The Return to Hogwarts

Hein slightly widened his eyes.

"The young master was no longer young at that time, but he suddenly brought back a little girl."

"Is that girl Jasna Vogel?" Kingsley asked in a deep voice.

"The old master and Hein were very happy. We thought that young master Adam had secretly started a family outside, but young master Adam told us that Jasna was not his offspring, but the child of one of his friends. He said that Miss Jasna's parents and grandparents had sacrificed for that dream, so he renamed her and decided to adopt her."

Amosta's brow furrowed deeply, as if he had keenly sensed something, but he remained calm and patiently continued to listen.

"Although they felt regretful, the old master and Hein were still very happy. Hein thought that with Miss Gassna, young master Adam could finally live a peaceful life. He and Miss Gassna could spend more time with the old master, who had been very lonely for so many years since the mistress passed away."

Hein's long, soft white fur swayed gently in the breeze by the river. It blew its nose hard, and its large, tennis ball-sized eyes welled up with tears, as if it were grieving for its owner's desolate and lonely old age.

"That was the first time in so many years since the young master graduated that he had stayed at home for so long. The old master and Hein both thought he had decided to stay. The old master had already planned to send Miss Jasna to Durmstrang for magical education when she turned eleven."

But a few weeks later, young Master Adam suddenly told us that he was taking Miss Gassna away. He said that Miss Gassna's biological parents and grandparents had all died defending the rights and honor of wizards, so she should inherit their legacy and join the fight. He said that Miss Gassna didn't need to go to Durmstrang; he was far superior to the teachers at that school, and he would personally teach Miss Gassna magic—”

Listening to the narration of this species, known as elves in the magical world, even Louise, who was furious with the old man sunbathing in the backyard, couldn't help but feel a touch of pity.

"What insane dream is this bastard named Adam pursuing?"

Louise couldn't help but press for an answer.

"Please show respect to Master Adam, madam!"

Hein, who had just been immersed in grief, suddenly let out a loud cry. He glared angrily at Louise, his voice becoming sharp and high-pitched.

“Although young master Adam has broken the old master’s heart, he is still a descendant of the noble Vogel family, and Hein will never allow him to be insulted by a Muggle!”

Hein's sudden reaction startled Louise, but after regaining her composure, Louise's brows furrowed immediately, and she said angrily,

"Oh, you're being utterly unreasonable, little guy! Didn't you realize I was speaking up for your old master?!"

Amosta raised his hand, interrupting Louise and Hein's argument, and asked in a deep voice,

"What happened next, Hein?"

Hein's breathing was still rapid. It glared at Louise with disgust, but under Amostre Blaine's imposing presence, it dared not resist. Meanwhile, Kingsley pulled Louise back from the brink of madness caused by the elf.

"Hain had never seen his master so angry."

The wrinkles on Hein's face trembled.

"He even pulled out his wand and threatened Master Adam, saying that if he dared to leave, he would sever all ties with him and send him to Eksta."

What is Eksta?

Louise frowned and asked, of course, she didn't want to pay any more attention to the house-elf named Hein, she stared at Amostella's profile and asked.

“A wizarding prison,” Amosta said, casually asking, “Did they make a move?”

"No, young master Adam did not pull out his wand. He just stood at the door with his suitcase, smiling at his old master. He said he was determined to do this, no matter the cost, and he didn't care how many people died."

Louise's lips twitched slightly; her question had gone unanswered earlier.

“The old master was furious; he wanted to use magic to trap young master Adam,” Hein said in a sorrowful tone. “But at this moment, Miss Gassna stepped forward. She was only seven years old at the time, but she stood on young master Adam’s side and said firmly to the old master that she wanted to be with young master Adam and that she wanted to continue the struggle of her ancestors.”

Recalling that moment, Hein began to sob softly.

"The old master was heartbroken; he collapsed to the ground in anger, but young master Adam ignored him and simply took Miss Gassna and left the house."

The story ends here. Hein tells them that Adam never brought Jasna back to the house again after that, and they haven't seen each other for many years.

The three people on the riverbank fell silent. Louise and Kingsley's gazes, intentionally or unintentionally, fell on Amosta, awaiting his decision.

“Jasna Vogel.”

Amosta stood tall on the riverbank, his fists clenched tightly behind his back. He gazed expressionlessly at the wheat fields stretching to the horizon. After a long while, he asked in a low voice,

"What was her original surname, Rozier?"

Hein opened its eyes slightly in surprise, but then it remembered that Amosta Blaine was investigating Miss Gassna, and perhaps he had learned about it from his investigation. So it slowly nodded.

After receiving confirmation from Hein, Amosta's lips twitched, and he clenched his fists behind his back.

“Dear Mr. Blaine,”

Hesitantly, Hein looked towards the most influential figures in the European wizarding world, those who were currently highly sought after by wizards.

"Excuse my rudeness, Mr. Hayne, may I ask Mr. Blaine for a favor?"

Chapter 791 It’s time to end

2024-03-07

"What do you wish to ask, Hein?"

Amosta looked at Vogel's little sprite calmly.

"Hain knows that Master Adam and Miss Gassna have probably violated wizarding laws—"

Hein faced Amosta, bowing deeply, its breathing slightly erratic, its pleading voice trembling.

"A grave offense, but—for the sake of our old master, could we allow them to come back and see him before sending them to prison?"

“You are very smart, Hein, and very loyal.”

Amosta raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He had thought the little elf would ask him to forgive Adam Vogel and Jasna Vogel, but that was impossible. Being sent to prison was the best outcome they could face; if they dared to resist, he might kill them on the spot.

Even setting aside Hermione's case, their other crimes justify this outcome.

But Hein did not make that request. It had overheard what Amostella had said to Vogel about Jasna and knew that they were guilty beyond redemption. Therefore, it made that request in the hope of at least saving the lives of those two people.

Amosta remained silent for longer than expected.

A gentle breeze swept across the open fields, and golden waves of wheat rose and fell.

Anton Vogel's pride meant little to him; he was thinking about much deeper matters.

He had assumed that Jasna Rozier was an alias, and that Vogel was the real surname of the rather aloof woman he had seen in the fairy's memories.

Unexpectedly, this guess was wrong, and the actual result was exactly the opposite.

Hain had just told him that Gassna was a true descendant of Anton Vogel—brought back from outside by Adam Vogel. Adam also told them that Gassna's ancestors had all died in the war to defend the honor of wizards.

This is very interesting.

Rosier—one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Families, whose descendants were prominent figures involved in the war that swept across Europe half a century ago. When Amostella was studying at Hogwarts, in order to better understand Dumbledore and pay special attention to that period of history, only one person came to mind.

Vida Rozier.

She was a leading figure among those fanatical sorcerers, enjoying a very high status among them. According to historical records, she died before the start of that decisive battle of the century, at the hands of the allied forces of wizards from various countries under the International Federation of Wizards, led by Visencia Santos.

As Amosta pondered Vida Rozier's life, her lips unconsciously pursed.

“I will give them a chance, Hein,”

After a long silence, Amosta said in a deep voice,

"But whether they can control it or not depends on themselves."

The silence along the riverbank lasted for a long time. Kingsley and Louise stared at Amostella in bewilderment, not understanding what he was thinking.

If Amosta didn't want to let those two go, he could have simply refused Hein. After all, the plea of ​​a lowly house-elf was hardly worth mentioning, and Amosta completely ignored it.

As for Anton Vogel, frankly speaking, as a retired president who had been retired for more than half a century, he wouldn't carry much weight with Amosta Blaine, especially since the request didn't come from Anton Vogel.

It was only after a long time that Amosta spoke in a low voice.

“If they recognize their mistakes and confess their crimes, then I will let them meet with Mr. Vogel before sending them to Azkaban.”

"Azkaban!"

Hein was about to express his gratitude, but he was startled when he heard that it was a prison infamous throughout the entire European magical world.

“Mr. Blaine—” Hein stammered, “shouldn’t it be Erksta?”

"Ho-"

Amostah smiled, a deep light flashing in his eyes, and his words left Hein, Kingsley, and Louise completely bewildered.

“Of course, it’s Azkaban. I think they will reflect more deeply on their mistakes there and play a greater role.”

What greater role can a criminal destined to serve his entire life in Azkaban play?

This was the best that could be achieved; Young Master Adam and Miss Jasna would not be killed by Amosta Blaine. Hein knew he couldn't do any more.

It bowed to Amosta, then slowly straightened up, its slender, thin fingers reaching into its clean apron as if searching for something. After a moment, under the watchful eyes of the others, Hein pulled a pocket watch from under the apron.

This gold pocket watch has a vintage style, yet it is exquisitely crafted. It features a slender gold chain, and the thick gold case back is set with a band of pure diamonds, with the Vogel family crest adorned with gemstones of different colors.

Hein popped open the cover, revealing a dial made of rare mithril. There were no hands, only a few small golden stars running along the dial. Amosta knew that this design style of watch had been popular in the magical world for a time.

There was no doubt that the gold pocket watch was very valuable, but even Louise knew that Hein certainly didn't take it out to bribe Amosta.

The key is a photograph inlaid behind the watch case, which is a photo of Anton Vogel and Jasna Rozier.

"what--"

Ignoring her displeasure with the elf, Louise poked her head over and made a surprised sound.

The two faces in the photo are close together and both are smiling happily. That's not the point. The point is that, although Hein said earlier that Adam and Jasna hadn't been home for twenty years, the Vogel in the photo looks exactly like the Vogel they just met in the backyard, and Jasna isn't a little girl, but a woman in her twenties with slightly hard eyebrows.

"This pocket watch is a creation of fairies. It was a gift from the fairies to their old master when he was still the Minister of Magic, as a way to curry favor with him."