The Return to Hogwarts

Chapter 1000: Growth Overnight

2024-06-27

The rising sun shone on Penelope's profile, making her fair skin glow with an alluring light.

Percy, who had been gazing at Penelope all night, felt another flutter in his heart. However, the absurd impulse of the previous night had left Penelope exhausted. Percy gave a silly smile and finally restrained his impulse, simply leaning in and gently kissing Penelope's cheek.

But the slight noise still woke Penelope. She frowned slightly, and after her long, dark eyelashes trembled, she opened her eyes.

The face that came into view left Penelope momentarily bewildered, but she quickly regained her senses and let out a shy gasp. She pulled the blanket over herself, curled up, and turned her face away in a huff.

After waiting a while, Penelope heard no comforting words. Slightly puzzled, she cautiously turned her head back and saw a silly smile on the face.

Love and happiness blossomed in her heart. Penelope bit her rosy lips, supported herself with her arms and nestled into Percy's arms. Their lips and ears pressed together, and they whispered sweet nothings.

Holding the girl in his arms, Percy gazed at the small room, less than thirty or forty square meters in size, which became increasingly bright as the morning light grew. Suddenly, he understood why his parents, with so many brothers and sisters, could still be so content living in such a cramped environment.

"Would you like something to eat, Percy?"

Hearing the change in Percy's heartbeat, Penelope sat up, looking at Percy with a somewhat innocent expression. The blankets slipped off her body, and the sight of pure white made Percy dizzy.

"I just want to hold you a little longer."

Percy pulled Penelope into his arms again and covered her with the blanket.

A surge of immense happiness welled up within her, and a smile blossomed on Penelope's lips.

"But you have to work at the Ministry of Magic, don't you? If you don't eat something, you won't have the energy to handle the heavy workload."

A bitter look flashed in Percy's eyes when the Ministry of Magic was mentioned, but he didn't complain. He simply spoke with a calmness that even he himself couldn't comprehend.

"Oh, I'm not going."

"What's going on, Percy?"

Penelope was startled. She pulled away from Percy's embrace and stared in astonishment at the face that there was no way she could mistake it. They had been in love for a long time before graduating from Hogwarts. She knew Percy; these were definitely not words that would come out of his mouth.

"It's nothing, Penelope—"

Percy sniffed; the last trace of youthful naiveté on his face seemed to have vanished overnight, replaced by a genuine calm and an undeniable maturity.

"Hey, Penelope—"

Percy continued to look around the room.

Penelope's rented room was really small; there was no living room, only a bedroom, a bathroom that could barely fit two people, and a simple kitchen. But thankfully, everything was clean, and the room was filled with an atmosphere that he found captivating.

"Can I live with you, Penelope?"

The couple, who reconciled without saying a word, gazed into each other's eyes.

Penelope pursed her lips. This cottage was only a short-term rental. If she didn't get a job at the workshop, she would have to return to the farm in the countryside as promised to her parents. But at this moment, Penelope completely forgot about that promise and was determined.

Penelope nodded slightly, gave Percy a gentle smile, and then leaned on his shoulder.

“If you’re willing, Percy, of course, no problem, but you’ll have to share the rent with me. I don’t have that much money on me.”

They both chuckled softly. Percy tightened his grip on Penelope's slender waist, took a deep breath, and then exhaled heavily, his tone resolute.

“I’ve figured some things out, Penelope. I’m planning to move out of the house. And I’m also planning to resign from the Ministry of Magic.”

Penelope's eyelashes trembled slightly. She neither uttered another gasp of shock nor immediately offered her support; she simply asked softly,

"You still haven't told me, Percy, how you found me?"

"Oh, actually it's like this—"

Percy stroked the chestnut curls, a wistful smile on his face.

“I went to Hogwarts to see Professor Blaine on the orders of the Minister of Magic. Before I left, Professor Blaine asked me to give a file folder to Remus. You may not know, Penelope, but the wizard behind that Learning Machine workshop is actually Professor Blaine. He asked me to give it to Remus. Inside are your resumes. Oh, I have good news for you. You have been accepted by the Learning Machine workshop.”

Professor Blaine Percy pictured that handsome and dignified face, those eyes as deep as the abyss. Although there was no evidence, he was absolutely certain that the Penelope resume that had inexplicably slammed into his face was no coincidence.

The man saw through his inner fear and confusion, saw through the huge emptiness in his heart, and found something to fill that emptiness for himself.

Last night, Penelope would have been overjoyed by the news, but now, a greater joy had taken its place. She could now view it calmly. She lifted her face, gazing at the hint of weariness in her young lover's eyes, and softly said,

"You must have suffered a lot this year, Percy, haven't you?"

Suffered a lot of grievances

Percy's body trembled slightly, and he struggled to suppress the urge to cry.

Since graduating from Hogwarts and entering the Ministry of Magic, no one has cared whether he has been wronged, except for the girl in his arms.

"Yes, we certainly suffered a lot—"

Percy spoke in a hoarse voice, meeting Penelope's clear gaze. Percy no longer suppressed the urge to confide. He recounted everything he had experienced since entering the Ministry of Magic, including the reason for his visit to Professor Blaine at Hogwarts and the cold reception he received there.

"So, you understand why the Minister of Magic wanted Ms. Umbridge to teach at Hogwarts, and why Professor Blaine so vehemently opposed it?"

Penelope asked softly.

"Oh, isn't that obvious?"

Percy's smile was complicated.

“I’ve always known that the minister couldn’t stand the pressure from Professors Dumbledore and Blaine, so he wanted to send Umbridge to Hogwarts to cause trouble. Oh, how stupid of me. I was just pretending not to see it.”

“But you don’t need to leave the Ministry of Magic, do you, Percy?”

Penelope raised her delicate, slender hand and gently stroked Percy's chest.

"Do you remember? Entering the Ministry of Magic has always been your dream."

"Even now, it remains my dream—"

"Percy said softly."

Having broken through some of the fog, Percy finally dared to face his own heart. He stretched out one hand, making a loose clenching motion in mid-air, watching the sunlight slip through his fingers.

"But I must admit that the current Ministry of Magic is neither what I like nor what I can handle."

"One day, I will return to the Ministry of Magic, but before that, I need to learn—and I think that's what Professor Blaine is trying to tell me—I must first enrich myself to be able to handle complex situations. I plan to go to the Learning Machine Workshop where you will be working; it's a very special place, and I believe it will help me grow."

You've grown so much, Percy!

The thought flashed through Penelope's mind, but she said nothing, only giving a soft "hmm".

"Oh, I believe I can convince Dad; he'll support me, but Mom—"

Percy sat up straight, took Penelope's hand on his shoulder, and looked into the girl's flushed cheeks and misty eyes, asking expectantly.

“Could you come home with me, Penelope? At least you could have stopped my mother when I told her I was leaving the Ministry of Magic and she was ready to tear me to pieces. My father is completely useless when she’s angry—”

Chapter 1001 Preparation (Part 1)

2024-06-28

Rolling thunderclouds spread across the sky, hanging so low they seemed within reach of a tower. Dazzling lightning struck the vast, turbulent surface of the black lake. An octopus, disturbed from its slumber, waved its eight enormous tentacles, and the resulting floodwaters even submerged the upper hall.

The terrible weather on the first day of June seemed to foreshadow that the last month of the school year would be anything but peaceful.

An owl, drifting in through the storm, brought Amosta a letter from Remus. Upon reading it, a faint smile appeared on Amosta's lips.

Mr. Weasley has written to inquire whether Percy's resignation from the Ministry of Magic and his plans to join the Learning Machine Workshop were his suggestion. Amosta replied that it was not his suggestion, but he hoped they would respect Percy's decision if he made it.

In his letter, Remus told him that Percy had gone to the workshop for an interview and passed successfully. Remus was asking for his opinion on whether to really hire Percy into the workshop. Amos believes that Remus probably sent the same letter to Mr. Weasley as well.

After writing down his opinion, Amosta glanced at the pouring rain outside the window, then spoke to the owl who was sitting in front of the fireplace drying its damp feathers.

"I'm going out now. Send this letter back to your master. Don't rush, you can wait until the rain stops before you leave—"

Remus's owl let out a cooing sound to indicate that it understood.

It was during class time, and there were no young wizards running around in the castle corridors. Amosta stood in front of a corridor, looking at the howling rain outside. He hesitated for a moment, then decided not to go downstairs and leave the castle. Instead, he followed the corridor to a secluded area with sculptures on both sides.

"Left and right separation--"

Amostella, having reached the end of the corridor, flicked her wand and tapped the hunchbacked witch statue in front of her. With a hoarse scraping sound, the witch's hunchback opened, revealing a dark passage.

Before coming up from the Honeyduke's cellar, Amosta cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself. After all, he was now a professor and couldn't be as unrestrained as some minor wizards.

Despite the heavy rain, the streets of Hogsmeade were mostly deserted, with only a few villagers in raincoats braving the downpour to clear the clogged sewers.

After casting a water-repelling spell on himself, Amosta left Honey Duke's shop and stepped into a world bombarded by torrential rain.

After walking along Central Avenue for a while, Amosta turned into a side street next to the post office and arrived at the entrance of Pig Head Bar in just a few minutes.

The piercing thunder and the rumbling rain muffled the conversation taking place inside the bar, but Amosta could still hear it.

"You don't seem very welcoming, Aberforth?"

A refined voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, spoke.

"You still dare to expect me to welcome you?"

The other voice sounded very rude and angry.

"If you want to pimp, Foley, then go back to your underworld. Hogsmeade is my territory!"

"Oh, don't say that, Aberforth, I'm not here to steal your business—"

Foley's voice remained as charming as ever.