After one night, with the help of Fergin and Lupin, Amora finally put the newly modified panoramic telescope back in place, and once again, Hogwarts magical school was presented to him in such a clear manner.
The sky began to sprinkle delicate raindrops last night, and it was not until dawn that it gradually stopped. When the weak sunlight could penetrate the gaps of the clouds, it was already ten o'clock in the morning. Dazed, Amora stood by the window, still letting the cold wind mixed with thick moisture blow against his face to invigorate himself.
Turning around, a piece of vellum with the heading 'Special Permit' was spread out on the desk, with the signature of the current Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, written in a flourish at the bottom of the paper.
This was something Dumbledore had slipped into his hand during the end of the banquet last night:
Special Permit
I, the Minister of Magic, hereby authorize Mr. Amora Brien, the Head of Security Office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to monitor the behavior of all individuals in public areas within the school, including but not limited to students, staff, headmasters and deputy headmasters, when serious threats to their safety arise and are recognized by both the Board of Directors and the Ministry of Magic.
This right shall immediately lapse upon the removal of the threat and shall require a separate application for reactivation.
Cornelius Fudge
Gazing again at the words on the paper, Amora smiled silently.
To be honest, if it were last year's situation, Cornelius Fudge would never have signed such a ludicrous special permit. If this thing got out and became widely known in the magical community, it would mean the end of Fudge's political career. He could pack up and prepare for retirement himself.
However, this year's situation is even more dire. After all, the escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban prison was entirely the result of the Ministry of Magic's poor supervision.
If Black is not captured soon, or if there is anyone inside or outside the school who is clearly killed by Black, Fudge will meet the same fate.
Of course, one of the important reasons why Fudge was willing to grant such an authorization is because the person authorized is Amora Brien. From his donation of the Basilisk in the first half of the year to helping look after Harry during the summer vacation, Fudge has developed a certain fondness for this promising young wizard.
Carrying a cup of steaming, bitter tea, Amora propped his bottom against the edge of the desk and quietly examined the chaotic images on hundreds of screens.
It was now time for the first class of the morning, and there were not many people in the castle. In the rotation tower, Dumbledore, who had also stayed up all night, was wearing a robe with a star pattern and going downstairs to fetch hot chocolate. Feeling anxious about his KPI evaluation, Fergin followed him with his barely recovered Lizzie like a whirlwind along the corridors, trying to find any wizard who had violated school rules. However, the only people in that corridor were him and Lizzie.
Except for a few exceptions, the ghosts mostly stayed on their territory quietly. Whether it was the Chamber of Secrets or Black, to them, it was as unimportant as guessing what flavor of pudding the house-elves had prepared after dinner.
During the first half of the year, Amora laid down a surveillance network to search for the holder of the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets hidden among the young wizards. This required him to be constantly monitoring the screens, observing any abnormal behavior among young wizards, but this time, it was only to prevent Black from entering the castle. Moreover, the panoramic telescopes themselves had a built-in alarm function, making his job much easier.
Ding dong--
The tinkling bell announced the end of the first class for the young wizards. The professors remained in the classrooms, waiting for the next wave of students to arrive, while the students had to hurry and gather their things, bustling off to the classrooms for their next class.
Amora, who had intended to sneak out through the secret passageway closed by Fergin to run his experiments, had to wait a little longer. He would have to wait until the students were safely in their dormitories before he could slip away.
Boredom fixed his gaze on the surveillance screens until the images became clear once more. Amora spat out the tea dregs and was about to leave, but...
Suddenly, something a bit strange caught Amora's attention and made him curl his eye corners. He hesitated in taking another step forward.
Today's first class for Gryffindor third year is Hexes and Curses with Hufflepuff, followed by Transfiguration with Slytherin. Amora watched as Harry and Ron rushed into the classroom, followed by Malfoy and Crabbe, Goyle, and Daphne. Hermione lagged behind everyone else a bit dazedly.
But as Hermione entered the Transfiguration class, another Hermione Granger appeared suddenly around the corner of a corridor on another floor. She looked around, flustered, and ran into the Ancient Runes classroom of Bathsheba Babbling!
What's going on?!
Amora suddenly stood up straight, his piercing gaze locked on the door of the two professors' classroom.
"Hermione following Harry into Professor McGonagall's classroom... could it be Remus Lupin, who drank the Polyjuice Potion?!"
Amora was taken aback by the sudden realization, but in a short time, he dismissed this conclusion... It was unreasonable for Black to still be in the castle!
In just a few seconds, Amora had several possibilities flash through his mind, but none of them were particularly reasonable.
Amora narrowed his eyes and hurried to the surveillance screen, waving his wand. The images on the screen began to rewind like a time machine.
It's not two Hermione, but three!
There's also a Hermione Granger following the bustling crowd into Professor Viktor's Arithmancy and Divination class!
Staring at the Hermione Granger who almost simultaneously appeared at the doors of three professors, Amora said nothing, his eyes getting narrower and narrower. In the lavender irises, a solemn light flickered!
Tap-tap-tap...
Minute by minute passed, and Amora abandoned his plan to study the blood curse in the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. He rapidly tapped his fingers on the table, his gaze fixated only on the doors of the three professors' classrooms where Hermione was.
"Originally -"
The memory that was sealed away in Malfoy's dormitory reappeared in Amora's mind.
Every image and every conversation from the memory were flashing vividly before Amora's eyes... Amora had never forgotten the content of the memory.
Just try to avoid...
The butterfly effect, past and future, unestimable impact...
Finally, after a long while, a mysterious smile appeared on Amora's tense face.
"Originally..., the time-turner was yours, Miss Granger..."
The Library
