The Return to Hogwarts

A black frog, that's really rare!

So, these two men with such incredible abilities have their eyes on the mailman's package; are they planning to rob it?

"These are indeed the records from the Hogsmeade post office—"

"Violated the Wizarding Secrecy Act. You're in trouble!"

"The higher-ups require that just bad luck isn't enough; the situation must be serious enough to be a problem that those two at Hogwarts can't handle!"

Lawrence finally managed to control his astonishment and stopped thinking about how the frogs were levitating in mid-air. His attention shifted to the two men, who were facing each other and whispering something. However, at this distance, he couldn't possibly hear what they were plotting.

Two minutes later, the two men finally reached an agreement, and they both looked at the postman who was soaked by the rain.

In his mind, Lawrence had already sentenced the unfortunate postman to death, but when the two mysterious men's gazes fell on the postman, Lawrence still felt a chill run down his spine.

Of the frogs floating in the air, all but one were released.

The soaking wet frogs immediately fled the troublesome place. They hopped quickly, slipped through an iron fence embedded in the ground by the roadside, and disappeared into the drainage pipe.

And the remaining one—

Lawrence's clenched gaze drifted toward the postman lying on the ground, facing across the street.

Under the control of some unknown force, the black frog floated into the immobilized postman's open mouth and burrowed into his throat!

Well!

The postman's gaze suddenly fixed on the spot. His immobile body began to tremble violently. A strong and painful feeling of suffocation continued to torment his nerves. His eyes, filled with despair, began to roll upwards, and blood vessels visibly spread across the exposed whites of his eyes!

The two men in black trench coats remained motionless, coldly watching the scene and quietly waiting for the Muggle to die.

The mailman's struggle didn't last long, but Lawrence, who was watching this scene, felt that every second was as long as an eternity. In the cold, rainy weather, his back and forehead, which were soaked, were covered in fine sweat!

When the mailman stopped moving completely, he subconsciously held his breath and gently exhaled, a feeling of dizziness creeping into his mind!

"Should we tidy up?"

"This already looks like an accident scene; there's no need to tamper with it—"

The one who was in control said,

"Notify the Muggle police; the department will be informed soon. I believe those big shots have already made arrangements on how to utilize this—"

After exchanging words for a while, the two looked around again. The one in charge did indeed spot the narrow gap across the street, but it wasn't a passageway; it was just a gap between two buildings. After a quick glance, he figured it was unlikely that any Muggle would be foolish enough to squeeze through, so he looked away.

Let's go--

He said.

Chapter 771 Please do as you please

2024-02-25

Unfortunately, Amosta, Kingsley, and Louise didn't have time to have dinner in Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, because a Muggle had infiltrated their group, which directly limited the efficiency of Amosta and Kingsley's operations.

Amosta's original plan was to take Kingsley to Italy with an illegal door key obtained by a smuggler.

Apparition becomes incredibly time-consuming at this distance. It would be manageable if Amosta were alone, but with Kingsley on the team, it would be extremely difficult. Without prior coordinates, they would have to rely on the official fireplace, as FlooNet is constantly monitored by the Italian Ministry of Magic, and being caught illegally entering the country by the Italian Ministry of Magic would be even more troublesome.

They can only travel by Muggle planes.

Although the Aurors' efficiency was astonishing, Kingsley's men quickly managed to purchase three same-day tickets for them through clever means (three Muggles unwittingly canceled their tickets), but the terrible weather in London that day caused the flight to be delayed by nearly four hours.

By the time they arrived at Guglielmo Marconi International Airport and checked into the Arcadilla Hotel, which they had booked by phone, it was already 11 p.m.

In this city steeped in history, there are hardly any fast food restaurants open at this time of day.

Moreover, compared to the energetic wizard, Louise, who had just experienced the grief of losing her loved ones, embarked on a bumpy journey without stopping. By the time she arrived at the hotel, she was so exhausted that she needed Amosta's help to walk.

Late at night, the room in Amosta was the only one in the hotel with its lights still on.

Bologna's winter climate is even worse than London's. Although the snow in the city has melted, the streets and alleys, steeped in history and antiquity, are filled with a thick and cold fog, and the damp and cold wind howling over the city is like the howling of a female ghost.

"--This is the list I just received, Mr. Blaine--"

Amostella sat on the armchair near the window, took the parchment from Kingsley, and began to read it carefully.

"The list we obtained from Friedel, Bagdal, and Nera contains the names of all the wizards who left Britain smuggled out of the country from the time Fraser sent that package until today—"

Under the dim light, Amosta's expression revealed a hint of helplessness as he looked at the parchment.

The parchment, when fully unfolded, was nearly twenty inches long, and densely covered from top to bottom with writings about wizards and the countries they were traveling to. If there were no surprises, the mastermind behind this—no, not quite—was, at least, the one who controlled Frazier to send the package and turned him into an infernal, was hidden inside.

Amosta looked at the list intently. With his memory and mental strength, he could basically memorize anything he had read carefully once.

Mr. Blaine

After a moment's hesitation, Kingsley called out softly, and Amosta didn't speak, only responding with a nasal tone.

"Do you really think this list is meaningful?"

When Amosta looked up at him, Kingsley continued in a hoarse voice.

"Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Blaine, but I've dealt with wizards living in the shadows for many years. I know them. These people live by the motto of caution, and from what I know of them, most of these smugglers won't use their real names—"

Amosta smiled, lowered his head, and continued reciting the list on the parchment.

"What kind of person do you think would do these things, Kingsley? I mean, knowing that Hogwarts has me and Dumbledore, and that Hermione is currently one of the most sought-after Triwizard Tournament fighters in the European wizarding world, yet still dared to persecute her; and using the time difference to send packages with Old Tom, and turning Frazier, who once served them, into an Inferi and using Frazier's body as a trap. Oh, and what Louise told us about, that they experimented on Muggle babies and pregnant women to study the secrets of obtaining magic. What kind of person would do all these things?"

"Bold and reckless, cautious and clever. Evil and cruel--"

Kingsley frowned, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. After a few seconds of thought, he gave his answer.

"And pride, that's the most important thing--"

Amosta didn't look up, a smile on his face, seemingly unperturbed that these people didn't take him seriously.

"I think there are two possibilities for the person who would dare to do these things, Kingsley: either the real mastermind behind this series of events is fearless, and doesn't care about my and Dumbledore's reputation, the power of the British Ministry of Magic, or even the International Confederation of Wizards—"

After a moment's thought, Kingsley nodded heavily.

"--The second possibility is that he is very confident in his own intelligence, confident that our investigation can only reach Frazer at most, and that we will never be able to find them, understand, Kingsley?"

You mean to say--

Kingsley narrowed his eyes, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Because of their pride, these people may disdain hiding their real names. It's not that they're not cautious enough, but rather that they disdain it?"

Amostah nodded slightly, folded the parchment, placed it on the coffee table beside him, then sank into the sofa and gazed at the exquisite electric light hanging from the ceiling.

"I believe these guys wouldn't bother hiding their names. The problem is, there are too many people on the list, and we don't have enough time or manpower to investigate this matter—"

"We can allocate them—!"

Du, du, du—

Kingsley was about to say something when a sudden knock on the door interrupted him. He glanced at the door in surprise, then instinctively looked at the clock hanging on the wall with its teak face and brass hands.

1:10 a.m.!

Kingsley's eyebrows furrowed even more, and though he didn't utter a sound, his hand reached for his wand.

"Please come in--"

Amosta's gaze swept across the doorway, he paused briefly, and then spoke in a deep voice.

Click——

After the crisp sound of the spring machine amplified, the door was pushed open, and Louise walked in with trepidation and unease.

She seemed to have just gotten out of bed, still wearing a light blue silk nightgown with openwork patterns on the chest and cuffs. The nightgown just touched her knees, exposing her round and pert calves to the air.

Louise's long, curly blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she wore a coat, but it couldn't completely ward off the chill in the night air. Her two long, slender legs were pressed together, her knees rubbing against each other unconsciously, and under the gentle, warm light, the pale blue veins on her fair skin were faintly visible.

Kingsley frowned, staring at Louise with a puzzled look in his eyes, but as the awkward silence continued, his brow gradually relaxed, as if he realized or misunderstood something.

"Oh, sorry, I was just... well, if you're talking about something important!"

Louise hadn't expected Kingsley to be in Amosta's room. She just couldn't sleep, and while standing by the window, she saw the light was still on in Amosta's room. But she clearly realized that her presence in a man's room so late at night would cause misunderstandings, and she panicked, trying to leave the room, however—

"Please don't go, Miss Andelle!"

Kingsley, usually so stern, shuddered. He quickly packed up the documents he had brought, leaving only the list behind. Before leaving, he gave Amosta a mocking look. As far as he knew, this young Amosta Blaine, who had achieved so many incredible accomplishments, was still single.

“I have finished my report, Miss Andel. If you have any questions about the case that you would like to ask Mr. Blaine—”

As Kingsley passed by Louise, who was cowering in fright, he smiled for the first time in days.

Please make yourself at home.

Chapter 772 It's unfair!

2024-02-26

Click——

Kingsley gently nudged Louise, and before leaving, he thoughtfully closed the door for the two people in the room.

Silence lingered in the room, the atmosphere slightly awkward. Soft light shone on Louise's slightly pink cheeks as she gently bit her lip, already regretting her impulsive decision to come and chat with someone.

"Is there anything I can do to help you, Louise?"

Amosta's voice remained gentle, seemingly unaware that it was a very romantic thing for two single men and women to be alone in a room late at night.