The Return to Hogwarts

Suppressing his emotions, Harry asked,

"Professor Blaine has already clearly rejected Fudge, and he just rejected Percy as well. Will the Ministry of Magic give up interfering in Hogwarts?"

Hermione's silence gave Harry the answer.

The sun still shone brightly outside the window, and the gentle breeze, the pleasant waves, and the chirping of insects and birds created this false harmony.

Harry, who had just realized that the world was 'too peaceful,' was beginning to experience the turmoil that would follow Voldemort's return.

Should we... take down Dolores Umbridge?

The thought suddenly popped into Harry's head, and he was immediately terrified by it, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Even Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine wouldn't dare to say they'd kill an employee of the Ministry of Magic. What stupid thing did he do to have such a thought? What's wrong with him?

This wasn't the first time. He had previously harbored murderous intent towards Percy and Professor Blaine in Professor Blaine's office. There was some excuse for his feelings towards Percy, but his hatred for Professor Blaine was utterly absurd. Yet Harry knew that his momentary malice was not a hallucination.

"Harry?"

Hermione peered at her with a worried expression, while Ginny, facing her directly, also looked pale.

"nothing--"

Harry lied to himself, knowing the two perceptive girls had noticed something was wrong. He lowered his head guiltily and frantically ate the leftover food on the table.

"Eat quickly, afternoon classes are about to start."

Chapter 995 Monologue

2024-06-25

Woo!

The deafening train whistle jolted Percy out of his reverie. He realized that the scenery outside the window had changed from the rolling green mountains and the shimmering lakes in the valleys to the Hogwarts Express galloping across endless fields and pastures teeming with cattle and sheep.

The vast open space under the bright sunshine did little to improve Percy's mood.

He lifted his buttocks slightly off the cushioned sofa in the compartment and looked in the direction of departure. The majestic and imposing Hogwarts had completely disappeared from view, not even a shadow could be seen.

"Hey--"

A heavy sigh dissipated amidst the rhythmic clanging of wheels on the rails. Percy bent over, burying his face in his outstretched hands.

Professor Blaine was not convinced by himself.

Percy didn't want to deceive himself into thinking he hadn't anticipated this situation, but Professor Blaine's decisiveness—without even explaining his reasons for refusing—was something he hadn't expected.

In his opinion, Professor Blaine was very kind to him.

When he was still Barty Crouch's assistant, he had just taken over the daily work of the International Department of Magical Cooperation after Crouch left on sick leave. He went through a very difficult time, troubled by countless trivial matters. Professor Blaine gave him some guidance, and he told himself to ask his father for advice and to ask his father to take him to visit the heads of various departments.

He followed the instructions with some skepticism, and from then until he was expelled from the International Department of Magical Cooperation, he was much more adept at his work than before.

"Why won't you help me anymore?"

A disappointed complaint came from behind the outstretched palm.

It's just a matter of letting Ms. Umbridge teach at Hogwarts. The young wizards are in dire need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Isn't this a win-win situation?

Professor Blaine didn't want to think too deeply about why he rejected Percy, but the current situation was that he had fallen into an even more desperate situation.

He failed the minister's test, so he couldn't hope to become the minister's assistant. He still had to waste his precious time day after day in the Malaysian office, a place where there was nothing to do but wipe tables and sweep floors. Perhaps his predicament would only change when the next minister took office.

Percy wiped his face a few times, then wiped his eyes, which were a little wet from the soreness, before turning his blank gaze back to the window.

What should I do next?

Not only did she fail to gain Professor Blaine's support, but she also angered her father, Ron. He was right; her father was indeed strongly opposed to her coming to Hogwarts, and they even had a big argument about it.

Thinking of his father, Percy felt a surge of anger amidst his bewilderment.

He simply couldn't understand what the benefit was in opposing the powerful Minister of Magic, if not for the fact that he had always been doing so.

Boom, boom, boom——

A sudden knock on the glass door of the private room made Percy turn his head. What came into his view was a smiling woman with dimples, and a small cart was parked in front of her.

Seeing Percy looking at her, the woman smiled and pushed open the door to the private room.

"Honey, do you want to buy some food from the car?"

"Oh, thank you, but no need, I brought my own."

Some long-standing habits made Percy subconsciously give a no, but before he could finish speaking, he realized that he was no longer a student at Hogwarts. He didn't have the pie his mother had prepared for him, and he wasn't as cramped as when he was in school. Working at the Ministry of Magic had given him some savings, though not much.

The witch selling snacks didn't seem displeased by Percy's refusal; she still smiled and nodded at Percy before preparing to close the box door.

"and many more!"

Percy said that as he looked at the wide array of food on the cart, he suddenly realized that he had not heeded Professor Blaine's suggestion to eat lunch at school, but had left Hogwarts directly. Now, he was indeed feeling a little hungry, and to his delight, he had some Galleons in his purse.

"Have you changed your mind, darling?"

The slightly plump witch looked at Percy with a hint of anticipation.

"Oh, yes--"

Percy stood up from his seat and examined the snacks on the cart.

The food was plentiful, with the cart piled high with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Bubble Gum, Chocolate Frog, Pumpkin Pie, Crucible Cake, Licorice Wand, and some candies from Bee Duke Candy Shop.

He couldn't recall ever making a purchase at this witch merchant's mobile shop during his seven years of education at Hogwarts, and even if he had, for reasons he didn't want to mention, the number of times was probably very few.

"Oh, are you sure you want to buy this much, darling?"

The witch's surprised voice pulled Percy back to reality from his reverie. Percy blinked and realized that the food he had chosen was piled up into a small mountain on the seat of the private box, which was indeed more than he could eat by himself.

"How much would it cost if I bought them all?"

Percy bit his lip and said cautiously.

"Oh, these things have gone up in price lately, honey—"

The slightly plump witch's response made Percy's heart skip a beat. Before his face could even turn red, he heard the witch say something else.

"Sixteen silver shiks plus nine bronze knats."

"Oh--"

Percy breathed a sigh of relief, took a Galleon from his pocket, and felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

"Here you go, keep the change—"

"Oh, thank you, generous gentleman—"

The fat witch smiled and accepted the Galon, then considerately closed the box door for Percy.

A generous gentleman.

Percy's smile faded only after the clattering of the cart drove away, and his melancholy dissipated considerably in the pleasant transaction.

With a hint of eagerness, Percy returned to his seat and began to savor his food. He had tasted most of these common foods before, but perhaps due to hunger, Percy had never found them so delicious that he ate with a somewhat wolfish manner.

Although he wasn't particularly fond of these 'children's' foods, he had never experienced this kind of 'affluence' before.

During his time at Hogwarts, most of his belongings, including spellbooks, cauldrons, scales, telescopes, and wizard robes, came from Bill and Charlie. When he first entered Hogwarts, the only completely new thing he owned was his wand, and his pet owl was only bought for him by his parents after he became a prefect in his fifth year.

In this family, poverty tormented everyone's self-esteem, yet no one dared to voice it publicly, which was undoubtedly a sign of cowardice.

Percy tore at the snacks with almost greedy abandon.

Their family wasn't living a bad life, and their poverty wasn't entirely due to having too many siblings.

The root of the problem lies with his father.

His father's greatest hobby has always been tinkering with useless Muggle things. He has never put much effort into his work, has no ambition, is unwilling to please his superiors, and is content to stay in a worthless department to amuse himself, ignoring the family's tight finances.

Compared to that, what wrong have I done?

Since joining the Ministry of Magic, he has devoted all his energy to his work, hoping to achieve good career development, realize his own ambitions, and also provide a more respectable life for his family so that his mother wouldn't have to worry about money all the time.

To achieve this goal, he needed to gain the favor of the Minister of Magic, which is why he came to Hogwarts today.

A piece of chocolate cake choked him, and the suffocating pain made Percy curl up, his body convulsing slightly. He struggled to reach for the water glass on the table, and after gulping it down, he finally felt better.

Percy slumped in his chair, his thin eyes slightly moist, perhaps from the pain he had just endured. He was panting heavily, his lifeless eyes gazing at the drifting white clouds outside the window.

Why doesn't anyone understand his predicament?

Chapter 996 Interlude

2024-06-25

"Your snacks are delicious, ma'am—"

The fat witch who sold snacks also cleaned the carriages. As Percy passed by her, he nodded and smiled at her before getting off the train.

The Hogwarts Express stopped at Diagon Alley Station, where some passengers were heading to King's Cross Station. When Percy squeezed through the bustling crowd to the outside of the station, he found that the sky above had become gloomy, and a bright red sun was teetering on the mountaintops in the sky.

Percy glanced at his watch; it was already seven o'clock. His gaze fell on the file folder tucked between his arms, and he hesitated.

At this time of day, wizards would generally have already gone home and perhaps even finished dinner, sitting leisurely in their gardens enjoying the evening breeze. Percy wasn't sure if Professor Lupin was still working at that workshop that had recently gained fame; if not, he would need to make another trip tomorrow.

But he needs to go to work tomorrow. Although he has nothing to do at the Ministry of Magic right now, skipping work is not his style. Besides, even though his mission to Hogwarts failed, he still has to report the results to the Minister for Magic.