Hogwarts Homecoming

Has the mysterious man been resurrected and is lurking among people?

This is simply a question that can be returned to without much thought.

Just open your eyes and look around, look at the wizards smuggling into the border, look at the poor security environment in the British wizarding world, and look at those wizard families who are ready to make trouble.

Even the most stupid wizard should make an accurate judgment.

But Rufus didn't speak, and the real difficulty in answering this question didn't lie there at all.

The hands hidden under the cloak clenched unconsciously. Rufus stared deeply at the young face behind the round table, his face slightly pale.

If Blaine had somehow recorded his answers and brought them to the Minister of Magic, then his career would have come to an end just like the young man who was forced away from the Weasley family.

But now, his situation is not much better.

Strictly speaking, he has always supported the Ministry of Magic's faction in the ministry, and with the recent tense situation in the magical world, the Minister of Magic should win over his support.

But what is strange is that the highest decision-making level of the ministry has been dividing the power in his hands.

Ms. Bones did it first.

She had been doing this since Christmas this year, skipping him and directly contacting the Auror below. Although she did it very secretly, it could not be hidden from the eyes of the director of the Auror Office.

It was not surprising that Ms. Bones would do this. After all, she was the one whom Amosta Blaine openly supported in the ministry, and she was considered by outsiders to be of the ministerial faction.

But Ms. Umbridge is also secretly supporting his Delish men to fight for power with him. This is a puzzling thing.

Umbridge is an absolute ministerial party and belongs to the same ministerial line as him.

She doesn't have any reason to undermine herself, does she?

Moreover, after he expressed his dissatisfaction to the Minister of Magic almost directly, the Minister did not stand up for him, but instead gave Umbridge a bad look.

There is no doubt that there are various signs that he has lost the trust of the Minister and Deputy Minister Umbridge.

Or, Delis has done something to win greater trust from the top management, so he will be ignored.

Staring at Amosta Brain, the face that seemed confident that he would give the answer he wanted, Rufus's dark yellow pupils flickered.

"You know why."

Halfway through his words, Rufus saw Amosta Brain's slightly raised eyebrows and shut his mouth tightly again.

He hasn't returned to Blaine's question yet. Presumably, Blaine will not be kind enough to answer his questions.

At some point, Aberforth had taken care of the water problem and quietly returned to the bar.

He saw the bottle of aged sherry that Amosta had privately opened on the bar, but he did not get angry. Instead, he stared closely at Rufus Scrimgeour, the same blue pupils filled with Solemn and stunned.

Of the several people Blaine met in his bar today, Rufus's appearance was the most incredible to him.

With Albus Dumbledore's backing and running such a pub himself, Aberforth was not one of those ignorant ordinary villagers.

His well-informed knowledge is ranked among the best in the magic world. It is precisely because of this that he was surprised.

Rufus Scrimgeour has always been the mainstay of the Minister of Magic's faction, hasn't he?

Why would he meet with Brian in private? The hidden meaning is really chilling!

There was a weird, heart-stopping atmosphere in the dark, cold bar, as if a major meeting to determine the future was being held here.

Looking at Brian, who was sitting at the round table in the bar, undoubtedly dominating the negotiation, Aberforth moved his lips, but found that his lips were dry as if he had been exposed to the sun.

He poured the rest of the bottle of wine that Blaine had opened privately into the cup with gentle movements. The moment his lips touched the slightly cold wine, Aberforth recalled the last scene between him and Albus. conversation.

It was early last month, when Blaine left Hogwarts and went to New York with a wolf cub.

It was during this period that the Ministry of Magic, headed by Fudge, suddenly attacked Albus, not only canceling many of his titles, including the Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, but also halting many interviews with Albus. , and academic invitations.

Aberforth could see through the helplessness in his omnipotent brother's eyebrows.

"Humph, the ministry seems to think you are easier to deal with, right?"

Late that night, Aberforth stood behind the bar, looking at Albus, who was sipping a glass of whiskey under an uncertain oil lamp, and laughed sarcastically.

"oh--"

Albus, who was immersed in his thoughts, came back to his senses. He looked at his brother. His clear eyes did not become angry, but showed some relief and touch.

"If you mean the ministry decided to target me instead of Amosta, Aberforth."

Albus smiled and said,

"Although I have a tense relationship with the ministry now, I must say that the ministry's decision was correct. Connelly did not act foolishly and provoke Amosta as usual."

"It's rare to hear a dirty word coming out of your mouth."

After a short silence, Aberforth said in a calm tone that was very different from his usual rude style.

"hehe--"

Albus was not embarrassed and continued to smile,

"People think I'm a law-abiding person with high moral character. You know that's probably not the case, Aberforth, but the problem is that these labels that are like permanent stickers on me do bind me. Amosta, on the other hand, is much freer."

Take a sip of the scarlet wine, stare at the sediment floating in the wine glass as the wine swirls slightly,

"I've always been wary of Amosta, wary of when the violence hidden in his character will get out of control and overwhelm his kindness, causing greater harm to the wizarding world than Voldemort.

But I must admit that his violence gives him more freedom to act. Yes, it's true that Cornelius doesn't dare to provoke him, which sometimes makes me envious-"

"That's right--"

The sudden voice startled Aberforth out of his memories. He blinked and found that it was the director of the Auror Office who was speaking.

The purple sea that would eventually swallow up any attempt to shake it finally made Rufus Scrimgeour succumb.

Rufus' face was pale, and his voice was more empty than ever.

"I think he is back, and this is an irrefutable truth."

The suffocating atmosphere in the bar dissolved in an instant!

"A wise judgment, Rufus--"

Amosta finally smiled again, and he looked at Rufus with admiration.

"Then, there is a second question--"

In the dimness, Amosta's eyes shone with a faint light, and two deadly whirlpools seemed to appear in his deep eyes, sucking Rufus' soul.

"Under the premise that Voldemort has returned to the magic world, Rufus, what will you do?"

"I will--"

Facing Amosta Blaine's gaze, all the words that Rufus wanted to say to slow down were blocked at the corner of his mouth and he couldn't say them. He gasped deeply, and beads of sweat fell.

"Resist. We must fight to the end. We have no other choice, right?"

Amosta's cheerful laughter roamed in the dim room.

"Then, we are comrades, Rufus--"

All the questions and answers are in these two questions. When Rufus gave a sincere reply, the two of them no longer needed to talk. Everything was self-evident.

"What will happen if I don't give you the answer you want today, Brian?"

Before stepping out of the door, Rufus turned around with a slightly flushed face and looked at Amosta who was sending him off behind him.

"Nothing will happen."

The heavy rain dissipated, and the hazy evening light appeared in the sky.

Looking at Rufus's dark yellow eyes that had regained their sharpness, Amosta smiled and emphasized again,

"I'm not the Dark Lord, am I?"

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