Amorta did not intend to attend the dinner party prepared by the Malfoys, and he had no intention of doing so from the beginning. He knew that he was not a particularly welcome guest, but it was somewhat amusing to him that the 'ornate' door key used by Narcissa resembled a spoon.
Probably, Malfoy was scared by his sudden visit.
Amorta has always had a good opinion of Lucius Malfoy, although this person has a long record of bad deeds, and many of the ideas in his head are against his back, but there is no denying that Lucius Malfoy is a clear-minded intelligent man.
Although he once worked for Voldemort and was deeply trusted by him, he is not the same as the infamous crazy Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban. Amorta could see that in Lucius Malfoy's heart, family and kin are far more important than his loyalty to Voldemort. However, he is now in a tricky situation.
It is much easier to communicate with intelligent people, so Amorta does not worry about Malfoy meddling in Remus' affairs.
Bang!
The brilliant firelight faded away, and the quiet alleyway was once again enveloped in darkness.
"I'm sorry, Fox, you're not suitable for being seen in public places," Fox tried to land on Amorta's shoulder, but was stopped by Amorta. Fox's ruby-red eyes showed obvious dissatisfaction.
"You can find your own entertainment, there's no need to rush back to Hogwarts."
After Fox left, Amorta looked around to confirm the direction and then hurried down the narrow alley. In no time, he emerged from the alley and found himself on the spacious street of Diagon Alley. Across the street stood the famous Hogshead pub in the magical world.
Fortunately, the attention of the wizards who were passing by was focused on the bustling Diagon Alley. No one noticed that the renowned Amorta·Bryan was right next to them. However, this sense of tranquility ended as soon as he walked into the dirty great hall of the Hogshead pub.
The pub owner, Tom, whose hair was almost all gone and who looked like a shriveled walnut, was chatting with an old man wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Several unscrupulous wizards sat in the corner of the room, sipping sherry from small glasses. One of them, holding a long smoking pipe, created a smoky atmosphere in the great hall.
"Oh my goodness!"
The pub owner casually looked at the guest entering through the back door and quickly left the little old man to rush to Amorta's side, almost in tears with excitement.
"Mr. Braein, it's an honor to have you. What can I do for you?"
The Hogshead pub fell into a hushed silence. The old wizards with burn scars on their faces in the corner, upon seeing the gentle gaze sweep over them from Amorta, one by one dropped their heads. The man with the long pipe simply stuck his pipe into the wide sleeve of his cloak.
"Long time no see, Tom."
Amorta said warmly,
"I hope for a private room, because I need to meet someone and discuss some important matters. Of course, before that, I might also need something to eat--"
During the summer that Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban prison, as per the request of Minister Fudge, Amorta was staying at the Hogshead Pub to take care of Harry who had run away from home. Therefore, he was somewhat familiar with the pub owner. However, during that time, the pub owner did not treat him as kindly as he did now.
Everyone watched Amorta Braein and Tom the pub owner walk into the private room area. Many of them clearly had thoughts of coming up to make acquaintances, but there seemed to be a 'repellent aura' around Amorta Braein. No one dared to take action until his figure disappeared.
It was almost as if it took an instant for the pub owner, Tom, to come with a tray and knock on the door of the private room. What surprised Amorta was that the tray was heaped with various drinks, but there were not many food items on it.
"Oh, these were all ordered for you by the customers in the bar, Mr. Braein--"
The thin pub owner, with a bent back, beamed with excitement.
"They all want to buy you a drink!"
"Thank them for their offer, but--"
He was no stranger to such situations, and he reached into his pocket with ease, pulling out a handful of golden galleons and placing them on Tom's tray. Smiling gently, he said:
"I can't take advantage of people for free, Tom. These gold should be enough for each customer in the hall to have a glass of the strongest Firewhiskey."
"You are indeed a generous gentleman, Mr. Braein!"
The pub owner Tom said respectfully, he carefully left the private room and closed the door. In no time, the cheers that reverberated through the hall entered Amorta's ears, which also brought a sincere smile to his lips.
Just as the clock hanging on the dim and gray walls of the private room indicated that it was just one minute to seven, a series of rapid high-heeled knocks on the wooden floor sounded in the corridor outside the private room. Amorta took his napkin to wipe his mouth. He quickly cleared away the mess on the table when he heard a knock on the door of the private room.
"Oh, Amorta Braein!"
The woman who walked into the private room was dressed as usual in vibrant colors. Today, she was wearing a banana-yellow robe, her long nails painted an eye-catching pink, her eyeshadow was colorful, and her hair was still elegant curls. Of course, that never-changing crocodile leather handbag of hers was still by her side.
Rita Skeeter seemed to have completely forgotten everything that had happened before and after the Greyback incident. As soon as she entered the room, she couldn't wait to shut the door behind her, and her face lit up with excitement when she faced Amorta.
"Good evening, Rita--"
Amorta smiled unintentionally. He made a gesture to invite Rita to sit down.
"Just sit down first, so we can taste the drinks prepared by the warm-hearted people in the hall, ah. There's no need to take it out. Your quill won't be of much use tonight."
A spark of annoyance flickered in Rita's green eyes, but she hid it well. She pushed her handbag under the table and then extended her large, mannish hand across the table towards Amorta.
"I didn't expect to receive a letter from you, Mr. Braein. How have you been recently? Oh, have you read my speculation about the truth behind the attack on the Quidditch World Cup last month, which was published in the Prophet Daily last month?"
"Marvelous--"
Amorta lifted a glass of sherry, raising it towards Rita.
"I mean, you think I am an objective description of someone who is a new recruit of Cornelius Fudge and a thug like the Ministry of Magic--"
Rita Skeeter didn't show the slightest sign of awkwardness. She even said enthusiastically,
"I just think that a wizard like you should have some spirit of resistance."
"Thank you very much for your candid advice, Rita. Could you please stop waving your quill around in your handbag? I'm afraid it might cause some accidents later."
Amorta said cheerfully.
"Oh, this quill is a bit old, and it doesn't always cooperate."
With a face powdered with a thick layer, Rita's smile froze. She kicked her handbag angrily and then, taking a deep breath, stared at Amorta Braein eagerly, asking without hesitation,
"So, Mr. Braein, are you willing to have a deep conversation with our readers about Vyvia Klyona, the mysterious witch? Well, it was you who told the public about that name. As I said before, she is as powerful as you but not as fond of fame. You both belong to an unknown organization. Do you have a feud with her? I mean, the public is very interested in your relationship. Are you... ah, lovers?"
Before summoning Rita Skeeter, Amorta had anticipated this scene. He remained unmoved, smiling as he snapped his fingers.
Bang!
A sudden crisp bang echoed in the cramped private room, scaring Rita Skeeter so much that she almost thought Mr. Braein was enraged. However, nothing happened. A neatly folded parchment slowly floated down from the air and landed on the table in front of Rita.
"What is this?"
As if she had just remembered that the person in front of her was an extremely powerful wizard, Rita Skeeter's eyes were filled with terror.
"Just read it."
Amorta placed his glass on the table, leaned back against the chair back, and crossed his fingers while smiling.
(Chapter ends)
