The Return to Hogwarts

Harry's face darkened. He felt that Sirius was becoming less and less likable to him than before, but before he could react, Sirius had already walked over with a grin, pulled Harry into a tight hug, and made Harry swallow back what he was about to say.

Sirius Black didn't release Harry until he was almost suffocating. He pressed on Harry's shoulder and looked him over carefully. Sirius smiled with satisfaction, then vigorously ruffled Harry's hair before beginning to observe the situation.

"Then, can anyone tell me... oh, who are you?"

Everyone here was an acquaintance, except for one: Amelia. Sirius looked at the stunningly beautiful young girl, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Black, I am Amelia Dett, from the Magical Congress of the United States—"

Amelia had already recognized Sirius. Back then, the man's escape from Azkaban had caused quite a stir, and many British wizards had fled to avoid him. Some even went to America and publicized the incident, criticizing the Ministry of Magic's incompetence.

Of course, this also aroused the curiosity of the American magical community. The New York Ghost News quoted the Daily Prophet's article for a long time, and the subsequent development of this matter was even more surprising.

Considered to be the number one henchman of that wizard whose name cannot even be mentioned, Sirius Black is not only innocent, but also a hero imbued with tragicism.

At that time, she had not yet graduated from Evamony, and many people at the school were discussing whether Sirius Black's imprisonment in Azkaban for thirteen years was a matter of his own making or a testament to his fearlessness and nobility.

Hesitantly, Sirius nodded to Amelia, then, realizing something, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait a minute. The Magical Congress of the United States? But I haven't heard anything about anyone from them coming to the ministry?"

"I'm afraid we don't have time for pleasantries, Sirius—"

Dumbledore said seriously,

“This Miss Amelia Det has brought us some information about Amosta.”

"Amosta?"

Sirius's expression showed even greater astonishment.

“Isn’t he in New York with Remus? I received a letter from him just a few days ago. What happened to him? What’s wrong?”

Dumbledore glanced at Amelia, and then began to recount what Amelia had just told them, simplified of course, omitting some harmless details.

At first, Sirius's expression fluctuated, showing surprise and delight as he listened with great interest. But towards the end, when he heard that the Magical Congress of the United States had sent almost all of its Aurors to surround Amelia's house, seemingly preparing to wage war against Amostre, Sirius was both shocked and furious.

"The Magical Congress of the United States actually dared to do this?"

"In fact, I was also surprised by the bold moves of their decision-makers."

Dumbledore quickened his pace and said in a deep voice, "Of course, Amosta wasn't imprisoned. Amelia told us that Amosta returned to his hotel in New York and decided not to go out for a while."

A thoughtful look flashed in Dumbledore's deep blue eyes. He paused for a moment, then continued,

“I believe Amosta must have realized that someone is plotting something. I guess he said he would stay in the hotel for the time being, firstly to deliberately stay under the Auror’s surveillance and avoid more conspiracies coming his way and forcing him to turn against the Magical Congress. Secondly, I think Amosta may not know who took his wand and could create such a false impression. At least, he doesn’t know the person’s purpose, so he decided to remain calm and observe the situation.”

Sirius frowned deeply. He had taken Dumbledore's guesses to heart, but he still found it hard to accept.

"Knowing Amostella as I do, if Fudge dares to send the Auror office to his door, he'll tie everyone up and throw them back to the Ministry of Magic!"

"That's because the Magical Congress of the United States is not the Ministry of Magic, and Amosta wouldn't recklessly start a war in another country and a magical world."

Dumbledore suddenly raised his voice, looking sternly at Sirius.

"Amosta had mentioned to me the importance of his and Remus's workshop, and his trip to New York was precisely to gain more support; he had to ensure that the partnership was not undermined."

Remus is temporarily incapacitated, and Amosta is temporarily without his wand. We can't let Amosta face this alone. If he has any plans, someone needs to carry them out… So, I called you here, hoping you'll go to New York with Amelia. But you must remain calm, Sirius, and obey Amosta's orders.”

Sirius's expression was slightly gloomy, and he seemed unconvinced, but in the end, he didn't refute anything and just nodded.

"So--"

Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction. He looked at Amelia, about to say something, but then noticed the dim light outside the window. He hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze to Professor McGonagall.

“Amelia is not suited to appear in front of students, Minerva. She has traveled such a long way. Can you prepare a place for her to rest and some food?”

Professor McGonagall nodded, smiling at Amelia—this girl, though from the Magical Congress of America, was willing to smuggle herself into Hogwarts to deliver a message for Amostall, which greatly increased her goodwill towards her.

"Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore!"

Amelia expressed her gratitude, but she still declined.

“But I’m afraid I can’t wait until tomorrow morning to leave. If possible, I’d like to leave immediately. The Department of Security, Grevis, could come to me at any time to ask about the situation. If he finds out that I’ve already left New York, then it’ll be troublesome.”

This reason was indeed valid, and Dumbledore couldn't say anything. He looked at Sirius Black.

"I'm fine, Dumbledore."

Sirius Black stepped forward.

“I’ve already asked the Ministry for leave. Given the current situation, Fudge would love for me to be as far away from his Ministry of Magic as possible, and I also hope to see Amostella as soon as possible.”

"Since that's the case—"

Dumbledore no longer hesitated.

"I'll have Fox take you back to New York, but it's too far to get there in one go. We'll probably have to rest along the way."

Amelia and Sirius nodded at the same time.

Harry looked at Sirius Black, whom he had just met but was about to part ways with, opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He knew the priorities of the matter.

boom--

After the explosion, a few sparkling embers slowly fell to the ground, and Amelia and Sirius disappeared from the office.

"Albus--"

Looking at the spot where the two had disappeared, Professor McGonagall looked worried and called out softly.

"No need to worry too much, Minerva—"

Dumbledore's voice remained calm and steady, filled with a reassuring power.

“You know Amosta; with his wisdom and ability, he is capable of handling any crisis.”

Dumbledore said, then looked at Harry and his two companions. His gaze lingered on Harry's eyes for a moment, then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said in a gentle tone...

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, it seems you've unintentionally played a crucial role once again—"

Harry and his two companions looked embarrassed; they were already used to such unexpected events happening to them.

"Of course, I also believe you understand the importance of keeping this matter confidential, right?"

Dumbledore didn't reprimand them for leaving the crowd, which relieved Harry. He nodded quickly to indicate that he understood.

"Then let's go enjoy a delicious dinner—"

Dumbledore smiled and spoke in a gentle voice.

Chapter 941 Choice

2024-05-28

As night deepened, at Woolworth Building.

What happened last night was an absolute disgrace to the Magical Congress of the United States. A dark wizard stormed into the building, killed an employee, took Amostall's wand, and left unscathed. This seems to suggest that the security measures inside the building were completely ineffective.

Fortunately, the news of Samuel Kohauer's re-election swept through the entire American wizarding world and attracted the attention of reporters who were eager to hear the news, which successfully suppressed the scandal.

Tonight, security inside the building has been noticeably tighter, with Aurors and temporarily conscripted strikers patrolling on hundreds of floors throughout the Capitol.

“I need to remind you one more time, Grevis—”

The routine department heads' meeting ended, the room door opened, and the cold, oppressive atmosphere that had permeated the meeting room immediately leaked out.

Marcel White from the International Department of Magical Cooperation was the first to rush out of the conference room. Judging from her frosty expression, the exchange just now was definitely not pleasant.

Marcel stormed out of the conference room, but abruptly turned back after stepping out the door. She looked at Grevis, who remained seated at the conference table, his face somber but his gaze unwavering, and said coldly,

"If Mr. Blaine terminates our cooperation because of your rude behavior, then I will definitely impeach you in Parliament for abusing your power. In addition, I want to tell you that Mr. Blaine is the vice president of the International Wizarding Federation. Your foolish actions against him are very likely to be exposed internationally. At that time, we will suffer great damage to our image in front of our colleagues, which is something that Chairman Kouhauge absolutely cannot accept!"

After saying that, Marcel turned and walked away in her high heels without waiting for Grevis to reply.

The atmosphere in the conference room was as heavy as lead and mercury. Although the heads of the other departments did not show any change in expression, their eyes revealed surprise and schadenfreude.

Given their status and position, they could usually resolve any issues through communication and negotiation. However, Marcel actually made some harsh remarks in this situation, which suggests that Grevis's reckless behavior had indeed infuriated Marcel.

Although the Grevis family's power in American magical politics is undeniable, and Grevis, being at the center of the family's power, is usually the object of everyone's goodwill, under the current circumstances, everyone can foresee that he is about to fall from grace, and no one wants to get close to him.

The sparse sound of benches being dragged around continued for a while. When only Grevis remained in the conference room, his fist, which was resting on the table, finally clenched. The ferocity in his eyes even made his dark red pupils gleam with bloodlust. But in the end, his expression turned dejected, and he slowly got up and left.

The flickering firelight in the fireplace illuminated Grevis's stern face, making him look both like a dying old man and a bloodthirsty demon.

He walked toward his desk, his steady steps carrying a hint of unsteadiness.

On the upper right corner of the desk, on the front page of this morning's New York Ghost Newspaper, an old wizard with short, silver hair, but whose eyes still radiate a vitality that most young people lack, is smiling and waving and bowing to the cheering crowd below. Grevis only glanced at it twice before looking away and turning his gaze to a report placed in front of him.

'The Chago Piorio Murder Case - An Analysis of the Possibility of Amosta Blaine's Crime'

This must have been completed by his subordinates while he was in a meeting—seeing the title of the report, Grevis's sullen face brightened, and his eyes revealed urgency.

He strode to his seat, grabbed the report, and began to flip through it roughly.

The general situation and outcome of the entire arrest operation were not within his scope of concern. In fact, the analytical conclusions of the report were not even important. Grevis flipped through more than a dozen pages and finally found what he cared about.

'Amosta Blaine's Personal Belongings List'

Grevis caught a glimpse of those words, and his right index finger traced the scribbled handwriting across the list, sliding down to the very bottom. When he saw one of the items, his eyes lit up, and his finger clenched so hard it nearly punctured the analysis report.

"How could Blaine have something like this if it really exists?"

A look of bewilderment crossed Grevis's square, solemn face. His lips moved as he murmured incredulously.

Clutching the analysis report tightly in his hand, Grevis's eyes flickered with a multitude of emotions—excitement, elation, contemplation, hesitation—but ultimately, all of these emotions coalesced into resolute determination.