Hogwarts: The Way Home

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Amostas weighed the bag in his hand, which had been expanded with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Even after the weight was lessened by a constantly applied Floating Charm, the heavy feeling still brought him immense joy.

Seven hundred Galleons—this was the reward he earned after half a month of roughing it in the old forests of the Jura Mountains in France, enough to equal a year's salary for an official Hogwarts faculty member or a high-ranking Ministry of Magic official.

After checking that the heart of the Basilisk Amostas brought was perfectly fine, Carcus, sitting opposite him, closed the rough wooden box and smiled contentedly,

"Your credibility is the most shining light in the underground world, Mr. Golden Viper. Every transaction with you is a perfect enjoyment!"

Amostas silently put away his money bag, disregarding Carcus Free's compliments. Everyone in this business was just after the glittering Galleons anyway. It was best not to talk about personal relationships if unnecessary.

"Any decent commissions lately?"

"You are as diligent as ever, Mr. Golden Viper."

Amostas's coldness did not displease Carcus. In fact, most people active here were cautious in their words and actions; someone as polite and enthusiastic as him was an anomaly.

Carcus's smile remained, and while subtly flattering him, he pulled out his notebook and flipped through it.

"What are your requirements regarding the type of tasks and remuneration?"

"My habits haven't changed from before, Carcus. Don't waste each other's time," Amostas said coldly.

"Of course, of course, how could I forget your requirements—no commissions targeting wizards or Muggles, commission fees above five hundred Galleons, completion time needs to be as short as possible. I will not forget any client's habits, Mr. Golden Viper. But,"

Carcus flipped through his notebook, muttering to himself, but his brows gradually furrowed. Even when he reached the newest page of the notebook, he couldn't find a task that met Amostas's requirements.

"Hmm, I'm afraid I have to apologize, Mr. Golden Viper. Tasks that meet your habits are usually highly sought after. There was one three days ago that involved providing ingredients to formulate a magic activity suppressant potion, valued at five hundred and fifty Galleons. Unfortunately, someone else took it."

Hearing this, Amostas stood up and prepared to leave, adopting a decisive demeanor.

"Please wait, Mr. Golden Viper!"

Carcus, who had already laid the groundwork, immediately spoke to stop him. Facing Amostas's displeased gaze, Carcus's forehead veins throbbed. He was afraid that the person in front of him would directly pull out his wand and pin him to the ground with a spear, just as he had once dealt with that group of unruly werewolves.

"No offense,"

Carcus quickly explained, "I genuinely don't have any commissions that meet your requirements. However, there are some commissions with very generous fees but higher risks. Would you be interested in hearing about them?"

"Higher risks?"

A task that Carcus Free, who had frequented this place for years, would deem high-risk, certainly wouldn't be a small-time smuggling job. Amostas hesitated, but after a moment of thought, he sat back down, nodding at Carcus,

"Tell me about it first."

Carcus instinctively breathed a sigh of relief. Earning a broker's fee from dangerous wizards like Golden Viper was no simple task. You never knew when you might inadvertently anger them in some inexplicable way and end up dead. Therefore, you had to be prepared to flee at any moment.

"The first commission's reward is twenty thousand Galleons—"

Just hearing the amount of the commission fee, Amostas's brow immediately twitched, and he held his breath.

"—The client sent me a magical contract from Albania. He hopes someone can help him rescue the Lestrange couple and the Carrow siblings from Azkaban—this commission, what do you think?"

"Hmph, I'm not that foolish, Carcus. I refuse this commission."

Amostas refused without hesitation.

If it were just a rescue, Amostas might have hesitated, given the amount of Galleons. Azkaban's Dementors, though dangerous, were not insurmountable for him.

The true danger of this task lay in the problematic nature of those being rescued.

No one in the wizarding world would be unaware that the Lestrange couple and the Carrow siblings were the most radical Death Eaters. If anyone rescued them, it was predictable that Dumbledore, who had spent the latter half of his life contending with Voldemort, would surely intervene in the investigation. Amostas certainly didn't want the rest of his life to be wasted on the run.

Besides, Azkaban's location was top secret in the wizarding world, and finding it would be very time-consuming.

Carcus was not surprised by Amostas's straightforward refusal. In his opinion, the person who posted the task was likely too tipsy from too much Firewhisky to be thinking clearly. After all, who would willingly face disgusting, terrifying creatures like Dementors?

"Your choice is very wise, Mr. Golden Viper. So, let me think—there's another commission.

Someone claims to have found the location of a magical ruin built by a powerful wizard in ancient times. They hope to recruit some skilled wizards as escorts. The client states that they cannot offer a very high direct commission fee, but they are willing to share any discoveries in the ruins with the explorers. What do you think of this commission—"

Searching ruins could indeed yield high returns, not just items like gold, silver, and jewels. Ruins were very likely to contain many currently lost ancient magical techniques renowned for their power. If one could learn from them, it would greatly benefit their own strength.

However, after pondering for a moment, Amostas still refused the commission.

It wasn't out of fear of risk. Exploring ruins also required a lot of time for preparation, and the likely result was finding nothing. Amostas didn't like to stake his gains on illogical luck.

Carcus was very patient. He then introduced Amostas to several long-held commissions, but every single one was either disproportionate in terms of reward versus risk, or would lead to immense trouble after completion. Without exception, all were rejected.

In the end, even Carcus was troubled by Amostas's pickiness. He sat there, frowning in thought, silent for a long time,

"There's one more, the last one, Mr. Golden Viper. If you still can't be satisfied—"

After a long while, Carcus stretched his neck, his expression cautious. Although he couldn't see Amostas's face behind the magical vortex, he still tried his best to observe the dangerous person opposite him,

"Have you heard of... the Chamber of Secrets?"

"The Chamber of Secrets?"

Amostas's body trembled. Although his memories of the original plot were mostly lost, anyone who had studied at Hogwarts must have heard of it. Amostas had fought people in the underground world. His spells and casting habits clearly indicated that he was trained in modern, orthodox magical education, so there was nothing to hide.

"It's just a Hogwarts campus legend. Why bring that up?"

Seeing Amostas take the bait, Carcus secretly rejoiced, but remained composed.

"You don't often stay in the country, so you might not know. Although the Daily Prophet hasn't reported it, news has been spreading like wildfire privately. It's said that the Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened. In Hogwarts, someone is using the power of the Chamber to greatly spread panic, and Dumbledore is powerless against it..."

"Wait!"

Amostas unceremoniously interrupted Carcus. "What does this have to do with a commission? Is someone paying to hire me to go to the school and protect those children?"

"Of course not!"

Carcus revealed a cunning smile,

"But the name of Salazar Slytherin is certainly appealing, isn't it? The client believes that Slytherin left secret treasures in the Chamber. They must have been obtained by the so-called heir, otherwise, how can you explain Dumbledore, such a powerful wizard, not finding any clues?"

Amostas remained silent. He indeed didn't remember much of the original book's plot, but at least he remembered that the Chamber of Secrets didn't seem to contain any wealth, magic, or powerful alchemical artifacts.

However, given the greedy nature of wizards here, such speculation was not surprising.

After all, the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were all powerful wizards with verifiable histories, possessing immense magical power beyond the reach of ordinary people. Once their legacies appeared, people would naturally flock to them.

"Even if that's true,"

Amostas remained unmoved, "Does anyone dare to rush into Hogwarts and snatch things from Dumbledore? It would be safer to just fish out those lunatics from Azkaban."

"Not necessarily to snatch, but through more reasonable means."

Carcus was enthusiastic, appearing determined to convince Amostas.

"I can offer some help. For example, allowing you to enter that school under the name of an externally hired investigator for the Board of Governors—

Our esteemed wizards on the Board of Governors need to react to the terrifying activities happening at the school, to address the increasing public dissatisfaction. But at the same time, they are worried that the attacks will continue, and the wizards they send will be ineffective, even becoming a laughingstock.

But if there were a reliable wizard, they would be willing to negotiate with Dumbledore—after all, Dumbledore's performance in this series of events has been disappointing. They might think he's old and a bit slow..."

"It seems you've been planning to target me all along."

If Amostas hadn't realized this by now, he would truly be too foolish. Carcus did have other suitable commissions in his hand. The high-risk tasks he previously mentioned were nothing more than bait. His true goal was to get Amostas to accept this last commission.

As expected, I was seen through.

Carcus's heart tightened, and he revealed a humble smile,

"After all, the investigator needs Albus Dumbledore's approval, so a Hogwarts-trained wizard is preferred. Strength and credibility are also crucial. Here, only you meet the requirements."

Amostas was noncommittal,

"How do you plan to handle the identity secrecy issue? You should know this will expose my true identity."

As astute as Carcus Free, he had naturally considered this issue long ago. He eagerly guaranteed,

"The client will not know that Mr. Golden Viper accepted the commission. The Board of Governors will know your reputation in the outside world, but they will not learn your identity in the underground world from me."

"Then what about you?"

Amostas pressed aggressively, "In your plan, you are the only one who will simultaneously know my identities in both the outside world and the underground world. How do you ensure you are trustworthy?"

"An Unbreakable Vow. With the lives of everyone in the Free family as collateral, I will forever keep your identity secret."

Amostas stared fixedly at Carcus's not-so-young face, not rushing to state his position.

"It seems you stand to gain a very substantial reward from this commission, don't you?"

"That would be my personal secret, Mr. Golden Viper."

Carcus smiled, as if victory was in his grasp.

"Eight thousand Galleons, plus the Board of Governors' gratitude, and perhaps even a commendation from the Ministry of Magic, in exchange for the secret treasure in the Chamber of Secrets—Mr. Golden Viper, this is a very profitable business..."