The Return to Hogwarts

"Good evening, Hagrid."

It was Dumbledore. He walked in with a very serious expression, followed by a man with a very strange appearance.

The stranger was short and stout, with the same gray hair as Professor Blaine, only much messier, and an anxious look on his chubby face.

His clothing style was quite strange: a pinstripe suit, a bright red hat, a black cloak, purple pointed boots, and a dark green top hat tucked under his arm.

"That's my dad's boss!"

Ron finally snapped out of his daze and whispered to Harry and Hermione, "Cornell Fudge, Minister for Magic!"

Hermione nudged Ron hard with her elbow to shut him up.

For Hagrid, the worst thing had finally happened. He slumped onto the bed, his face pale, and tried to defend himself.

"I have no choice, Hagrid—"

Fudge said in a crisp, quick tone, “It’s terrible. Dumbledore told me to stay calm. I can’t even describe to you how much pressure I was under after those two little wizards were petrified, forcing the Daily Prophet to shut up. But now it’s completely out of the loop. Many people in the ministry who are following this matter already know that Weasley’s daughter may have met a tragic end.”

“I want you to understand, Connelly, that I completely trust Hagrid.”

Dumbledore frowned, his tone solemn, but a hint of helplessness flickered in his blue eyes.

Sometimes power is such an unreasonable thing. Even Dumbledore must abide by the power structure within a stable social framework, unless he wants to start all over again.

But Fudge seemed to have made up his mind. He fiddled with his top hat, avoiding Dumbledore's eyes, and said casually,

“From my perspective, Dumbledore, a little precaution is necessary. If we eventually discover that someone else opened the Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid will be released, and the Ministry of Magic will offer its full apologies.”

Chapter 79 Expelled

Fudge's explanation neither convinced Dumbledore nor reassured Hagrid.

“I can go to the Ministry of Magic with you, and you can have an Auror look after me, Minister,” Hagrid said, his lips trembling. “But please, don’t send me to Azkaban!”

Before Fudge could speak, there was another loud knock on the door.

Dumbledore went to open the door, and this time, Harry was hit hard in the ribs with an elbow, letting out a clearly audible gasp.

Lucius Malfoy, who had just given Draco some instructions, strode into Hagrid's hut. He was wrapped in a long black travel cloak, a cold, satisfied smile on his face, and began to bark wildly.

"It seems you've clarified the key issues." Lucius nodded with satisfaction. "Very good, excellent!"

"What are you doing here!" Hagrid roared angrily. "Get out of my house! You're not welcome here!"

“My dear friend, please believe me, I’m not happy to enter your room either. You call this a house? Forgive my bluntness, but my little elves live in a much more respectable place—”

Lucius Malfoy looked around the small cabin and sneered, "I forgot to tell you something, Dumbledore. Someone told me you were here."

"What business do you have with me, Lucius?"

Dumbledore maintained his composure, but Harry was quite certain he saw two burning flames of anger in Dumbledore's eyes.

Hagrid's cabin hadn't been this lively in a long time. Before Lucius could reveal his purpose, Amosta walked in through the open door.

"It seems I've arrived at the wrong time?"

Upon entering the house, he sensed a rather unpleasant atmosphere in the air, which was not surprising.

The people in the house reacted differently to Amosta's appearance. Dumbledore exchanged a glance with him, but neither of them said anything more.

Fudge clearly didn't know who Amosta was, but he was very cold to this unknown young professor, and didn't even nod or greet him.

Upon seeing Amosta enter, Lucius slightly suppressed the smugness on his face. He knew where Cacus Foley had found this man; the people there were all unscrupulous dark wizards, unlike a gentleman like Dumbledore. If possible, Lucius didn't want to offend such people to the point of death.

"Perfect timing. I was planning to come see you after delivering that terrible news to Dumbledore, Amosta Blaine—"

Lucius spoke to a somewhat surprised Amosta, then pulled a parchment from his pocket, his cold gray eyes fixed on Dumbledore, and a smile returned to his lips.

"Things are terrible, Dumbledore—"

Lucius rudely waved the parchment in front of Dumbledore and said...

"The board should let you go. This is a temporary suspension order, and you'll find that all twelve directors have signed it. We feel that you probably haven't been able to demonstrate your talents. How many attacks have occurred so far? At this rate, before summer vacation, not a single young wizard at Hogwarts will be left!"

Fudge obviously hadn't gotten the information out of Lucius beforehand. He was quite surprised by the board's decision, but as Lucius said, the appointment of the principal was the board's prerogative, and he had no right to interfere.

Hagrid abruptly sat up from the edge of the bed, his large, bushy, dark head scraping against the ceiling as he roared.

"How many people did you threaten and blackmail to force them to agree, huh, Malfoy?"

Amosta gave a slight snort. Kakus Foley had indeed reminded him of this, but he hadn't expected Lucius to be so quick and efficient in getting it done so soon.

"but,"

Hagrid and Fudge were powerless to stop it from happening, and Dumbledore had to obey the Board of Governors' orders. He spoke in a very slow and clear voice so that everyone present could hear every word he said.

"I will only truly leave this school when everyone here betrays me. You will also find that at Hogwarts, those who ask for help always get help."

After speaking, Dumbledore glanced strangely at the corner of the wall. Amosta, who had been subtly sensing Dumbledore's gaze, followed it, his eyes deep and thoughtful. He smiled inwardly, then casually looked away. At that moment, he noticed Lucius was also observing him.

"We will all miss you, Dumbledore—"

Lucius grinned, then pulled another parchment, similar in appearance to the one before, from his pocket and continued,

"Now that Dumbledore's matter is settled, Amosta Blaine, I regret to inform you that the Board of Governors has also asked me to bring you a dismissal order. I have always believed that sending someone of unknown origin as an investigator into Hogwarts would be of no use, and it turns out that my judgment was accurate. Amosta Blaine, I suggest you go back and pack your things now, so that you won't miss the earliest train tomorrow."

"What's that saying again?"

Amosta smiled, seemingly unsurprised.

"Of course, I am an investigator appointed by the Board of Governors, and it is your right to dismiss me. However, I have no intention of leaving Hogwarts now—"

Lucius narrowed his eyes, and even Fudge turned his gaze to Amosta for the first time.

"--This is an order from the Board of Trustees. Blaine, go first. Are you going to disobey it?"

“I’m afraid you’ve forgotten something, Mr. Malfoy,”

Amosta smiled happily.

“Indeed, I am no longer a special investigator, but I am still a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor personally appointed by Headmaster Dumbledore. The right to dismiss a professor rests solely with the Headmaster. Since Hogwarts no longer has a Headmaster, I must remain at Hogwarts until the next Headmaster takes office.”

Lucius stared coldly at Amosta without saying a word; indeed, he had overlooked this point.

"very good--"

After a long pause, Lucius Malfoy nodded, "Once the next headmaster officially takes office, I will have a good discussion with him about the appointment of the school's teachers."

After saying that, Lucius ignored everyone and walked out.

"I believe you definitely have a direction for what you're going to do next, right?"

Amosta's insistence on staying brought a smile to Dumbledore's face, and before leaving, he spoke gently to Amosta.

“Of course,” Amosta replied with a smile. “I have no intention of standing aside.”

"Please explain this to me, Professor Blaine—"

Escorted by Fudge, Hagrid, his face grim, hesitated and said, "You know the situation, Professor Blaine, perhaps you can help me clear up the misunderstanding."

The cabin, which had been packed with people just moments before, now only had Amosta left. He needed to return to his office soon to check how much his surveillance cameras had recorded, but before that…

Amusta glanced at the corner of the cabin, cleared his throat,

"This matter is over. How long are you three planning to hide?"

Chapter 80 Riddle and Voldemort

Toothpick lay behind the closed door, desperately scratching at it with its two front paws, its whimpers filled with sorrow, as if it understood that the owner of the house had gone far away, and whether he would ever return was still unknown.

"Professor Blaine!"

Feeling like he was suffocating, Harry ripped off the Invisibility Cloak. He gasped for breath, trying to speak several times, but didn't know how to begin.

"Professor, is the Ministry of Magic really going to imprison Hagrid in Azkaban? But Hagrid is innocent! I mean, what evidence do they have to prove that Hagrid is the heir to Slytherin?"

Hermione looked at Professor Blaine, who was examining the Invisibility Cloak in Harry's hand, and her voice trembled with tears.

"The adult world is sometimes very complicated, Miss Granger, and dealing with people is a very complicated thing—"

Amosta walked to the stool and sat down, rubbing his temples wearily as he spoke.

"That's why after graduation, I lived a secluded life, cut off contact with my former classmates, and chose to live a relatively simple life."

Amosta could see the fear in the three little ones' hearts. Perhaps even Harry and the others themselves didn't realize how bewildered they looked after Dumbledore was kicked out of Hogwarts by Lucius.

Perhaps Dumbledore didn't interact with them often on a daily basis, but over half a century, 'Hogwarts' and 'Dumbledore' have become almost inextricably linked. Once Hogwarts loses its headmaster, everyone in the school will inevitably feel an overwhelming sense of collapse.

However, for Amosta himself, this was a very good opportunity.

"Then perhaps the three of you owe me an explanation—"

Amos Tower's calm and even tone made Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who was grieving the loss of his loved one, suddenly feel that the air was not so thick. The three of them looked at each other, and finally, Harry took a deep breath and told the whole story about the strange diary in a very fast voice.

"When we learned of Ginny's accident, Hermione immediately went to the library. Based on your clues and the information we had previously gathered, we discovered that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was likely a basilisk. After that, we arrived at Hagrid's place before everyone else, hoping to confirm the truth behind the series of events that occurred fifty years ago—"

"Tom Riddle's diaries can take you back in time, showing you the scenes you recorded in a firsthand way, right?"

Amostah closed his eyes and pondered. Having already read through his lost memories, and recalling the detailed memories of destroying Voldemort's Horcrux in fifth grade, he almost immediately confirmed that the notebook was another new Horcrux.