The Return to Hogwarts

Chago asked in surprise, then finally realized where he was, and the bloodshot in his eyes quickly disappeared.

"Yes, it's alright!"

Chago let out a light shout, then vigorously rubbed his face with both hands, making a snoring sound.

"Sorry, I was still half asleep. Oh, you've reminded me that all those troubles are gone. Honestly, thinking about it that way, coming here wasn't a bad choice!"

Chago shivered, becoming even more alert. He noticed the cardboard box and scattered documents on the floor, impatiently drawing his wand and waving it around, not bothering to investigate what had happened. Instead, his gaze fell on Amelia, who was holding a wooden box.

"You're still at get off work? What's with this box? Did you send the contraband you found on those silly tourists to the wrong place? I'm in charge of wands here!"

"The magic wand is in the box."

Amelia glanced down at the box in her arms, her tone slightly more forceful.

“The Department of Security does not allow Mr. Amosta Blaine to bring his wand into the country, and they will not issue him a wand license. So, I brought his wand with me. Chago, I need you to keep Mr. Blaine's wand safe and then write me a receipt. I need to take the receipt to the Department of Security.”

"Oh, poor Amosta Blaine, how did he manage to mess with those bastards in the Security Department?"

Chago pursed his lips, took the box Amelia handed him, and casually tossed it onto the table (a gesture that drew a flash of displeasure from Amelia). He then opened a drawer to prepare to write a statement, but as soon as he picked up the parchment, his movements froze. He looked at Amelia with a bewildered and helpless expression.

“Amosta Blaine?” Chago blinked hard. “Which Amosta Blaine are you talking about?”

“Oh—” Amelia quickened her pace; she still had many places to visit tonight. “It’s... the International Wizarding Federation.”

Wow!

Amelia had barely begun to speak when Chago jumped up, scratching his messy hair vigorously, his eyes wide with surprise.

"You mean Amosta Blaine! The Security Service wants to confiscate his wand. Oh, has Grevis gone mad? Does he think his family's influence in Congress means he can do whatever he wants? He wants to confiscate Amosta Blaine's wand! Oh God, Chairman Kouhaug... oh, he's not here."

Chago lowered his head, his gaze towards the box filled with awe, but then, as he looked at Amelia, his eyes were filled with confusion.

"Amosta Blaine is visiting Congress, you know, Amelia, this is no small matter. Why isn't it mentioned at all in the newspapers? Does the Ghost Paper have nothing better to do than follow boring elections and those deadly missing magical creatures?"

"Oh, I think--"

Amelia finally got a chance to speak. She glanced at the acceptance certificate Chago had pulled out, hoping he would get the hint, but Chago was only looking at her.

"That's because Mr. Blaine didn't visit in his capacity as vice president of the International Confederation of Wizards or in any other capacity; he was handling some matters in his private capacity."

"What is it?" Chago asked with great interest.

“This is against the rules, Chago.”

Amelia spoke deliberately, before Chago could launch into another long string of nonsense.

"Sorry, Chago, I'm in a hurry, so if you don't mind, here's the proof."

In the long night, with nothing to do, Chago grumbled in disappointment. He picked up the wooden box, intending to put it on the shelf behind him, but halfway through, he suddenly changed his mind and instead took the box away from Amelia's sight, walking into the aisle created by the messy shelves, and didn't reappear until quite a while later.

"Amosta Blaine's wand, if it appeared on the black market, would definitely be worth more than those magical creatures that might have already been poached and smuggled out of the country. I need to be careful; if something goes wrong, I might have to take over Dylan's job—"

Dylan was in charge of guarding the gates for Congress.

It was clear that Amelia was getting impatient, so Chago didn't waste any more time. He quickly went back to his seat and prepared the handover certificate for the items.

You forgot to write the time--

Amelia, who was craning her neck to watch this scene, pointed out Chago's oversight before he could hand her the proof.

"Oh, sorry--"

Chago, who added the date after signing, handed the certificate to Amelia. After carefully checking the note and finding no further problems, she thanked him and prepared to leave.

"Could you ask Mr. Blaine for my autograph? My girlfriend absolutely adores his fire magic!"

Watching Amelia disappear in the blink of an eye, Chago shouted loudly at the exit.

Chapter 884 Some Situations

2024-04-26

In terms of sheer numbers, the number of wizards living in this vast land undoubtedly far exceeds that of their European counterparts. And in order to keep the much larger wizarding society in order and to keep it separate from Muggle society, the Magical Congress, which governs the magical civilization of this country, obviously has to devote more effort.

As night deepened, the Capitol Building lobby, exuding a profound cultural heritage and a sense of ancient history, remained bustling with people, mostly employees with anxious expressions and hurried steps.

Amelia stood in the elevator lobby waiting in line for the elevator. She looked up, her gaze following an elevator car that was sliding upwards until it disappeared into the huge light source that enveloped the ceiling.

Although she had been working in Congress for almost half a year, every time she entered the Capitol Building and stood in the lobby looking up at the top, Amelia couldn't help but feel a sense of insignificance, just like when she first appeared on the top of Greylock Mountain as a Muggle descendant and glimpsed the best magic school in the world—Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—her heart was filled with awe.

"I wonder if Mr. Amosta Blaine has the power to move the Capitol Building"—this absurd thought suddenly popped into Amelia's mind.

Amelia knew that the idea that Albus Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of his time and Amos Stark Blaine was the most powerful wizard of his time was very popular in the European wizarding world, and almost everyone thought so. However, it was not a widely accepted view in the United States, across the ocean.

Some officials in Congress from prominent families might argue that while Albus Dumbledore did have some remarkable achievements, he is now over a hundred years old, and even if Merlin were that age, he probably wouldn't have much ability left and wouldn't deserve the title of the greatest.

Amostrath Blaine's claim to fame undoubtedly came in the Quidditch World Cup final last August, where he displayed his unparalleled magical power in front of 100,000 wizards from around the world. However, the problem lay in the magic he used at the time.

A significant number of wizards in the American academic community believe that Amosta Blaine used the Fiendfire spell at the time. Regardless of the legality of the spell, the academic community believes that if Amosta had allowed his Fiendfire to run rampant, the damage caused by the spell that night might have been even greater!

But Amelia wasn't so biased; she knew that the magic Amostra Blaine used at the time wasn't so simple.

She herself couldn't explain why she felt a sense of goodwill and admiration for this man after first reading about his deeds in the newspaper. Unlike Mandy, Blaine had saved her family's lives, while she... perhaps it was because Amostra Blaine was a Londoner, or perhaps it was because...

"Have you heard? Mr. Scamander has come to New York."

The hushed chatter at the front of the line interrupted Amelia's thoughts. She blinked her brown eyes and pricked up her ears to eavesdrop. Finally, the elevator in front of them descended to the first floor, and the line, which had been stagnant for half a day, began to move again.

When it was her turn, the elevator car was already packed. But perhaps the freckled man near the door was unexpectedly struck by Amelia's beauty, because he deliberately squeezed in a little further, ignoring the grumbling of the crowd, and gave Amelia a smile.

"Come on, there's still one more chance. If you miss it, it'll be another ten minutes."

"Oh, thank you."

Faced with the kindness of a stranger, Amelia hesitated for a moment, but ultimately stepped inside.

To Amelia's relief, the man didn't chatter on and on like the boys at school.

"This isn't big news, is it?"

Earlier, when the wizard Neut Scamander was mentioned, his companion said in an indifferent tone,

“He comes here almost every few years. If you know him well enough, you’ll know that his wife, Ms. Tina Goldstein, is a local and used to be an Auror in the Department of Security.”

"Oh, nobody doesn't know that, but I heard he came here because of those missing magical creatures. He's issued a serious warning to the Department of Security that those magical creatures whose habitats are closely monitored but whose whereabouts are still unknown are highly dangerous. If they get out of control in Muggle society, then both the Muggles and we will be in trouble."

Amelia had indeed heard about the disappearance of the magical creatures, after all, Chago was punished for it, but she really didn't expect that this matter would alarm the famous Neut Scamander.

Amelia wanted to hear more about the inside story, but the two wizards who were discussing it soon got off the elevator.

When the elevator reached the dim light source that Amelia could see when she looked up in the lobby, she had arrived at her destination.

The security department, which occupied an entire floor, exuded a solemn atmosphere in its quietness. It was not surprising that there were not many people in the office lobby, as their work was mainly outdoors. Those who stayed in the office were mostly people responsible for process and document management.

Under normal circumstances, she would have simply handed over the certificate she received from Chago to Ms. Ross, who was in charge of this area, and that would have been the end of it. However, because she wanted to express some demands regarding the unreasonable decisions made by the Department of Security, she had to speak personally with Mr. Trak Grevis, a truly influential figure in Congress and the head of the Department of Security, if he was willing to deal with a newcomer like her.

To Amelia's relief, the lights were still on in Mr. Grevis's office window. The heads of various departments in Congress would hold a high-level meeting after the workday to report on the progress of their respective departments' current priorities and exchange information. In principle, the meeting could not be missed unless there was something important to discuss. Amelia had prepared herself for a long wait.

Du, du, du—

Too much hesitation would lead to over-interpretation by the security personnel who were working in the lobby but whose eyes were constantly following her as she approached Mr. Grevis's office. So, Amelia, holding the certificate that Chago had given her, walked confidently to the office and knocked on the door without much hesitation.

"Please come in--"

A deep, steady middle-aged male voice came from behind the door.

Amelia pursed her lips, took a quick breath, and then pushed open the door.

As one of the top officials in Congress besides Chairman Kouhaug, Mr. Grevis's office was very simple, about the same size as her dormitory in Ifamoni, and filled with various case files.

As Amelia entered, Grevis was placing the current issue of the New York Ghost on a bookshelf behind him, a hint of confusion flashing in his reddish-brown eyes.

“I am Amelia Dett from the Wizard Immigration Office, sir—”

As the head of security sized her up, Amelia was also sizing up Trak Greaves. This was the second time she had been in close proximity to this powerful official since entering Congress: he was wearing a sharp black suit, the style of which was somewhat retro, and the buttons on his shirt were all neatly fastened. Despite working all day, his shirt and trousers were not wrinkled much, and even the front of his shiny leather shoes was not bent much.

Amelia's gaze swept over Mr. Grevis's half-black and half-gray hair at his sideburns, and a sense of respect rose in her heart.

"Amelia Det--"

Not yet fifty, and at the peak of his career, Grevis frowned slightly, the faint lines between his brows silently conveying authority. But then, the lines faded, revealing a knowing expression on Grevis's face.

“If I remember correctly, we’ve met once before, haven’t we, Amelia?”

Grevis gestured invitingly, then returned to his desk, his tone becoming more friendly.

"You graduated from Thunderbird Academy in Iphamoni last year with excellent grades, hoping to join the Security Department, but I refused, is that right?"

Although Mr. Grevis's tone had softened, Amelia could still feel the imposing aura emanating from the man a few feet away, which was completely suppressing her and making her heart beat faster involuntarily.

“You’re right, sir. You thought I wasn’t a good fit for the job, but you didn’t explain why.”

Amelia pursed her lips, her tone tinged with a hint of resentment.

Grevis squinted, seemingly recalling something. When he rummaged through his memories and remembered why he had so resolutely rejected this seemingly capable young woman, Grevis smiled. But when he saw the documents in Amelia's arms, his eyes flickered, and he said thoughtfully,

"So, Amelia, are you here to reiterate your application?"

Chapter 885 Different Perspectives

2024-04-26

Should I submit another application?