Homecoming from Hogwarts

Rolling thunderclouds were overlapping on the sky, some so low that they seemed within reach if one climbed up the tower. Dazzling lightning struck the vast black lake. The octopus, startled from its sleep, danced with its eight huge tentacles, and the flood it created even submerged the upper hallway.

On the first day of June, the terrible weather seemed to indicate that the last month of this school year would not be peaceful.

An owl flew in the storm and brought Amosita a letter from Remus. After reading the letter, a faint smile appeared on Amosita's lips.

Mr. Weasley has written to ask whether Percy's resignation from the Ministry of Magic and his preparation to join the Learning Machine Workshop was based on his suggestion. Amosita told Mr. Weasley in his reply that this was not his suggestion, but if Percy made a choice, he hoped they would respect Percy's decision.

In the letter, Remus told him that Percy had gone to the workshop for an interview and had passed it successfully. Remus was asking for his opinion on whether he really wanted to recruit Percy into the workshop. Amosta believed that Remus had probably sent a similar letter to Mr. Weasley.

After writing down his opinion, Amosta looked out the window at the rain pouring down on the earth, and then said to the owl squatting in front of the fireplace, drying its wet feathers,
"I'm going out now. This letter is sent back to your master. Don't worry. You can wait until the rain stops before leaving—"

Remus' owl hooted, signaling understanding.

It was now class time, and there were no little wizards running around in the castle corridors. Amosita stood in front of a corridor, looking at the whistling rain outside. He hesitated for a moment, and did not choose to go downstairs and leave the castle. Instead, he walked along the corridor to a remote area with sculptures on both sides.

"Left-right separation--"

Amosta came to the end of the corridor, shook out his magic wand, and knocked on the hunchbacked stone statue of the witch in front of him. With a hoarse friction sound, the witch's hunchback opened, revealing a dark passage.

Before coming up from Honeydukes' cellar, Amosita cast an Disillusionment Charm on himself. After all, he was a professor now and couldn't be as reckless as some little wizards.

It was raining so hard that there were few pedestrians on the streets of Hogsmeade. Only a few villagers wearing raincoats were clearing the clogged sewers in the heavy rain.

After casting a spell to repel water on himself, Amosta walked out of Honeydukes' shop and into a world bombarded by rain.

After walking along the central avenue for a distance, Amosta turned into a small road next to the post office, and in a few minutes he appeared in front of the Pig's Head Bar.

The shrill thunder and rumbling rain made the conversation taking place in the bar hazy, but Amosta could still hear it.

"You don't look very welcoming to me, Aberforth?"

A gentle voice mixed with a hint of laughter.

"You still have the audacity to expect me to welcome you?"

The other voice sounded very rude and angry.

"If you want to be a pimp, Foley, then go back to your underworld, Hogsmeade is my place!"

"Oh, don't say that, Aberforth, I'm not trying to steal your business -"

Foley's voice is still elegant.
"An adult has asked me to meet here, I must come--"

"Oh, to hell with your 'adults', why don't you guys go to the Shrieking Shack and talk about your little secrets!"

Amosta's mouth twitched and he pushed open the door of the Hog's Head Bar.

It was daytime and not Hogsmeade's open day, so there was not much business in the Hog's Head. Apart from Aberforth behind the bar, there was only Cacus Foley in the bar. The sudden entry of Amosita silenced the two of them.

"It's you?"

Aberforth glanced at Cacus, then his eyes fell on Amosta, who was smiling slightly, "You made an appointment with me?"

"Ah, good afternoon, Aberforth--"

Amosta walked towards the bar with a smile.

"Why do you seem not too happy to see me taking care of your business?" Aberforth snorted twice.

"You want to talk to someone, why don't you meet in your office, Brian? Or do you have a little secret that you don't want the greatest wizard of the time in the school to know?"

"If I wanted to avoid Dumbledore's sight, I would not choose to be here, Aberforth--" Amosta said with a smile,
"I just suddenly felt like drinking, and the fire whiskey here is better than the Three Broomsticks."

Aberforth stopped talking. He glanced at Amosta unhappily, obviously not believing his nonsense.

"Come on, Cacus, Aberforth will prepare some drinks for us."

Amosta patted Kakus' arm gently, and the two of them walked towards a table farthest from the bar in tacit understanding.

Amosta took off his cloak, and Cacus took off his coat and put it on the back of the chair. The two sat on either side of the round table, and no one spoke.

Two minutes later, Aberforth, who was disturbed, angrily placed two glasses of firewhiskey in front of the two men. Amosta and Cacus raised their glasses to each other and took a sip each.

"call--"

Kakus sighed comfortably, savoring the spicy and mellow taste in his throat, listening to the rain outside, his expression and voice revealed a sense of melancholy and sadness.
"What terrible weather—"

Amosta put away his smile and looked at Kakus calmly.
"Who says it's not?"

"In fact, I've been waiting for you to find me, Mr. Blaine--"

Kakus said,

"It's been a few months. Ever since the end of the second Triwizard Tournament and the announcement of the return of the You-Know-Who at Hogwarts, I knew you would come to see me."

"Oh, why?" Amosta asked with interest.

"I have worked closely with you, Mr. Braine—"

Kakus took a deep breath and said sincerely,
"I know your style. Dumbledore only has eyes for You-Know-Who and the Ministry of Magic, but you are different. You can see things that Dumbledore cannot see. I know very well that once you decide to fight You-Know-Who, you will never allow anyone to take advantage of the opportunity to stir up trouble."

Amosta smiled, lowered his head and took another sip of wine.
"The Foley family suffered a heavy loss during the First Wizarding War. Hector Foley made a major mistake in his policy towards Grindelwald, which resulted in the Foley family's influence in the Ministry of Magic being purged. To make up for it, you sent the family's elite members into the war with Grindelwald. After the war, the Foley family almost disappeared in the wizarding world."

"Yes, my charming ancestor always had a unique vision when faced with tense situations."

Kakus smiled bitterly.
"So, Mr. Brian, is it time for the Foley family to choose sides and stand for something?"

"It's not the Foley family that I value, Cacus. Excuse me, the power that the Foley family has accumulated over the past half century is insignificant in my eyes, the eyes of the Ministry of Magic, or Voldemort. What I value is you, Cacus. You are worth more than the Foley family."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Blaine--"

Kakus did not seem very happy after being praised. Instead, he said sullenly,

"I would rather have stayed within my proper place all these years, so that I would not be in danger."

"If that's your style, Kakus,"

Amosta laughed.
"Then you wouldn't choose to go down this path."

(End of this chapter)