"Say something, Harry!"
Amosta, Hagrid, and Harry, each with a pile of thoughts in their hearts, said nothing. This made Ron anxious. He looked at Amosta curiously for a while, then secretly winked at Harry, busy enjoying himself.
The first to break the deadlock was Amosta. He nodded at Harry, smiling warmly,
"Last night, I rested at Professor Snape's place. He and I had a heart-to-heart talk about his views on you."
Harry's pounding heart felt as if it had been suddenly gripped by a cold hand. A chilling sensation instantly swept through his entire body from the inside out.
Without needing to ask, he knew what kind of evaluation Snape would likely give. Harry nervously clenched his fists. Just as he racked his brains trying to say something to defend himself, Amosta's next words pulled him from the abyss of fear.
"Of course, those evaluations only represent Professor Snape's personal opinion and may not be objective. Personally, I believe that to understand a person, one must observe with their own eyes. Blindly trusting others' opinions is not advisable."
Harry's high shoulders suddenly dropped, like a suffocating person finally enjoying fresh air again!
Amosta chuckled inwardly, looking at the terribly nervous young wizard. He could probably understand why Harry Potter appeared so intimidated in front of him.
Normally, Amosta might have teased him further, but the information that suddenly popped into his mind made Amosta lose any inclination for mischief. He had to quickly confirm some things.
"By the way, Hagrid, I forgot to tell you, it wasn't the Ministry of Magic that commissioned me to investigate the Chamber of Secrets, but the Hogwarts School Board—"
He exchanged a few pleasantries with Hagrid, who was hunched over, then quickly walked away with hurried steps. As he rounded the staircase corner, Amosta, who suddenly remembered something, waved at Hagrid, who was standing higher up, then his figure disappeared.
When Amosta's footsteps completely faded into the distance, the three people at the foot of the stairs collectively sighed. Ron immediately eagerly expressed his opinion,
"He's really scary, isn't he!"
Ron's ears were red, and he seemed very excited. "When he looked at me, it felt like I was facing Dumbledore. Even though he looked friendly, you just couldn't breathe!"
"He definitely gives off a different vibe!"
Harry, still shaken, immediately agreed and nodded. He recalled Brain's very distinctive eyes, secretly comparing them to Dumbledore's piercing gaze, intending to rank the two.
"I never thought a wizard from Slytherin could be so polite when talking to people, besides that disgusting oily flattery or cold sarcasm, right, Hagrid!"
Perhaps it was because Amosta didn't mention questioning him, Harry's anxiety of the whole morning vanished, and he became very excited. After his worries were gone, naturally, his curiosity resurfaced.
"Just now, Mr. Brain was here, Hagrid, if you had any questions, why didn't you ask him directly?"
Hagrid didn't respond to Harry's question. His cheeks puffed up, and he stared blankly at the staircase corner, his expression like someone with a dead rat in his mouth.
"Ah ha, a wonderful misunderstanding!"
Harry and Ron were startled by Hagrid's sudden, chilling voice. Before they could complain, Hagrid beamed a bright smile,
"I understand now! It's the School Board, not the Ministry of Magic. They probably just want to simply put on a show!"
"What are you talking about, Hagrid?" Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Ron frowned and asked, "Do you have to be so secretive?"
"I already told you, Ron!"
Hagrid raised a finger and waved it happily in front of them. "I haven't hidden anything from you... Sorry, Harry, I have to go back now. Fang is waiting for me to feed him at home, and I don't want him to tear up my bed because he can't find anything to eat!"
...
Passing through the entrance hall, Amosta paused and looked at the Great Hall. Professor Snape seemed to have left school and gone home. Professor McGonagall was still busy in her small office. The empty Great Hall had no professors. He only saw two very large wizards huddled together, eating heartily at the Slytherin table, completely oblivious to Amosta's gaze.
The two students' hearty appetites made Amosta rub his stomach again. However, he didn't step in. Instead, he walked directly into the basement passage.
He had walked this labyrinthine, dark underground passage for seven years. Even after three years of leaving, the memories etched in his body still allowed him to discern directions without thinking.
"Oh, I actually forgot the password!"
Amosta arrived at a dark brown stone wall, slapping his head in annoyance.
Now, Amosta faced only two paths: either wait there, hoping someone would enter or exit, or once again traverse the underground passage to the Great Hall and seek help from those two Slytherin young wizards. Amosta frowned, thought for two seconds, and decided to choose a third path.
"Glory—"
Amosta muttered to the stone wall, but nothing happened.
"Alright, it's not that then... Let me think—Holy Family?"
The stone wall remained motionless. Amosta frowned and tried several more times. Finally, he guessed uncertainly, "Pure-blood?"
Click— The stone door finally opened.
"Heh heh, still the same old trick!"
Amosta smiled pleasantly, proud of his cleverness. He stepped across the threshold and observed the changes in the Slytherin common room.
Located deep underground, next to the Black Lake, the common room was gloomy and green, and the air was filled with a faint scent of water plants. Even the fiercely burning fireplace couldn't save its eerie atmosphere.
"I thought it would be two more hours before I saw you two return!"
In front of the fireplace, a lazy voice came from a high-backed chair facing away from the door. The voice's owner seemed not to have completely gotten past puberty, so it sounded particularly shrill and acrimonious.
"Could it be that you two finally ate Hogwarts into ruin?"
"I think you must be Draco Malfoy."
Clang!
The moment he heard Amosta's voice, Draco abruptly dropped his quill. He reacted in one second, throwing his entire body behind a nearby sofa. By the time he landed, his wand was already gripped in his palm.
"Who are you? How did you get in!"
Amosta's eyelids twitched slightly. The golden-haired, gray-eyed young wizard's urgent reaction surprised him a little.
"No need to be nervous, Mr. Malfoy."
Amosta automatically ignored the fact that he was being pointed at by a wand. He smiled easily, "My name is Amosta Brain... Hmm, may I sit down, Mr. Malfoy...?"
"So you're saying--"
Twenty minutes later, when Amosta finally explained his background, Malfoy's eyes sparkled. He raised his chin, scrutinizing Amosta as if evaluating his house-elf's competence.
"My father sent you? I suppose you must know that he's one of the twelve members of this school's board of governors. It's strange, I thought he'd find a way to get rid of old Dumbledore, but instead, his method was to send you?"
Amosta was not surprised by the arrogance displayed by young Mr. Malfoy. He was from Slytherin House, and during his school years, he knew exactly what those descendants of pure-blood families were like.
However... Lucius Malfoy planned to get rid of Dumbledore?
This was truly interesting news. So, he had conspired with the Greengrass family to vote against it on the ballot, because he was afraid of ruining things himself?
"By the way... since you're an investigator!"
Draco Malfoy's pale face suddenly flushed, as if he had just remembered something.
"Potter, the saint of Gryffindor, that legendary Harry Potter, I'm sure you've heard of him!"
Malfoy stood up excitedly, widening his eyes and glaring at Amosta. "What powers do you have, Brain? Can you expel students? If you can help me get him expelled from school, my father can give you a large sum of money!"
Amosta was accustomed to this arrogant way of speaking. He leaned back in the soft chair, his tone calm and unperturbed.
"If I understood correctly, Mr. Malfoy, you are reporting Harry Potter as the Slytherin heir, is that right?"
"I didn't say that," Malfoy muttered, not noticing Amosta's smile had vanished. "Just because he associates with Mudbloods and willingly degrades himself, does that make him worthy of being linked to the great Slytherin?"
Amosta's expression subtly shifted. Draco Malfoy, even among the pure-blood wizard descendants, was one whose 'personality' was very distinct.
"But, what does that matter!"
Malfoy suddenly turned around. He angrily waved his arm. "Brain, I just need Potter to leave school. If you need an excuse, then I can tell you—he's a Parselmouth! I'm sure you know what that means!"
"Ah—"
Amosta sat up straight, his eyes wavered. Snape hadn't mentioned this to him last night... Since the Slytherin young wizard knew this, there was no reason Snape wouldn't.
"You indeed told me something interesting, Mr. Malfoy."
Amosta nodded at Malfoy. "But, I regret to inform you that I do not have the right to expel students. Furthermore, unless it's confirmed who attacked Creevey and Finch-Fletchley, I wouldn't recommend Headmaster Dumbledore expel him either."
"You're not sent by my father."
Malfoy's face instantly turned cold. He understood; the man in front of him didn't seem to be on his side.
"Then what are you doing here?" Malfoy asked mockingly. "Do you think I opened the Chamber of Secrets, so you want to send me to Azkaban?"
"Actually, it's like this,"
Amosta smiled and stood up,
"It's rather embarrassing to say... When I was studying at this school, I seemed to have secretly hidden something in my dorm, but later, for some reason, I forgot about it. Only just now, after a little jolt, did I remember..."
🚨 Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +200 advance Chapters and To Support The Daily Update