The Return to Hogwarts

With soft gray hair, handsome features, and deep purple eyes, the little girl looked at Amosta, her thin shoulders slightly hunched, her eyes timid, her tender face showing both confusion and curiosity.

"Loya, who is this—"

“Oh, I can introduce myself, Horn.”

Amostella interrupted Horn, smiling as she extended a hand to Loya.

“Hello, I’m Amosta Blaine. You can call me Professor Blaine, or just Amosta, that’s fine too. And may I call you Loya?”

Loya pursed her pale lips and looked at the hand that the handsome wizard extended to her. Loya's body trembled uncontrollably, but in the end, she mustered up the courage to offer her small hand.

The moment their hands touched, the warmth from their palms eased Loya's anxiety considerably. She could sense that the wizard with the beautiful purple eyes meant her no harm. She gently shook Amosta's fingers a few times.

Professor Blaine

Loya blinked her long, delicate eyelashes, her childish voice filled with curiosity.

Are you a teacher from the castle?

Amosta was about to answer, but—

"Let her go!"

A deep voice filled with anger and terror came from afar. Although the person had not arrived, a streak of emerald light pierced through the air first and struck a fifty-foot-tall oak tree next to Amosta with precision.

With a deafening roar, the earth suddenly trembled!

The sturdy oak tree suddenly came to life, its sprawling branches instantly transforming into many enormous hands that surrounded Amosta from all directions. At the same time, a green vine that lay close to the ground quickly wrapped around Loya's ankle, deftly pulling her away from Amosta before she was affected.

boom!

The giant hands closed, emitting a deafening roar like thunder. By the time Horn came to his senses, Amosta Blaine in front of him was already trapped inside a series of giant wooden hands, which were desperately contracting and pressing down!

"What are you doing, Frommid, stop right now!"

Elder Horn roared in terror, raising his two front hooves into the air!

The middle-aged man who jumped into the air to catch Loya was stunned. He thought that Elder Horn, Frenze, and Ronan had been kidnapped, but he did not expect that Elder Horn was pleading for the intruders.

"Not bad magic—"

A gentle, authoritative chant echoed in everyone's ears.

As soon as Fromed landed on the ground, he was horrified to find that the oak prison he had set up was emitting wisps of smoke. Before he could take any remedial measures, the oak prison, which was visibly turning black, was reduced to ashes in a gentle breeze!

Looking at the gray-haired youth standing calmly amidst the ashes, his face devoid of emotion, Fromed, holding Loya in his arms, felt a tremor in his heart and cried out.

"Are you Mr. Amosta Blaine?"

Chapter 1009 The Future of Druids

2024-07-03

"It's just a misunderstanding, Mr. Blaine!"

With a whoosh, Elder Horn of the centaurs leaped in front of Amostra and the rash druid with an agility far beyond his years, shouting anxiously,

"Flomid doesn't know why you're here; he sees you as an intruder!"

Druids, dressed in coarse linen robes and carrying various kinds of canes, arrived in an endless stream and stood behind Fromed.

Most druids showed great hostility towards Amosta, who had entered the secret realm, but a few others were strangely surprised.

"Mr. Blaine is not an enemy!"

Horn feared that some hot-tempered druid might be reckless enough to attack Blaine again, bringing utter destruction to this paradise.

It opened its arms to the druids, blocking Amostra's path, and urgently told everyone...

"Mr. Blaine is the guardian of the castle; he has come to find you on behalf of the castle."

Unaware of Amosta's true intentions, Horn turned to look at him, hoping to gain some insight.

"Alright, Horn, I know this is just a misunderstanding—"

Amosta spoke calmly as he stepped out from behind Horn and looked at Fromid, who had just attacked him.

This druid knew him.

This isn't surprising, really. He was already famous in the magical world long before the druids migrated here. It's not strange that druids who pay attention to the magical world would know him. But Amosta thinks it's not that simple.

"You know me, don't you?"

Amosta didn't hide his confusion and asked directly.

After Amosta asked this question, the druid's expression became even stranger. The hostility emanating from him completely disappeared, and his eyes revealed a trace of gratitude and embarrassment.

After exchanging glances with the other druids behind him, who also had different expressions, Frommide respectfully nodded to Amosta.

“Yes, Mr. Blaine, we know you. Oh, I wonder if Miss Clona mentioned to you that we were looking for you.”

A flash of insight struck Amosta, and a look of realization crossed his eyes.

"Ah, I see. You followed Miss Clona to search for me in the underworld deep within Knockturn Alley?"

"Later, Miss Clona came to speak with you privately—"

Freud nodded honestly.

“You helped us, just as the prophecy of our ancestors told us. You helped Miss Clona help us and obtained the Staff of the Two Serpents.”

Amostah pursed his lips; clearly, it wasn't a pleasant memory for him.

This story was known only to a very few of the most core members of the druids. The others learned of this past event from conversations and all showed surprise. Meanwhile, their hostility towards Amosta quietly disappeared.

"Ah, I guess that's true."

Amosta's brow twitched slightly.

"Speaking of which, that double-serpent staff is indeed the most powerful alchemical tool I've ever seen. It's still in your possession, isn't it?"

These Druids, who believed in 'harmony with nature,' weren't so cunning, and Fromme readily agreed.

“Miss Clona showed it to us once, and she is keeping it now. Oh, Mr. Blaine, you’ve come from the outside world. Do you have any news about Miss Clona? Do you know when she will return?”

Upon hearing this question, the druids all showed expectant expressions, and the little girl named Loya, who had some courage, also peeked out from behind Fromed, her clear eyes blinking as she stared at Amosta.

Horn, meanwhile, was desperately trying to signal to Amosta with his eyes.

Amosta's brief silence and slight head shake caused disappointment among the druids.

"So, what brings you here?"

Frommid had completely lowered his guard. In his view, since Mr. Blaine had helped the druids retrieve the Twin Serpent Staff from Avalon Island and had entered the secret realm accompanied by centaurs, it was clear that Miss Clona had informed him in advance.

Miss Clona must have believed that Mr. Blaine was completely trustworthy, which is why she granted him the right to enter the secret realm.

"I have come here today to discuss something with you, and also to return something."

Amosta said with a smile.

Several thick tree branches intertwined together, forming the support for the terrace suspended in mid-air.

Amosta stood on the edge of a platform several hundred feet above the ground, gently inhaling the refreshing fragrance carried on the breeze.

As far as the eye can see, there are lush forests, golden waves of wheat, shimmering lakes, and emerald green lawns. There are men tilling the fields and women weaving, a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Turning around, Frommed had already prepared tea for Horn, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and for himself.

Amosta walked back to the simple, primitive square table and sat down. He picked up the wooden cup with a few unknown green leaves floating on it and took a sniff, feeling a cool sensation rush to his head.

"Thank you for your help with the Druids, Mr. Blaine—"

Frommed raised his teacup in a gesture of respect to Amosta, and said sincerely,

"You helped us obtain the Double Serpent Staff, gave us supplies, and even specially returned the altar to us. We will remember your help."

This assistant of Kriona was referring to how, last winter, Kriona, disguised as Moody, came to him to sign off on her wages in advance. At that time, Amosta had given Vitia some gold to help her people through a difficult time.

It seems that Vitia did not 'embezzle' his credit; she probably told Frommid and the others that the food came from the castle administrators' support.

As for the altar—

During the second tournament, Vitia used the altar with its wide teleportation function to send Harry and the others out of Hogwarts.

Later, after Voldemort was resurrected, the altar seemed to want to carry them back to Hogwarts, but unfortunately Voldemort interrupted the teleportation, and the altar returned to the bottom of the lake on its own.

When Amosta returned, he retrieved the altar from the water.

Altars capable of teleporting over large areas are extremely valuable alchemical artifacts, but unfortunately, the power that activates them is the divine magic of the druids, not the magic of the wizards.

Divine magic is a power based on the druids' beliefs and a mixture of magic. In other words, unless you believe in the druids' beliefs, you cannot possess the power of divine magic.

Returning it to the druids was not something Amosta had planned in advance, but rather a sudden inspiration.

"It was just a small favor, Frommides, don't worry about it."

Amosta smiled.

"Anyway, we're neighbors now, aren't we?"

"This is also thanks to you, and Elder Horn--"

Freud said,

“We know that this ancient forest is under the jurisdiction of the centaur tribe and Hogwarts, and we cannot stay here without your permission.”