The Return to Hogwarts

"An important person has invited me to meet here, and I must come—"

"Oh, to hell with your 'adults,' why don't you go to the screaming shack and chat about your little secrets!"

Amosta's lips twitched as he pushed open the door to the Pig's Head Bar.

It was daytime, and not an open day at Hogsmeade, so the Hog's Head pub wasn't very busy. Apart from Aberforth behind the bar, only Cacus Foley was in the pub. Amostella's sudden entrance silenced the two of them.

"It's you?"

Abufoss glanced at Kakus, then his gaze fell on Amosta's smiling face. "Did you arrange for them to meet me here?"

"Ah, good afternoon, Aberforth--"

Amosta chuckled and walked toward the bar.

Why do you seem less than happy to see me patronizing your business?

Aberforth grunted twice.

"If you want to chat with someone, why don't you meet in your office, Blaine? Or do you have some little secret you don't want the greatest wizard of our time to know?"

“If I wanted to avoid Dumbledore’s gaze, I wouldn’t have chosen to be here, Aberforth—” Amostella said with a smile.

"I just suddenly felt like drinking, and your Flaming Whiskey is more authentic than Three Brooms Bar."

Aberforth stopped talking, glancing disapprovingly at Amosta, clearly not believing his nonsense.

"Come on, Kakus, Aberforth will prepare some drinks to celebrate with us."

Amosta gently patted Kakus's arm, and the two walked in unison to the table furthest from the bar.

Amosta took off his cloak, and Kakus took off his coat and draped it over the back of his chair. The two sat on opposite sides of the round table, neither of them speaking.

Two minutes later, Abu Foster, annoyed at being disturbed, placed two glasses of flaming whiskey in front of the two men. Amosta and Cacus raised their glasses and took a sip each.

"call--"

Kakus let out a satisfied sigh, savoring the spicy and mellow flavor in his throat, listening to the rain outside. His expression and voice revealed a sense of melancholy and sorrow.

"What terrible weather—"

Amosta's smile faded, and he calmly looked at Kakus.

"Who says it's not?"

“In fact, I’ve been waiting for you to contact me, Mr. Blaine—”

Kakus said,

“It’s been months. Ever since the second Triwizard Tournament ended and Hogwarts announced the return of Mysterio, I knew you would come looking for me.”

"Oh, why?" Amosta asked with great interest.

“I have worked closely with you, Mr. Blaine—”

Kakus took a deep breath and said sincerely,

“I know that Dumbledore only has eyes for the Mysterio and the Ministry of Magic, but you are different. You can see things that Dumbledore cannot. I know very well that once you decide to settle things with the Mysterio, you will absolutely not allow anyone to take advantage of the situation.”

Amosta smiled, then lowered his head and took another sip of his drink.

"The Foley family suffered a major blow during the First Wizarding War. Hector Foley made a major mistake in his policy toward Grindelwald, which led to the Foley family's influence in the Ministry of Magic being purged. In order to make up for it, you threw the family's elite members into the war against Grindelwald. After the war, the Foley family almost disappeared from the wizarding world."

"Yes, my fascinating ancestors always had a keen eye when it came to tense situations."

Kakus gave a bitter smile.

"So, Mr. Blaine, is it time again for the Foley family to choose sides and take a stand?"

"What I value is not the Foley family, Kakus. Forgive my bluntness, but the power the Foley family has accumulated over the past half-century is insignificant in my eyes, as well as in the eyes of the Ministry of Magic and Voldemort. What I value is you, Kakus. Your value surpasses that of the Foley family."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Blaine--"

Despite being praised, Kakus didn't seem happy at all; instead, he said sullenly,

"I would rather have kept to myself and kept to myself all these years, so that I wouldn't have been in danger."

“If that’s your style, Kakus,”

Amosta chuckled.

"Then you wouldn't have chosen this path."

Chapter 1002 Preparation (Part Two)

2024-06-29

Aberforth behind the bar was idly wiping a glass, but Amostella knew he had been eavesdropping on their conversation and would then tell Albus Dumbledore what he had heard. That was also why he had chosen to be at the Hog's Head.

Some things cannot be said face to face, otherwise it will only cause fierce conflict.

"So, you've come to see me today to find out which side the Foley family will take, is that it, Mr. Blaine?"

Kakus seemed to be mentally prepared; he took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, and said...

“I told you, Kakus, I don’t care about the Foley family—”

Amosta shook his head.

How is the underworld doing now?

This was an expected problem, and Kakus wasn't particularly surprised.

"It's even more 'prosperous' than before," Kakus said. "You know, recently a lot of foreigners have entered the country, mostly some not-so-honest guys. They're particularly fond of dirty, shady environments where they steal and rob, and then sell their stolen goods in the underworld."

Oh. There are more conflicts than before because these people generally don't follow the rules.

Amosta nodded slightly, then fell silent for a moment, pondering for a while.

"If war breaks out, what do you think these people will do?"

This was an expected question; Kakus had clearly considered it beforehand.

"As you know, Mr. Blaine, the wizards who spend their lives in the underworld are a mixed bag—"

Kakus said calmly,

"A significant portion of them are wizards from the old era, who uphold the secrecy of magical lineage. They are even more conservative than those ancient wizarding families. To them, whether it is you, Dumbledore, or the Mystic, they are all heretics. They would love for us to destroy each other in the war so that they can establish a new order themselves."

The rest are either newly arrived dark wizards or dark wizards who were already lurking in the shadows of the country and had received magical education at Hogwarts.

Both groups are in similar situations. While some do subscribe to the Mystic's doctrines of pure-blood supremacy and wizard supremacy, the majority, with all due respect, are just a bunch of petty thieves. They dare neither oppose you nor Dumbledore, nor would they dare defy the Dark Lord. Oh, and if you fall from power, they'll take advantage of your misfortune.”

Amostah gave Kakus an approving look; it was indeed a waste of a wizard with such a clear mind to spend all his time in the underworld.

Amosta nodded, still calmly looking at Kakus.

“These people are undoubtedly huge destabilizing factors, Kakus. So, in your opinion, how should we restrain them?”

Having anticipated what Amosta Blaine was worried about, Kakus naturally had a plan in mind.

As if preparing for an exam, Kakus said in a solemn tone,

“We need to use different strategies to deal with them, Mr. Blaine. As for those opportunists who only want to take advantage of the chaos, I don’t think we need to pay them any special attention, Mr. Blaine. As long as you, as long as Dumbledore, and the Ministry of Magic,”

Kakus's eyes were burning.

"As long as the forces resisting the Dark Lord remain in power, they won't dare to kill or set fires. At most, they'll rob and plunder. Oh, but deterring them is necessary. If we assume the wizarding world is going into open war, then I suggest the Ministry of Magic pass strict legislation that severely punishes, even to the death, those who disrupt public order."

pat!

The commotion coming from the bar drew the attention of both Amosta and Kakus. It was Aberforth who had caused the mess; he had crushed the glass he was wiping, and several shards of glass had embedded themselves in his hand, from which blood was trickling.

Noticing the stares from Amosta and Blaine, Aberforth grumbled irritably.

"Oh, did I interrupt your discussion about how to conquer the world?!"

"Oh, no, Aberforth--"

Amosta said gently,

"I just wanted to ask if you need any help?"

Meeting those deep purple eyes, Aberforth felt a chill; Blaine's gaze reminded him of some wicked fellow.

"No need, Blaine!"

Aberforth angrily pulled out a shard of glass, then immediately gasped in pain. He noticed the girl in the portrait hanging on the mantelpiece looking at him timidly, and his furious expression instantly softened.

"Oh, it's nothing, Ariana, it's just a minor injury, I'll take care of it right away."

As he spoke, Aberforth strode quickly into the back room of the bar to find his medicine.

Amosta looked at the young girl on the wall, who was shy. When she noticed Amosta's gaze, she immediately turned around and ran to hide behind a clump of bushes in the portrait. Among the tangled branches, her eyes, which looked just like Albus Dumbledore's, were secretly watching Amosta.

A flicker of pity crossed Amosta's eyes, but he quickly looked away.

“Go on, Kakus.”

As one of the most well-informed people in the wizarding world, Kakus obviously knew some inside information about Dumbledore's family. However, since it involved Dumbledore, Kakus dared not gossip. He also expressed some pity for the little girl in the portrait and then brought his wandering thoughts back to the present.

"We were just talking about... Oh--"

Kakus took a few breaths.

"Furthermore, those who endorse the Mystic's radical views and express a clear inclination—frankly, it's not hard to find out—they may have already been recruited. These people are always loudly discussing in the underworld, trying to bring more people into the team; they are the prospective Death Eaters—"