The Return to Hogwarts

Harry's pounding heart felt as if it had been suddenly gripped by a large, icy hand, and a bone-chilling cold instantly swept through his entire body from the inside out.

Without needing to ask further, he knew roughly what Snape's assessment would be. Harry clenched his fists nervously, and just as he was racking his brains to think of something to say in his defense, Amosta's next words pulled him out of the abyss of fear.

"Of course, those comments only represent Professor Snape's personal opinion and may not be objective. I personally believe that to understand a person, you have to observe with your own eyes. Blindly believing other people's opinions is not advisable."

Harry's shrugs suddenly relaxed, like a suffocating person finally enjoying fresh air again!

Seeing the nervous young wizard, Amosta smiled inwardly, and could roughly understand why Harry Potter acted so timidly in front of him.

Normally, Amosta might have teased him again, but the message that suddenly popped into his mind made him lose his mischievous thoughts; he needed to hurry up and confirm some things.

"Oh, right, Hagrid, I forgot to tell you, it wasn't the Ministry of Magic that commissioned me to investigate the Chamber of Secrets, but the Hogwarts Board of Trustees—"

He exchanged a few pleasantries with Hagrid, who was huddled up, and then hurried away. As he turned the corner of the stairs, Amosta suddenly remembered and waved to Hagrid, who was standing on a high place, before disappearing from sight.

As Amosta's footsteps faded into the distance, the three people at the top of the stairs all breathed a sigh of relief. Ron immediately couldn't wait to voice his opinion.

"He's really scary, isn't he!"

Ron's ears turned bright red, and he looked very excited. "When he looked at me, it felt like I was facing Dumbledore. He looked friendly, but you didn't dare to breathe!"

"He definitely gives off a very different vibe!"

Harry, still shaken, immediately nodded in agreement. He recalled Blaine's distinctive eyes and secretly compared them to Dumbledore's penetrating gaze, trying to determine who was superior.

"I never imagined that a Slytherin wizard could speak so politely, other than displaying that repulsive glibness or sarcasm, could you, Hagrid!"

Perhaps because Amostati didn't mention questioning him, Harry's anxiety from the morning vanished, and he became quite excited. With his worries gone, his curiosity naturally rekindled.

"Mr. Blaine was just here, Hagrid. If you have any questions, why don't you just ask him?"

Hagrid didn't respond to Harry's question. His cheeks puffed out as he stared blankly at the corner of the stairs, looking as if he had a dead rat stuffed in his mouth.

"Ah, what a wonderful misunderstanding!"

Harry and Ron were startled by Hagrid's sudden, terrifying sound. Before they could even complain, Hagrid flashed a bright smile.

"I see, it's the school board, not the Ministry of Magic. They probably just want to give it a perfunctory response!"

“What are you talking about, Hagrid?” Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, and Ron frowned as he asked, “Do you have to be so secretive?”

“I’ve already told you, Ron!”

Hagrid held up a finger and waved it cheerfully in front of them. "I haven't been hiding anything from you... Sorry, Harry, I have to go back now. Toothpick is waiting for me to feed him at home, and I don't want him to tear my bed apart because he can't find anything to eat!"

………………

As Amosta passed through the foyer, he stopped and glanced at the Great Hall. Professor Snape seemed to have already left the school and gone home, and Professor McGonagall was still busy in her small office. There wasn't a single professor in the empty Great Hall. He only saw two large young wizards huddled together eating and drinking at the Slytherin table, completely unaware of Amosta's gaze.

The two students' voracious appetites made Amosta rub his stomach again, but he didn't step inside. Instead, he went straight into the basement passage.

He had walked through this maze-like, complex, and dark underground passage for seven years. Even though he had been gone for three years, the memories etched into his body still allowed him to discern the direction without hesitation.

"Oh, I completely forgot about the password!"

Amosta came to a dark brown stone wall and slapped his head in frustration.

Amostella now faced with only two paths: either wait here and see if anyone comes or goes, or cross the underground passage again to seek help from the two Slytherin junior wizards in the Great Hall. Amostella frowned and thought for two seconds before deciding to choose the third path.

"glory--"

Amosta muttered to the stone wall, but nothing happened.

"Alright, it seems that's not it. Well then... let me think—the Holy Family?"

The stone wall remained unmoved. Amostan frowned and tried several more times. Finally, he guessed uncertainly, "Pure blood?"

Click—the stone door finally opened.

"Heh heh, the same old tricks!"

Amosta smiled smugly, proud of his cleverness, and stepped inside the wall to survey the changes in the Slytherin common room.

Located deep underground, adjacent to the Black Lake, the common lounge was as gloomy and green as the surroundings, with a faint fishy smell in the air. Even the roaring fireplace could not save it from its eerie atmosphere.

"I thought it would be another two hours before I saw you come back!"

A lazy voice came from a high-backed chair with its back to the door in front of the fireplace. The owner of the voice seemed to have not completely gotten over puberty, so it sounded particularly sharp and sarcastic.

"So, you two have finally bankrupted Hogwarts?"

"I think you must be Draco Malfoy."

Clang!

The instant he heard Amostella's voice, Draco abruptly dropped his quill. He reacted in a split second, lunging behind a sofa beside him. By the time he landed, his wand was already in his hand.

"Who are you? How did you get in?"

Amostah's eyelids twitched slightly; he was somewhat surprised by the young wizard's quick thinking in the face of danger.

"Don't be nervous, Mr. Malfoy."

Amosta automatically ignored the fact that he was being pointed at by a wand, and smiled easily, "My name is Amosta Blaine... um, may I sit down and talk, Mr. Malfoy..."

So you see—

Twenty minutes later, when Amosta finally explained his origins, Malfoy's eyes gleamed. He lifted his chin and scrutinized Amosta, as if assessing the competence of his servant.

"Did my father send you? I think you should know that he's one of the twelve board members of this school. It's strange, I thought he would try to get rid of old man Dumbledore from the school, but his solution was to send you?"

Amostall wasn't surprised at all by the arrogance displayed by the young Mr. Malfoy. He was from Slytherin House, and he knew exactly what the descendants of pure-blood families were like there.

However… Lucius Malfoy plans to expel Dumbledore from the school?

This is truly interesting news. Is that why he joined the Greengrass family in voting against the resolution, fearing he might ruin things?

"By the way... since you're an investigator!"

Draco Malfoy's pale face suddenly turned bright red, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"Saint Potter of Gryffindor, that's the legendary Harry Potter, I'm sure you've heard of him!"

Malfoy stood up excitedly, staring wide-eyed at Amosta. "What power do you have, Blaine? Can you expel a student? If you can get him out of school for me, I can get my dad to give you a lot of money!"

Amosta was used to this arrogant manner of speaking; he leaned back in his soft chair, his tone calm and even.

"If I understand correctly, Mr. Malfoy, you are reporting to me that Harry Potter is the heir to Slytherin, is that right?"

“I didn’t say that,” Malfoy muttered under his breath, oblivious to Amostella’s smile fading. “How dare a lowlife who only hangs out with Mudbloods and wallows in self-pity associate himself with the great Slytherin?”

Amosta's expression shifted slightly. Even among the pure-blood wizards, Draco Malfoy was a man with a very distinct personality.

"But what does it matter!"

Malfoy suddenly turned around, waving his arms angrily. "Brain, all I need is for Potter to leave school. If you need an excuse, then I can tell you—he's a Parseltongue, and I think you know what that means!"

"what--"

Amostella sat up straight, his eyes darting around. Snape hadn't mentioned this to him last night... Since even the young Slytherin wizards knew about it, there was no reason why Snape wouldn't know.

“You have indeed told me something interesting, Mr. Malfoy.”

Amosta nodded to Malfoy, “However, I regret to inform you that I do not have the authority to expel students, and I will not recommend that Headmaster Dumbledore expel him unless it is confirmed who attacked Crevy and Finley.”

“You weren’t sent by my father.”

Malfoy's face immediately turned cold. He realized that the man in front of him didn't seem to be on his side.

"Then what are you doing here?" Malfoy asked mockingly. "Do you think I opened the secret chamber, so you want to send me to Azkaban?"

"Actually, it's like this,"

Amosta stood up with a smile.

"It's embarrassing to admit... When I was studying at this school, I think I secretly hid something in my dorm, but for some reason I forgot about it until just now, after being a bit upset, I remembered it..."

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Chapter 24 Fate

When he realized that his orders were ineffective against Amosta Blaine, Malfoy's eyes turned cold.

He didn't want to pay any attention to him and just wanted to go back to finish his letter, but for some reason, when this man named Blaine, who had the title of investigator, politely said goodbye to him and walked towards his dormitory, he still followed behind him.

"I have to keep an eye on you, Blaine, in case anyone discovers they've lost valuables when school starts!"

When Amosta noticed Draco Malfoy trailing behind him and looked surprised, Malfoy said menacingly, "I wouldn't dare give a guarantee to someone of unknown origin!"

“Your statement makes perfect sense, Mr. Malfoy. So, please bear witness for me.”

Amosta nodded and ignored him.

There are many empty dorm rooms in each college's dormitory building. Whenever a junior wizard graduates, the dorm room they have lived in for seven years will become vacant. However, this dorm room may not be put into use immediately, but may remain vacant for two years before a new junior wizard moves in.

“This is my dorm!”

So when Blaine stopped in front of his dormitory, Draco's face turned as black as ink.

“Oh, really?” Amosta raised an eyebrow. “That’s quite a lucky coincidence. It saved me from having to use force to open the door. So… Mr. Malfoy, could you please open the door for me?”

Although reluctant, since he was already there, Malfoy was still curious about the things hidden in his dormitory. He seemed to realize that Amosta wasn't a wealthy person, so he threatened him fiercely.

"If you break anything, I'll make you pay for it!"