The Return to Hogwarts

The Ministry of Magic refuses to acknowledge Voldemort's return, which means I can't use their power to fight Voldemort's forces. Dumbledore's remaining followers are just the old, weak, and infirm, incapable of fighting the formidable Death Eaters. Perhaps after all this time I've trained you, you've finally become presentable enough to help me deal with the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. Isn't that right?"

A suffocating silence fell over the Slytherin students, some of whom were terribly pale, but Professor Blaine's cold voice did not cease.

"I believe that after my training, you will be no less capable than the Dark Lord's Death Eaters, as long as you are united and forge ahead. Of course, there will be difficulties; some of you will have to directly confront your own family members. But I believe you are willing to abandon ridiculous family ties for our common ideals, aren't you?"

Draco, Nott, Blaise

Amostah saw their clenched fists loosen, their hands trembling slightly. Their pupils contracted to their maximum, their eyes filled with fear.

Fighting against one's own father

Draco's gray eyes trembled slightly, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

This wasn't an unheard-of event; his father had once sparred with him to test his abilities, and his strength had indeed astonished his father.

Draco has always harbored complex feelings toward his father, a mixture of fear and reverence.

Fear stemmed from the strict upbringing he received, while reverence came from his father's exceptional magical power, admirable shrewdness, and wise vision. He had also inevitably heard tales of his father's youthful experiences and his 'struggle' to restore the glory of purebloods under the leadership of the Dark Lord.

He longed to surpass his father, knowing that his father seemed to be among the earliest followers of the Dark Lord and deeply trusted by him. His presence here today, before Professor Blaine, was partly motivated by a desire to surpass his father in this respect—to follow a new legend and become a key figure.

But did he kill his own father just to fulfill his own ambitions?

Just the thought of it made Draco's legs go weak. How could he do such a cruel and inhumane thing!

Amostella was pleased to see the extreme resistance in the children's eyes. If anyone here was truly eager to try, like Barty Crouch Jr., to 'kill their own family to prove their faith,' then he really had to consider whether he should 'clean house'.

"So you're unwilling to turn your own family against each other to uphold my ideals?"

Amusta leaned back on the sofa, his expression softening, and said in a light tone,

"But do you know what this is what the Dark Lord has always demanded of his Death Eaters: to abandon emotions, to abandon their own will, to abandon their human dignity, all for his own cruel dream."

Draco opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. He just suddenly felt a pang of pity for his father.

"What I want you to understand is that you should be more independent, you should have your own pursuits and your own dreams, instead of using your precious lives and your precious wealth—I mean the love you have—to practice the cruel ideas of others."

Amosta waved his hand, dispelling the magic and restoring the gym classroom to its original state, where the bright sunlight once again shone on the group of innocent children.

"At the same time, I also want to tell you--"

Amosta continued.

"I do intend to oppose the Dark Lord. I have little respect for the current Ministry of Magic and the current wizarding world. I plan to make some changes to it, but certainly not the kind of wizarding world filled with fear and murder that the Dark Lord wants to see. I will ensure that Voldemort is completely destroyed one day and never has the chance to return."

"And his followers."

Amusta paused, stood up, looked down at the children, and said calmly,

“If they repent, they will have a chance to atone for their sins, but if they resist stubbornly and go down a dark path, they may not even have the chance to enter Azkaban.”

Draco's face turned ashen; he knew why Professor Blaine had brought this up.

"As for your claim that you want power from me—"

Amosta smiled.

"Haven't I been teaching you how to arm yourselves? I can assure you I haven't held anything back. I've taught you the magic that young wizards of this age can master. To be honest, even if I were your age, I probably wouldn't be able to beat your dueling squad. As for more advanced magic, we'll have to wait until you're in advanced classes—"

"Professor Blaine!"

After Amosta left the classroom, the youngest student, Astoria, suddenly stood up. She seemed calmer than the boys, after all, her parents were not Death Eaters, although they agreed with some of Voldemort's views.

Astoria's breathing quickened slightly as she looked into Professor Blaine's bright eyes.

"Are you really going to fight the Dark Lord? You—you know, he is known as the most evil wizard in history, and many wizards who opposed him met with bad ends."

“He wants to turn everyone into his slaves, Miss Greengrass—”

Amosta said with a smile

"Unfortunately, I don't like to bow down to others. Between death and submission, I will choose death without hesitation. Oh, and remember to finish what's on the table before you leave; wasting food is shameful."

Chapter 874 The Current Mission

2024-04-21

Harry, Hermione, and their Gryffindor classmates went downstairs together. It was lunchtime, and many young wizards emerged from classrooms on various floors of the castle, hurrying towards the Great Hall. After a quick lunch, they would return to their dormitories to change their textbooks and then begin their afternoon classes.

The rush made him seem a little flustered, but Harry, who had been isolated for several days, felt a pleasant sense of fulfillment.

But at the same time, the sense of contrast grew stronger in his heart.

He had expected the situation to immediately deteriorate rapidly, with everyone mobilizing to fight Voldemort. However, the reality was far from what he had imagined. Even though Professor Dumbledore had already warned all the teachers and students in the Great Hall, just look at these young wizards before him...

Many people instinctively avoided Harry upon seeing him, as if he carried some kind of plague.

This quickly dispelled Harry's initial pleasure, leaving him with a cold expression. He knew what this meant: distrust. He had experienced the same treatment in his second year when everyone believed he was the heir to Slytherin and that he had opened the Chamber of Secrets.

"We will all support you, Harry."

Neville and Fred were going to the Great Hall for lunch, while Harry and Hermione planned to visit Hagrid. As they parted in the foyer, Neville solemnly said…

“The Dark Witch who impersonated Professor Moody has no credibility, but since you say that the Man of Void has returned, and Professors Dumbledore and Blaine have both confirmed your statement, then it must be the truth.”

Clearly, Neville had also noticed how many people reacted after seeing Harry along the way.

“I never imagined that Neville would become so reliable.”

As Harry hurried toward Hagrid's hut, he shook his head and said with a smile.

Ron was running alone on the playground. Hermione called his name several times before smiling and speaking to Harry.

“I never imagined that you and Ron would become so hardworking.”

Harry shrugged and smiled; they all knew why the change had occurred.

The bright sunshine bathed the earth, the lawn and the black lake were filled with light, and even the forbidden forest behind the wooden house was no longer a dark expanse.

As they approached, a shrill little creature emerged from the shadows of the room, its eyes brimming with tears, and rushed toward Hermione.

"Master Granger!"

Doom, a house-elf who was already a fully grown adult, burst into tears the moment he saw Hermione. He blamed himself for failing in his duty to protect Hermione and putting her in danger. However, after the first tournament, Hagrid had sternly warned him that if he dared to interfere in the competition again, Hermione might be disqualified or even expelled from the tournament.

Hermione sighed and comforted Doom. She had heard from Harry that Brilliant had grown into a free elf who could ignore his master's orders, but Doom had 'made no progress'. She and Doom felt guilty towards each other.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both knowing this scene was unlikely to end anytime soon. So, they walked over to Hagrid, who was standing at the door with a smile to greet them.

"It's so good to see you all, little ones!"

As they entered, Hagrid happily gave Harry and Ron a big hug, then turned and led them into the house.

"I just heard you were released!"

Hagrid went to the cupboard and took out a few cups. He brewed some tea and brought out some rock bread to share with everyone. Harry glanced at it and realized that it was clearly made by Hagrid himself, not by Dom, so he decided not to touch the food.

"How do you feel?"

Hagrid sat down on the edge of his bed and asked in a muffled voice.

Ron's lips moved, but he didn't say anything. He himself felt that something was off. He had personally experienced the resurrection ritual of the Dark Lord, and before the Dark Lord could deal with them personally, he, Harry, and Hermione had worked together to thwart the arrogance of Barty Crouch Jr., the Death Eater. Such a miraculous experience was something he would definitely boast about, but now...

These past few days, staying at the school hospital, he would often recall the deadly curse that struck him squarely in the chest late at night. It felt like a real death experience, with all the resentment and reluctance before his consciousness faded away. These emotions left him with no mood to boast about anything.

Harry instinctively wanted to tell Hagrid that he was fine, but when he was about to say it, he found that he couldn't make a sound.

Everything that happened that day felt like a dream, yet vividly clear in my mind.

The despicable Karkaroff, the fearless Barty the Elder, the shameful Barty the Younger, the loyal Gilgamesh, and the wicked Voldemort who has practically transcended the word 'human'.

Noble, base, evil, death, war—these words became vivid and concrete in his mind.

In his third year, Professor Blaine took him to visit the underworld of Diagon Alley. The chaotic scenes he witnessed there helped him realize that Hogwarts was not the whole wizarding world, and that the real wizarding world was not so perfect and cruel. The events of that morning reinforced this understanding.

Hermione led Doom into the house. She stood by the door frame, her face also pale, her lips pursed, and she remained silent.

"You're not feeling well, are you?"

Hagrid smiled sadly, twirling his two thumbs.

"I knew he would come back."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all looked at Hagrid with some surprise.

"--I've known all these years, I know he's been lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance. This was bound to happen. Well, it's happened now, and we have to face reality. We have to fight. We can stop him from gaining power and dominating the world. Dumbledore is determined to do it. Dumbledore, he's a truly remarkable man. As long as he's around, I'm not too worried. Besides, we also have Professor Blaine now. Honestly, I think either of them would be a match for Voldemort, but we have both of them now."

"But the Ministry of Magic—"

Hermione said worriedly,

"If the Ministry of Magic insists on its own opinion, many people who are unaware of the truth will not realize that the Mysterious Man has returned, which will obviously create an opportunity for the Mysterious Man to expand his power."

Harry and Ron turned to Hermione in surprise, something she hadn't mentioned in their conversations over the past few days.

"Oh, I can't help but praise your brilliant mind again, Hermione—"

Hagrid blinked his beetle-like eyes in surprise.

“That’s right, that’s how it is. That good-for-nothing Cornelius Fudge is always afraid of being ousted from his ministerial position. Just wait and see, he’ll regret it.”

In other words—

Harry frowned.

"Voldemort won't make any moves for the time being, will he? He wants to quietly build up his power. But he already has those Death Eaters, doesn't he?"