Hogwarts Advanced Guide

Chapter 403 Sorry, we have to go—play hard to get!
"Please," Horace said.

Hera and Horace rose to their feet, waving their wands in unison.

The furniture jumped back to its original position one by one, the decorations returned to their original shape in mid-air, the feathers returned to the cushions, and the damaged books were automatically repaired and neatly arranged on the bookshelves.The oil lamp flew to the small table by the wall and was lit again.A large pile of shattered silver photo frames flew across the room and landed on a writing desk, shining like new again.The damaged, torn, and gaping places in the room were all restored, and the stains on the wall were automatically wiped clean.

"What a beautiful spell." Horace pocketed his wand and clapped his hands, though his eyes narrowed when he saw Hera's wand. "This wand. Did Dumbledore leave him to you? Or something else?"

"Dumbledore gave it to me the year before last." Hera held the wand tightly and slipped it into his pocket without any trace, "in 1994."

"Oh, it's amazing, it's really amazing." Horace said meaningfully. He shook his head lightly, walked to the sideboard with heavy steps, picked up a small crystal bottle on the top of the cabinet, and looked carefully at the viscous liquid inside under the light.

"Fire dragon blood, I'm afraid it can't be used anymore." Hera asked looking at his back.

"It's a little dirty, but it's so expensive these days, I have to save it." Horace put Xiaoping back on the sideboard, sighed, and then set his eyes on Harry.

"Oh!" he said, and his big round eyes immediately looked at Harry's forehead and the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

"I think I just have a bottle of extra dragon blood here." Hera lowered her head and took out a small glass bottle from her small pocket, the fiery red liquid was shaking inside.

Horace's gaze was still fixed on Harry's forehead, and he subconsciously took the crystal bottle handed over by Hera. "Oh, the Norwegian Spinosaurus," he uncorked the crystal bottle, put it in front of his nose and sniffed it, showing a surprised expression, "Well, it shouldn't be that old, and its blood doesn't have that much smell of gunpowder."

"As expected of Professor Slughorn." Hera exclaimed in admiration. He deliberately picked out the blood of Norber's childhood, just to make this bad old man happy.

Horace seemed a little embarrassed, his feet kept tapping the floor, "Are you sure you want to give this to me? It's too precious!" Even though he said so, he held the crystal bottle firmly in his hand.

"I think for this bottle of dragon's blood, maybe we can celebrate and have a drink, how about that?" Hera clapped the table with her knuckles.

Slughorn hesitated.

"Okay, just a drink," he said bluntly, "I know what you're up to, boy, and I won't fall for it." Still, he pocketed the crystal bottle very honestly.

"Just a glass of wine." Hera smiled and led Harry towards a chair.It was a chair much like the one Slughorn had just impersonated, with a freshly lit fire next to it and a bright lamp.

Hera sat down on the chair, and he positioned Harry next to another empty chair, making sure that Slughorn and Harry had close contact.

When Slughorn finished dealing with the bottle and the quilt, and turned his face again, his gaze fell on Harry.

He looked away quickly, as if afraid of hurting his eyes, "Here—" He handed Hera a cup, pushed the tray in front of Harry, and sat down among the pile of cushions on the newly restored sofa, scowling into silence.His legs were too short to reach the ground.

"How is it, Professor Horace, it seems that your health is not bad?" Hera picked up the cup and asked softly as if reminiscing about old friends.

"Not very well," said Slughorn at once. "Break of breath, asthma, and rheumatism, and the legs are not as good as they used to be. Well, that's to be expected. Old age is useless."

"However, you can prepare such a welcome scene in such a short period of time, you must be quick enough." Hera said, "You won't be alerted for more than 3 minutes, right?"

Slughorn said, half exasperated and half triumphant: "Two minutes, I was in the shower, and I didn't hear the alarm that my invasion spell was triggered. However," he seemed to regain his composure, and said with a straight face, "the fact cannot be denied that I am an old man, Mr. Headmaster. A tired old man is entitled to a clean life and some ignorant enjoyment."

"Of course it's reasonable. If Dumbledore was still alive, he should also enjoy this kind of life instead of—" Hera stopped in the middle of her sentence, which made Slughorn's expression more serious, and he put the cup heavily on the table angrily.

"So, are you here to threaten me? Brat!" Slughorn was annoyed, sitting on the sofa with his shoulders folded and his feet dangling.But it made him look even more comical, like a circus clown pretending to be angry.

Hera shrugged her shoulders and spread her hands, "Of course not. I'm just worried that your retirement life will not be as stable as you planned. After all, the current situation-you know it well."

"What do the Death Eaters want my useless old bone for?" Slughorn asked angrily. He knew the purpose of Hercules' visit. Although he didn't know where he got the news from, it was no longer safe here anyway.

"I suppose they want you to use your ingenuity for repression, torture and murder," Hera said. "Can you say they didn't come to recruit you?"

Slughorn was silent, staring hard at Hera for a moment.

Hera was telling the truth, because Voldemort himself said at the party that he wanted to recruit his former teacher Horace Slughorn, but the Death Eaters always failed.Slughorn's vigilance was frighteningly high.

"You've got something of Albus," Slughorn said, with a final heavy sigh, "and I didn't give them a chance. I've been on the move for a year. Never more than a week in one place. Moving from one Muggle house to another—the owner of this house was on holiday in the Canary Islands. I'm so comfortable here that I can't bear to leave. Once you get the hang of it, it's easy, they don't use looking glasses, they use those ridiculous burglar alarms, You just put a Freezing spell on it, and don't let the neighbors see you when you bring the piano in."

"Ingenious," Hera said, "but isn't it a tiring life for a good-for-nothing old fellow like you? Imagine if you could go back to Hogwarts—"

"If you want to tell me that I'll live more peacefully in that loathsome school, Mr. Headmaster, you might as well save your energy and stop talking! Yes, I've been hiding, but how long can Hogwarts now—don't blame me for speaking bluntly—without Albus?"

Hera was silent, and slowly turned his head to Harry, and Slughorn turned his head to Harry suspiciously.

"We have Harry, and many excellent teachers." Hera said softly, "I believe Hogwarts will be the safest place in the wizarding world."

Slughorn nodded slightly, spread his hands and said, "Although what you said is very reasonable, I have to refuse your request. I am too old to move. I just want to enjoy my life here."

"Even if you have to change places every other week?" Hera felt a little amused.The old guy in front of him was really shrewd. He knew that no matter which side he stood on, he would take a huge risk, so he simply chose a third party and acted like a fool. No one would ask whether he helped after the war, as long as he didn't fall to the enemy.

But obviously he was thinking a little too simply.

With Dumbledore's death, Voldemort's arrogance had reached its peak. If he hadn't been unable to deal with Slughorn now, would he still be able to live his peaceful life here?

After hearing Hera's words, Slughorn's expression became serious.

Hera stood up, he was going to give Harry a little room to show off, he had to leave for a while, to allow Slughorn to talk to Harry, and take advantage of his character of being willing to make friends with outstanding talents.

Slughorn would not let go of the honor of being the savior boy professor. He valued honor more than his own life—this is probably the shortcoming of pure-blood families, they always regard honor above everything else.

Hera stood up suddenly.

"Are you leaving?" Slughorn immediately asked expectantly.

"No, I just wanted to ask if I could use your bathroom," Hera said, winking quietly at Harry, which made Harry think for a moment of Dumbledore, the same way he was signaling to himself.

"Oh—" said Slughorn, visibly disappointed, "it's the second door on the left down the hall."

Hera walked across the room, and as soon as the door closed behind him, Hera pressed her ear to the door, intending to hear what Harry and Slughorn had to say.

The room fell silent, and after a while, Slughorn stood up, and Hera heard the creaking of the chair, and Harry couldn't make such a loud noise when he stood up.

"Don't think I don't know why he brought you here," said Slughorn suddenly. "You look very much like your father."

"Yes, that's what other people say." Harry's voice was not loud, but trembling slightly, Hera almost didn't need to think about it, knowing that his big green eyes must be full of tears again - Harry was like a fragile little girl, shedding tears at every turn.

"It's just that the eyes don't want to, your eyes—"

"Like my mother, yes."

"Huh, yes. Of course, as a teacher, you should not prefer students, but I just like him. Your mother," Sraton Horn has little sound, Hera had to close it on the door panel. Slagkhorn seemed to be remembering his voice. , A charming girl. I often tell her that she should be at my college. I often get her politely answer. "

"Which college are you in?"

"I was Head of Slytherin," said Slughorn.At the same time, Hera secretly complained in her heart: "Relax, I will also consider letting you succeed Severus as the dean."

It was obviously impossible for Snape to stay in Hogwarts all the time. Voldemort's 'favor' for Hera was not enough for him to be willing to put a Potions Master in Hogwarts to teach.Both Hera and Snape knew this matter clearly.

"Oh, come on," said Slughorn resignedly. "Don't be hostile to me for that! You must be, like her, a Gryffindor, I suppose? Yes, usually through the generations. There are exceptions, though. Ever heard of Sirius Black? Surely you've heard of it—often in the papers the past two years—that he's been exonerated recently—"

"Yes, he's my godfather." It was Harry's voice.

"Yeah, back then, he was a good friend of your father's at school. The Blacks were all in my house, and Sirius was in Gryffindor! What a pity—he's a very gifted boy. I got his brother Regulus as soon as he came, but I wish I had both of them."

He spoke with the tone of an avid collector who has lost an auction to a rival.This made Hera feel relieved. Obviously, age has not cooled Slughorn's heart for making friends with celebrities. He is still as enthusiastic as he was when he was young.

Hera was also relieved, and sat on the toilet with peace of mind.He felt like he was choking on the wind while walking, which made his stomach hurt a little. He didn't just want to give Harry and Slughorn the space to talk.

His stomach really hurts!
It took about a quarter of an hour for Hera to open the bathroom door, which seemed to startle Slughorn. He probably forgot that Hera hadn't left the house yet.

"Oh, you're back, Mr. Headmaster," he said. "You've been away a long time. Are you sick?"

"It was a bit windy on the way here, but I'm a little interested in the magazines in the bathroom." Hera was still holding a magazine in her hand. "This "Sun" looks quite interesting. I'm very interested in the food on it. Can I take a copy?"

"Of course." Slughorn paid no attention.Hera stuffed the newspaper into the little pocket.

"Thank you." Hera turned her head and patted Harry's shoulder lightly. "Okay, we've been bothering Professor Slughorn for a long time, and I think we should go."

Harry obediently obeyed, standing up immediately, and Slughorn seemed taken aback.

In fact, since Harry found out that Hera didn't take him to see Voldemort, his trust in Hera increased a lot, and he also doubted the authenticity of his memory.

(End of this chapter)