The Return to Hogwarts

"She's my student, and the package was sent by Fraser almost right under my nose. It didn't actually contain a bomb, but an evil curse. She was attacked and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in the British magical community. As her professor, and also responsible for my student's safety, I must personally find the mastermind behind this incident and bring her justice—"

A magic academy, the hospital of the magic world.

Louise was momentarily dazed. She realized that the magical world, unknown to the world, was already a highly developed civilization, not the ignorant, barbaric, and backward image she usually saw in some literary works and movies.

Come to think of it, just look at the way Amosta and Kingsley act, they're not the kind of people who hide in the shadows, afraid of being hunted down by the Papacy.

Before she knew it, Louise's anger at being deceived and misled had subsided considerably, especially after Kingsley revealed Amostella Blaine's identity in the wizarding world.

Women's psychology is always very mysterious.

When she learned about the strict Wizarding Secrets Act of the magical world, and that a great figure like Amostella had actually violated the law for her benefit, she felt a touch of emotion and guilt despite her previous uncontrollable anger.

"Feel sorry--"

Louise didn't know how to defend herself for her slightly excessive anger. She pursed her lips, her voice a little timid.

"My brother hurt your student."

“They are all victims, Louise, and what we need to do is seek justice for them—”

Amosta said solemnly that his penetrating gaze saw through the feelings behind Louise's current shame.

"It's normal for you to feel angry about the magical world and about my existence. After all, some scoundrels among the wizards killed your brother, and..."

Amosta paused.

"These dark wizards are conducting human experiments on Muggles, which is absolutely taboo. I was unaware of their existence, and I do bear some responsibility for that."

"This is none of your business, Mr. Blaine—"

Kingsley spoke the truth.

"You and Dumbledore are usually focused on teaching at Hogwarts and rarely interfere with the International Wizarding Confederation's mistakes. If we're going to assign blame for this, we should go to the Italian Ministry of Magic and Whip Dragen; it's undoubtedly their fault—"

Amosta waved his hand, interrupting Kingsley.

"That's for later, Kingsley. What we need to do now is find this group and figure out why they would target Miss Granger."

"Angus Aeschylus--"

When Amosta's gaze fell on her again, Louise knew what she had to say. She bit her lip, mustered her courage, and spoke.

“I don’t know this person; I’ve only heard of him from Valeria. She’s a very nice girl who lived in London for a while, so when she learned I was from London, she was very welcoming. We talked a lot about the different customs and habits of London and Bologna. I remember she told me that she had a boyfriend who was also in a magic society, and that was his name.”

Looking into Amosta's bright, piercing eyes, Louise took a breath, her expression revealing reluctance.

“I had almost forgotten about it, but last night I saw this name on your list and it looked familiar. Just now I saw Valeria’s father and heard that young man’s laughter.”

"Our understanding is that Angus Aeschylus is heading to Berlin, Mr. Brein!"

Kingsley's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"And he set off alone!"

"It's hard to say whether they'll have any allies; perhaps they'll leave England separately."

Amosta pondered for a moment before speaking.

"But without a doubt, we'll probably have to go to Berlin, and it'll just be the three of us, Kingsley. It's inconvenient for your men to enter Berlin at the same time. It's hard for a group of Aurors from the British Ministry of Magic to enter Berlin unnoticed. Even if the dark wizards don't notice, if the German Ministry of Magic discovers something, it could escalate into a serious diplomatic incident. I have some connections in the underground magical community of this country; we can smuggle ourselves out from here—"

Kingsley listened intently until he heard Mr. Blaine's last words. His lips twitched involuntarily. Why did Amosta Blaine have such deep connections in the European underground magic world?

With a flicker of his gaze, Amosta smiled at Louise.

"I must say, Louise, bringing you along was absolutely the right decision, I think."

Amosta looked at Louise, whose expression was still very unnatural, and smiled as he spoke. However, at a certain moment, a short memory suddenly popped into his mind, causing his smile to freeze and his eyebrows to rise sharply!

"You must know that the fairies who got the broadcasting rights for the tournament set up betting odds in Paris, wagering on who would win the three-way championship. A group of Germans are planning to wager a huge sum of money on whether that little girl from the Minerva Academy, who's considered a strong contender for the title, will be able to finish the remaining matches. It's not a small amount."

This is what Ludo Bagman said to him before the Christmas ball!

At the time, Ludo Bagman, a hopeless gambler, tried to recruit him, but when that failed, he asked to borrow money, which was also refused.

He didn't take it seriously at the time, just thinking that a group of people were trying to pull off an upset. But, as Ludo said, that group was from Germany!

Amosta didn't know exactly how much gold the Germans had brought out, but Ludo Bagman was no naive man; the large sum of gold he mentioned couldn't be a small amount. So what made those Germans so confident that Hermione wouldn't be able to finish the next match, instead of betting that she would die in the dangers she faced?!

These are completely two different concepts—

The Germans would only dare to take such a gamble if they were absolutely certain of success!

In the dimly lit, confined room, the fluctuations in his emotions caused Amosta to silently exude a fierce aura, causing the temperature in the cold room to rise rapidly. Kingsley and Louise, noticing the abnormality, stared at Amosta in astonishment.

Did this group attack Hermione for money?

It wasn't impossible for Amosta to have this thought: were they the same group that killed Frazier?

But if it's really just about the gold, then this approach is incredibly foolish.

Chapter 780 Unforgivable Sin

2024-03-01

In order to get more gold from the goblins' gambling den, he didn't hesitate to poison Hermione.

If that's truly their purpose, then these people can only be described as utterly foolish. Putting aside the fact that Hogwarts will definitely investigate thoroughly after the incident, Amosta believes that his and Dumbledore's reputations still hold some value. To take such a huge risk just for gold is beyond just being blinded by greed.

Given the support for Hermione within the British wizarding community and among the general public in other European countries, the attack on Hermione has not yet been made public. However, if the matter remains unresolved, the news will undoubtedly leak out.

The fairies' intelligence system is no joke; it has long since infiltrated every aspect of wizarding society. Once they receive information, they cannot remain inactive. Freezing the bet funds is the bare minimum. Next, the fairies will also seek out these greedy wizards who disrupt the rules and teach them a lesson.

Amosta remained silent, thoughts flashing through his mind.

Logically speaking, this doesn't make any sense. The organization uncovered through Frazier's trail clearly wields considerable influence in Muggle society.

Amosta would never believe that Mr. Pastore was so disheartened by his daughter's disappearance that he donated all his wealth. The most likely explanation is that it was secretly transferred away. But this also shows that this group is not lacking in means to amass wealth.

Unless, these are two completely different groups of people.

Amosta was expressionless, and the light emanating from his eyes was terrifying. Even though he wasn't intentionally trying to intimidate anyone, the pressure he unconsciously exuded still made Louise feel suffocated. She retreated repeatedly until she was more than thirty feet away from the door before she felt a little better.

In the sunlight, clutching her chest, Louise stared at a pair of faintly glowing purple eyes in the darkness. Pale and panting, she finally realized the power of wizards as a special group of people.

Kingsley, unable to bear the intense heat emanating from Amosta, retreated to press his back against the wall, staring with trepidation at Amosta Blaine, whose hair swayed slightly.

There are no coincidences without a reason in the world, and there must be a deeper reason behind what happened to Hermione.

"Kingsley, our plans may need to be changed—"

Amosta demonstrated powerful control over his strength; with a turn of his head, all the anomalies in the confinement room vanished. His tone still carried a strong sense of oppression, making Kingsley feel a tightness in his chest as well.

"I need you to do something --"

Kingsley blinked, suppressing his heart pounding, and stepped forward to await instructions.

"First, there's this Mr. Onisto Pastore—"

Amosta's gaze fell back to the ground, still unconscious, and suffered a miserable fate as a Muggle.

"I'm afraid we have no reason to leave this Mr. Pastore unattended. I would like to request that you personally escort him back to London and place him in the care of St. Mungo's. His condition is not optimistic and he requires professional treatment—"

"I will escort him safely back to London—"

Kingsley nodded solemnly and said in a deep voice.

"Afterwards, take Louise to Berlin and wait for me—"

Amosta solemnly instructed Kingsley,

"Before I get there, don't succumb to the temptation to investigate anything. If I'm not mistaken, there should be a base for these people there. You witnessed the magic that killed Frazier; without the Ministry of Magic's support, it would be extremely dangerous if they discovered anything—"

And you, Mr. Blaine?

Kingsley glanced at Louise, who was approaching, and, understanding the implication in Amostella's words, pressed for an answer.

"I have some new leads, but I'm not sure if they're related to this incident yet, but I need to check them out."

Amosta said in a low voice.

Should we go find Ludo Bagman or Barna?

After some thought, Amosta decided to first inquire with Ludo about the situation. Ludo Bagman was relatively easy to understand; he was greedy and addicted to gambling, but he wasn't cut out to become a dark wizard. Although he had a good personal relationship with that old devil in Paris, the devil's nature and style still made Amosta wary.

He couldn't guarantee that this wasn't a trap set by the fairies and that group of people.

What information did Amosta actually possess?

Louise looked hesitantly at Amosta, who was talking to Kingsley. If it were before, she would have definitely pressed for details, but her outburst just now made her feel embarrassed. Especially after learning about the existence of the magical world and that Amosta Blaine was a top figure in the magical world, she suddenly felt that Amosta was far away and unreal.

"Oh, right, there's a third thing—"

After explaining the two points, Amosta suddenly remembered something. He gestured for Kingsley to step back, waved his wand to move Pastore aside, and lowered his gaze to the floor.

This was certainly not the first time Pastore had smashed the floor. Despite the ravages of time and impacts on the concrete surface, it remained intact without a single fragment falling off. Even with the unusual magical reaction, one could tell what was underneath.

Amosta did not brandish his wand again. Instead, under the curious gazes of Kingsley and Louise, he slowly squatted down, his fingertips brushing across the slightly cool cement floor, leaving messy and irregular marks. Every now and then, he would pause and tap the floor with his fingers.

"what are you doing?"

Louise couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, but then, under Kingsley's stern gaze, she shrank back and patiently continued watching.

"Not the wizarding path"

A few minutes later, Amosta suddenly smiled.