The Return to Hogwarts

"The story is over. You three little ones, would you like to have something to eat here for lunch?"

"Oh!"

Hermione snapped back to reality and cried out in terror.

"Damn it, Mrs. Pomfrey, I completely forgot the time!"

She quickly draped the invisibility cloak over herself, leaving only her head exposed.

"Maybe next time, Hagrid. I have to stay at the school hospital for the time being!"

With that, she hurriedly ran out. Harry and Ron, who clearly preferred the school food, quickly got up to follow Hermione.

"Hey, that's right."

A slightly disappointed Hagrid suddenly remembered something, and he called out to Harry's rapidly receding figure.

"You three still haven't told me why you're asking about Blaine!"

"Mr. Blaine has returned to school!"

Harry didn't turn around, he just waved his hand above his head, "He's the investigator for the Chamber of Secrets attack now!"

Clang! Crash!

Startled, Hagrid leaned against the door of the cabin, causing the cabin to shake violently. Melted snow from the roof fell in a rush, burying Tooth in it.

"The Ministry of Magic's investigator of the locked-room mystery?"

Hagrid's face turned deathly pale, and he leaned against the doorframe, muttering softly.

"This can't be. Dumbledore, oh no, I have to get to the bottom of this!"

After a while, Hagrid slammed the door shut and, amidst the howling of his teeth, strode headlong toward the castle without looking back.

Chapter 19 The Astute Amosta

Amos Tower was unaware that Harry, whom he had never met, had already learned all about Amos Tower's 'glorious achievements' from Hagrid. However, even if he knew, he would probably just laugh it off.

As dawn broke, he, who had only fallen asleep around 2 a.m., was already up. This was probably one of the advantages of being a wizard; wizards with excellent memories and powerful magic had far more energy than Muggles.

For the past three years, Amosta has become accustomed to a life of constant movement.

Often, in order to do things for his employers, he had to spend more than ten days in remote wilderness, primeval forests, or ancient ruins buried deep underground. Living in the open was commonplace for him, and being able to lie comfortably in a warm bed for a few hours was a rare treat.

Although the weather had cleared up, the air was still cold at dawn. The snow on the lawn showed no signs of melting, and the ice on the frozen Black Lake was as strong as snakewood.

Amosta, who was jogging along the lake, stopped to rest under a willow tree when he saw a dark figure rapidly approaching him from the castle in the distance.

"Dumbledore asked me to give this to you."

The pale gold sunlight, tinged with pink, fell on Snape's face, softening his cold, rigid features slightly. A few steps away, he tossed a black purse to Amostella.

"How much in total?"

Amosta tossed the heavy money bag in his hand and asked with great interest,

"Two thousand Galleons. Dumbledore very generously added two hundred Galleons to your request. Hmph, Minerva's expression wasn't too pleasant. By the way, Minerva just found out about your return to Hogwarts. She wants to talk to you alone about your plans."

"Tsk tsk!"

The meeting with the stern vice-principal didn't bother Amosta. He untied the bag and peeked inside; the dazzling, golden light instantly lifted his spirits.

"What do you think would happen if I just ran away with this money right now?"

"Unless you can escape to the moon, I don't recommend you do something so stupid."

Snape spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on Amostella, who was looking down, fiddling with a gold coin between his fingers, his eyes lingering on Amostella's gleaming eyes.

"Also, I should remind you, Amosta, I'm not sure, nor am I curious, why your eye color changed so much since you started school, but Dumbledore seems very interested in it. He gave me the opportunity to ask you about it. Generally speaking, he always tries his best to find out what interests him, so I advise you to be prepared."

Amosta's fingers suddenly stiffened, and after a brief silence, he regained his composure and uttered a seemingly profound sigh.

"Wow, what an amazing wizard!"

Compared to the rapid pace of change in the Muggle world, the evolution of the wizarding society, which is more traditional and favors mainstream society, is frustratingly slow.

Although there have been constant calls for reform in private in recent years, those faint voices are still just seeds buried deep in the frozen soil, waiting for nourishment. Only when the right time comes will they have the opportunity to take root and sprout.

Hogsmeade, the only remaining pure wizarding village in the British wizarding world, is almost exactly the same as when he was studying at Hogwarts. The few changes are probably that the signs for Zonko's Joke Shop and Bee Duke's Sweets Shop have introduced some new products.

Amosta even suspects that if a medieval wizard were to accidentally travel to the modern era, he might not even get lost in Hogsmeade.

It's still the Christmas holiday season, and the streets of Hogsmeade are deserted with hardly anyone around. The few natives who occasionally pass by all seem to be in a hurry, busy with their own affairs.

Amosta walked further in and stood in front of a shop with a gray, gloomy glass window, braving the north wind.

Devis-Bans Magical Supplies Shop, this is Amosta's destination.

Ding ding ding--

The copper bell hanging above the door rang crisply as Amosta pushed open the door and entered the shop.

The dimly lit magic supply shop was filled with more than a dozen shelves that reached the ceiling. On the old shelves were peepholes, memory balls, anti-fairy items, flying broom care kits, Quidditch equipment cases, and many other magic supplies and alchemical tools.

Mr. Bance, who was a bit bald, seemed a little surprised to have a customer visit so early. However, after regaining his composure, he immediately came out from behind the counter and ran to Amosta with a fawning smile.

"Honorable guest, what do you need? Devs-Bans Magic Supplies Shop has it all. I can show you the way."

"Oh, thank you."

Amosta, who was looking up at the tall shelves, nodded his thanks upon hearing this, "Um, do you have panoramic telescopes here?"

"If you mean the panoramic telescopes that are typically used to watch Quidditch matches?"

Mr. Bans trotted to a shelf near the inner wall, jumped up, and pulled a dusty pair of binoculars from a pile of clutter. Taking advantage of the guest's obstructed view, he quickly wiped the dust off his robe, then returned to Amosta with a beaming smile.

"This is it, from the family's alchemy workshop. The quality is guaranteed. It only costs nine Galleons and seven Sickles!"

Amosta took it. He was very familiar with this panoramic telescope, which could be used for multiple purposes with slight modifications. After skillfully adjusting the knobs on the telescope, he placed it on his nose, close to his eye socket, and carefully observed the scene.

"No, no!"

A moment later, Amosta put down his binoculars, his tone filled with disappointment.

"I need the 190 model of the Tracker, which has a clearer picture and can play back for a longer period of time. Yours is the 185 model, which does not meet my needs."

Mr. Bans felt a chill run down his spine, knowing he had met an expert.

"I'm sorry, sir, the high-precision Chaser 190 is usually only produced during the World Cup. We only sell this model on other days. If you'd like to buy it, I can offer you a discount!"

How much of a discount can I get?

Amosta's expression was reluctant, as if he was unwilling to compromise. He transformed into a shrewd buyer and began to haggle.

"No problem, nine Galleons, that's the cost price. Since you're our first customer today, I'll only charge you this price!"

Mr. Bans looked heartbroken.

"--What if I want a lot?"

"I'm sorry, sir, this is already the best price we can offer. Even if you want more, this is all I can do."

“I need three hundred panoramic telescopes,” Amosta said with a smile, getting straight to the point. “Mr. Bans, you have one more chance to make an offer. If your price is not satisfactory, I can go to Diagon Alley to take another look.”

Three hundred aircraft?!

Mr. Bans' eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly realized that his reaction would be detrimental to the negotiations, so he composed himself and coughed twice.

"Indeed... cough cough, I mean, the quantity is quite large. It definitely deserves a further discount."

Mr. Bans carefully observed the smiling Amosta.

"Sir, if you really intend to buy that much, I think eight Galleons plus ten Silver Sickles would be a good deal."

Amosta frowned, seemingly showing displeasure.

The astute Mr. Bans immediately stopped what he was saying and decisively said,

"Seven Galleons and ten silver sieges. You're a knowledgeable wizard, you should know what that price means!"

Amos was indeed knowledgeable, so he turned around and left without saying a word, pushing open the door and leaving without the slightest hesitation.

two.

Ding Ding!

Before Amostamour could even count to one, a rapid, urgent bell rang out behind him, and Mr. Bans chased after him in a fit of rage.

"Seven Galleons, sir, is that fair enough?"

Amosta didn't turn around; he took out his wand and prepared to Apparate.

"Damn it!"

Mr. Bans shouted,

"Alright, alright, six it is. Come back, sir. You're the most shrewd customer I've met all year!"

Amosta put down her wand, turned around, and flashed a cheerful smile again.

"Alright, Mr. Bans, let's discuss the delivery time in more detail!"