Hogwarts Homecoming

On a midsummer night, even the moonlight shining through the window into the principal's office was warm.

Dumbledore's blue eyes behind his half-moon glasses moved down, looked at Amosta for a few times, and then smiled bitterly.

"You don't know about my old friend, Amosta. Unfortunately, he is not the kind of wizard who will accept threats. Moreover, I think after Tom, he should treat a talented young wizard like you. Be wary.”

Seeing that Amosta's eyes did not waver, Dumbledore added,

"Horace has mastered the skill of Occlumency. Legilimency won't work. Since he can teach a wizard like Severus who is proficient in potions, you will know that Veritaserum may not work on him either." ”

Amosta shrugged. If Dumbledore insists on not harming his old friend's personal safety, then some methods cannot be used. However, contact is still necessary.

"I once heard Dirk Cresswell, Director of the Goblin Liaison Office under the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, mention that he is Professor Slughorn's favorite disciple, and Dirk, who was born in Slytherin, Trust me, maybe I can communicate with Professor Slughorn through this line."

"As long as you don't plan to use magic to pry open Horace's brain, Amosta, I don't object to you trying. Maybe you can really find a common topic with him."

Dumbledore said with a smile, but obviously he didn't expect much from this.

With a sigh, Dumbledore stared at the dim candlelight of the chandelier,

"Horace is unwilling to provide us with valuable information for the time being. Regarding Tom's Horcrux, the most urgent thing that needs to be determined at the moment is the underground vault of Gringotts. Did he give it to him like the notebook? A certain Death Eater who was imprisoned in Azkaban, and that Death Eater gave that thing to the goblins for safekeeping before going to prison."

"I will confirm this as soon as possible."

Amosta said calmly,

"When the time comes, I will need your Order of the Phoenix to cooperate with me."

"Oh, of course there's no problem, but"

Amosta's confident tone when he said this made Dumbledore move his silver eyebrows in surprise.

"You already have a good idea, don't you? Can you convince Banat to give us permission to inspect those vaults?"

"I would not make such a request to Bana. This is digging into the foundation of the goblin."

Amosta said,

"I have other methods, but I can't use them now, but the time will come soon."

After dealing with Amosta for so long, Dumbledore had some understanding of Amosta's style. His eyes moved.

"I must remind you, Amosta, we cannot let Tom know that we are looking for his Horcruxes."

This goes without saying, Amosta naturally knows it.

The two people left their desks and came to the window of the principal's office, silently staring at the bright and clean campus illuminated by the moonlight.

"Did you encounter any difficulties in the Triwizard Tournament?"

Dumbledore asked.

"Everything is arranged properly and there will be no problems during the game."

Amosta's voice was filled with emotion,

"However, be prepared mentally. After this game is over, the war will begin."

Hooray!

A strong wind suddenly came from the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore said nothing and just stared into the distance, his silver beard swaying in the wind, and his old cheeks bathed in the moonlight became more and more decadent.

Moonlight climbed mountains and waded thousands of miles away, climbed to the highest point of the tower of a castle standing on a cliff, and slipped quietly into a simple room through the window hole.

The gray-haired old man lying on the bed board, who had fallen asleep, seemed to feel something, and suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes covered with a layer of white haze stared blankly at the water ripples formed by the moonlight pouring on the edge of the rock wall, and he slowly started to lie down on his back.

With bare feet and stepping on the cold stone floor, the old man came to the window and looked out the window expressionlessly at the boring scenery that remained the same regardless of spring, summer, autumn or winter.

In summer, the snow covering the earth is melting rapidly. Most of the year is covered by snow, and the black, angular and ferocious mountains are finally exposed.

After staring in silence for a long time, the old man withdrew his gaze and turned his gaze towards the bed, where he fixed his gaze on a delicate and classic pocket watch next to the pillow.

His pale lips moved slightly, and the old man walked over and picked up the pocket watch from the bedside.

Popping open the watch cover, the old man stared at a photo behind the watch cover.

The photo showed a photo of an old man and a little girl. His eyes were not focused on the old man's face in the photo, but on the little girl.

Although she was an innocent and lively age, the little girl's smile revealed a hint of deliberateness and alienation.

Staring at the little girl, the expression on the old man's face, which looked like old tree bark and had criss-crossing wrinkles, changed subtly.

Time passed quietly in the cold, dry wind. The moonlight shining into the room gradually withdrew as the moon climbed higher into the night sky, and the room slowly slid into the abyss-like darkness.

Click——

After the avatar in the photo was also submerged in darkness, the old man closed the cover, and then slowly climbed into bed.

When the last ray of moonlight left the room, the old man lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. The white clouds covering his eyes melted away like clouds blown away by the wind. In the center of his eyes, a ray of silver light flashed. .

The next morning, Harry, Hermione and Ron, who got up and rushed to Hagrid's cabin, were surprised to find that the long boundary between the Forbidden Forest and the site was blocked by ropes. Hagrid was not even in his cabin. Yaya didn't sleep in front of the wooden house either.

"what happened?"

The three people who walked around to the back of the house stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, looking at the 'no entry' signs hung on tree trunks at regular intervals. Harry asked in shock.

"Is there anything more to say?"

Hermione swallowed and said in a tight voice,

"Professor Brain has sealed off the Forbidden Forest. No entry is allowed. Preparations are probably being made for the competition. Hagrid is not at home. He is probably also helping in the Forbidden Forest."

"But if he's going to use this"

Ron curled his lips and reached out to touch the rope.

A scream ripped through the silence of the Forbidden Forest. The sound sounded like the sound made by Karkaroff before his death when he was tortured by many Death Eaters with the Cruciatus Curse at the same time. The three people standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest All of them covered their ears in unison, with expressions of pain that could not be concealed!

"What's going on, Hermione, what on earth is that noise!"

Ron staggered back,

"It sounds like Percy singing!"

"Oh, I don't know, but I guess."

Hermione screamed and shouted,

"Maybe it's the Howling Curse, a kind of warning magic!"

There was nothing to say. The three people fled in panic, running around the field. Miraculously, when they ran past Hagrid's hut and left the boundary of the Forbidden Forest for more than a certain distance, the sound that tortured their ears suddenly disappeared, and the sound was gentle. The sound of wind and pleasant waves entered their ears again.

"They didn't hear!"

Harry gasped for breath, and suddenly he caught a glimpse of a group of little wizards still flying around on broomsticks on the lawn, laughing and playing, not affected by the terrible noise just now. Harry raised his waist in surprise.

"obviously,"

Hermione's face turned pale, and she was so disturbed by the noise that she retched twice.

"The noise is only within a certain range. Maybe it is specifically targeted at people who 'illegally break into the Forbidden Forest'."

The three people looked at each other for a few times, and then suddenly laughed again.

"Oh, I'm so glad Professor Blaine doesn't usually use this trick."

Harry shrugged and said,

"Otherwise, Hogwarts would lose so much fun."

"If that's the case--"

Ron wiped away the cold sweat from being frightened,

"Fred and George might drop out of school in protest."

"Judging from the current situation, Hagrid may have been forced to sign a confidentiality agreement, hoping to find out what the whims are from him."

Hermione smiled happily,

"It seems that the third project is not a test of intelligence collection, but a test of improvisation."

"That's not really good news for me."

Ron's words with a grimace caused two more hearty laughters to burst into the playground under the blue sky.

The sun rises and sets, and the moon waxes and wanes.

The final exams of the school year are in full swing. It seems that just overnight, a huge viewing platform has 'grown' on the playground of Hogwarts, and four Quidditch sticks have been erected at the border of the Forbidden Forest. Such tall, but much thicker iron poles, each with a huge screen on top.

There is also a spacious, closed tent near the four iron poles. The goblins have already settled in in advance and started debugging the live broadcast equipment.

As the morning dawned, the first ray of light illuminated the dark dormitory, and Hermione suddenly opened her eyes from the bed.

The finals of the Triwizard Tournament have begun.