Amidst the melodious and comfortable sea breeze, the words spoken by Amos with a calm expression startled Little Star greatly.
"What does that mean, Amos?"
Just after speaking out, Little Star suddenly realized that tonight he seemed to have asked Amos many times, but soon he put the question out of mind, and his expression became solemn.
"Suddenly vanished. What are you planning?"
Amos did not answer this question, but simply smiled faintly and looked at Azkaban again.
Seeing his appearance, Little Star knew that he might not be able to ask anything more. He gazed at Amos's side face, although he was only in his twenties, but the corners of his eyes carried a firmness that didn't match his age. The 'thickness' of his gaze was beyond his comprehension.
"You are quite formidable, Amos—"
Little Star sighed and said, patting Amos's shoulder,
"I cannot think of any wizard at your age having such powerful magic, even Dumbledore might not be able to do so. But I hope you understand—this is the enlightenment given to me, Remus, Dumbledore, and even Snape. Ah, and you are our friend too. Even Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Understand, Amos? If you need help."
The soft starlight shone on Amos, making his side profile look even softer.
"I don't want to be lectured, Sirius."
Amos playfully steered the conversation away, cutting off Sirius's next words.
"I'm going to Azkaban for a visit. The influence of that place on you is too great. Wait for me here."
"Are you going up there again?"
Little Star furrowed his brow.
"Is it because the memory we just experienced did not solve your doubts? You want to visit that underground ruins, but how do you intend to get in? The Goblet of Fire is in your hands."
Under Little Star's anxious gaze, Amos rose into the air and disappeared from his sight.
Waiting always feels impossibly long.
For several hours, Little Star stood on the dilapidated deck, gazing at the direction of Azkaban with eyes full of worry. However, there was no movement or sound in the depths like an abyss.
Indeed, Amos's agility was exceptional. If he had been exploring somewhere else, Little Star wouldn't have been so worried. However, after wandering through Hogwarts and the memories of the twin giants, Little Star realized that Azkaban was far more dangerous than people imagined.
It was not until the starlight dimmed and the dawn's light began to rise on the distant horizon that a shadow skimming along the sea, swiftly approaching, finally allowed Little Star to breathe a long sigh of relief.
"How did it go, did you encounter any unexpected things?"
When that eerie shadow materialized back into its original form on the deck, Little Star immediately approached him, sizing up Amos for a few moments until he let out a sigh of relief when he didn't notice any signs of harm, and when Little Star looked into Amos's eyes, he suddenly froze.
"Your eyes--"
"Are they back to their original color now?"
Amos looked cheerful and he caressed the corner of his eye with his fingertip, smiling and saying.
"All right, as long as there's no harm done--"
Little Star didn't go to ask Amos why he really needed to go up there, whether it was because the Goblet of Fire in Ravenclaw opened the underground ruins, or what he had done for these hours. Seeing that Amos was safe, he shrugged and said.
But suddenly, Little Star's mood was revived again,
"Is everything done now? Does that mean we can go back? Oh, Harry is definitely waiting for me to take him to the Quidditch World Cup! How about it, Amos, want to come along? Let's pick Harry up first. Remus is probably getting restless waiting at the old house; he never gets along with Kreacher. We agreed before summer vacation to stay at the Weasleys' for a few days first, and then take these little rascals to see the Quidditch World Cup together!"
Little Star eagerly looked at Amos, hoping he would agree to come along. However, to his disappointment, Amos slowly shook his head.
"I don't particularly enjoy noisy places. For the rest of the summer, unless something unexpected happens, I'll probably stay at the old house. I need some time to reflect on the memory we've just experienced."
After more than twenty days, Amos and Little Star finally arrived at this sea area. The return journey would be much simpler; they could use a Portkey to transfer to Old John's house, and then Amos could Apparate Little Star back to London.
They were currently in a location within the magical range of Azkaban's guards, where all Portkeys were ineffective. The powerful magic here made all spontaneous magical movements impossible. Amos used magic to control the disabled boat, slowly drifting out of this sea area.
As he had predicted.
Leaving through the barrier again caused some commotion, but compared to the cataclysmic scene when they first entered, it was only a gentle breeze and drizzle.
Once they were completely rid of Azkaban, Little Star's last trace of melancholy disappeared from his eyebrows. He lay on the boat's rail and enjoyed the comfortable sea breeze, waiting for Amos to fetch the Portkey from the cabin.
Suddenly, a snowy owl soaring high in the sky swooped down, leaving a sharp shadow in the air as it zoomed by. By the time Little Star realized that the bird might have been targeting him, the owl had already flapped its wings and slapped his face.
"Oh, don't do that—"
Little Star stumbled backwards a few steps, staring at the owl with a furrowed brow. The owl, who had undergone a lot of hardship and was glaring at him with anger, as if it was about to peck him ferociously, suddenly let out a loud scream after carefully examining it.
"Come and look, Amos! It's Harry's owl, I think it's called Hemingway!"
"It's Hedwig--"
As Amos walked out of the cabin with the key in hand, he shook his head slightly upon hearing that.
"What did I say!"
Little Star looked rather smug.
"Harry must be getting restless at the muggle's house. He can't wait to see me. Oh, speaking of it, this owl is quite the handful, managing to find its way here!"
For Little Star, the greatest happiness might be to be needed by Harry.
He kept reassuring Hedwig with his words, and after obtaining the paper, he eagerly opened it in front of Amos and began to read. As the slightly naive handwriting jumped into his eyes one after another, Little Star's joyful expression gradually faded away, and a trace of seriousness quietly crept onto his brow.
"Maybe you should take a look at this letter, Amos."
Harry's owl had also sent him a letter before, and Amos was busy feeding Hedwig the fish he got from the sea when he heard Little Star say this. His eyes quickly moved over to the letter, and he instantly sensed that something bad must have happened.
"What's wrong?"
As he asked, Amos didn't hesitate to take the letter and began reading it with his eyes scanning over the text in a matter of seconds.
"What do you think, Amos?"
Little Star observed Amos's expression and asked softly,
"Harry's scar isn't just a regular scar, is it? Harry said that it hurt when Voldemort was near him last time. Voldemort shouldn't be able to appear near the muggle family where Harry is staying, right? There's Dumbledore's magic protecting him, and he should be able to find Harry, right?"
"Harry probably didn't tell everything."
Gazing at the cautious words on the paper, Amos narrowed his eyes slightly. Suddenly, he remembered their conversation with Dumbledore before this journey, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
Shortly after Dumbledore had warned them, something unusual happened at Harry's place.
Putting down the letter, Amos said calmly,
"Harry's scar is indeed unusual, it represents the hidden connection between him and the wizard who left the scar, which requires careful handling. Alright, I'll accompany you to Dursley's house to ask Harry in person about any things he hasn't clarified yet. Also, I suggest you write a letter to Dumbledore and tell him about this matter--"
Shriek!
At this moment, another grey owl flew in from the distance and directly swooped down towards the boat. Like Hedwig, this owl's feathers were disheveled, indicating that it had been struggling in these seas for some time.
This letter is addressed to Amos, and the sender is Cacoos Free.
"I'm sorry, Little Star--"
Opening the letter and glancing at it, Amos's eyes instantly turned sharp.
"The things at Harry's side can only be asked by yourself. Keep me informed of any new developments, and there is something I must investigate personally."
(The end of this chapter)
