The Return to Hogwarts

"But how exactly can we help you?"

"Well, the one who actually needs help isn't me, oh, of course—"

Amosta said to Amelia

"Considering the agreement we just reached with the Magic Council, I think it's best if I don't go out again until things are cleared up. So, if it's convenient, could you please tell Remus that he's with the fairies and ask him to tell him not to worry about it?"

Chapter 934 The Wiped-Out Memories

2024-05-24

The Aurors from the Security Department searched the house thoroughly but found nothing. They weren't surprised by the result; if Amosta Blaine had really killed Chago Piolio, he certainly wouldn't have treated his wand so carelessly.

The Detts nestled close to Amelia, feeling both resentful and terrified as they watched the wizards who had left their house in such a mess after Amosta's departure.

Amelia watched all this with a livid face, and for the first time, she felt that joining the Security Department seemed to be a completely wrong dream.

Like a soft musical note, the morning light streamed through the living room windows, illuminating the room.

The Aurors finally quieted down, waving their wands to put the furnishings back in their places before gathering in the living room.

With Amosta Blaine absent, the Aurors were undoubtedly much more relaxed. Selena gave a curt nod of apology to the Det family on the sofa before leaving through the fireplace, which had been temporarily connected to the Floo Network.

Eriel seemed to want to say a few more words of comfort to Amelia, after all, this young girl would become their colleague in the future. However, when he caught a glimpse of Amelia's indifferent expression, he sighed inwardly, said nothing, and hurriedly left through the fireplace.

They still had to go to the hotel where Blaine was staying.

The flickering emerald flames inside the fireplace finally died down, leaving only a small wisp of fire burning on the ashes-covered floor, threatening to go out at any moment.

Now only the Dert family remained, but they didn't exchange any words about what had just happened. The house returned to silence, with only Mrs. Dert sobbing softly, while Mr. Dert's eyes were red as he gently stroked his wife's back.

Amelia's two delicate fists, resting on her knees, were clenched tightly. She deeply resented the Security Department for barging into her home without any clear evidence and frightening her parents. However, a hint of confusion lingered in her eyes, as if she didn't know what to do.

We have to help that child—

Having calmed her shock and grief, Mrs. Dett suddenly grasped her husband's hand. She appeared very emotionally unstable, her teary eyes looking at him.

“We can’t let anything happen to that child again, Amosta. If Bella finds out we didn’t protect her child, oh... what will she say?”

Mr. Dett's thick arms were bulging with veins, and he seemed to be having difficulty breathing; his solemn face was filled with pain.

"You're right, darling—"

Mr. Dett's voice was terribly hoarse.

“We have to do something, Bella. If those bastards dare to hurt him, I swear I'll go to the Wizarding Union and sue them. Now, we...we need to—”

It's not the Wizarding United Nations, but the International Wizarding Federation. Furthermore, this organization doesn't handle routine cases and has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of national magic ministries. As for harming Amosta Blaine and Amelia, the Magical Congress of the United States likely wouldn't dare.

They even used vigilante justice against the world's foremost great magician?

Don't be ridiculous. That's Amosta Blaine, hailed as the strongest wizard of our time. Not to mention Amosta's many well-known titles, he's the Vice-Headmaster of Hogwarts and enjoys the deep trust of Albus Dumbledore.

Amelia was certain that if news of Amos Tower's 'detention' got out, it would cause a huge international uproar. The British Ministry of Magic would definitely send a letter of inquiry, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration for Albus Dumbledore to personally travel to New York.

But Amelia didn't tell her parents any of this. Her attention was drawn to something else, and she keenly realized that this was a very important matter that could answer her questions.

“Bena.”

Amelia looked up, her beautiful brown eyes still filled with confusion.

"I don't understand who Bénà Bénà's child is."

Mrs. Dutter's faint sobs stopped abruptly. Coming to her senses, she avoided her daughter's gaze, looking extremely frightened. Mr. Dutter also pursed his lips, though his arms were still trembling slightly.

Tell me, Mom and Dad—

Amelia suddenly stood up, staring blankly at her parents who were standing close together, her voice filled with anger at being distrusted.

"What are you hiding? Bena's child, it's an Amosta, isn't it? Bena, do you know the mother of the Amosta?"

Faced with their youngest daughter's questioning, they lowered their heads even further in shame. The living room was silent except for Amelia's increasingly heavy breathing. But this suffocating silence did not last long.

Golden-pink sunlight pierced through layers of leaves and shone into the living room. Bathed in fragmented light and shadow, Mr. Dert raised the back of his hand to wipe his moist eyes, his heavy back hunched over like never before.

He first glanced sadly at Amelia, then said in a hoarse voice to his wife,

“Amelia, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and we shouldn’t keep it from you.”

Mrs. Dett covered her face in anguish, her shoulders trembling even more violently, but she did not object to the statement.

Amelia watched as her father stood up with difficulty, and her heart ached. She instinctively wanted to help him, but Mr. Dett waved his hand and walked back to his bedroom with somewhat unsteady steps. A minute later, he came out again, looking sorrowful, holding a photo album in his hands.

Amelia could tell from the faded cover that this photo album was 'very old'.

"for you--"

Mr. Dett's voice was so hoarse he could barely speak.

Amelia stared blankly at the yellowed, curled-edge album. Under the closed glass in the center, a family photo was stuck.

Judging from the attire in the background of the photo, it seems to be Christmas sometime in a certain year. One of the three people in the photo is her, but her expression is very cold and hard. The other couple, Amelia can recognize, are her parents, only much younger than they are now, looking to be only in their forties.

"I"

Amelia glanced at her father, who suddenly looked much older, and her tearful mother, puzzled, then stared at the photograph for a long time.

"When did we take any photos? But something's not right, you guys are much younger, and I..."

Amelia opened the hard cover and began looking at the photos inside.

It started with a young couple and their newborn baby in a photo studio. The couple had bright smiles on their faces, while the baby was crying loudly.

Without realizing it, Amelia held her breath and turned to read the next page.

As the couple grows older, the baby grows up.

At first, everyone in the photo was smiling happily. Their smiles grew brighter and brighter.

However, after a certain point in time, the couple's smiles gradually faded, while the girl who grew up to be almost identical to them became increasingly rebellious in her eyes and brows. She began to exhibit some unconventional traits, such as lip piercings, tattoos, multicolored hair, and bizarre outfits.

The photos on the last few pages of the album showed a couple and a girl who seemed to have completely lost their warmth, their eyes filled with coldness. Amelia even noticed that the girl and the couple were standing very close, but both of them were trying their best to touch each other.

Amelia closed the photo album, her fingertips brushing against the curled edges. She noticed that there was no dust in the creases and cracks of the cover, indicating that it had been well cared for.

"she is--"

Amelia looked up at her silent parents and asked, her expression lost and confused.

"who is she?"

A passing breeze rustled the sycamore trees outside the window. Amidst the whispering of a single leaf, Amosta Det, who had been silent for a long while, looked up at her youngest daughter, her chapped lips moving slightly.

“That’s your sister. Her name is Bellina Dett.”

Chapter 935 Going to See Dumbledore

2024-05-24

The Detts sat nestled together on the living room sofa, Amelia holding the photo album. As the golden light scattered across the three of them shifted and changed angles, a heartbreaking story unfolded.

The Detts, who had vowed never to mention it again, unearthed those deeply buried memories from their painful hearts once more. Amelia, with indescribable feelings, listened to the story of her sister, whom she had never met but who, in a sense, was incredibly familiar with her.

She listened as her father recounted the story of Bellina's rebellious youth, how she gradually veered off the right path in life, heading down a path of self-destruction, and even becoming despicable, destroying her own life and the lives of others step by step.

As she listened to all this, a strange feeling welled up inside her, as if she were her older sister, experiencing a life that could very well have happened to her.

The conflict between the two sides ultimately became irreconcilable, and neither side wanted to show understanding or give the other another chance. The family relationship was completely torn apart.

Bellina Tutter's story ends on that cold, snowy day when Amelia wakes up with a start. She wants to scold her parents for turning away her sister, who has just given birth, but when she sees the two elderly people curled up in pain on the sofa, she swallows the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Rome wasn't built in a day. She couldn't bring herself to blame her parents from back then.

"--Later, your mother and I made a decision. We decided to move away from London and live in another city, no longer wanting to deal with those things that caused us so much pain. Life in New York was peaceful, and a few years later we had you."

Mr. Dert looked up at the face that was exactly like his eldest daughter, Bella's, his emotions as fragmented as his voice.

“I want to apologize to you, Amelia. We were very strict with you in the first few years of your life.”

Because you look almost exactly like your sister, I even thought it was a curse. But your mother and I didn't want to repeat that mistake, so we disciplined you much more strictly than other children.

Amelia gently shook her head; these things were not important.

“So,” Amelia asked, “Amosta is the child that my sister Bellina brought back back all those years ago?”

"I think so."

Mrs. Dett blew her nose loudly.

“I felt an instant connection with the boy when I first saw him. His name is ‘Amosta,’ just like your father’s. Your father and I initially thought it was just a coincidence, but when we heard you call him ‘Mr. Blaine,’ we began to realize something was amiss—”

"The things he told us about his origins were enough to confirm that he was Bena's child."

Mr. Dett wiped his eyes and said.

"Does Amosta know about you too?" Amelia asked blankly.

"Oh, I don't think he knows."

Mrs. Dett said with concern,

"He knew some things about his father, but he didn't know anything about Bella about him. He was born—waaah!"

Mrs. Dett covered her face again, unable to speak.