Maybe it's because there's so much new stuff in the Christmas break, maybe it's because of the Quidditch match that will decide the fate of the two houses, but before everyone can come to their senses, the first Saturday of school has already arrived, and today is the day of the showdown between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

Today's weather is an anomaly for January.

There was no gust of wind, no oppressive stratus clouds drifting in the sky, but it was clear and dry, and early in the morning, when the golden morning light jumped into the castle through the doors and windows, leaving a lively light and shadow on the floor of the Great Hall, the tables of the faculty and staff were already full of professors.

They are all witnesses to the next game.

Professor McGonagall was very strict, but today, she was a little caught off guard, and as she drank a bowl of pumpkin soup with a silver spoon, her eyes kept wandering at the steps of the foyer, and she didn't even notice that the soup was dripping onto the table.

Several colleagues at the faculty table noticed that Professor McGonagall was a little confused, but none of them were surprised, because everyone knew how important this game was to Gryffindor.

"Don't worry, Minerva—"

Professor Lupin, who had dark circles under his eyes, smiled gently,

'Gryffindor is a very strong team and Harry has a brand new broomstick, so in my opinion they have a good chance of winning.'

"Why doesn't anyone want to give a Ravenclaw Seeker a firebolt?"

Remus's statement was tantamount to Ravenclaw losing victory today, and Professor Flitwick's shrill voice, who had already predicted the outcome of the match, was filled with some loss.

"Cedric's team is also the best Hufflepuff team in recent years, but I don't think it's likely that they will win"

Professor Sprout spoke with a little melancholy, and she tilted her head to look at Professor Snape, who was silent.

"Speaking of which, Severus, Slytherin has won the championship for several years in a row?"

"Seven years—" Professor McGonagall grimaced, and immediately gave the answer, it was clear that she had been resentful of this for a long time, but had never expressed it.

The professors were all in the crowd, and they all heard the grief in Minerva's tone, and Snape was slightly embarrassed when he heard the number, and he was about to say something, but it was, Amosta glanced quietly as he walked from the Slytherin table to the faculty table, passing by Draco Malfoy's side.

Amosta was accustomed to sitting next to Professor Snape, and when he sat down to enjoy breakfast, he found that all eyes were on him, Amosta moved his eyelashes and smiled casually,

"What's wrong, guys, is there something wrong with me?"

"Why are you dressed like this?"

Snape asked, squinting at Amosta, who was dressed entirely as a Muggle in black slacks and a brown jacket.

"Oh, actually—"

Completely unaware of his unusual appearance at the faculty table in all wizard robes, Amosta winked at Professor McGonagall and raised his voice slightly so that everyone at the table and the young wizards who were sitting at the front were watching him

"I got a letter last night, well, a bit of a hurry, I have to make a trip to London today, but don't worry, Professor McGonagall, if things go well, I'll probably be able to make it to breakfast tomorrow--"

"You're going out, Amosta?"

Professor McGonagall's brow furrowed immediately, and she pursed her lips and groaned for a few seconds, looking a little embarrassed, but finally she spoke,

"It's your right to come and go in and out of Hogwarts at any time, Amosta, but if you think about it, I mean you know what day it is, if the creatures guarding the gates get out of control again."

The last time Gryffindor played against Hufflepuff, the Dementors were starving and nearly causing serious consequences, and Professor McGonagall had been haunted by this.

"Don't worry, Professor McGonagall, I'm sure the Ministry of Magic and the Dementors know the grave consequences of breaking into campus again without permission."

Such a reply was obviously not satisfactory to Professor McGonagall, but she could not say anything because, as she had just said, it was in itself Amosta's right.

There was a slight chill at the faculty table, and Amosta happily lowered her head to cut a roasted sausage, while Severus and Remus were staring at him suspiciously, and both of them had noticed that their attention was on Amosta, so they both withdrew after a slight eye touch in midair.

At that moment, a burst of cheers erupted from the foyer, and the professors at the table looked up to find that the Gryffindor team in scarlet jerseys had finally appeared in the limelight.

Perhaps to boost morale, Wood had Harry go to the front and had the conspicuous Firebolt nameplate exposed, which had an extraordinary effect, as there was a clattering of chairs toppling over on the four beds.

"You didn't say Harry had a firebolt before you made a bet with me for ten gold galleons!"

The sound of Miss Kerriot's collapse rang out from the noisy crowd, and she yelled at Percy excitedly.

"Trust me, Penelope," Percy said awkwardly, "that's what I just knew—"

Compared to the warm welcome received by the Gryffindor team, the Ravenclaw team, led by captain Davis and Seeker Akihari, was treated much more unfairly, and when they appeared in the auditorium, not many people even noticed their presence.

"I have to cheer them up, it's too early to lose confidence!"

Professor Flitwick couldn't sit still, he jumped off the characteristic high stool and hurried across the auditorium to the Ravenclaw table to speak to the team members, his departure was also like a signal, the professors left the table one after another, some went upstairs bypassing the students, while Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Hodge squeezed past the little wizards on the periphery and tried to get closer to Harry.

"What are you doing in London, and who wrote to you?"

While most of the attention was on Harry and the Firebolts, Snape asked with a calm face.

"Lucius Malfoy--"

Amosta pursed his lips and smiled, "The letter said that he found a clue about the gang that threatened him before and asked me to help deal with it. ”

Amosta said without any disguise, and after a moment's pause, he took the key from his bosom and threw it to Snape,

"This is the key to my office, and I'm going to have to bother you to keep an eye on it when I leave school, in case anyone asks for help and can't find me and is in a hurry--"

Amosta obviously had something to say, and Snape couldn't figure out what the hell he was up to for a moment, and after a moment of silence, he hesitated and said,

"Over there in London."

"Don't worry, no problem."

Amosta wiped his mouth with a tablecloth and said lightly.

Snape knew that Amosta was reluctant to talk deeply about the subject, and after sighing inwardly, he left his seat.

"Our friend?"

Remus, who had been staring at him for a while, came to Amosta's side and asked,

"I've been in a bad state these days, and besides, I've been busy with classes, so there's nothing wrong with him, right?"

Amosta glanced at Remus, and from his complexion, he probably judged what kind of state he was in, his eyes were a little strange, and after a little silence, he said,

"He's had enough of me and doesn't want to bother you, so he's been in the Forbidden Forest for the past few days, and he's been with Crook Hill at night, you know, Hermione's cat, and Hagrid has made a nest for it. Don't worry about him, Remus, I think you should hurry back to your office and rest. ”

"That's how I planned—"

Remus smiled helplessly, "But at least wait until Harry's game is over. We can't guarantee that the Dementors will be 100% fine, can we, Amosta, especially when I'm not at school, I'll have to keep an eye on it. ”

"That's true--"

Amosta smiled meaninglessly,

"Good luck, then, Remus--"

With that, Amosta didn't give Remus a chance to ask, he stood up and hurried down to the Great Hall, walked to the foyer without squinting, and strode out of the castle under Remus's bewildered gaze and Malfoy's dull gaze, and his figure disappeared into the golden morning light.

(End of chapter)