The Return to Hogwarts

"I don't think you need to rush into joining the Order of the Phoenix. You also need some time to understand the situation here before deciding whether to side with us. Until then—"

Remus glanced at Amosta, and seeing that he seemed to relax slightly after Amosta listened calmly to him, he continued,

"You can first join our learning machine workshop and get a job to support your life."

Thanks to the efforts of Remus and Sirius, Amosta and Amelia finally reached a preliminary consensus.

After dinner concluded in a fairly pleasant atmosphere, Sirius enthusiastically offered to show Amelia around the old house. With Amosta's tacit approval, Amelia's interest was greatly piqued, and she readily accepted the invitation.

"I need a place to stay, but I don't know much about London—"

After listening to Sirius's account of how the ownership of the old house ended up in Amosta's hands, Amelia couldn't help but chuckle. But after her laughter subsided, Amelia suddenly remembered this matter. She turned her head, pursed her lips, and looked at Amosta with a troubled expression.

Amosta's expression tightened for a moment, then he sighed and said...

“Let’s stay in this house. Black’s old house has excellent defensive magic, and there aren’t many places in the entire British magical world that are safer than it. This is the most suitable place.”

Amelia's eyes lit up immediately; she knew this meant that Amosta was no longer organizing her to stay in London.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously.

They had always known Amosta as a man of his word, and it was rare to see him change his mind, which showed that Amelia held a significant place in his heart.

This is a good thing. Although they have never talked about it with Amosta, Sirius and Remus, as Amosta's friends, can vaguely sense that there is a block of ice deep inside Amosta. This may be due to his tragic background, but Amelia's appearance seems to be showing signs of melting that ice.

As night falls on the quiet square on the outskirts of London, the lonely wind whispering across the open fields and the city's edge takes on a more ethereal quality.

"rest early--"

Bathed in the flawless, bright moonlight, Amosta, seemingly radiating light, gazed gently at Amelia.

"Let's go to Diagon Alley together tomorrow--"

Chapter 967 The Intimidating Power of the Strongest Wizard

2024-06-09

As summer approaches, even in the early morning, the sun's rays cast a warm glow upon the earth, a warmth that invites languor.

Remus had already left the house for the alchemy workshop, and Sirius had also gone to work at the Ministry of Magic. After leisurely finishing their breakfast, Amostella and Amelia said goodbye to Kreacher and left the house.

"Similar to the American wizarding world, wizards in Britain mainly travel by Floonet, Apparition, and flying brooms."

As he walked down the steps in front of the door, Amosta said...

"Of course, you can also choose the Knight Bus as your mode of transportation, but the comfort level is terrible. If you can't get used to flying brooms, then the Knight Bus is not a good choice for you."

A magical world she had never been to before, a life completely different from what she had experienced. Even the air was filled with a sense of novelty, just like the time when she had just graduated from Ilvermorny and joined the Magical Congress of America. Everything filled Amelia with anticipation and curiosity.

"So how do we get to Diagon Alley now?"

Amelia jumped down two steps, her upturned face radiant in the bright sunlight.

"Through Apparition: The Leaky Cauldron—this is the gateway between the wizarding world and the Muggle world; you have to go through this pub to get to Diagon Alley."

Of course, if you know someone in Diagon Alley, you can also use the Floo network, and then do it when you go to work at Remus's workshop--”

Amosta said he raised his right hand, and Amelia immediately placed her hand on top of it.

A hazy, illusory vision rapidly unfolded before Amelia's eyes, and in an instant, she found herself with Amostall on a bustling Muggle street.

There was clearly magic in the space near where they landed, perhaps a distraction spell and a banishment spell, because the people nearby ignored her and Amosta who suddenly appeared out of the space, and Muggles would subconsciously avoid that small area when walking.

Looking around, they saw bookstores, record stores, hamburger shops, and cinemas on either side. Amelia carefully memorized her surroundings so that she could later use Apparition to get there.

After confirming that she had noted down the details, Amelia's gaze finally fell on the bar in front of them.

The bar's entrance was dirty and cramped, and Amelia was certain that even without magical protection, not many people would notice it.

"Break the Cauldron Bar"

Amelia read aloud the words on a decaying panel covered in green scars hanging above the door, and unconsciously her brow furrowed slightly.

"Is it like the Blind Pig Bar?"

That's not the case.

As Amosta led Amelia inside, he spoke gently.

"Generally speaking, the Leaky Cauldron operates within the law, unlike Narrak, whose main purpose is to sell information and provide shelter for wanted criminals. Of course, some people who operate in the gray area do like to conduct transactions here, but if it's truly dangerous business, they'll find another place—"

Amelia followed behind Amosta, listening intently. As she crossed a certain boundary, a strange force suddenly cut off the sunlight, and the surroundings abruptly darkened.

Clang!

Before Amelia could even take a look around the bar, the sudden sound of collapse drew her attention to a smoky corner of the bar.

About a dozen wizards were facing off in two groups, one of whom was wearing the black hooded cloaks that were familiar to wizards in the underground world of Amosta.

The other group of wizards made no attempt to conceal their appearances, each exuding a fierce aura, and their appearances clearly showed some characteristics of Scandinavia.

The reason for the conflict between the two groups was not complicated. Amosta glanced at the several pieces of armor that had been swept to the ground after the round table collapsed. They gleamed with a silvery luster and were engraved with intricate and beautiful patterns. He knew that one side had provided counterfeit goods, which the other side had recognized. Amosta even knew which 'master' in the underworld had made these armors.

These newcomers to the underworld probably didn't expect that their opponent had some insight and a violent temper.

The tense atmosphere drew everyone's attention in the bar, and no one noticed Amosta standing calmly at the door, watching everything unfold.

"Pay back. Contract, five times the amount!"

The leader, a Scandinavian, had blue eyes and a fierce line between his brows on his rugged face. He spoke in broken English in a gruff voice.

The wizards of the underworld remained silent.

The clause "five times the price for counterfeit goods" is indeed stipulated in the contract, but there's something fishy about it.

A wizard dressed in black robes opened his cloak and pulled down the spatial bag tied to his belt.

Seeing this, the leading Norseman mistakenly thought that the wizards they had traded with were really going to make compensation according to the contract. He and the others behind him relaxed their expressions slightly. But when they saw the person who opened the space bag dump a pile of glittering silver armor on the ground, they were stunned at first, and then their cheeks turned red!

"Pay back in Galleons, not trash!"

"You can take a closer look at the terms of the contract—" one of the wizards in the black cloak said coldly in a clearly faked, hoarse voice.

"We have not violated the contract."

By this point, the Scandinavians could no longer be unaware that they had been completely fooled by these local scum. They were breathing heavily, their eyes were red, and they looked ready to start a fight at the slightest provocation.

The wizards of the underworld remained unmoved, but the slight fluttering of their cloaks suggested that they were also holding wands hidden beneath them, making a bloody battle seem inevitable.

The bar owner, hunchbacked old Tom, had long since hidden his head behind the bar counter.

"What are you doing!"

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out, Amelia forgot that she was now in another country, forgot that she was no longer an employee of the Magic Government, no longer an Auror. She frowned and shouted sharply.

The sudden shout of "Stop!" startled everyone, including the two groups of people who were facing off. All the wizards in the bar turned their attention to the door, and Old Tom also peeked out from behind the bar.

When they noticed that the one stopping the conflict didn't appear to be an Auror, but a young witch, many couldn't help but laugh wryly, but—

When these people glanced at the young man standing next to the little witch, the sneer on their lips froze!

The bar was so noisy you could hear a pin drop; it seemed as if some invisible force was suppressing everyone from making a sound.

The sudden silence left Amelia somewhat bewildered. She blinked and turned her head blankly to look at Amosta.

But Amosta ignored the question in her eyes, remaining calm as she shifted her gaze from the faces of the two opposing groups to the counterfeit goods on the ground.

The underground wizard who had just dumped all that trash suddenly felt a pang of fear. He bent down shakily and stuffed the trash back into his spatial bag, piece by piece.

The Nordic wizard who had just pushed the round table over silently bent down and righted it.

Under Amosta's indifferent gaze, the two groups, about to come to blows, obediently emerged from the corner of the bar. As they passed the stunned bar owner, Tom, a Nordic wizard silently took out a few gold coins and placed them on the bar counter. He nodded to old Tom, mumbled an "sorry," and then quickly followed the group out through the back door of the Leaky Cauldron, disappearing from sight.

puff-

At this moment, the Leaky Cauldron bar, which was immersed in silence, had a strange atmosphere. Amelia suddenly covered her mouth and burst out laughing.

Chapter 968 Gringotts

2024-06-10

Amosta glanced sideways at Amelia, who was struggling to suppress her laughter, and his indifferent expression softened. As his expression changed, the heavy atmosphere in the Leaky Cauldron began to melt away like solid ice.

"Mr. Blaine!"

Old Tom was the first to recover. He practically sprinted off the bar and rushed to Amosta, bending even lower with his already hunched back. His eyes were filled with reverence, and a joyful smile spread across Old Tom's rough face.

"Oh, it's such an honor to meet you, Mr. Blaine. Lately, many patrons in the bar have been discussing whether you'll return to England. I never expected to see you here today!"

Hello, Tom--

Amosta, whose intimidating gaze and indifferent expression had just quelled an impending fierce battle, suddenly changed his demeanor. His smile softened, becoming gentle and humble. His tone revealed a deep curiosity as he asked with interest,

"People are talking about whether I'll go back to England, Tom, why is that?"

"Oh!"

Old Tom looked indignant.

"The Daily Prophet reported on your exploits in New York, so there are rumors that because you did a great job for the U.S. Ministry of Magic there, those Americans admire you so much that they plan to invite you to become the head of the Auror office at the U.S. Ministry of Magic. That's complete nonsense. I told them that Mr. Blaine is already the vice president of the Wizarding Union, and he doesn't even want the position of head of the Auror office, unless those Americans offer you the position of minister of their Ministry of Magic!"

To be honest, Amosta and Old Tom were only acquaintances, but every time they met Amosta in recent years, his back was bent more and more hunched over.

"This is indeed a rumor—"