The Return to Hogwarts

Chapter 20 Meeting with Professor McGonagall

The final price for the panoramic telescope was five gallons and ten siecos per unit, which was even cheaper than Amosta's target price. There was nothing he could do about it, since Mr. Bans needed a whole week to prepare three hundred panoramic telescopes!

When Mr. Bans saw Amosta off, he had a long face, as if he had lost a lot of money.

Amosta felt that he had overacted a bit. The cost of most magical items and alchemical tools was 40% to 50% of the selling price. Even with taxes and operating costs, it would not exceed 60% at most. Mr. Bans was, well, anyway, not going to lose money on this deal!

The negotiation process for the final seven concessions was extremely difficult. By the time Amosta walked out of the magic supplies store, the sun was already high in the sky.

Amosta stood in the middle of the street, letting the bright sunshine bathe him, fully enjoying the rare moment of comfort. Since graduating, this peaceful and unhurried pace of life had completely left him.

"There is an even tougher negotiation to come."

After a long pause, Amosta took a deep breath and looked at the castle standing under the blue sky and white clouds. There was still someone there waiting for him to persuade, and it was foreseeable that the negotiation process would not go particularly smoothly.

Around 10:30 a.m., Amostella returned to Hogwarts Castle. To avoid disrupting lunchtime, he hurriedly stepped onto the marble staircase and skillfully crossed the movable staircase to enter the Gryffindor students' activity area on the second floor.

A rough argument came from the other end of the corridor. Amosta craned his neck to listen for a few moments but couldn't make heads or tails of it. In a hurry, he turned to the other side of the corridor and knocked on the door of an office next to it.

"Please come in."

The stern voice from behind the door awakened the image in Amosta's memory. He smiled slightly, turned the doorknob, and stepped inside.

Professor McGonagall's office was much smaller than Snape's, with mountains of documents, homework assignments for young wizards, and teaching aids piled up all around the walls.

Professor McGonagall's small desk was placed by the window, facing the Quidditch pitch.

When Amosta entered, she was looking down at documents. Amosta, with her sharp eyesight, quickly glanced at them and saw that they seemed to be applications from professors of various subjects to purchase teaching materials for the second semester.

“Oh, it’s Amosta.”

Professor McGonagall, who was working at her desk, adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and turned around. When she saw who it was, her tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly.

“You look much more mature than you did three years ago; I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Professor McGonagall rose and scrutinized Snape's prized student, her expression much gentler than when she faced young wizards.

To be honest, before Amosta was in fifth grade, her communication with Amosta was limited to a few exchanges in class and the annual approval of his scholarship application. Apart from that, she did not pay any special attention to this Slytherin wizard who did not have a distinctive personality.

Until Amosta was in fifth grade, on Christmas Eve.

That night, Amosta Blaine changed her opinion of the child twice in a very short period of time, from extreme disgust to extreme gratitude.

Since that night, she has kept a close eye on Amosta.

“It’s been a long time, Professor McGonagall,”

Amosta smiled sincerely and said, "You haven't changed much since three years ago."

As Professor McGonagall examined herself, Amosta was also looking her over with a smile. His previous words were just polite flattery. To be honest, Professor McGonagall looked older than before, thinner, and had much more gray hair.

There's nothing that can be done about it; she was just unlucky to have such a 'responsible' headmaster as Albus Dumbledore.

The room's windows were open, and a faint scent of violet lingered in the air. Professor McGonagall gestured for Amostella to sit down, then went to the roaring fireplace and took a teapot from the shelf.

"Last night, Headmaster Dumbledore left me a message informing me that the Board of Trustees had sent you back to the school."

Professor McGonagall's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction, and it was unclear who she was blaming.

"Anyway, Amosta, welcome back to school!"

Amostella took a small sip of tea. Unsurprisingly, it was unbearably bitter. It seemed Professor McGonagall had brewed this tea to help him sober up. He calmly put down his teacup, having no desire for another sip.

“Thank you, Professor McGonagall. I am also very happy to have this opportunity to return to Hogwarts. You know, many young wizards dream of returning here a few years after graduation to relive their carefree school days.”

Yes, this place holds many fond memories for people.

Amosta's words pleased Professor McGonagall, and her shoulders relaxed a bit.

"Come to think of it, if I remember correctly, this seems to be our second face-to-face conversation, right?"

Amosta nodded slightly, reminiscing about those days.

"If you remember correctly, it was more than halfway through the second semester of fifth grade when you talked to me. Your aim was to persuade me not to deliberately make mistakes on the homework for each subject and to try to show my true level. Heh, I'm sorry, Professor, I was indeed a bit strange back then!"

“Snape told me privately that you called this behavior ‘playing the slug to eat the dragon,’ a very apt metaphor, Amosta. But this time, it’s your turn to convince me.”

Professor McGonagall didn't mind chatting with Amosta for a while to get to know him better, which was part of her job as the school's vice principal.

Unfortunately, she still had a lot to do today. After handling the daily operations of Hogwarts, she had to work on the teaching plans for each year, the salary adjustment plans for each professor, and several Transfiguration papers in "Transfiguration Today" were also eagerly awaiting her comments.

Because of these complicated affairs, while other professors were enjoying their happy Christmas holidays, she had to plan ahead to squeeze in time even to attend a cocktail party.

"Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to arrange accommodations and an office for you,"

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, her expression becoming solemn.

“I had planned to meet you after dinner, but when I ran into Professor Snape this morning, he mentioned your plans to me, which made me feel compelled to speak with you earlier. This matter should have been the responsibility of Headmaster Dumbledore, but… well, never mind.”

Professor McGonagall's mood soured. She took a deep breath, her eyes sharp, and asked sternly.

“I’m not questioning the feasibility of your plan, Amosta. My question is, do you really think this approach is appropriate—to monitor the daily lives of all the young wizards just to find the successor to the Chamber of Secrets?”

Chapter 21 Request

Amosta understood what Professor McGonagall was worried about. He didn't reply immediately, but pondered quietly. After a while, he raised his head and calmly met Professor McGonagall's stern scrutiny.

"The key issue is making choices, Professor."

Professor McGonagall's lips twitched slightly; being intelligent and capable, she was well aware of what Amostella was going to say.

"Choices and choices,"

Amosta continued, "We all know the crisis Hogwarts is facing right now, Professor McGonagall. We don't want to see it end up like that, but if the current dire situation can't be alleviated... even..."

Amosta, anticipating the fleeting wavering in Professor McGonagall's hawk-like eyes, spoke calmly.

"With the heir to the Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin yet to be exposed, the petrification of two young wizards will not be the end of this series of events. Next, there will definitely be other people attacked. Professor McGonagall, can you guarantee that petrification will be the only thing that happens next?"

Professor McGonagall's eyes flickered a few times, and her breathing became heavy.

"Reality may be brutally cruel, but we must face it, because running away solves nothing," Amosta said rationally.

“I don’t know why the person lurking in the shadows didn’t just kill Colin Creevey and Justin Finley… Perhaps he simply enjoys the thrill of creating fear and doesn’t actually want to take the life of a young wizard. But, Professor McGonagall, are you going to place your hopes on the enemy’s mercy?”

“I understand, Amosta—”

When the word 'kill' was mentioned, Professor McGonagall's frail body swayed; she blew her nose, and her tough exterior began to crumble.

“Dumbledore didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was also worried about the situation you described. However, Amosta, we are not the Ministry of Magic; we have no authority to…”

"The right to freedom is insignificant compared to the value of life."

Amosta raised his voice and rudely interrupted Professor McGonagall.

“I understand what the school is worried about. Yes, I can imagine the criticism Hogwarts would face if the young wizards, their families, or the public knew that Hogwarts was monitoring the young wizards’ every move.”

Amosta also revealed a strong side to his personality, stating unequivocally,

But I think none of that matters. If our actions can save... even just one child's life, then it's all worthwhile, no matter how much criticism the school faces!

Professor McGonagall fell silent, her heart filled with turmoil as her long-held beliefs clashed fiercely with her clear-headed reason.

"If things go according to my original plan, Professor McGonagall..."

Amosta rubbed his stomach; he was a little hungry.

"Gather everyone in the school in the auditorium, and use Legilimency or Truth Elixir on them one by one in the lobby. Those who are fine can go to the courtyard. Perhaps in less than a day, we can settle this matter!"

"Absolutely not!"

Professor McGonagall was jolted awake, horrified by Amosta's outrageous proposal, and she immediately and firmly rejected it.

“This is a serious violation of the law, Amosta. If we do this, Hogwarts might have to close down before the heir can intervene!”

Amosta shrugged, looking innocent. "It's just an idea, Professor. I don't intend to actually implement it."

Professor McGonagall was eventually persuaded, which was inevitable, unless she could come up with an effective solution next semester. Hogwarts Castle has countless corridors, towers, and courtyards, and the school's professors, prefects, and student council members simply cannot keep up with the increased patrols.

Besides, who says prefects and professors won't be attacked?

If such a situation were to actually occur, needless to say, there are very few people in the school who would have the ability to handle dangerous situations.

“Try to keep things confidential, Amos Tower. Some young wizards…” Professor McGonagall chose her words carefully, “especially those from Gryffindor… who are quite fond of adventure.”

Amosta readily agreed, and Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, seemingly unaware of just how troublesome some of the junior wizards in Gryffindor really were.

"Would you like to come down for dinner together, Professor McGonagall?"

With the matter settled, Amosta was in a good mood and invited Professor McGonagall to lunch in the auditorium.

"No, I have a lot of things to take care of. I'll have the fairies prepare it for me later."

Professor McGonagall stood up and watched Amosta leave, but before he reached the door, she seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly stopped him. She looked a little embarrassed in the face of the puzzled Amosta.

"There's something I just thought of, Amostella. I haven't had a chance to ask Headmaster Dumbledore for his opinion yet. Perhaps you could help me..."

Amosta blinked. Professor McGonagall was always decisive and efficient, not indecisive. What problem was troubling her so much?

Have you heard of Gilderoy Lockhart?

Professor McGonagall's expression was quite interesting, a mixture of annoyance and helplessness.