The Return to Hogwarts

Chapter 882 Subtle Politics

2024-04-26

Hermione's attack led Amosta to travel across much of Europe in February, visiting London, Paris, Berlin, and Bologna. These are all considered major international cities in the Muggle world, but none of them compare to New York City.

This is not a question of whether Muggle cities are prosperous or not, but a deeper reason stemming from culture and mindset. None of the European cities that Amosta visited possessed the vitality and inclusiveness that New York City has.

The United States in the 1990s was indeed a remarkable country, however—

A dark red velvet carpet covered the floor, a crystal chandelier emitted a dreamlike, soft glow, and the decor was vintage and luxurious yet imbued with a rich artistic atmosphere. The air was filled with a soothing aromatherapy scent. In this presidential suite, everything was so comfortable. Amosta tapped his toes on the floor, then looked at the similar twin towers across the street from his temporary residence, a slightly strange expression on his face.

Similar worlds, one with magic, the other without any supernatural power system.

Amosta had long since given up on figuring out what was going on. Perhaps his wisdom was commendable among wizards, but compared to the billions of Muggles, it was probably not outstanding at all. And this question was the deepest and most unfathomable mystery in the vast universe, one that he could not fathom.

The reason my heart was stirred was simply because what would happen to the Twin Towers a few years later? The world has shifted, and whether it will still happen is another matter entirely.

The glass windows reflected the city's hazy, indistinct neon lights. Amosta's gaze pierced through the layers of light and shadow, pointing directly to a building of more than fifty stories a few streets away, next to the scenic Muggle City Hall Park.

Woolworth Building, the seat of the Magical Congress of the United States.

Unlike the British Ministry of Magic, which is located underground in central London and is an entire underground building entirely for wizards' use, the Magical Congress of the United States is hidden in a building constructed by Muggles and shares space with them. Of course, only by casting the correct spell can one reach the wizards' space.

Amosta swirled the crystal glass in his hand, breaking up the sediment in the scarlet wine, and took a sip. He had a premonition that his trip to New York would lead to some interesting events.

No, something interesting has already happened.

Amosta frowned slightly, and a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. To be honest, this kind of emotion was rarely seen on him.

Click!

The door opened, and Remus walked into the suite with a hint of eagerness. When he saw Amostah admiring the night view through the glass window, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

In the past, even if he were to face the Dark Lord head-on, Remus wouldn't have been too worried about Amosta's safety. After all, even if he wasn't a match for the Dark Lord, Remus didn't believe that Amosta couldn't even leave. He had personally witnessed how Amosta destroyed the seaside cave where Regulus slept.

But now the situation is different. A wizard without a wand is like a fire dragon whose fangs have been pulled out, whose claws have been clipped, and whose fire-extinguishing spell has been cast. Although he still looks frightening, his actual threat has been greatly reduced.

But thinking of this, Remus felt a surge of resentment and anger at what had happened to Amosta.

In Europe, Amosta would always be treated with courtesy whenever he visited the Ministry of Magic of any country, but here he was met with unprecedented disrespect.

Remus was angry not only because Amosta was his friend, but also because Amosta was undoubtedly a shining figure in the British wizarding world. To target Amosta Blaine in this way was, on a grander scale, a form of contempt for the British wizarding community, not to mention that Amosta himself was the vice president of the Wizarding Union.

If this were to be reported in the newspapers, Remus dared to say it would cause a media storm in the wizarding world.

"I had someone make some food--"

Remus walked to Amosta's side.

"It can be delivered anytime."

"Wait a minute—"

Amosta thought for a moment and said...

“Amelia sent my wand to the Security Department for safekeeping. It will be back soon. We can wait for her together.”

Amelia.

Remus raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile finally appearing in his eyes.

Faced with another restriction suddenly added by the Department of Security of the Magical Congress of the United States, Amosta also made a corresponding request. He was willing to accept the surveillance of Congress, but he demanded that the person monitoring him be Amelia, who had just graduated from magic school.

It seems that Amosta really likes that girl.

Remus had never heard Amosta express his affection for any girl so 'directly'.

When Amos made the request, Ms. Mandy Hill was initially taken aback, but then her expression immediately became subtle and amusing. She even made the decision for Amelia and agreed to it. However, this was not her decision; the Department of Security had to give the order.

The taciturn girl blushed even at her fair neck, but under Amosta's unwavering gaze, she suppressed her shyness, nodded firmly, and said in a slightly trembling voice,

"I will convey your request, Mr. Blaine--"

"I don't think the Magical Congress of the United States will necessarily agree—"

After thinking for a moment, the smile faded from Remus's eyes, and he said to Amosta, who was tasting the wine,

“What I mean is, if the Magical Congress wants all your actions within the country to be closely monitored, then sending an experienced Auror would be the best option, while Amelia is just a newly graduated witch.”

"If those American wizards weren't utterly stupid,"

Amosta smiled and said,

"You should understand that neither experienced and powerful Aurors nor fresh graduates can restrain me, even if I don't have a wand. In this situation, it is a wiser choice to have the recent graduate Amelia follow me."

Remus frowned and pondered for a while before vaguely understanding what Amostella was talking about.

"But I still don't quite understand--"

After a long journey using Muggle transportation, Remus was exhausted. He poured himself a drink, slumped into the sofa, and watched Amosta admiring the New York night view.

“Given your status, Amosta, that you’ve come to the Magical Congress of the United States for a business visit, I understand you may be following the normal procedures. But since the Magical Congress has been so rude, why don’t you just write a letter to Chairman Kohauer? I believe he will come out to receive you personally.”

"I did meet Chairman Kouhauge a few times, when I was in Paris."

Amosta said he stepped back from the viewing window, sat down opposite Remus, and gently rubbed his temples.

“There are some things you might not be aware of, and I didn’t know about them beforehand. That was indeed a mistake.”

"what?"

"The Magical Congress of the United States is currently holding elections, and President Hauger is not in New York at the moment. He's in Miami campaigning for votes. This isn't a good time to get in touch with him, you understand, Remus?"

"Uh," Remus opened his mouth awkwardly.

“At this time, my meeting with him would be too politically charged. Many people would inevitably think that I came to New York at this crucial juncture just to support him, and that I did not want to get involved in the turmoil here. We already have enough trouble on our side, and Kohauer may not want to see me at this point.”

"why?"

Remus felt like a little wizard at school, completely baffled by Amosta's arguments.

"Isn't this to his advantage? I mean, with your good reputation in the wizarding world, if Hauger can gain your support, even if it leads people to mistakenly believe..."

"The decision-makers in elections are never just ordinary voters,"

Amosta smiled.

"The upper echelons of the American magical community and the European, especially British, magical communities are not particularly harmonious. The reasons for this are both subtle and complex, involving key controversies such as the organizational structure of the American magical community and the establishment of Ivermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If those people find out that Amosta Blaine seems to intend to intervene in the election of the president of the Magical Congress, then Kohauer will be in big trouble. And the things we have to do here will become much more complicated."

Amosta suddenly stopped speaking and looked towards the door. Before there was a knock, he stood up from the sofa and said somewhat urgently,

"Amelia is back. Let's go get something to eat first."

Chapter 883 Handover

2024-04-26

Unlike the open, free, and vibrant atmosphere of American Muggle society, the American magical community is among the most closed and isolated of all magical civilizations in the world, with the Wizarding Secrets Act being enforced more strictly here.

Because of some famous historical events, such as:

The Salem witch trials of the 17th century, the Hakkaway's Swallowtails' rampage against Muggles in the 18th century, the Twelve Trees of Dorcas's revelation of the wizarding world to her Muggle lover in the late 18th century, the Bigfoot saga of the 19th century, and the chaos of the 1920s caused by Grindelwald and Newt Scamander and their adorable little animals.

For a considerable period, the Magical Congress of the United States did not even allow Muggle-born wizards to reveal the existence of the wizarding world to their close relatives, a law that was not repealed until the middle of this century.

It was precisely because of these events that caused widespread and serious consequences that the Magical Congress of the United States enacted a law requiring any wizard in the country, whether a resident or a tourist, to carry a wand license in order to track all magical activities and identify perpetrators through their wands.

This rule does not exist in any magical civilization outside of the United States.

However, the infamous Wand Licensing Office, which is disliked by foreign tourists and even local residents, has not received much attention within the Magical Congress of the United States.

Although it shares Woolworth Building with Muggles, the wizarding space is more than twice the size of the Muggle space. In the rich space spanning over a hundred floors, the wand licensing office is located in a warehouse storing contraband. Whenever someone comes here on business, they have to duck down and carefully walk through the high and low metal staircases, carefully crammed into the shelves. There's no doubt that something interesting might pop out of those boxes labeled 'Do Not Touch' and give you a good bite.

Moreover, this department doesn't have many employees; one office director is concurrently held by the director of another department, and two employees ensure that someone can work the night shift.

Amelia stood in the dimly lit and chaotic wand licensing office, holding the box containing Amostella's two wands. Her gaze fell on the unlucky man who was fast asleep on the desk. It wasn't actually that late, but the unlucky man on duty this month had already fallen asleep long ago.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Amelia's eyes; she was unsure whether to wake her colleague. After all, nobody liked working in such a desolate and unpleasant department. So, generally, only those who made mistakes were assigned here—it was either work or get out, that was the way it was.

She'd be in a terrible mood, and her temper would be too. Amelia thought that if she were thrown into this department, she'd probably be the same way. But she couldn't just stand there like an idiot all night; she had to go to the security department later.

Amelia glanced around the cramped space for a moment, then looked up at a cardboard box on top of a shelf, which seemed to be stuffed with a bunch of documents.

Amelia pursed her lips, pulled her wand from her pocket, and gently pointed it at the shelf. The heavy shelf immediately began to sway slightly, and then—

boom!

With a heavy thud and billowing dust, the guy who had been snoring with his legs propped up on the desk immediately opened his eyes and jumped up from his chair.

"what happened?"

Those bloodshot gray eyes were sleepy, but their gaze darted around aimlessly.

"Those damned dangerous creatures have disappeared again?"

“Chago?” A hint of apology flashed in Amelia’s brown eyes as she spoke softly.

"Amelia, you've come to deliver a message to me. Tell me, what's gone this time? Is it a venomous unicorn or a chimera? Don't tell those five-legged monsters that it's missing, my heart can't take it!"

The guy with messy, light blond hair spoke in a frenzy, seemingly still half asleep and not quite sure where he was.

This scene was quite amusing. Amelia's lips curled into a smirk as she spoke to the panting Chago.

"These things have nothing to do with you anymore, do they, Chago?"

"It's alright?!"