The Return to Hogwarts

Amosta said to Harry calmly, "Now, I think you'd better go upstairs and rest for a while. You're free to do whatever you want this afternoon. Hmm, you can go to that Quidditch boutique and take a good look at that beautiful broom!"

The mention of the incredibly expensive Firebolt finally roused Harry. He quickly finished the food on his plate and went upstairs.

"This is quite a surprise, Amosta, I never expected to run into you here—"

Remus Lupin, with his gray hair, walked over and sat in Harry's seat, smiling gently.

Excuse me, are we that close?

Amosta rolled her eyes, thinking this to herself, but didn't say much, only speaking coldly with a gloomy face.

"Why aren't you down there selling your herbs? What are you doing at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Even werewolves need to eat--"

Lupin ignored Amosta's indifference, simply lowering his voice and speaking in a casual, matter-of-fact tone.

There was nothing wrong with that statement; both wizards and half-human wizards needed to eat. However, Amosta still felt something was off because he was aware of the precarious financial situation of the wizard opposite him.

“So—” Amosta looked at the amiable Lupin and raised an eyebrow slightly, “you finally managed to get yourself some gold?”

"This is all thanks to you, Amosta—"

Lupin nodded to Amosta and said gently, "I got an advance from Dumbledore, which meant I wouldn't have to worry about food for a while."

Get an advance on your salary from Dumbledore?

Amosta frowned in confusion, but then he realized what was happening and showed a surprised expression.

Lupin was implying that Lupin had accepted his earlier 'friendly suggestion' to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts?!

Because a lot had happened during this time, Amosta would have almost forgotten about it if Lupin hadn't reminded him!

However, Amostella's confusion had not dissipated. At the end of their last meeting, Lupin's reaction did not seem like he was going to agree. Unexpectedly, more than a month later, he actually sent his resume to Dumbledore without saying a word.

There's always a reason behind unusual events; there must be something he doesn't know about.

Amosta squinted at Lupin, who had 'insulted' him at the end of their last meeting, his voice tinged with suspicion.

"You agreed. A wise decision. But Lupin, it still surprises me. I thought you couldn't get over that mental hurdle!"

“I’ve thought carefully about what you said to me last time, Amosta. Like you said, if I can truly make a contribution in the professor’s position, then perhaps people’s perception of werewolves will change.”

Lupin's smiling face showed a hint of unease. He knew that the young wizard in front of him was highly skilled in magic, but he really did not expect that he would be so intelligent at such a young age.

“You’re lying, Lupin. I’m sure there’s another reason.”

Amosta slightly raised his chin, speaking in a flat tone.

Lupin remained silent. Amosta's intensely piercing gaze made him uneasy, and he sat there, instinctively avoiding Amosta's probing look.

In truth, whatever Lupin's reasons for following his advice to go to Hogwarts was largely irrelevant to Amostella. By simply accepting the task, Amostella had already gotten his revenge. However, Lupin's evasive demeanor only made Amostella more wary.

"Could it be that you and Dumbledore are plotting something again? Lupin, this chance encounter with me here, could it have been planned all along?"

Lupin gave a wry smile. He hadn't expected Amosta to have such suspicions. Of course, considering that he had once tricked Amosta, it was perfectly normal for him to be so wary.

"actually."

Amosta abruptly interrupted the excuse Lupin had painstakingly come up with.

"Unfortunately, Lupin, I happen to be skilled in Legilimency. If you weren't a master of Occlumency, I think you wouldn't need to go to such lengths to weave lies to deceive me."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ping's forehead developed several fine lines.

What finally convinced him to become a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was not simply poverty, but something deeper. He had received some information from Dumbledore's letter—information that the Ministry of Magic had not yet made public regarding the purpose of his 'old friend' who had been imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years, and his escape.

Amostella Blaine—Lupin knew he didn't have a particularly deep relationship with this man, but Dumbledore seemed to greatly admire him.

"I think, Amosta, you must already know about Blake."

"Oh!"

Amosta's abyss-like gaze suddenly softened, and his solemn face revealed a look of sudden realization.

"I underestimated your ambition, Lupin!"

Amosta slammed his clenched left fist heavily on the table.

"How could I have become so oblivious? I didn't even realize... You also want the Ministry of Magic's 50,000 Galleons, don't you!"

Chapter 152 Let’s cooperate

This is exactly what it means to be in a good position and benefit from the proximity to the source!

While the wizarding world was still filled with anxiety about Sirius Black's whereabouts after escaping from Azkaban, Remus Lupin, who had a close relationship with Dumbledore, had already figured out Black's true purpose for escaping and put it into action!

"Well--"

Lupin held his breath, blinking in confusion. After a few seconds, his brain working frantically, he finally understood what Amosta Blaine was talking about.

“That’s right, Amosta,” Lupin said, his eyes flickering and his lips pursed.

"Cough... Just like you said, the Ministry of Magic's 50,000 Galleons bounty, that's a huge sum of money. Hmm, if I could get it, I probably wouldn't have to worry about food for the rest of my life."

Amosta nodded in strong agreement. If he wasn't extremely lucky, his annual 'output' would probably only be around ten thousand or twenty thousand, maybe fifty thousand. In the three or four years since he graduated, he might not have earned that much money in total!

"Oh, right--"

Amostella tapped the table lightly again, glancing at the werewolf before her who would soon be admitted to the 'VIP ward' of St. Mungo's Hospital of Magical Injuries. Her eyes sparkled, and a brilliant idea suddenly popped into her head.

"Hey, Remus, how about we team up?"

“Cooperation? You mean—” Looking at Amosta Blaine, who had suddenly become eager, Lupin felt a chill run down his spine. Now, it was him who had become wary.

Amosta moved closer to the table, as if afraid of revealing important business secrets.

“We all already know that Black escaped Azkaban for revenge, and he'll go after Harry Potter sooner or later—”

Amosta, engrossed in his conversation, didn't notice that Lupin's words made his hand, which was resting under the table, tremble.

"--It's foreseeable that he'll try every means to get close to Harry Potter. Although Hogwarts has Dumbledore, he's not omnipotent. Just like last year's Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin, Dumbledore couldn't stop the conspiracy in time. What I mean is, since you can openly appear at Hogwarts, you can help keep an eye on Potter. You're very vigilant, Remus. If Black really tries to get close to Potter, you'll definitely be able to find some clues. When that happens, you give me the clues, and I'll track Black down. If we succeed, we can split the 50,000 Galleons 30/70!"

Lupin remained strangely silent, not uttering a single word, an attitude that led Amosta to some misunderstanding.

"You think it's not enough?" Amosta frowned, his tone turning unfriendly.

"You should know that Blake is a very dangerous thug. Even if you find him, you might not be able to handle him."

"No, I just—"

Lupin seemed to have something blocking his nostrils, spitting out words one by one.

“I’m just confused, Amosta. Albus admires you, and you could easily write him a letter; he certainly wouldn’t stop you from returning to Hogwarts, but you—”

“I have my reasons, Remus,” Amosta said regretfully.

“I plan to stay in Hogsmeade. If anything happens at the school, you can let me know.”

Lupin fell silent again, and after a long while, he slowly asked in a very tired voice,

"If you really do capture Black, Amosta, what will you do with him?"

Amosta raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by Lupin's question.

"Of course, it's to hand it over to the Ministry of Magic in exchange for payment, Remus. Isn't that the purpose of our cooperation?"

"You don't intend to kill him?" Lupin asked grimly. "He's guilty of heinous crimes."

“Judging evil is the business of Wizengamo, not mine,” Amosta said calmly, then added.

"Moreover, it might be more valuable if it's alive."

Looking at Amosta Blaine, who was determined to make a fortune in Galleons, Lupin felt a deep sadness. This sadness was not for Amosta Blaine, nor for himself, but for his former good friend, Sirius Black.

Back then, when he decided to betray friendship and justice, surrender to Voldemort, and offer up the positions of James and Lily, he must have thought that he could gain Voldemort's trust and be bestowed with unprecedented glory by Voldemort.

But did he ever imagine that one day he would find himself in this predicament because of that sin, becoming prey for rising stars?

“I have a condition, Amosta. If you agree, then we will cooperate.”

Lupin's expression turned solemn, and he spoke in the coldest tone.

“If Sirius Black ever does fall into your hands, I hope you will hand him over to me.”

Noticing Amostella's confusion, Lupin took a couple of breaths and said, "He killed three of my friends. Very good friends. I have to kill him with my own hands."

Silence, stillness.

Amosta stared intently at the weathered-looking Lupin, only then realizing that his earlier guess was wrong. This werewolf's sudden agreement to become a professor at Hogwarts wasn't for money, but for revenge.

“Alright, I agree to your request. If I capture Blake, I will hand him over to you so you can kill him.” Amosta nodded. “But afterwards, you will only receive 20% of the reward.”

Ultimately, Amosta and Lupin reached an agreement and signed a magical contract. Having already learned his lesson, Amosta explicitly stipulated in the contract that Remus Lupin must not reveal their collaboration to anyone.

“I’ve noticed something—” Remus’s emotions had calmed down considerably, “The contract only binds me from revealing the plan, but it doesn’t bind you?”

Amostella stood up, stretched, waved her wand, and put away the contract.

“I’m tight-lipped, Remus, but I’m not sure you’ll turn around and tell Albus Dumbledore about this. After all, there’s precedent for this.”

After this matter was resolved, the two talked for several hours, not about Black, but about the young wizards at Hogwarts.

Although a large part of the reason for becoming a professor at Hogwarts was to catch Black, as Amostella had said before, it was indeed a good opportunity to improve the negative image of werewolves.