An owl spreads its wings and soars, carrying the article written under the supervision of Rita Skitt in Amosta, into the boundless darkness.
"Who will ensure that this article gets published in The Prophet Daily?"
Rita Skeeter's quill pen flew into her alligator leather tote bag, her lips curling into an exhilarated smile, clearly not over the interview with Amosta.
It's no wonder she's upset. For seven centuries, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been deeply intertwined with the School Board, but in the last decade of the twentieth century, Amosta Bryant boldly declared that the Board of Governors had breached their contract by cutting off financial support to Hogwarts.
So, Hogwarts will henceforth operate independently of the Board of Governors, an idea that is hard to imagine, and the news will undoubtedly cause a stir in the wizarding world!
"Amelia will ensure that the news doesn't leak to the Ministry before the article is published, and some of my board members at The Prophet Daily will make sure the article gets published."
Amosta's words were spoken lightly, but they sent a shiver down Rita Skeeter's spine.
Two years ago, the young wizard in front of her was still an obscure wizard, but just two years later, Amosta Bryant had established a powerful network across Europe, including America, not only through his strong magic but also something that couldn't be achieved through sheer power.
For a moment, Rita Skeeter, a first-class journalist, caught the emphasis in Amosta's words.
"It seems that Barnes has steadfastly supported you, haven't they? Oh, it's quite intriguing. She's such a politician; how did you persuade her to join your side? You promised to support her as the Minister for Magic, didn't you?"
Amosta smiled and remained silent.
But this piqued Rita Skeeter's curiosity, and her stenography quill feather pen floated out of her bag again,
"You're preparing, aren't you, Amosta? This article will undoubtedly stir up outrage across the magical world. Support for Cornelia Fudge will drop to an all-time low, and you're planning to take advantage of that to push Barnes into power. Oh, or perhaps!"
Suddenly, a possibility flashed through Rita Skeeter's mind, making her voice sharp as an owl,
"Are you planning to become the Minister for Magic yourself?!"
"Your imagination is quite rich, Rita -"
Amosta's smile remained enigmatic as he walked from the window back to his desk, sat down, and stared intently at Rita,
"But I can tell you clearly, I do not intend to become the Minister for Magic. Educating young wizards at Hogwarts is a very interesting and meaningful job, and I plan to keep doing it."
"Oh, in this regard, you are similar to Dumbledore in being obstinate and old-fashioned."
Rita Skeeter asked with interest,
"Almost the entire magical community knows you intend to take over from Dumbledore. Oh, by the way, when will you become the Headmaster of Hogwarts?"
Rita Skeeter just asked casually, but she was very clear that Amosta was a very astute and tight-lipped person. If he didn't want to answer, he probably wouldn't answer. However, what shocked her was -
"Not too long."
Leaning back in his chair, with his fingers interlocked, Amosta's mouth curled into a mysterious smile of varying depth as he spoke softly.
"What won't be too long?" Rita Skeeter widened her eyes in surprise.
"Ha ha, it won't be too long."
In the bright office, Amosta's low laugh sent a thrilling shiver through Rita Skeeter!
Tonight is bound to be restless for many.
With preparations already in place, Ms. Barnes convened all the departmental enforcers for a meeting under the pretext of addressing the increasingly difficult security situation in the magical world.
All the heads of departments, except for Dolores Umbridge, who was still convalescing at St. Mungo's Hospital, were present at the meeting. Even Cornelius Fudge attended, keeping a watchful eye on Barnes' actions.
Carkus Flee and Lucius Malfoy worked in tandem, using their connections at The Prophet Daily to ensure that Rita Skeeter's article passed the initial review.
Mr. Gove, the editor of The Prophet Daily, who had been in constant contact with Amosta, suddenly had an urgent matter at home and left his seal with an intern at the ministry. After giving instructions to send the article as soon as possible, he hurriedly left the newspaper office.
So, at midnight, an owl took off from the office of The Prophet Daily in Diagon Alley and flew towards the printing workshop.
Meanwhile, a Muggle train chartered by a mysterious wealthy businessman departed from Paris, and after three and a half hours of rapid travel, finally came to a stop at King's Cross Station.
"This is all the paperwork..."
Lying low, Lupin pulled a blank parchment from his robe and showed it to the Muggle Ministry officials with a serious expression. His wand, slipping out of his sleeve, moved quickly. Instantly, the Muggles' eyes grew dim.
"Oh, it looks like everything is in order."
A rotund Muggles official mumbled incoherently before leaving with his inspection team.
Turning around, seeing the shocked Percy and Penelope also stunned, Lupin smiled.
"In the field, what you need is flexibility."
Lupin's expression immediately became serious again,
"We don't have any time to spare. We need to transfer the items to the Hogwarts Express as quickly as possible."
The Muggle train quickly and slowly started up again, finally coming to a stop in a carriage shed. Here, the Hogwarts Express, disguised to blend in, had been waiting for some time.
At the command, many small but agile house-elves appeared from the wizarding compartment of the Muggle train. They manipulated heavy wooden boxes and flew them out over the platform, landing them in the wizarding compartment of the Hogwarts Express.
The elves worked quickly, and in half an hour, all the "cargo" had been transferred.
"Let's go!"
Lupin warily looked around the dimly lit surroundings, confirming that no one was watching before waving the elves and the loyal and well-trained guardians who had been selected from the enchanted clockwork factory onto the train. With a loud, piercing whistle that carried through the night, the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled away from the platform.
The train passed over endless fields, over mountains and rivers, piercing the mist dyed in a pale gold by the dawn. After about four or five hours of travel, it finally came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station.
On the platform, Amosta, who had been waiting anxiously for half the night, finally let out a breath of relief upon seeing Lupin jump down from the Hogwarts Express as it slowly pulled into the station.
"How was the journey?"
Amosta took a few quick strides towards Lupin, noticing the heavy dark circles under his eyes, couldn't help but laugh.
"You were a bit overanxious, Lupin."
"Oh, being a bit too anxious?"
But when he saw Amosta, Lupin, whose nerves had been stretched thin for two days to execute this task, finally relaxed. He wearily said:
"My eyes never left those boxes. This is such an important task; you should have come yourself. I've never been so worried in my life."
"I fully trust your ability, Lupin."
Amosta smiled, his gaze over Lupin's shoulder, watching Percy standing a few dozen feet away, shyly looking over and not daring to approach, couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you not going to greet me, Percy?"
"Oh, not --"
Percy blurted out in a flustered manner. He quickly moved forward but then retreated back after taking two steps, waving his hand at the door of the compartment. After a moment, a girl with flushed cheeks jumped down from the train.
The young couple, holding hands, walked quickly to Amosta's side.
Time seemed to have gone back to a year and a half ago in the Three Broomsticks bar. At that time, the young couple, about to part ways, were filled with uncertainty.
"It's been a long time, Penelope --"
Amosta smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the couple holding hands,
"Does that mean you're back together again?"
Percy smiled broadly, while Penelope, blushing, said,
"It's been a long time, Professor Bryant. Thank you for bringing Percy back to me."
"Oh, you can't blame me for that, Penelope --"
Amosta wryly said, then smiled and asked again,
"Speaking of which, do you two have any plans for marriage? I would need some time to prepare the wedding present."
At this, Penelope's blush deepened, her head dropping lower. But then, raising her head, she showed a hint of sadness.
"Percy's mother might not like me, so."
"Don't be silly, Penelope."
Percy's smile vanished instantly, and he said solemnly,
"Mother is just not pleased that I moved out of the house, and she's holding it against you. Oh, but I will eventually have to move out, right? As long as she gives me some time, she will understand."
