The Return to Hogwarts

Dumbledore's tone was calm, yet filled with an undeniable firmness.

Amostella didn't want to hand over the wand. Everything that happened tonight could be explained, so he hesitated for a moment. But that brief hesitation almost got him into big trouble.

Tonight, Amosta finally witnessed a side of Albus Dumbledore that was previously unknown to everyone—a side that was always friendly and kind to young wizards from every house.

At this moment, Dumbledore is the legendary wizard who once defeated the first Dark Lord Grindelwald head-on, the most powerful wizard of his time who suppressed the second Dark Lord for nearly thirty years, and the president of the International Wizarding Federation whose reputation alone is enough to rival the entire Ministry of Magic.

For Dumbledore at this moment, disobeying orders was tantamount to rebellion!

Without any feint or buildup, Dumbledore simply raised his wand and used a disarming spell.

However, under the overwhelming and unparalleled magical enhancement, the space through which the spell light passed was directly ionized into hundreds of thin bolts of lightning. Amosta felt his scalp tingle and his face suddenly turned pale.

The silver-black magic vortex that had previously been able to handle Charlie and the others' attacks with ease collapsed instantly under the impact of the disarming spell!

However, this does not mean that Amosta should give up and be captured; he also has his own pride.

In a flash, he swung his wand dramatically, pulling a massive metal shield from the void—its surface engraved with a golden serpent and its body gleaming with silver light—to block the path of the spell.

Boom!

The deep, resounding boom was like a muffled thunderclap echoing across the land on a winter night, instantly spreading throughout the vast landscape.

Amosta felt as if countless golden stars flashed before his eyes, his legs went weak, and he staggered back a few steps.

Dumbledore seemed surprised that Amosta Blaine could stop his spell; a hint of astonishment flashed in his blue eyes, but it was only a hint.

"Stop, Headmaster Dumbledore!"

Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape finally arrived. When they saw the devastated and ravaged Forbidden Forest before them, Professor McGonagall swayed violently, covered her mouth with her hands, and looked on in disbelief.

Snape, however, was more resolute. He charged straight at Dumbledore, who was about to raise his wand again, and shouted for him to stop.

"Wait a minute, Dumbledore, there must be some misunderstanding here!"

Severus Snape strode forward and, with great boldness and rudeness, grabbed Dumbledore's hand, stopping him from continuing.

Then, Snape, drenched in sweat, glanced around. When he saw Bill Weasley hanging upside down in mid-air by the Upside-Down Bell Curse, his breathing suddenly became more rapid.

"The golden bell falls to the ground."

He put Bill down, and the moment Bill Weasley, his head spinning, landed, he comically tumbled to the side, his handsome face contorted with fear.

It wasn't until Professor McGonagall leaped over Snape and Dumbledore to gently comfort him for a long while that he finally came to his senses and realized the situation.

“Professor McGonagall, I saw it! Someone used the Killing Curse! Just now! I swear I saw it!”

Bill's words, still shaken, were like a cold wind passing through, silencing all sound.

Snape, who was gripping Dumbledore's hand tightly, could feel the old, wrinkled wrist in his palm tighten suddenly, trying to break free from his control.

"Hand over the wand first, Amosta!"

Snape, his face tightening, looked at Amostella Blaine, who stood there alone, before Dumbledore could, his tone unwavering.

"Believe me, Amosta, misunderstandings can be cleared up, and I believe you!"

P.S.: Please continue to support me, thank you!

Chapter 18 Hagrid's Fright

Tick-tock, tick-tock--

The sun had been hanging high in the sky for some time now, and its constant light and heat made the snow-covered earth sparkle with a bright light.

The sunlight reflected into the house made the gloomy cabin bright, and the water droplets from the melting icicles under the eaves gathered on the ground to form a clear puddle.

"When I returned to the castle the next day and heard about it, and then saw the Forbidden Forest with my own eyes, you three can imagine how shocked I was!"

The roaring fire dried up the water in the kettle, and Hagrid quickly got up, grabbed the scalding handle, and pushed the door open. Immediately, a crackling sound came from outside. A moment later, he came back in carrying a kettle full of crushed ice. When he saw that the three people in the room still had the same stiff expressions and slightly open mouths, Hagrid couldn't help but laugh.

"It seems you all really like this story?"

"like?"

Ron jumped up abruptly, his ears bright red, and excitedly shouted at Harry, "Why did no one in the family ever tell us this? Well, maybe Bill and Charlie did, but I forgot. Don't look at me like that, Hermione, I was only six years old then, you wouldn't remember either. Anyway,"

Ron looked at Harry again and called out breathlessly,

"Can you believe it, Harry? He was only in fifth year back then, about the same age as Percy is today. If someone told me that Percy could go toe-to-toe with Headmaster Dumbledore, I would probably laugh at him until graduation!"

Harry grinned; he understood what Ron meant.

Has anyone ever done it, Hagrid?

Harry's voice was almost excessively loud, as if his blood were boiling, as if he had just fought Dumbledore, even though he knew he would never stand against that venerable headmaster.

"Don't even think about it, Harry!"

Hagrid chuckled.

"No young wizard could do that in fifth year. Maybe there was one, but he didn't. Anyway, not to mention the underage wizards in school, you can't find many in the entire British wizarding world who could go toe-to-toe with the greatest headmaster in Hogwarts' history!"

Hagrid's voice was full of pride, but you have to admit he was telling the truth.

"Quiet down!"

Hermione, equally excited, loudly stopped Harry and Ron, who were getting a little too excited. Of course, she had to admit that she was excited too. She never expected that the handsome and refined young wizard she met at the school hospital last night would have such a glorious 'achievement'!

"And then, Hagrid, your story isn't over yet!"

Hermione clutched Harry's Invisibility Cloak tightly, staring at Hagrid with her bright yellow cat eyes. "How did they deal with him, I mean, Mr. Amostella Blaine?"

Harry and Ron immediately quieted down, eagerly waiting for Hagrid to answer their questions.

"Later, let me think about it,"

Hagrid stroked his thick beard with his sausage-like fingers.

"They apparently put him in solitary confinement for an entire semester and deducted two hundred points from Slytherin. However, Headmaster Dumbledore added another four hundred points to him not long after, which almost secured Slytherin's place in the House Cup that year."

"Four hundred points added!"

Harry exclaimed in surprise. Last year, they saved the Philosopher's Stone from Quirrell and Voldemort, which was almost the most impressive achievement he had ever had since entering the school. However, Dumbledore only added 170 points to their score, of which only 60 points were credited to him!

"What is Headmaster Dumbledore thinking!"

Although there's not much to compare it to, Harry still feels a little unbalanced.

"Of course, Harry!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, a confident smile playing on her lips, as if she had seen through everything.

"They put him in solitary confinement for a semester and deducted points because Mr. Blaine violated school rules by trespassing into the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night and attacking his classmates with very powerful magic. Oh, although there was a reason for it, he was given 400 points because he saved the entire Gryffindor team of young wizards and Bill."

"save?"

Ron's expression was one of peculiar confusion. "Weren't they taken down by Blaine?"

“Don’t be silly, Ron,”

Ron's slowness was not unexpected. Hermione explained impatiently, "Think about it, Ron. If Mr. Blaine hadn't gone into the Forbidden Forest that night, who would have run into that mysterious dark wizard?"

hiss!

Ron gasped, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

"It was Charlie, and everyone on the Gryffindor team back then!"

Hermione nodded, and said with satisfaction, "I'm glad you finally understand, Ron. With Bill included, he saved eight lives, hmm, a fifty-pointer!"

"So that means, Hagrid, Dumbledore confirmed that a dark wizard really did break into Hogwarts, and he captured that person?"

Harry was more alert than Ron and Hermione, and he suddenly realized this.

"Yes, he confirmed it."

When this was mentioned, Hagrid's smile faded, and his expression became solemn.

"That night, Bill woke up and quickly cleared up the misunderstanding. He told Dumbledore that it was not Amosta who cast the Killing Curse, but a dark wizard lurking in the shadows. Dumbledore personally examined every spell that Blaine's wand had cast that night and confirmed it."

Later, Headmaster Dumbledore carefully examined the battlefield. You know, Harry, with Headmaster Dumbledore's abilities, he could almost reconstruct the entire battle. But unfortunately, despite his long investigation, he couldn't find the audacious dark wizard. Because of this, I barely slept in bed for two months, patrolling the Forbidden Forest every night.

Hagrid blinked and said to the three who realized the seriousness of the situation,

"This incident caused quite a stir at the time, and the Ministry of Magic even sent elite Aurors into the Forbidden Forest to search for it, but it came to nothing. In order to suppress the spread of panic, Dumbledore and Fudge decided to try to suppress the news of the attack, which is why most people haven't heard much about it since."

The atmosphere turned solemn. Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, both wondering if the dark wizard was another of Voldemort's henchmen, like Quirrell.

"That's why I said, Ron, you must have heard of him—"

Hagrid said with a smile,

Professor Snape released Amostra Brann during the Quidditch finals of the second year, after he had been confined to Snape's office every night and every weekend.

Charlie's Gryffindor team was incredibly strong; they had a real chance to retain their championship title. But when Snape brought Amosta Blaine onto the field, well, you can imagine how Prien and Filoa reacted. Honestly, the fact that they didn't immediately mount their brooms and run away is a testament to their Gryffindor reputation.

"It seems Slytherin does occasionally produce a remarkable individual—"

Ron muttered under his breath.

“There are plenty of famous Slytherin wizards, Ron,”

Hagrid chuckled, glancing at the sun outside. He realized it was getting late, time to prepare lunch.