The Return to Hogwarts

2024-07-01

The rain that preceded the arrival of midsummer showed no signs of abating.

The heavy rain had flooded the streets, and many Hogsmeade villagers' homes were flooded. Villagers, wearing raincoats, braved the downpour and rushed out into the streets to clear the village's drains. Even Aberforth had to grab his wand and rush out to take remedial measures to prevent his 'old establishment' from collapsing in the storm.

Amosta saw Ludo to the door, and after a few steps into the torrential rain, his figure disappeared from Amosta's sight.

Amosta didn't tell Ludo what he needed his support for, but judging from Ludo's bewildered and uneasy expression before he left, he seemed to have some idea of ​​what Amosta wanted to do.

The sky was as dark as if night had fallen.

The surging waves of Black Lake crashed against the cliffs, their thunderous roar even drowning out the thunder.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the world of howling ghosts and wolves, and quickly became clear in Amosta's sight.

The newcomer wore a rain cloak, his high-top black leather shoes treading through the rainwater. His dark yellow eyes, with a sharp gaze like that of a hunting lion, pierced through the rain and landed on Amosta's smiling face.

“I’m here, Blaine.”

"Ah, thank you for accepting the invitation. Was the journey pleasant, Rufus?"

Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror Office and the largest 'armed department' under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, stared coldly at the bloodstained pig's head on the bar's sign—a head so heavily that even the rain couldn't wash it away. Rufus made no attempt to hide his disgust for the place.

"Why here, and not at Hogwarts? What, you don't want Dumbledore to know about our meeting?"

Rufus's sharp eyes and menacing aura rushed toward Amosta, but Amosta's warm smile did not stir any ripples in his expression.

"I assume you didn't let anyone in the department know what you were doing out there, right, Rufus?"

Amostella smiled and waved to Rufus outside the door.

"Come on, Rufus, it's really stupid for us to stand at the door talking in this heavy rain. Come on, the bar owner is out, let's have a drink to relieve our fatigue from the journey. Hmm, what would you like?"

Gazing intently at Amosta, who was enveloped in the dim candlelight, Rufus did not immediately step into the Pig's Head. He leaned against the dilapidated, decaying door of the bar, his cold gaze sweeping across every corner before finally settling on Amosta Blaine's face.

Meeting Blaine's slightly amused eyes, Rufus's eyelids trembled, and a surge of anger welled up inside him.

Blaine saw through his worries, and his eyes clearly indicated that if he wanted to deal with him, he wouldn't need to resort to any ambush.

This is what makes those powerful wizards so detestable; there are no rules that can bind them except by their own moral standards. At this moment, Rufus felt the same way as his colleague from the Magical Congress of America regarding Amostella.

"casual."

In the end, Rufus still stepped into the bar, speaking in a completely emotionless voice.

"Oh, people with fiery tempers aren't really suited to those strong-tasting drinks, so how about this one?"

Amosta, sitting at the bar, muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over Aberforth's liquor rack.

"Hmm, musk sherry, looks good—"

With a flick of his finger, he tapped the bar counter, and a bottle of sherry, its brown bottle covered in dust, silently floated out from the liquor shelf. The cork at the bottle's neck vanished in a wisp of smoke, and the spilled liquor made a melodious sound like clear spring water flowing through a stream.

On the floor, which had been covered in centuries of grease and grime, were some damp, fresh footprints. One of them went back and forth by the bar, another was Amosta Blaine's, and the remaining two led to a small round table in the back of the bar with a few empty glasses.

"It seems I'm not your first guest today, is that right, Blaine?"

After a brief silence, Rufus turned to stare at the gray-haired young man by the bar, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Ah, indeed--

Amosta's voice was light and cheerful.

"I didn't have class today, and I didn't have anywhere to kill time, so I met up with some friends here for a few drinks."

“Ha, I’m not your friend, Blaine—” Rufus said with a cold, self-deprecating laugh.

"It wasn't like that before--"

Amostella picked up her glass and, on her way to the round table, casually handed it to Rufus.

"But maybe you'll have a chance to come again sometime, Rufus. Don't just stand there, sit down. You've come all this way—"

Rufus twitched his nostrils and silently walked to sit opposite Amosta. He glanced coldly at the glass of sherry that Blaine had handed him, showing no desire to drink it. He gently placed the glass on the table and then stared at Blaine with a stern expression.

“Oh, an Auror’s habit,”

Amosta seemed amused by Rufus's cautiousness, and he chuckled.

"But you don't actually think I'd poison you, do you?"

I'd better be careful.

Rufus remained unmoved and calmly said that he would not tell Blaine about the will he had left in his office before coming, which would tell everyone who would kill him if he met with misfortune on this trip.

“I think time is precious for both of us, Blaine. Let’s skip the pointless probing and get straight to the point: why did you call me here?”

A strand of damp, gray hair hung down in front of Rufus's sharp, yellow eyes, but he ignored it, still staring intently at Amosta as if interrogating a criminal.

The real criminals might be intimidated by Rufus Scrimgeour's title as Auror Chief of Staff, but this did nothing to deter Amostella. He leisurely sipped his crisp sherry, and as Rufus spoke, Amostella's face remained as gentle and all-encompassing as ever.

"Ah, getting straight to the point. I appreciate this style—"

Amosta said

"You want to know why I've called you here, Rufus? That depends on a premise, or rather, on the answer to a question."

Rufus frowned slightly, remaining silent and waiting quietly for Blaine to ask his question.

"Dumbledore says Voldemort is back—"

Amosta's words made the head of the Auror's office tense up.

“I agree with that, but the Minister for Magic has a different opinion. Rufus, as the head of the Auror Office and a pillar in the fight against the dark forces of the wizarding world, what is your opinion?”

Rufus stared at Amostella, his gaze never so sharp since they had first met.

"Is this the premise for us to begin formal discussions?"

“That’s right.” Amosta nodded and smiled.

"You need to provide evidence, otherwise..."

"If that's all there is to it, Rufus."

Amosta raised a hand to interrupt Rufus, calmly looking at this Auror, the most renowned in the Ministry of Magic after Moody. During his years in the underworld, when he was Golden Viper, many of the wizards he knew who walked the gray area feared this famous Auror.

Rufus once led a group to ambush Golden Viper and the bounty hunters who were on a mission with him, but they were all defeated by Golden Viper with a single spell.

Amosta's calm tone, now devoid of a smile, carried an undercurrent of resolute determination and ruthlessness.

"I'm sorry, then we have nothing more to discuss."

A surge of humiliated anger ignited within Rufus. He wanted to jump up and rebuke Blaine's arrogance and rudeness, but when his gaze met Blaine's penetrating eyes, Rufus turned pale, and the surrounding air suddenly thickened, suffocating him.

Has the mysterious figure been resurrected?

This was no question that could be answered easily. Rufus knew what kind of answer Blaine wanted to hear, but if he gave that answer and it ended up in Cornelius Fudge's ears, he, already in a difficult situation, would probably end up like Sirius Black.

Fudge knew that Sirius was Blaine's right-hand man and he wanted to expel him from the Ministry of Magic, but he was worried that doing so would anger Blaine. Moreover, Burns, who was on Blaine's side, was also trying to protect Sirius.

Burns also knew that giving Sirius a prominent role would completely enrage Fudge's faction, so out of mutual concern, Sirius was sidelined.

But has the mysterious man truly been resurrected?

Rufus, whose emotions had been stirred, also began to breathe erratically. Wasn't this a question that didn't require much thought?

Chapter 1006 Preparation (Part Six)

2024-07-01

Did the mysterious figure actually resurrect and infiltrate the people to carry out his activities?

This is a question that can be answered without much thought.

Just open your eyes and look around, look at the wizards smuggling themselves across the border, look at the terrible security situation in the British magical world, and look at those restless wizarding families.

Even the most foolish wizard should be able to make an accurate judgment.

But Rufus didn't speak; the real difficulty in answering the question wasn't there at all.

Rufus's hands, hidden beneath his cloak, clenched unconsciously as he stared intently at the young face behind the round table, his expression slightly pale.

If Blaine manages to record his answer and present it to the Minister of Magic, then his career will be over, just like that of the young Weasley who was forced out of the house.

But now, his situation isn't much better.

Strictly speaking, he has always supported the Minister of Magic's faction within the ministry, and given the recent tense situation in the wizarding world, the Minister of Magic should be even more eager to gain his support.

What's strange is that the highest decision-making level in the ministry has been trying to diminish the power in his hands.

Ms. Burns was the first to do so.

She started doing this after Christmas this year, bypassing him and contacting the Aurors directly. Although she did it very secretly, it couldn't escape the eyes of the Auror's office director.

It's not surprising that Ms. Burns did this, after all, she was Amosta Blaine's publicly supported figure within the ministry, while she herself was seen by outsiders as part of the minister's faction.

But it's puzzling that Lady Umbridge was also secretly supporting her subordinates, Delilah, in their power struggle with him.

Umbridge is an absolute member of the ministerial party, and he belongs to the same ministerial faction.

She has no reason to undermine herself, does she?

Furthermore, after he expressed his dissatisfaction to the Minister of Magic almost directly, the Minister did not stand up for him, but instead gave Umbridge a vague answer.

There is no doubt that all signs indicate that he has lost the trust of the minister and Deputy Minister Umbridge.