In the Three Broomsticks Pub, there were not only Harry, Ron, and Hermione who were listening to Fudge's conversation with several teachers from Hogwarts. Students sitting around also listened to their conversation.
Some students at home whose relatives hold important positions in the Ministry of Magic knew about this information and kept silent, while others, who had never heard of these things, tried their best to be quiet. However, their open mouths betrayed their inner thoughts.
Amodest actually stood behind Hermione, just a little magic to let people can't see him.
Looking down from above at the shocked Ron and Hermione, Harry sighed in his heart. The expressions on their faces slowly changed from surprise to silence, as he looked at the table beneath them.
Destiny has a surprising inertia, even if the emergence of Amodest changes many things, there are still many things that proceed according to the original trajectory, Harry finally knows the truth of his parents' murder.
After Professor McGonagall and the others had finished talking about Black, Amodest thought for a moment, deftly dodging one person after another, and then re-entered the inner room of the pub. Two minutes later, as if nothing had happened, he slowly reappeared in the pub hall.
With a glance at Harry's subtle expression, and the momentary breathlessness of Hermione and Ron upon realizing their presence, Amodest smiled and walked back to his seat but did not sit down. Instead, he placed the bottle containing the imprisoned soul-eating monster directly into Fudge's arms.
"I apologize, everyone, but I just remembered that the cottage I rent in the village hasn't been cleaned for a while. I have to take care of it before Christmas."
Amodest then left the Three Broomsticks Pub directly.
It had only been a few hours since the small path connecting Hogwarts and Hogwmord had been covered with nearly a foot of snow. This time, it was not too late for the young witches and wizards going to Hogwmord for the weekend to return. Amodest alone trudged through the snow, silently thinking, if Harry were to come ask him later whether he knew about his parents' past, he should "politely" console him.
"Everything is normal at school, Professor Braein!"
When asked if anything was going on, Amodest's loyal subordinate, the Hogwarts Castle caretaker, Filch, snuffled his nose and respectfully said.
Although the ancient castle still appeared majestic and magnificent from the outside, in fact, there were many dilapidated places inside. The huge amount of money spent on daily teaching had depleted the funds allocated by the Board of Governors, so there wasn't much money left for repairs. As a result, the corridors of the school would always be drafty in winter, and the temperature inside was not significantly different from outside.
Although the powerful wizard's reaction to cold and heat is no longer obvious, Amodest still felt some stiffness in his hands and feet after walking around in the open air. Therefore, he canceled his original plan to go to Lupin to ask about Harry's learning situation.
Amodest clicked his fingers to ignite the fire in the fireplace, warming his hands while casually glancing at the grid of surveillance images on the wall.
The cold weather has forced the young witches and wizards who love to walk to return to the common room, except for the library where many fifth-grade students are preparing for "mid-term exams".
On the top floor of the west tower, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle walked out of the dark owl shed, their faces somewhat stiff. Amodest silently watched them walk down the tower, through the armor corridor, and finally enter the Slytherin basement through a passage on the other side of the ground-floor hall.
"Still not out of the woods after so long?"
Amodest muttered to himself in a strange tone, hesitated for a moment, and remembered Snape's warning. He decided not to interfere for the time being.
The situation was somewhat out of his expectations. He thought Harry would immediately return to the castle and rush over to ask if he knew the truth after learning that his parents were murdered by Black. However, Harry did not do so. He only occasionally observed through the monitoring system and had a gloomy face no matter where he went for several days.
Another week passed, and now, with only two weeks left until the end of the term, Dumbledore's absence had not hindered the increasingly festive Christmas atmosphere in the school. Professor Flitwick, who teaches charms, had already decorated his classroom with colorful lights that transformed into real fairies fluttering around the room.
For some reason, Hagrid suddenly requested leave from both him and Professor McGonagall at the same time.
So it falls naturally on Amodest to decorate the hall for the holiday season-- Filch can be used, but with his lack of magical skills, he is not very smooth at such activities.
As the holidays approached, the professors also hoped that the students could relax before Christmas, so on Friday evening, with little homework, the little rascals were running around the castle...
Or causing trouble, one moment it was the washroom on a certain floor being thrown a few big dung eggs, the next moment it was a young wizard who angered Peeves being locked in armor, or perhaps a first-year wizard unfamiliar with the moving stairs in the castle accidentally stepped through and broke his arm. In short, throughout the night, Filch's frantic shouting could be heard throughout the main castle of Hogwarts.
To avoid Filch charging into his office every now and then, Amodest ran to the library, where there were few people before the holiday, to seek peace. But here, he unexpectedly found three small ones buried in a pile of books.
"This is not right..."
Amodest made a sour face and said,
"If it were just Miss Granger, I wouldn't be too surprised, but the three of you are all here together in the library?"
"It's for Hagrid, Professor Braein..."
"Since Amodest is no longer teaching the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts, he has been seeing these little guys less often. In particular, Hermione and Ron. They haven't talked to Professor Braein officially in a month or two. That's why they seem a bit nervous when facing his questions."
"Ministry has decided to formally accept Lucius Malfoy's lawsuit, and the trial date is in April next year. We... want to help him..." Reading Pavilion
Hermione's eyes were red, but her gaze was laced with bitterness. Amodest understood that the little girl was probably blaming him, as her nominal superior over Hagrid, for not paying any attention to Hagrid's current predicament.
So that's it. That's why Hagrid was in a low mood on the day he took leave. Amodest asked him two questions, but Hagrid didn't want to say anything. Perhaps, he also didn't want to cause any trouble for Amodest.
"So, you want to help Hagrid prepare a defense statement?"
"So, you want to help Hagrid prepare a defense statement?" Amodest scanned the dusty documents and asked. After receiving a positive answer, he nodded.
"Hagrid should be grateful to have friends who truly care about him."
Saying that, he turned away and prepared to walk in the direction of the restricted section.
Ron whispered to Hermione to keep quiet, but Hermione was clearly not very satisfied with Professor Braein's casual attitude. She glared at him with indignation and was about to question him why he didn't care about his subordinates, but at this moment, Harry suddenly opened his mouth.
"Professor Braein!"
Amodest raised his eyebrows, slowly turning around to face them, with a gentle smile on his face.
"What's up, Potter, what's the matter?"
"You know about those things, don't you."
"Now, Ron and Hermione both gave Harry a stern look, hoping he would shut up, but Harry ignored their reminders. The flickering fire reflected in his emerald eyes as he gasped and asked,"
"I mean, my parents died in Voldemort's hands because of Black's betrayal. Have you known about it all along... because you've been chasing that filthy traitor!"
The library was not empty; a young wizard had heard Harry utter Voldemort's name and was so frightened that he slid off his chair, sitting on the ground and looking at them in terror.
Hu~
"Let's talk in my office--"
A deep sigh followed, as Amodest said.
Amodest sighed.
Reading Pavilion
