The Return to Hogwarts

Amosta Blaine may not care if the Ministry of Magic's authority is trampled on, but he certainly doesn't want to see the magical world's order fall into chaos.

But the reality was completely different from what he had expected. Amosta Blaine showed no sign of tension at all, simply leaning back on the sofa and rhythmically twirling his two thumbs.

"A reasonable speculation—"

Amosta nodded slightly, confirming Lucius's statement.

"You're not going to stop it?"

Amostella's reaction caught Lucius off guard. He asked in astonishment, but then, the unfathomable gaze that Amostella Blaine cast upon him sent a shiver down Lucius's spine, and he instinctively lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Blaine, I shouldn’t have overstepped my bounds.”

“It’s alright, Lucius. I’m not the Dark Lord, who takes lives at every turn.”

Amosta's tone was calm and even.

"But you must understand that knowing too much is not a good thing for your current position."

Lucius nodded, his face ashen.

Three months ago, he was the illustrious patriarch of the Malfoy family, a business tycoon renowned throughout the British and even European magical world. But after the Dark Lord's resurrection, he had to work as a spy just to barely survive.

The Dark Lord was never a magnanimous wizard, and Lucius was not naive enough to think that he could get away with damaging the Dark Lord's treasure. The Dark Lord spared his life because he still had value, especially since he had not yet gathered his entire crew.

If all the Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban are freed, the Dark Lord will have many more options. At that time, it's hard to say whether he will take the lives of the Malfoy family directly, or torture them to his own pleasure before bringing about the downfall of the Malfoys.

Anyway, it's all doomed to fail eventually.

The general intelligence had been given, and Lucius looked at Blaine with trepidation, wondering if he was satisfied with the information he had provided. Moreover, Blaine would likely assign him some tasks, hopefully not the kind that would lead to his death.

Digesting the information Lucius brought, the most valuable information was undoubtedly Voldemort's attitude towards his entry into Salazar Slaterlin's vault.

Voldemort showed the expected concern, but beyond that, his nervousness undoubtedly further confirmed his and Dumbledore's suspicions.

"Voldemort at Gringotts"

Amosta suddenly asked, but stopped halfway through his sentence, thought for a moment, and then continued.

"Back then... I mean, when Voldemort was most active, besides you, who were the Death Eaters he trusted the most, Lucius?"

The most trusted Death Eater?

If it were a decade or two ago, Lucius would have proudly declared that he was the Dark Lord's most trusted man. Of course, he would have also reluctantly named a few colleagues who had received similar favor. But now, Lucius could only manage a wry smile.

"Based on my observations, Mr. Blaine, the Dark Lord trusts no one, Mr. Blaine—"

Lucius's expression was bitter, and his voice was slightly hoarse.

"He only trusts himself, of course. If you insist on an answer, then I think—"

Taking a deep breath, Lucius continued...

"He trusted Severus, the Lestranges, the Caro siblings, Evan Rozier. Basically, all of them, those imprisoned in Azkaban."

"Well--"

Amosta nodded and then fell silent again.

If Voldemort really entrusted another of his Horcruxes to a Death Eater other than Lucius, and that Death Eater put Voldemort's Horcrux into Gringotts vaults, then unless he gets a definitive answer, he'll have to check each of those vaults one by one.

If he were to actually do this, firstly, it would cause immense trouble for Barnacles, and secondly, if Voldemort weren't a fool, he would realize that he and Dumbledore already knew about his creation of Horcruxes, which would be extremely detrimental to identifying the next few Horcruxes.

But this matter must be done; it just needs a reasonable excuse.

Even if Voldemort knew that he had forcibly opened the vault, he wouldn't believe that it was for his Horcruxes.

"There's something I need your help with, Lucius—"

coming!

As the long silence made Lucius anxious, Amostella finally spoke. Upon hearing this, Lucius felt a chill run down his spine, yet was also deeply relieved.

The fact that Blaine was willing to give him orders at least proves two things: first, that Blaine at least sees him as valuable; and second, that Blaine at least has a certain degree of trust in him.

The fact that the patriarch of the prestigious Malfoy family felt gratified because he had value to be exploited is actually a bit heartbreaking, but that's just how cruel the magical world is these days.

When the Dark Lord returns to the wizarding world and decides to reignite the war, thousands of wizards will become victims of the war, and only a few will be able to become the players.

Although Blaine wasn't exactly polite to him, Lucius could tell that Blaine wasn't treating him like a slave.

"It is my pleasure to serve you, Mr. Blaine--"

Lucius was about to stand up when Amosta's slightly raised hand immediately exerted a powerful force, pressing Lucius back onto the sofa.

There is one thing—

Amosta lowered his raised hand and said calmly,

"Given that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts has been vacant for several months, Fudge has recommended his trusted aide, Dolores Umbridge, to Headmaster Dumbledore for the position—"

Fudge appointed Umbridge as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?

Lucius was taken aback at first, then his eye twitched, and he blurted out,

"You mean the Ministry of Magic is trying to interfere with Hogwarts?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Amosta smiled.

What do you want me to do?

Lucius became cautious, watching Amosta warily.

"If you want me to use the Malfoy family's influence to interfere with Fudge's decision, that's probably not easy. Moreover, if the Dark Lord knew about this, he would probably be happy to see the Ministry of Magic in conflict with you."

"Yes, Voldemort would certainly be happy to see this happen, so—"

Amosta smiled meaningfully.

"I want you to proactively report this to Voldemort and persuade him to let you help Cornelius Fudge. If you push him forward on this matter, he will definitely agree."

As Amostella recounted the story, Lucius's bewildered expression gradually turned into one of astonishment and uncertainty.

Has Blaine gone mad? Is he driving himself to his death?!

"Why do you want me to do this, Mr. Blaine?"

Finally, Lucius couldn't help but ask,

"You probably know that if I did this, cooperating with the Ministry of Magic to pressure Hogwarts, Hogwarts would be finished, and you wouldn't be able to hold out!"

Chapter 985 Reputation

2024-06-20

Perhaps my return had some kind of deterrent effect on those little wizards who loved to wander at night.

After seeing Lucius Malfoy off, Amosta was on her way to Dumbledore's office when she didn't see a single young wizard running around the castle in the dead of night. Only Peeves's maniacal laughter and Filch's exasperated shouts echoed through the empty castle.

When I entered the headmaster's office, Dumbledore was sitting in his office chair, staring blankly at the circular dome, while the Pensieve, belonging to Hogwarts, on his desk was emitting a starlight-like glow.

As he passed the brazier where Fox was resting, Amosta stopped and glanced at it a few times.

Fox, who had been reborn in New York, had not yet fully recovered, but some brightly colored feathers had already sprouted from his small body lying on the warm ashes.

"Is it possible, Headmaster Dumbledore—"

Amosta reached out a finger and ruffled the soft down on Fox's head, smiling.

"Suppose. I mean suppose one day--"

“That’s not up to me, Amosta.”

Dumbledore smiled calmly.

"You need to get Fox's opinion."

Amostella shrugged, left the brazier, and walked towards the narrow-legged desk. His gaze fell on the Pensieve, and before he could ask, Dumbledore offered his explanation.

“I’m recalling some memories, memories of the trial of Tom’s Death Eaters after he lost his powers last time.”

Amosta nodded slightly, understanding why Dumbledore wanted to relive his memories.

“I spoke with Lucius Malfoy, and based on some of the information he gave me, our previous speculations are possible.”

"Besides Horcruxes, what else could make Tom nervous now? He's no longer the little boy in the orphanage. Wealth is no longer his goal; only eternal life matters."

"I asked Lucius for his opinion, and he did offer some suggestions on who Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters were besides him—"

Amosta recited the names of the Death Eaters Lucius had told him, and then calmly said,

“We can’t pinpoint the right answer, Headmaster Dumbledore. To find the Horcrux that might be in Gringotts’ vaults, we’ll have to open the vaults of Voldemort’s most loyal followers.”

“But you know that’s impossible, Amosta—”

Dumbledore's gaze held a hint of warning.

"It is indeed inappropriate at this time,"

Amosta responded frankly.

"But as the situation worsens and the magical world enters a state of open warfare, some solutions that would normally be unacceptable may become more understandable."

Dumbledore said nothing more, only wearily rubbing his temples.