The Return to Hogwarts

The Blaine family had been incredibly kind to him, but after the passing of his two kind masters, there wasn't even an heir. At this moment, Lawrence also felt a bit resentful towards that woman, Bellina Dett.

Objectively speaking, she undoubtedly ruined Mr. Blaine's life, making him disheartened and unwilling to get close to women again. She also failed to fulfill her duties as a mother; otherwise, young Master Blaine would not have grown up in an orphanage.

Looking at the silent old butler with his brows down, Amosta sighed inwardly, knowing that Lawrence had gotten stuck in a rut.

Amosta didn't have much affection for the so-called 'Bryan family' from which he came, but he had a certain fondness for the old butler; he was a kind man.

Years ago, when the woman brought him, who had just been reincarnated into this world, to the manor hoping to enter, she was stopped at the door by the angry man. Lawrence felt sorry for her and secretly wanted to give some money to Bellina Dett, but the woman, who was in despair, did not accept it.

What's troubling you?

After a moment of silence, Amosta calmly looked at Lawrence.

"Or rather, you called me here hoping I would do something?"

"I"

Lawrence hesitated for a long time before stammering, "I...I hope you can return to the manor and inherit the Blaine family business."

"In your mind, is this old house the Blaine family?"

Lawrence was stunned, staring blankly at Amosta, not understanding what he was trying to say.

“What is my name?” Amosta asked patiently.

“Your name?” Lawrence’s lips moved. “Amosta Blaine… But I don’t understand, young master—”

"Since you know—"

Amosta smiled.

“I haven’t abandoned this name, I haven’t abandoned this surname, so what else do you have to worry about? Do you think the Blaine family is just this house? Will you only be satisfied when I return to this house?”

What represents the continuation of a family is not wealth, but people. As long as Amosta is alive, the Blaine family will exist. This is determined by the blood flowing in his veins and cannot be changed by his will.

The room was silent except for the sound of heavy breathing. In the dim light, Lawrence's dark eyes brightened.

Chapter 817 Trouble

2024-03-21

"You're right—"

Lawrence's voice was hoarse, beads of sweat rolled down his graying temples, and his cheeks were flushed from recovering from a serious illness. In fact, that was indeed the case.

But Lawrence's eyes brightened; having undergone a transformation, the air of dejection that had surrounded him had vanished, and he even displayed a youthful vigor at his age.

“You’re right, Amosta—”

Lawrence repeated, gazing intently at Amosta as if examining a precious jewel, “The important thing is…it’s people!”

Amostah smiled contentedly, let out a sigh of relief, and stood up from the bedside table.

“I’m glad you understand that, Lawrence. So,”

Amosta looked at the old butler gently.

"Get some rest. I'm leaving now. If you'd like to talk to me again later, you can visit the Hass Orphanage during the Christmas holidays each year. I usually spend my Christmas holidays there—"

Excitement flashed in Lawrence's gray eyes. Although he only had a few days off a year, the fact that Young Master Blaine had allowed him to visit the orphanage was already very kind. However, amidst his excitement, he remembered Young Master Blaine's words and his expression turned to surprise.

"You're leaving!" Lawrence looked out the window in surprise.

Since Mr. Blaine passed away and the family assets were sold and donated, in order to save expenses, all the streetlights and lights in the yard have been turned off after midnight. Now the outside is shrouded in deep night, and only the weak lights neatly arranged on both sides of the manor's path can be seen.

"Stay here for the night, Amosta, and leave tomorrow."

Lawrence rolled off the bed, grabbed Amosta's wrist, and spoke earnestly.

Seeing Lawrence's pleading eyes, Amosta pondered.

As for St. Mungo's, Dumbledore is in charge of negotiating with Mrs. Longbottom. If Mrs. Longbottom doesn't agree in the end, then it's none of his business. If she does agree, Dumbledore also needs some time to collect and organize the memories related to Frank and Alice, so there's no rush for him to get involved.

"All right--"

Amid Lawrence's eager anticipation, Amosta nodded. Performing memory implantation and personality reshaping on Muggles today was no easy task; the exhaustion it brought him was comparable to that of a fierce battle, and he definitely needed a good rest.

"I'll prepare your room!"

Overjoyed, Lawrence quickly grabbed his clothes from the hanger, ready to leave. His sudden burst of energy was so strong that even Amosta couldn't stop him.

"I'm not picky about where I sleep, Lawrence, any room will do."

Looking at Lawrence who had slipped out the door, Amosta said with a hint of helplessness, but a gentle look appeared in his eyes.

Half an hour later, Lawrence happily led Amosta to the most luxurious bedroom in the manor. He eagerly shoved him into the room and, as if afraid Amosta would refuse, closed the door and left.

Oh, right!

Lawrence remembered what had happened after leaving the room, but after glancing back at the closed door, he hesitated and decided not to go back.

To be honest, Amosta didn't sleep very well that night. He was used to his cot at Hogwarts, and suddenly switching to a luxurious and soft bed made him uncomfortable. Moreover, being stared at by the row of photos on the shelf in the study connected to his bedroom, with faces that looked eight or nine parts like his own, ranging from youthful to weathered, made him feel a little awkward.

So the next day, as dawn broke and birds began to sing, he sat up in bed, ready to pack up and leave. But when he turned to look at the door, Amosta looked helpless.

The door was opened, and a young man was already waiting respectfully behind it.

"I am Sanker, Mr. Blaine!"

The young man bowed and said,

"Mr. Lawrence instructed me to ask you whether you would prefer to dine in the study or in the dining room?"

“Let’s go to the restaurant,” Amosta said.

After five minutes of wandering through the maze-like villa with Sangke, he arrived at a small hall on the top floor with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, facing the rising sun. Judging from the style of decoration, this small hall should be the private breakfast room of the manor owner and not open to the public.

A delicate meal was already laid out on the table, which was covered with a velvet tablecloth and decorated with fresh bouquets and exquisite tableware. Meanwhile, in the kitchen next door, Lawrence was busy with the remaining two chefs from the manor. Lawrence seemed to know that Amosta couldn't stay here for long, so he sent someone to buy fresh ingredients before dawn, intending to let Amosta enjoy a sumptuous breakfast.

This was the old butler's wish, and Amosta did not refuse. He simply stood behind the glass curtain wall, quietly admiring the morning scenery.

When Lawrence pushed the food cart into the small restaurant, he saw Amosta standing there with his hands behind his back. He looked dazed for a moment, and his eyes reddened.

“You look to be recovering well, Lawrence,” Amosta said, turning to the old butler with a smile.

"This is the good fortune you brought me."

Lawrence also said with deep emotion.

At Amosta's request, Lawrence also sat down at the table and had breakfast with him. However, what Amosta found strange was that when he asked Sank and the cooks in the kitchen to come and have breakfast with him, Lawrence insisted that they leave. Moreover, during the casual conversation at breakfast, he always seemed to want to say something but couldn't.

"I plan to renovate the manor, Amosta, into a welfare school. What do you think?"

The fog in Amostella's mind cleared, and he understood the reason for Lawrence's unease.

“I have no objection, Lawrence. You can do whatever you want.”

Amosta said gently. But after thinking for a moment, he added,

"This matter will likely encounter some obstacles. I know that the people living nearby are all high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and they may not agree to your conversion of Blaine Manor into an academy. Moreover, the construction project will probably require a considerable amount of funds."

“The villa still has some valuable antiques and furnishings. If we auction these things, we should be able to cover the renovation costs. As for the neighbors, you are right, we may encounter their objections, but I will propose a proper solution to ensure that we do not disturb their lives.”

Lawrence had already considered how to solve these problems, but his only concern was Young Master Blaine's opinion. Hearing that he did not object, Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief, but then he pursed his lips, his eyes showing hesitation.

Converting the manor into a school won't be a simple matter, but Amosta doesn't intend to get involved. Since Lawrence has said so, he must be quite confident.

"Amosta."

After hesitating for a while, Lawrence put down his cutlery, got up from his seat, walked quickly to the door, looked around a few times, and when he didn't find anyone eavesdropping, he retreated and slammed the door shut.

Amosta didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow as he watched the scene unfold.

Back at the table, Lawrence took a few deep breaths, his eyes flashing with fear and apprehension.

interesting--

Amosta pondered quietly, wondering what had happened to frighten Lawrence so much. He realized that Lawrence's request to see him in this way was probably not simply because he wanted him to take over the manor as the heir of the Blaine family.

"Do you remember the little boy who came with you when you last visited the manor?"

Seemingly summoning his courage, Lawrence stared intently at Amosta's face, lowering his voice.

“That’s him. Oh, I think I remember, he had a scar on his forehead, he was Vernon Dursley’s nephew.”

despair--

Amosta put down his silver fork, leaned back in his chair, and smiled with interest, his fingers interlaced.

"Harry Potter?"

“Oh, yes, that’s the name. You said you taught this child some self-defense skills,”

Lawrence held his breath, his expression solemn.

Are you still in contact with him? Has this child run into some trouble?

Chapter 818 The Crimes of the Three Little Ones

2024-03-22

In an instant, many guesses flashed through Amosta's mind, but none of them could match the astonishment and doubt that Harry and Lawrence were feeling at that moment.

Since the beginning of this semester, Harry has been behaving himself at Hogwarts, and there has been no news of him causing any trouble. He has also not returned to his aunt and uncle's house. What could be making Lawrence miss Harry, whom he only met once?