The Return to Hogwarts

Dumbledore blinked and smiled mischievously.

"When you were still studying here, Professor Snape privately expressed his concerns to me on several occasions about your research into the Dark Arts, which led to our repeated 'chance encounters' late at night in the library's restricted section."

Cough!

Amosta, who was sipping his drink, choked on the strong liquor. He wiped his bright red lips, his expression somewhat like the embarrassment of having a parent reveal a childhood secret.

“It’s rare for a wizard as busy as you to remember such trivial matters, Headmaster Dumbledore. I’m not obsessed with the power of dark magic. I just believe that both dark and white magic are just a part of magic, and both are worth learning—I mean worth learning from. Blindly rejecting them only highlights our own ignorance.”

"Of course, of course, a very philosophical statement,"

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, but his expression immediately turned solemn.

“But not everyone has a clear sense of self and strong self-control, Amosta, so Professor Snape’s concerns about you back then were justified.”

P.S.: I hope you'll continue to support me, thank you!

Chapter 7 Cat-eared Girl

Around 11 p.m., Amosta hurriedly ended the meeting and left Dumbledore's office.

His cheeks looked a little stiff from the prolonged, agreeing smile, and even when Dumbledore was out of sight, his expression still seemed to be smiling.

There's no other way; it's about making a living. A smiling face isn't shameful.

Although they had talked for more than three hours, he still couldn't figure out what Dumbledore's purpose was in summoning him tonight. Recalling the entire conversation, Amosta realized that Dumbledore hadn't given him a chance to present any plan at all, but had just led his thoughts on a whirlwind tour, like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time having a casual chat after drinking.

The only thing he got was a half-full bottle of whiskey, which Dumbledore generously gave to him.

This is highly illogical; the trust Dumbledore displays is completely inconsistent with his cautious nature.

The corridor was empty, and the people in the portraits on both sides of the wall were sleeping soundly under the torches. During the Christmas holidays, even the dedicated castle keeper Filch left the school to visit old friends.

The biting wind that blew into the castle through the window was still piercing, but the snow had stopped falling, and the moon's shadow could be faintly seen struggling to break free from its restraints amidst the thick, piled-up clouds.

Amosta stood at a window at the corner of the stairs, gazing into the distance with great interest. On this starless night, the Forbidden Forest was pitch black and indistinct, with only a flickering light from Hagrid's hut as the only glimmer of light in the unfathomable darkness.

“I’m so glad you walked out of Dumbledore’s office alive, Amosta. I’m already thinking about how to hold your funeral.”

Snape had changed into a lilac-colored nightgown. He pressed himself against the corner wall, staring intently at the bottle of liquor in Amostella's hand, and sneered.

"Could it be that Dumbledore's Legilimency has deteriorated so much that he has to rely on Truth Essence to extract the crimes you've committed over the past few years from you?"

"Your speaking style remains as sharp as ever, Professor,"

Amosta turned to look at Snape in the shadows and smiled.

"Headmaster Dumbledore didn't use Truth Potion on me, but it seems he's already figured out what he wanted to know from me."

…………

A ray of moonlight, having traversed thousands of mountains and rivers, shone through the window grille, forming several rectangular spots of light side by side on the floor of the school hospital ward.

"Fluorescence."

After confirming that Madam Pomfrey had returned to her room and gone to sleep, Hermione quietly opened her eyes, burrowed into the covers, and pulled out a book called "Common Magical Ailments" from under her pillow. She had asked Harry to borrow it from the library for her.

Although Madam Pomfrey assured her that the facial hair would disappear completely in a few weeks, Hermione hoped to find a way to shorten that time if possible. Otherwise, she didn't know how to explain to the people who would be visiting her why she had grown such a beautiful beard on her cheeks.

Perhaps influenced by her animal instincts after the erroneous transformation, Hermione crouched like a real cat, her fair hands unconsciously clenched into cat paws and resting on the pages of the book. Under the tightly sealed blankets, a slender cat tail quietly slipped out and swayed gently on the edge of the bed.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps outside the ward made Hermione's ears perk up. In a very short time, she ruled out Harry, Ron, and Madam Pomfrey on night watch. Hermione's hair stood on end, and her expression turned terrified.

Could I have been the perpetrator of a locked-room attack?!

She quickly extinguished the light from her wand, lay back down on the bed, and gripped the wand tightly under the covers.

"It's rare for something to happen in this school to escape Headmaster Dumbledore's notice, Professor. Are you sure he really knows nothing about it?"

“You can call him hypocritical, but he won’t allow anyone to use underhanded tactics to harm the students here.”

A sinister, deep voice answered the previous question, and Hermione recognized the voice—it was Professor Snape, Harry's most hated Potions professor and the most prejudiced against Gryffindor students among all the faculty and staff.

Hermione, with her exceptional memory, was certain she had never heard that voice before.

However, it is clear from the conversation that the visitor is not a Slytherin heir.

After a brief hesitation, Hermione's furry head popped out from under the covers. Thanks to the thick pads on the soles of her feet, she made no noise as she reached for the door.

At Snape's signal, Amostella pulled back the curtain and strode forward, carefully examining the two unfortunate little boys who had been attacked on the adjacent hospital beds.

"The one with gray hair is Colin Crevey, and the other is Justin Finley. They are from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff respectively, both of Muggle origin. You are very sensitive to magic, Amosta, tell me your thoughts."

Amosta leaned down between the two hospital beds, his expression focused, his pale purple eyes seemingly swirling with two vortexes. He glanced at Colin Crevey, who was posing for a photo, and then at Justin Finley, who looked terrified. He would occasionally poke and tap the hardened skin of the two men with his fingers, the thumping sound clearly audible in the quiet school hospital.

"What did Dumbledore say?"

Amosta didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he sat on the bed, stared solemnly into Colin's eyes, and casually asked.

"He believed it was a very advanced form of black magic, requiring immense magical power, which was beyond the capabilities of a junior wizard. Furthermore, he privately told Minerva that he personally did not have the ability to directly break this powerful petrification spell."

"Well, I have reservations about the latter point."

Amosta pursed his lips, then pointed to Colin's eyes and shared his opinion.

"It's not black magic, but a curse. An abnormal magic has frozen the flow of magic in the bodies of these two unfortunate little ones through their eyes, which manifests as petrification."

"Minerva, Felius, and Pomona have all given me subtle hints."

Snape looked a little annoyed. "I have indeed observed that the kids in the yard now are all eager to show off. Nobody likes to hide their strength like you did back then. They don't have that ability."

"The bottle of Flame Whisky in the principal's collection is indeed quite old."

Amostella stood up to stretch, but a sudden wave of dizziness nearly made him stumble and fall. He rubbed his temples, gripping the bedpost for support. A multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind. Hearing Snape's veiled complaint, and recalling his own past self, wary of everything, Amostella smiled slightly.

“You’ve got it wrong, Professor. I told you, their petrification was caused by an unusual kind of magic. What I mean is, this magic doesn’t seem to come from wizards. It’s more like… for example, the magic flowing in the blood and nerves of a dragon, which is very different from the magic of wizards.”

Hermione, who was hiding behind the door, suddenly widened her yellow eyes and excitedly clenched her paws.

Amosta glanced amusedly at the ward diagonally opposite. In his vision, the magic of the little wizard behind the hidden door was as conspicuous as the moon rising in the darkness.

"So, the idea that Salazar Slytherin left a monster in the Chamber of Secrets isn't just a ridiculous rumor, is it?"

Snape's voice returned to its sinister tone. Slytherin, the greatest of the four great wizards, had always been the pride of the school's graduates, but at this moment, Snape felt more anger than respect for the school's founder.

"Given the current situation, this is the most likely possibility."

Amosta chuckled at the thought of the dark wizards in the underworld who coveted Slytherin's treasures. They probably never imagined that what Slytherin had painstakingly left in the Chamber of Secrets was nothing more than a magical creature.

However, his task was to find the contents of the secret room and deliver them to Cacus Foley; what was left in the secret room was none of his concern.

Having confirmed that he couldn't immediately break the curse, Amosta could extract nothing more from the petrified Colin and Justin. He draped the veil over them again, his tone indifferent.

"Actually, what I'm more curious about is why the attackers, who clearly had the ability to kill them directly after petrifying them, didn't do so. Was it simply to enjoy the thrill of creating fear? That seems like something only a psychopath would do—"

"This is a question that not only you and I are curious about, but I think Miss Hermione Granger is also very curious about!"

Ouch!

Amos Tower and Snape were about to leave when, as they passed Hermione's room, Snape suddenly pulled out his wand and swung it down hard at the room. Hermione, caught off guard, let out a scream and stumbled out from behind the door, rolling twice before landing right at Amos Tower's feet.

"Oh My God--"

In the silent stillness, Amostella quietly opened his mouth, glancing between the mocking Snape and the little wizard who was practically curled up in a ball.

"When did cat-eared girls appear in the magical world?!"

P.S.: Please add this to your favorites for investment purposes, thank you!

Chapter 8 Discussion

The moment Hermione collapsed onto the cold floor of the school hospital, her mind went blank. She had no idea how to explain that she had overheard a professor's private conversation, but then Hermione keenly noticed something.

That is, how did Snape recognize her in her current state before the door was even opened?

Also, is the cat-eared girl describing herself?

Hermione wished she could have Harry's Invisibility Cloak so she could hide inside and avoid this suffocating situation. Just as she was lost in thought, a strong, steady hand grabbed her arm and helped her up. Hermione looked up in fear and saw that it was the young wizard who had been talking to Professor Snape.

"Thank you, Professor."

“Oh, don’t misunderstand, Miss Granger, I am not a professor at this school.”

Amostah smiled gently, observing with interest the little witch's drooping ears in her fluffy hair and the beard on her hairy cheeks. It didn't take long for him to realize that this was probably the result of using Polyjuice Potion on animals to cause metamorphosis.

As expected of the most important intellectual member of the main group, she really knows how to play the game.

Although he couldn't recall the plot of the Harry Potter books, that didn't mean Amosta was completely ignorant of the key characters in the books.

Snape's sarcastic remark had made Amostella realize that the little witch in front of him, who had undergone a wrong transformation, was none other than Hermione Granger, a very popular character from Harry Potter, a very intelligent and perceptive young wizard, which aroused his curiosity.

Miss Granger,

Snape's slightly sarcastic voice sounded particularly somber in the school hospital late at night.

"Even I have to admit that you look much more interesting than usual. However, I still want to know why you look like this, and whether it was Minerva who gave you the courage to eavesdrop on my conversation?"

You didn't even recognize that this was an incorrect use of compound decoction? That's not up to your standards, Professor.

Snape understood the surprised look in Amosta's eyes. He glared at Amosta, then his sinister gaze fell upon Hermione again.