The Return to Hogwarts

Amelia's gaze shifted to the noisy bar, which was practically a den of criminals. Since it was so infamous, even many junior wizards had heard of it, the Department of Security obviously couldn't be unaware of it. So why would the Aurors allow it to exist?!

"What do you want to find out here?"

Remus knew very well that Amosta hadn't come here out of curiosity; he must have a purpose for being here, and the most likely reason was to gather information.

"Of course, I want to hear what the bar owner thinks of Grevis,"

Amosta sipped his sherry and said with a smile.

"Isn't he the person we desperately need to know right now? I heard about him when I was in Europe. The owner of the Blind Pig Bar knows everything that happens in New York. He's more informed than the Magical Congress. Hmm, it seems he's not home. We'll probably have to wait a while."

Amelia's lips moved slightly. She didn't quite believe the rumors Amostall had heard. No one in this land had better access to information than Congress, and if he wanted to know about Mr. Grevis, he could simply ask her, couldn't he?

But in the end, Amelia said nothing, because she also wanted to see what kind of people were running this illegal criminal den.

Just as Amosta said, they didn't see the mysterious boss all day long.

To kill time while waiting, Amosta even joined a gambling table for a while, winning several dozen gallons before buying everyone at the table a drink and then making his escape. Remus also became 'friends' with the drunken wizard who had bumped into him when they first entered the bar, thanks to a glass of flaming whiskey, and learned a lot of interesting news about New York from him.

Hobby, who had followed Amostella in, scurried around for a while before jumping onto a roof beam, squinting, and crouching down, straining its ears to listen to the conversation in the hall.

Only Amelia remained seated, feeling extremely uneasy, suppressing the urge to return to the security department and report Mr. Grevis, her heart filled with turmoil.

The bar's customers came and went, until a few blocks away, the neon lights of the Muggle World shone through the greasy windows, and a figure suddenly appeared next to the bar counter.

It was a fairy, who looked to be in his prime, and considering that fairies have a lifespan far exceeding that of wizards, this fairy was at least a hundred years old.

Unlike the people or intelligent, magical creatures that appear in bars, this one is like the elites in Gringotts, dressed in a sharp suit, wearing a bow tie, and even with a burning cigar between its long fingers.

Having spent almost a day in this bar, Amelia saw someone Apparate into the bar for the first time, which made her quickly realize that the person with cunning eyes was a clever fairy.

Narrak – the owner of the Blind Pig Bar, a prominent figure in the American underground wizarding world.

Like a king, Narrak surveyed his bar—his own kingdom—with a smug look in his eyes. Seeing that everything was as usual, he took a leisurely drag on his cigar and exhaled a smoke ring into the air.

Hobby, who had been dozing on the roof beam for half a day, woke up the moment Narrak appeared. It purred softly, leaped, and landed back on Amosta's shoulder, successfully drawing the goblin's attention to Amosta and the others.

Chapter 892 Being smart

2024-05-01

Narrak's gaze fell on Hobby, and he smacked his lips. Judging from his eager look, he was clearly very interested in this excellent-looking cat-raccoon. Then, he glanced at the three guests sitting at the table.

A handsome young man with hair the same color as the cat's fur, Narrak sniffed the air, confirming Remus's identity. Finally, the little witch—Narrak grinned when it caught the hostility in her eyes and the scent emanating from her.

A foul stench. A lackey of the Magic Congress, a hothead.

Hiss. Interesting.

Narrak took a deep drag on his cigar and exhaled a large cloud of bluish, pungent smoke. He noticed that all three of them had concealed their true identities.

Creak, creak—Nallaq, with a cigar in his mouth, turned around, picked up a beer from the bar, and then slowly dragged a chair over.

While the well-informed fairy was observing them, the three of them were also watching Narrak. When they saw it coming, Remus moved his chair closer to Amelia, making room for her.

As it approached the table, Narrak slowly nodded to Remus in thanks. Then, it filled the chair it had brought, placed its beer mug on the table, sat down unhurriedly, took a deep drag of its cigar, and elegantly nodded to Amosta.

“It is a great honor for you to visit my shop, Mr. Blaine.”

Even a seasoned wizard like Remus, who had been in the magical world for many years, changed color slightly at this moment, and his heart quickened a bit, let alone a young person like Amelia who had never experienced hardship.

Amosta smiled faintly, neither admitting nor denying it, but simply raised his glass towards Narrak and took a small sip.

Ding--

Amosta set down his glass, glanced around the bar where he had spent the day, and smiled faintly.

"It's nice here."

Narlak bowed slightly, took the cigar out of his mouth, and chuckled.

"Thank you for the compliment. I was just trying to provide shelter for those poor homeless people and make a little money on the side. Well then—"

Narrak glanced again at Hobby, whose ears were perked up.

“How can I help you, Mr. Blaine? Oh, let me guess, perhaps a fully licensed, legal wand with the proper procedures of the Wand Licensing Office?”

Amelia's lips tightened instantly, and her brown pupils shot out a sharp gaze.

Indeed, she disagreed with Mr. Grevis confiscating Amostella's wand, but if this goblin dared to openly sell wands with fake credentials, she swore she would lock him up in jail.

Amosta picked up his glass again, downed the rest of the wine in one gulp, and then let out a soft exhale.

Amosta glanced at the leftovers on the table, then put his hand in his pocket. A moment later, under Narrak's cunning gaze, he pulled out a Galon.

Ten gold coins, each the size of a hubcap, were lined up on the table, gleaming with a mesmerizing luster in the dim light filtering through the swirling smoke.

But Narrak only glanced at the gold coins before looking away, shaking his head and smiling shrewdly.

“This isn’t a wand shop, Mr. Blaine. If you want something completely legal—”

“I think you’ve misunderstood something, Narrak.”

Amosta said calmly,

"This is our bill at this bar today, and I believe it's enough to cover our expenses. By the way, your little elf's cooking skills are superb; I really enjoyed the sandwiches it made."

As he spoke, Amosta picked up his coat from the back of his chair and gestured with his chin at the stunned Remus and Amelia.

"Let's go, we should go back."

Narrak narrowed his eyes, his broad green face looking somewhat gloomy. He stubbed out his cigar on the plate on the table and finally called out to Amosta and the others before they stepped out of the bar.

"and many more."

"how?"

Hobby, perched on Amosta's shoulder, wrapped its two front paws tightly around Amosta's neck. It was clear that Hobby didn't want Amosta to leave. Amosta pried Hobby's paws away and turned to look calmly at Narrak.

After a moment's hesitation, Narrak stood up, snapped its fingers, and the leftover food that hadn't been cleared from the table vanished instantly.

"Brother Bu, you and your friends have come from afar. I wonder if I have the honor of inviting you for a drink?"

“Oh, no payment required?” Amosta smiled. “We seem to have no reason to refuse.”

Would the renowned Amosta Blaine be tempted by a few free drinks? Not to mention Remus, even Amelia, who had only known him for two days, wouldn't believe it. However, the two of them were indeed completely baffled, wondering what trick Amosta was up to.

The three of them sat back down in their previous seats. Narrak snapped his fingers at the bar, and the little elf behind the bar immediately got to work.

dong dong——

There was a knock on the bar door, and when it opened, a man wearing a black trench coat, a bowler hat, and carrying a suitcase walked in.

Narrak glanced quickly at the new guest and then stopped paying attention, but Amosta raised an eyebrow when he saw the Asian man, seemingly somewhat surprised.

The man stood behind the door without venturing further in. His slightly uneasy expression revealed that this was also his first time entering this unfamiliar bar. His gaze swept around the bar, and when he saw two young people, like Amosta and his group, sitting at a table by the window on his left, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The two young men also stood up the moment they saw the man. They took out a few gold coins from their pockets and threw them on the table. Then they walked towards the door, and the three of them left the bar one after another in tacit agreement. At this time, it had only been half a minute since the man entered the bar.

They probably wanted to make a deal, but felt the bar environment wasn't safe enough.

Amosta understood perfectly well that this was quite normal. Back in the underground world of Knockturn Alley, when trading high-value items, people were used to leaving the cavern and trading in the labyrinthine alleyways.

"So, as you can see—"

Narrak ignored why Amosta would be interested in those ordinary guests; he pulled another cigar from his suit pocket, snapped his fingers, and lit it.

“I’m a businessman, Mr. Blaine. If you want something from me, you have to give something in return.”

"What can you offer me?"

Amosta leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced on his knees, and smiled as he spoke.

“If it were old Barna, he wouldn’t say something as stupid as offering to get me a wand in this situation. You know there’s a congressional employee with you, and you still say that. Are you afraid that the Secretary of State for Security won’t find an excuse to deport me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you would make some adjustments to this lady’s memories after you got the wand. Based on the information I’ve heard from my fellow Europeans, Amosta Blaine is not some law-abiding wizard.”

Narlak grinned and continued,

“Yes, I understand, that Percival Gravis from the Department of Security. That’s right, I remember seventy years ago, there was a Percival Gravis in that position who was impersonated, and he himself was removed from office because of the scandal. What a scandal, that imposter caused quite a bit of trouble. I heard you visited him recently, is that right? So, what do you want me to do to help you pass the review meeting in a week?”

"The fact that your bar has been able to stay open without being shut down by the Magical Congress,"

Amosta twirled his two thumbs and asked calmly,

"You must have put a lot of effort into it over the years, right?"

Narrak's dark green eyes gleamed with cunning.

"You want to know how much gold I spent on those greedy wizards? Oh no, that's a trade secret, I can't trade it."

Although he said no, Amosta knew that the cunning fairy was just trying to lure him in.

“No matter how much gold you spend, that’s not what I care about, Narrak. My friends and I are in New York to do business. I can’t afford to offend all the powerful people here before I even open for business.”

Amosta said

“You seem to know a lot about Trak Grevis, so tell me about him. If I think it’s worth it, I’ll pay you a price that will satisfy you.”

Chapter 893 Breaking point

2024-05-01

“Tracker Grevis, yes, upright and incorruptible, he’s a tough guy to deal with—”