Homecoming from Hogwarts

Has the mysterious man been resurrected and is lurking among people to carry out activities?

This is a question that can be returned to without much thought.

Just open your eyes and look around, look at the wizards who are sneaking into the country at the border, look at the poor security environment in the British wizarding world, and look at those wizarding families who are ready to make a move.

Even a foolish wizard should be able to make an accurate judgment.

But Rufus didn't say anything. The real difficulty in answering this question was not here.

The hands hidden under the cloak clenched unconsciously, and Rufus stared deeply at the young face behind the round table, whose complexion looked slightly pale.

If Blaine had somehow recorded his answers and taken them to the Minister of Magic, then his career would be over, just like that of the young man who had been driven out of the Weasley family.

But now, his situation is not much better.

Strictly speaking, he had always supported the Minister of Magic's faction in the Ministry, and with the recent tense situation in the wizarding world, the Minister of Magic should have sought his support.

But what is strange is that the highest decision-making level in the ministry has been dividing the power in his hands.

Ms. Bones did this first.

She started doing this after Christmas this year, skipping him and contacting the Aurors directly below. Although she did it very secretly, it could not be hidden from the eyes of the head of the Auror Office.

It was not surprising that Ms. Bones did this. After all, she was the one Amosta Blaine publicly supported in the ministry, and she was seen by outsiders as a member of the minister's faction.

But it is puzzling that Ms. Umbridge is also secretly supporting his subordinate, Dawlish, to compete with him for power.

Umbridge is an absolute ministerial party member and belongs to the same ministerial faction as him.

She has no reason to sabotage herself, right?

Moreover, after he expressed his dissatisfaction almost directly to the Minister of Magic, the minister did not stand up for him, but instead turned a blind eye to Umbridge.

There is no doubt that all signs show that he has lost the trust of the Minister and Deputy Minister Umbridge.
Or maybe Delish did something to gain greater trust from the top management, so he was sidelined.

Staring at Amosta Blaine's face, which seemed to be confident that he would give the answer he wanted, Rufus's dark yellow pupils flickered with a faint light.

"You know why."

Rufus was halfway through his words when he saw Amosta Blaine's slightly raised eyebrows and he closed his mouth again.

He hadn't yet returned to Brian's question, presumably Brian wouldn't be so kind as to clear his confusion for him.

At some point, Aberforth had dealt with the flood and quietly returned to the bar.

He saw the bottle of aged sherry that Amosta had privately opened on the bar, but he did not lose his temper. Instead, he stared at Rufus Scrimgeour, his equally blue eyes filled with solemnity and astonishment.

Of the people Brian met in his bar today, Rufus's appearance was the most surprising to him.

With Albus Dumbledore's support and running a bar like this, Aberforth is not one of those ordinary villagers who are ignorant.

He was one of the most well-informed people in the wizarding world. That was why he was so surprised.

Rufus Scrimgeour had always been the mainstay of the Minister for Magic's faction, hadn't he?
Why would he meet with Brian in private? The hidden meaning in this is really chilling!

A strange, heart-pounding, blood-pumping atmosphere permeated the damp, cold, dim bar, as if a major meeting to determine the future was taking place here.

Looking at Brian, who was sitting at the round table in the bar and undoubtedly dominating the negotiations, Aberforth moved his lips, but found that his lips were dry as if he had been exposed to the sun.

He gently poured the rest of the bottle of wine that Brian had opened privately into the glass. The moment his lips touched the slightly cold wine, Aberforth recalled the last conversation he had with Albus.

It was early last month when Blaine left Hogwarts and went to New York with a wolf cub.

It was during this period that the Ministry of Magic, headed by Fudge, suddenly attacked Albus. Not only did they revoke many of his titles, including Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, but they also stopped many interviews with Albus and academic invitations.

Aberforth could see the hint of helplessness in the brow of his omnipotent brother.

"Hmm, the Ministry seems to think you're easier to deal with, don't they?"

That late night, Aberforth stood behind the bar, looking at Albus who was sipping a glass of whiskey under a flickering oil lamp, and laughed sarcastically. "Oh--"

Albus, who was immersed in his thoughts, came back to his senses. He looked at his brother, and there was no anger in his clear eyes, but instead some relief and touching.

"If you mean the Ministry's decision to target me rather than Amosta, Aberforth."

Albus smiled.

"Although my relationship with the ministry is strained now, I must say that the ministry's decision was correct. It was a rare occasion that Connelly did not make the stupid mistake of provoking Amosta as usual."

"It's a rare thing to hear a curse word from you."

After a short silence, Aberforth spoke in a calm tone that was very different from his usual rude style.

"hehe--"

Albus didn't take it as a problem and continued to smile.
"People think I'm a law-abiding, moral person. You know I'm probably not, Aberforth, but the thing is, these labels that are like permanent sticking charms on me do restrict me. Amosta, on the other hand, is much freer."

He took a sip of the scarlet wine, staring at the sediment floating in the glass as the wine swirled slightly.

"I have always been wary of Amosta, wary of when the violence hidden in his character would get out of control and overwhelm his kindness, causing greater harm to the wizarding world than Voldemort did.

But I must admit that his brutality gives him more freedom to act. Yes, it is true that Connelly does not dare to provoke him, which sometimes makes me envious -"

"That's right--"

The sudden voice startled Aberforth out of his memories. He blinked and found that it was the head of the Auror Office who was speaking.

The purple sea that would eventually swallow up any attempt to shake it finally forced Rufus Scrimgeour to succumb.

Rufus's face was pale, and his voice was more hollow than ever.
"I think it's an irrefutable truth that he's back."

The suffocating atmosphere in the bar dissolved in an instant!

"Good judgment, Rufus—"

Amosta finally smiled again, and he looked at Rufus with admiration.
"Then, there is the second question--"

In the dim light, Amosta's eyes glowed faintly, and in his deep eyes there seemed to be two deadly whirlpools sucking Rufus' soul.

"What would you do, Rufus, if Voldemort had returned to the wizarding world?"

"I can--"

Facing Amosta Blaine's gaze, all the words that Rufus wanted to slow down were stuck in his mouth. He was breathing deeply and beads of sweat were falling.

"Resist. We must fight to the end. We have no other choice, right?"

Amosta's cheerful laughter roamed in the dim room.
"We are comrades, then, Rufus—"

All the questions and answers are contained in these two questions. When Rufus gave his true response, the two no longer needed to talk. Everything was self-explanatory.

"What will happen if the answer I give today is not what you want, Brian?"

Just before stepping out of the door, Rufus turned around with a slightly flushed face and looked at Amosta who was seeing him off.

"Nothing will happen."

The heavy rain stopped and a hazy evening light appeared in the sky.

Looking at Rufus's dark yellow eyes regaining their sharpness, Amosta smiled and emphasized again,
"I'm not the Dark Lord, am I?"

…………

(End of this chapter)