with a little euphoria, her tense nerves immediately relaxed. Hunger seized the opportunity to take hold, and Louise's hand, which had only intended to appease Amosta, involuntarily reached for the pumpkin pie and roasted bacon on the plate.

Amosta remained calm with a gentle smile, showing no sign of anxiety.

"Feel sorry--"

After making the phone call yesterday evening, Louise immediately skipped her dinner and rushed to Cockworth. She hadn't eaten for over ten hours, and once her appetite returned, she devoured her breakfast in no time.

"I should have left some for you--"

Looking at the clean plates, Louise bit her greasy lips, her cheeks flushed.

"You're welcome, I've already eaten—"

Amostella handed Louise a napkin. Possessing superb mind control skills and the formidable mental power of a great mage, he sensed the girl's emotions had calmed considerably. He leaned back on the soft sofa and delivered his prepared remarks—

"Here's the situation—"

Amosta said calmly.

"It happened two days ago. At a school in London, a girl named Hermione Granger received a package."

This girl was academically excellent and had a small reputation in certain fields. She often received gifts from fans all over the world. So, when she received that package from an unknown sender, she didn't suspect anything. Instead, she took it directly from the post office and opened it with her friend in a coffee shop.

Louise listened intently to Amosta's story, seemingly regaining some of her work-related focus.

"That package contained a bomb—"

"bomb?!"

Louise, who had been relatively calm just moments before, suddenly tensed up and gasped in alarm.

"Yes--"

Amosta pursed his lips and said,

"The girl was seriously injured and is still in critical condition in the hospital. The explosion also affected some innocent customers in the store. I mean, the 'customers'."

Louise was stunned for several seconds before she came to her senses. Instead of pressing Amosta for details about who had sent the bomb, she looked puzzled and said…

“I haven’t heard of this, Mr. Blaine—”

Louise frowned.

"Perhaps you've forgotten, Mr. Blaine, I'm a reporter for the London Daily. Well, I'm still an intern, but if such a serious bombing were to occur in London, the newspaper would certainly be informed, but..."

Louise's lips parted slightly, revealing a hint of color returning to them.

"I haven't heard a thing—"

Looking at the Muggle girl with a puzzled expression and a tense body, Amosta raised an eyebrow, his breath catching slightly. He had to admit that he had indeed forgotten that Louise was a reporter for a well-known newspaper.

"Yes, you know, Louise—"

But in a flash, Amosta had already prepared an explanation. His voice was low, and a deep light gleamed in his eyes.

"A bomb attack. This isn't just an ordinary assault; it could easily be classified as a terrorist attack. If this gets out, it could plunge the entire city into panic. That's why we were ordered to investigate this matter—"

"Oh!"

Louise immediately looked displeased and said in a strong tone,

"Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Blaine, but your thinking is wrong. The government has been doing stupid things for a long time, but the public has the right to know, Mr. Blaine. This is our right, and you have no right to infringe upon it!"

Louise's sudden reaction caught Amosta off guard, but he quickly interrupted her impending long-winded explanation.

“We’ll discuss that later, Louise—” Amosta waved her hand, “We’re discussing Fraser right now.”

"Oh, Frazier!"

Louise also came to her senses, her expression composed, but her eyes revealed complex emotions.

"Was the bomb sent to the injured girl by Frazier?"

Amosta nodded slightly.

"We traced it back to the owner of a bar near Charing Cross Road, who then forwarded the package containing the bomb to the girl. Based on the information provided by the bar owner, we tracked down Kirkworth last night."

Seeing the girl's gloomy face, Amosta's tone softened.

“But by the time we got there, Fraser had already lost his life. You know what that means, Louise?”

Louise nodded. As an intern reporter, her logical thinking skills were stronger than those of the average Muggle.

"--This means that someone was behind Frazier. He was being used—"

Reason could not completely overcome emotion; Louise covered her face, sobbing.

But her appearance caused a glint to flash in Amosta's eyes.

The grief shown by this Muggle girl, who was unexpectedly dragged into the situation, was perfectly normal given the loss of her loved one. However, her reaction to Frazier being instructed to deliver a bomb to an innocent girl was too nonchalant, as if she had expected something like this to happen!

The words she blurted out when she answered the phone last night, "You're one of those guys who seduced him," were what ultimately made Amosta decide to meet the girl in person.

Where is Frazier?

A few minutes later, Louise stopped sobbing and looked at Amosta with red eyes.

Amosta understood what Louise meant, and although he felt apologetic, he still spoke.

"I'm sorry, Louise, this matter is rather special and serious. We need to... well, you understand? The relevant departments are looking for clues about him... so we can't return him to you yet—"

This is undoubtedly a lie. The person who did this cleanly disposed of everything; Frazier had nothing left, including his body.

“I knew he would make a big mistake sooner or later—” Louise said in a hoarse voice after a moment of silence.

Amosta's eyelids trembled slightly, but he remained attentive and spoke calmly.

"Can you tell me about Frazier, and about the guys you mentioned who seduced him?"

It was indeed cruel to force her to recall these things when her loved one had passed away, but Amosta did not want to use any more 'cruel' methods on Louise, so he could only try to persuade her gently.

"The old Frazier wasn't like this—"

Hatred flashed in Louise's eyes.

"Some people deceive Fraser by saying that magic exists in this world."

Chapter 766 Frazier's Bewitching Influence

2024-02-18

Before I knew it, the sky outside had become even more gloomy. The river next to the villa was drenched in a more rapid drizzle, creating fine ripples on its surface. But the chill in the air had dissipated considerably, and the wind that blew over the city carried a hint of warmth.

"--Fraser is my older brother, he's two years older than me—"

Louise curled up on the sofa, wrapped her arms around her legs again, and said sadly,

"He's kind, warm-hearted, and loves making friends. Plus, he always had excellent grades—in short, he's my parents' pride. When he was home, we were very close. I'll never forget how, when he was in high school, he liked a girl in the next class, and he went to great lengths to get my help in figuring out how to pursue her."

Louise was in a state of grief, and recalling the past was a cruel thing for her. Her narration was intermittent, and she would occasionally stop to silently shed tears.

But through her account, Amosta still managed to form a model of Fraser's image and personality in her mind.

Hermione's attack was more complicated than she and Dumbledore had imagined. They initially thought Frazier, this Muggle, was just unlucky to be chosen, but now it seemed things weren't so simple. Behind him wasn't just one or two instigators, but an entire organization.

"My mother and I both wanted Fraser to stay in England for university, but he insisted on going to Italy because the girl he liked loved the country's artistic atmosphere. They only dated for two months before breaking up because Loria fell in love with a rich and handsome guy—"

Louise bit her lip, transferring some of her hatred onto Loria. If it weren't for her, Frazier wouldn't have chosen to go to that country.

Italy--

Amosta's eyes flickered.

Which school did he go to?

"Bologna--"

Louise said,

"That university has a long history and is considered the alma mater of all universities in Europe. It has produced many famous figures and is a leader in the fields of theology and art. But Fraser originally wanted to be an engineer who designs cars."

Amosta nodded slightly, indicating that he had heard of the university.

"And then?" Amosta asked, his tone revealing appropriate curiosity. "What unusual thing happened?"

"Everything was normal at first. In the first two months, Fraser wrote a lot of letters to my parents and me, telling us how helpful the school was. He also sent me several sculptures he made himself."

A few glistening tears clung to Louise's eyelashes; her voice was wistful, conveying a sense of fragility and desolation.

"During his first Christmas break, he came back and told us about his life at school, the fun things, and the new friends he made. He also told us that he had been accepted into a small student club, and what the club's purpose was."

Louise gave the composed Amosta a ridiculous smile.

"It's for the study of magic—"

Amosta did not show the mocking expression Louise had expected. He simply nodded slightly, and then his eyes became even more profound, as if they were unfathomable in the darkness filled with mist.

"--It's really no big deal,"

Louise continued,

"I later learned that these groups weren't just in that school, but were common in any university, studying magic, religion, and deities. In universities, this kind of cool stuff has a lot of followers—"

"Indeed, it's not uncommon."