The Return to Hogwarts

Is there any bad news?

This level of condemnation was long gone for Harry and Ron. Ron shrugged nonchalantly, jumped over the sofa, grabbed a piece of toast Hermione had brought for them from the Great Hall from the coffee table, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it large mouthfuls while mumbling indistinctly...

"After Dumbledore lost his position as the chief wizard of Wizengamot, what other title did he lose?"

“President of the International Federation of Wizards,” Hermione said calmly.

Ron abruptly stopped chewing his bread, staring at Hermione in shock, while Harry unconsciously dropped the fruit pie he had just picked from the plate, his voice high-pitched and distorted.

"They really did that?!"

"not yet--"

Hermione closed the newspaper and said calmly,

"But if Dumbledore continues to insist on telling people the truth, Harry, it will be only a matter of time."

Gollum—

Ron swallowed the bread with difficulty, glaring at Hermione with displeasure.

"You're trying to scare us, Hermione."

Harry wasn't as optimistic as Ron. He knew Hermione's deductions were frighteningly accurate. His gaze, tinged with a hint of malice, fell on the folded newspaper Hermione had laid out, but when he saw the heading, he blinked in confusion.

"The New York Ghost. I thought you were reading the Daily Prophet, Hermione. This newspaper is from New York, why are you reading it?"

Hermione pursed her lips, her cheeks flushing slightly, but she didn't explain her doubts to Harry. Instead, she stuffed the newspaper into her bag, flicked her chestnut curls that were obscuring her eyes, took a breath, and said in a light voice,

“Let’s go. I can’t spend the whole day at Hogsmeade. Professor Victor’s homework this week is two inches longer than Professor Snape’s potions paper. I need to work on it.”

Due to time constraints, Harry and Ron persuaded Hermione to use the secret passage behind the hunchbacked witch on the fourth floor to reach Hogsmeade.

Froome, the owner of Honeydukes, was oblivious to Harry and his companions sneaking out of his storeroom. He was explaining to Ernie and Hannah why a large bag of Pepper Potts was two silver sieves more expensive than last month.

"Kids, you may not know, but everything is going up in price lately, it's unbelievable!"

Hearing this, Hermione glanced thoughtfully at the shop owner, then followed Ron out of the shop.

"Has Sirius written to you recently, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"No--"

Harry shrugged unhappily.

"After Voldemort came back, he forbade me from writing letters, saying that using an owl would risk leaking information."

The three soon faced Ernie and Hannah's dilemma: they bought the stationery they needed at the Literary House, had lunch at the Three Brooms Bar, and checked out the latest joke products at Joko's Joke Shop, where almost everything was more expensive than before.

Walking through the streets of Hogsmeade, you can hear villagers complaining about the recent price increases every now and then.

Hermione listened to all these voices, pondering what they meant, while Ron lamented his dwindling allowance.

In any case, with such a sunny day at Hogsmeade, it would be a waste not to spend some time there on the open day.

The three of them helped each other climb up the hillside next to the Screaming Shack, sat on the hilltop covered with lush green grass, and enjoyed a picnic with the candy and snacks they had bought, all while enjoying the pleasant southwest breeze.

Harry and Ron were discussing Krum's replica of the Lansky feint, which was performed as a guest at last weekend's Quidditch clique match, while Hermione took out the New York Ghost Newspaper she had been reading that morning from her bag and continued reading.

Time slipped away in the pleasant atmosphere, and the rising sun hanging in the sky gradually shifted towards the western horizon, its golden light beginning to be mixed with streaks of red.

Harry and Ron were rolling around on the grass for the last bag of Spicy Honey candy, while Hermione watched them helplessly. Suddenly!

boom--

A clear, strange sound came from the howling wind, not far behind the three of them.

The moment they heard it, Harry and Ron, who had been fighting and playing, jumped up from the grass, while Hermione was the first to pull out her wand and turn to point it at the figure that suddenly appeared in the hazy air!

A girl, who looked about the same age as Percy, had fair skin, beautiful chestnut hair, and clear eyes. Her features also had a stunningly beautiful quality.

The moment the dizziness subsided, the girl immediately realized that three magic wands were pointing at her. Just as she was about to make a move, the green-eyed boy opposite her shouted sharply,

"Don't move, or we'll attack you immediately! Who are you? Why are you here?!"

Chapter 937 The Difficult Journey of Building Trust

2024-05-26

Amelia was filled with fear.

This wasn't because she was being pointed at with wands by three young wizards, but because Remus had warned her to keep a low profile after entering the country, since she was now an illegal immigrant, and things would get complicated if the Ministry of Magic found out.

Unexpectedly, she was so unlucky that she was discovered by the locals as soon as she entered the UK and before she could even hide herself.

Hermione stared at the very beautiful girl who had suddenly appeared opposite her, and felt a chill run down her spine.

For a period of time after Voldemort's return, they did maintain a high level of vigilance in preparation for any serious incidents that might occur at any moment. However, nothing happened during this period, and the peace that the Ministry of Magic was trying so hard to create was indeed tempting, causing them to relax their vigilance for a time.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have left the crowd's sight and climbed the remote mountaintop alone.

But who exactly is this girl?

Hermione frowned slightly, racking her brains. She didn't look very old, maybe a year or two older than Percy, and she was undoubtedly a wizard, which meant they might have studied together at Hogwarts.

Come to think of it, Hermione's eyes flickered slightly; the girl's face did indeed look somewhat familiar.

"I meant no harm."

Amelia pursed her lips, her voice filled with anxiety, for she had already caught a glimpse of the majestic black castle perched on the cliff in the distance.

"Hand over the wand first—" Harry said in a low voice.

Through long-term training, and recently facing his greatest enemy Voldemort again, witnessing Voldemort's resurrection and a series of cruel events, he has grown a lot without realizing it. So much so that the intimidating power in his deep voice made Amelia, who was already at work, feel a chill.

Are all the young wizards at Hogwarts this skilled? No wonder it's one of the oldest magic schools in the world, the magic school where Amostella works!

A sense of amazement flashed through Amelia's mind, but she quickly dismissed these chaotic thoughts. The most important thing right now was to get rid of these three little wizards.

The raging wind whipped Harry's black hair, and inadvertently, his forehead was exposed to Amelia. A moment of surprise, and Amelia blurted out...

"Are you Harry Potter?"

A hint of helplessness flashed in Harry's emerald eyes. The mark on his body was too obvious. Almost everyone could recognize him by the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. When he first entered the wizarding world, this made him extremely uncomfortable, but after a few years, he had become immune to this embarrassment.

Harry's unmoved attitude only added to Amelia's frustration. She couldn't very well pull out her wand right there and have a duel with the famous Harry Potter and his friends, could she?

Suddenly, Amelia had an idea. She glanced at the villages and towns below the mountain and had a plan in mind.

Why should I tell you my name?

Having calmed down, Amelia looked into Harry's eyes and said,

"Isn't this my privacy? Unless, you are Aurors from the Ministry of Magic of the Magic Kingdom?"

Well--

This question did prompt Harry to ask. They indeed had no right to demand the other party's name or why they were in the middle of nowhere. They didn't have law enforcement authority. However, the other party's sudden appearance made Harry subconsciously think that Voldemort's henchmen were trying to attack him. That was a convenient excuse!

"Because you look suspicious, don't you?"

Harry said sternly.

“Normal wizards don’t come here. If they want to visit Hogsmeade, they should go down the mountain.”

"This is my plan—"

Amelia said,

"It was just a slight deviation in the landing point. If there are no other issues, I must leave now. I apologize for interrupting your picnic."

As she spoke, Amelia placed her hands in a visible position to show Harry Potter and his friends that she had no intention of attacking, and slowly backed away.

this.

Harry was a little unsure how to deal with this. This girl certainly didn't seem like an ordinary Death Eater, and if she really left, he didn't seem to have any reason to stop her.

"You are an American wizard!"

Just as Harry was caught in a dilemma, Hermione's sudden scream startled him and caused Amelia, who was slowly retreating, to change her expression slightly.

"You're from the Magical Congress of America, right?"

Hermione looked at Amelia with surprise and doubt.

"The Magical Congress of the United States?"

Harry took a step back, his wand still poised, but his lips moved as he whispered, "..."

"what is that?"

"It's the American Ministry of Magic. Wait, Harry!"

Hermione glanced at Amelia, picked up her schoolbag from the ground with her toes, and quickly pulled out the copy of the New York Ghost Newspaper she had been reading earlier.

The cover story features Amosta and Remus attending a joint review meeting organized by the Magical Congress regarding learning machines. After the dust settled, the two posed for a photo with two high-ranking Congress officials, Trak Grevis and Marcel White, while Amelia stood behind Grevis, her face partially obscured.

Look—

Hermione's voice tightened as she pointed at Amelia's face for Ron, who had turned his gaze away and leaned closer. Hermione glanced at Amelia, who had regained her footing.

“Look, it’s her behind this man, she’s looking at Professor Blaine and Remus.”

Amelia hadn't expected that in another magical world far across the ocean, a little witch would subscribe to the New York Ghost Newspaper, and recognize her from just a faint shot. She looked at Hermione, amazed by the sharp eyes of this pretty little witch. But that wasn't the key issue; the key issue was that she had actually been recognized.

Do we really have to take down these three little wizards?