The Return to Hogwarts

Sirius was taken aback at first, but after a quick glance at Amelia, he said in a light voice,

"Of course, no problem. Well then, Amelia, the restaurant is underground. Just go down the stairs. Hmm, the stairs are quite low, so be careful not to bump your head."

Amelia knew, of course, that they wanted to create an opportunity for her and Amosta to talk alone. She bit her lip, nodded, and watched the two of them walk up the stairs before taking a deep breath and pushing open the half-closed wooden door.

A clean, translucent glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling cast a steady glow, illuminating the cavernous room fairly well. At the far end of the room was a rough stone fireplace. The house-elves they had just met in the foyer were busy preparing dinner, while Amosta sat in the middle of a long wooden table near the outer edge, gently rubbing his temples.

Amelia bit her lip again, then went down the narrow stone stairs to the ground floor and walked to the wooden table.

pat-

Amostah snapped his fingers, and the clanging noise from the fireplace suddenly stopped. He took a breath, looked at the somewhat nervous Amelia, and felt a pang of pity. His expression and voice softened considerably.

"Please sit down, Amelia—"

Upon hearing this, Amelia obediently pulled out a chair and carefully sat down.

The two looked at each other in silence, and the strange atmosphere made Amosta want to laugh.

Despite being the older, Amelia was the one with a higher seniority, yet she sat there like a child about to be criticized, nervously awaiting Amosta's wrath.

How did you get here?

Amosta rubbed his temples again, sighed, and asked...

"The Ministry of Magic has sent word that Cornelius Fudge has ordered a ban on any Auror from the Magical Congress of the United States entering British territory. How did you manage to overcome this obstacle?"

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the anger wouldn't be directed at her as she had anticipated, and said calmly.

"I resigned."

"Resigned?"

Amosta was taken aback.

"Becoming an Auror is your dream, isn't it? As far as I know, the Magical Congress only accepts the most outstanding young wizards. By chance, you had such an opportunity, and at the same time, you participated in the operation to eliminate vampires. This would have been a great boost to your career in the Department of Security, but you gave it up and came to the British wizarding world to wade into troubled waters?"

Like a parent worried about their child's future, Amosta's tone was tinged with a hint of reproach.

"Becoming an Auror and entering the Magic Council was indeed my dream,"

Somehow, when Amosta truly expressed his dissatisfaction, Amelia suddenly found that the slight fear in her heart disappeared, replaced by a warm feeling, like the warm current that flowed into her body when Amosta touched her wand.

This warmth gave Amelia courage, and she stood tall, speaking without fear.

"But after what happened with Trak Grevis, and after witnessing firsthand how Chairman Kohaug distorted the truth for the so-called greater interests of politicians, I realized that I might not be suited to work for the Magic Congress."

"If you feel you can't adapt to the dirty politics, you can always find another job in the American wizarding world. If you'd like, I can have Remus recruit you as the workshop's business manager in the United States, leading the fairies there and promoting the construction of the learning machine after-sales service network."

Amosta frowned and said...

“You’re very clever, Amelia. You should know that if our relationship were exposed, Voldemort wouldn’t send his Death Eaters.”

"I know the risks involved."

For a long time, no one dared to interrupt Amosta, but Amelia stared intently at him, her usual quiet demeanor gone, and spoke loudly.

“I know the danger and harm of the black wizard who can’t even be mentioned by name in this country. That’s why I came here. As your family, I can’t let you fight alone, can I?”

"I am not fighting alone, Amelia—"

Amosta said

“Besides Dumbledore, there’s a group of like-minded people fighting alongside me, like Sirius and Remus. Oh, but that’s not the point. Amelia, you need to go back to New York. Your home is there. Your mom and dad are getting old, and they need you.”

"They know the whole story."

Amelia interrupted Amosta's rambling again, her eyes resolute, and she spoke with a stiff neck.

"They're the ones who begged me to come here and take care of you!"

Chapter 966 The Melting Ice

2024-06-09

"They're the ones who begged you."

Amosta squinted at Amelia's brown eyes, which reflected the fireplace firelight and were almost identical to his own, trying to see a lie within them, but after a moment, his attempt failed.

After a long silence, Amosta shook his head slightly, his voice lowering.

“They may not realize how dangerous this is, Amelia. You know your parents have already lost one daughter. Do you want them to lose another daughter at this age?”

“I’ve already said that they know the whole story.”

Amelia's fists, resting on her knees, were clenched tightly.

“They knew that the British wizarding world might face war, but that’s why we unanimously decided that I would come back to the British wizarding world to help you because you are the one facing the greatest danger.”

It must be said that Amosta did feel the warmth of his family, but it was precisely because of this that he was unwilling to let Amelia willingly put herself in the vortex.

"No one can pose a danger to me, Amelia."

Amosta said in a cold, hard tone,

"Even if I really face danger, if I can't protect myself, frankly, Amelia, what can you do?"

"I can help you fight the Death Eaters, just like Remus and Sirius, by joining the Order of the Phoenix!"

A blush crept across Amelia's cheeks as she retorted sharply.

"Oh, sorry--"

Amosta had a headache.

"I don't own the Order of the Phoenix, so my word doesn't count."

"I know."

Amelia seemed to have anticipated his response; as soon as Amosta finished speaking, she quickly added...

"So I intend to write to Mr. Dumbledore and ask him to allow me to join the Order of the Phoenix. This is my own decision, and you have no right to interfere, Amosta."

“Dumbledore wouldn’t agree either. He knows that if you join the Order of the Phoenix without my permission, he’ll most likely lose his office at Hogwarts. Because I’ll burn it down!”

Amostah's eyebrows shot up, his voice icy and tinged with exasperation, a rare emotion for him.

To be honest, Amosta didn't regret meeting the Detts in New York, and he didn't even care much about his identity being exposed. However, after sensing Amelia's magic at the airport, he did feel a little regretful.

He truly hadn't expected that Amelia would secretly resign from her job at the Magical Congress of America and run off to England to join a war that had nothing to do with her.

The future is uncertain, and even he himself cannot guarantee that he can make it to the end safely, given that many unknown dangers have yet to be exposed, let alone Amelia, who has only graduated from school for two years.

If Amelia dies in the war, he must bear full responsibility.

The atmosphere became completely tense. Amelia and Amosta stared at each other, both seeing determination in each other's eyes.

Cough cough--

A sudden, weak cough broke the silence. The wooden door on the stairs was pushed open, revealing Sirius and Remus with somewhat uneasy faces. When Amosta's slightly 'stern' gaze fell upon them, the awkwardness on their faces deepened.

I miss you all.

Looking at the two people with stiff expressions, Sirius clicked his tongue in feigned surprise.

"Are you two arguing?"

Amostella's lips twitched, but she remained silent, while Amelia also pursed her lips, fuming and refusing to speak.

Seeing this, Sirius scratched his eyebrows awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Remus wasn't naive enough to believe that Amosta hadn't noticed his and Sirius's eavesdropping. He walked slowly into the restaurant first, pulled out a chair, sat down, carefully observed the expressions of the two men facing off, and then suddenly smiled.

"I have to say, blood ties are truly a wondrous thing, aren't they?"

Upon hearing this, Amelia and Amosta reacted in completely opposite ways.

Amelia's expression immediately softened considerably, while Amosta's expression became even colder and harder.

"To be fair, Amosta—"

Sirius followed, casually pulled up a chair, sat down, and looked at Amosta, saying...

“Amelia is an excellent adult wizard. She has the right to decide what she does and the ability to take responsibility for her decisions, doesn’t she?”

Amosta certainly understood these simple truths. In fact, he had no right to interfere with Amelia's independent decision. However, perhaps as Remus said, blood ties are a strange thing. Even though he had always appeared very indifferent to it, he couldn't completely let go when it came to it.

Sirius and Remus appearing in the kitchen at this time clearly indicates their intention to resolve the conflict between the two.

Remus, who was more familiar with Amelia, also looked at Amelia with a friendly expression and said,

“As a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Amelia, I am very grateful for your recognition of the Order and of us members. I believe Albus would also be very pleased to see a foreign wizard take the initiative to join the resistance against Voldemort. However, I believe that even without Amostall’s interference, Albus would not have agreed to let you join the Order of the Phoenix so easily.”

Amelia paused, then turned her gaze to Remus with a puzzled expression.

"You know, the Order of the Phoenix is ​​a top-secret organization. It was created by Albus specifically to counter Voldemort's power, and it's an extremely dangerous undertaking."

We face not only external pressures, but also internal ones. We need to guard against individuals succumbing to the fear of death and the temptation of personal gain, lest they betray their faith. Such a person would pose a deadly danger to all members of the Order of the Phoenix. Therefore, Albus cannot easily recruit a wizard he does not understand.

Amelia listened to Remus's story with a frown. Emotionally, she felt somewhat disappointed, but rationally speaking, what Remus said did make sense.

From the perspective of the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, it is impossible for Mr. Dumbledore to make an exception for her just because she is related to Amostella and to accept a wizard he knows virtually nothing into the Order of the Phoenix.

"The struggle won't end in a day, Amelia—"

Remus said gently,