Hogwarts Lion Girl

During the chase, Malfoy ran into an empty bathroom, with Harry following closely behind.

"What on earth do you want to do?" Harry demanded.

Malfoy sneered: "What's it to you, Potter?" He drew out his wand and pointed it at Harry, "You'd better mind your own business. Wasn't the lesson I taught you last time enough?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Harry also drew out his wand, and the two soon started fighting in the small bathroom.

In a hurry, Harry used the "God of War" skill he learned from the Half-Blood Prince's notes.

There was a flash of silver light, and Malfoy screamed and fell to the ground.

On the bathroom floor, bright red blood spread rapidly, which was shocking to the eye.

Harry stood there at a loss, his whole body in a daze.

Hurried footsteps sounded from the door, and the next second Professor Snape rushed in.

When he saw Malfoy lying in a pool of blood, his face instantly turned pale.

He squatted down without saying a word, waved his wand, and a light enveloped Malfoy's wound, and the bleeding gradually stopped.

Looking at the wound, Snape's eyes swept over Harry coldly, and a suffocating feeling of oppression filled the air.

……

In the common room, Harry closed the mottled leather Potions textbook - Advanced Potions-Making for the Half-Blood Prince - with trembling hands.

"The Invisible Sword" made him realize the terribleness of the spell in the book, and Harry decided to throw away the Half-Blood Prince's book.

"Harry!" Ginny's voice sounded behind him, full of worry and concern.

She walked quickly to his side and gently held his hand. "Are you okay?"

Harry took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil.

"I...I'm fine." He forced a smile, but his eyes were still full of anxiety.

He raised the book in his hand. "I have to throw this thing away. It's too dangerous."

Ginny's eyes fell on the book, she knew how Harry felt at the moment.

She didn't refute, but just nodded slightly.

"I know, I know." She stroked the back of Harry's hand gently. "Don't worry, I will help you."

Ginny led Harry out of the common room, through the dark corridor, and came to a huge tapestry on the eighth floor.

She walked past the tapestry three times, repeating to herself, "I need a place to hide something."

As she thought, an ancient wooden door appeared out of thin air opposite the tapestry.

"The Room of Requirement," Ginny said softly, "Put it here. No one will find it."

She pushed open the heavy wooden door and Harry followed her inside.

The room was filled with all kinds of miscellaneous items, broken furniture, discarded armor, piles of books and scrolls, as if all the forgotten items of Hogwarts over the centuries had gathered here.

Ginny led Harry to the back of the room and found a space behind a pile of old Quidditch equipment.

She stuffed the Half-Blood Prince's book inside and covered it with some old robes and blankets, hiding it completely.

"Okay," Ginny clapped her hands and turned to look at Harry, "it's safe now."

Harry looked at the hidden book and felt a little more at ease.

He looked at Ginny gratefully; her company and understanding made him feel extremely warm.

……

Horace was still avoiding Harry, so Harry drank the Felicia Riddle potion himself in order to find out more about Riddle.

The liquid slid down his throat, a warm current spread from his stomach, Harry felt a slight dizziness, and the world seemed to be a little brighter in his eyes.

Acting on a sudden instinct, Harry ran towards Hagrid's hut.

As he passed the gardens, Harry saw Horace.

He was bending over, carefully trimming a patch of pearlescent dragon's beard grass with a pair of small silver scissors.

He hummed a tuneless tune, his fat body gleaming in the sun, and he seemed completely immersed in this pleasant work.

"Professor Slughorn!" Harry shouted from a distance, with a hint of urgency in his voice.

Horace was so startled that he almost dropped the silver scissors in his hand.

He straightened up in panic, and saw Harry running towards him, and the smile on his face froze.

"Potter? Oh, it's you..." He forced a smile, but his eyes flickered, as if he wanted to find a place to hide.

Harry ignored Horace's evasion, rushed to him, and grabbed his arm. "Professor, please follow me."

Horace's face flushed red, and he tried to break free from Harry's grip, but found that Harry was surprisingly strong.

"Potter, I'm very busy now. Look, I'm..." He pointed to the dragon beard grass at his feet, his voice trembling a little.

"This is very important, Professor. Very important!" Harry grabbed Horace's arm tightly, not allowing him to refuse. "Let's go to Hagrid's hut and talk."

Without further ado, Harry practically dragged Horace towards Hagrid's hut.

Horace staggered behind, his fat body bobbing up and down with Harry's steps, muttering: "Potter, what are you doing... let me go... I..."

……

The strong aroma of oak barrel wine filled Hagrid's cabin. The fire in the fireplace crackled, reflecting Hagrid's tearful face.

Aragog, his loyal Acromantula friend, lay quietly in the center of the hut, covered with a piece of white linen dotted with wildflowers.

Professor Horace bent his bloated body and carefully extracted a small tube of venom that was glowing with a faint green light from Aragog's venom gland, and put it preciously into his robe pocket.

"What a shame, Hagrid," he sighed, wiping the non-existent beads of sweat from his brow with a silk handkerchief, "such a… such a magnificent specimen."

Hagrid just nodded with a choked voice, raised his glass and drank it all.

Harry sat in the shadow of the corner, listening quietly to their conversation.

"I once kept a magical creature," Professor Slughorn said with a hint of sadness as he poured himself a full glass of wine. "It was a magical fish whose scales changed color with the light. It was so beautiful. It was... Lily gave it to me. What an excellent student..."

He paused, his eyes drifting to Harry, as if he was just now aware of his presence.

"Lily...your mother," he murmured. "When Voldemort...killed her, the fish disappeared with it, as if...as if a part of it had disappeared with it..."

Hagrid was already passed out on the table, snoring loudly.

Professor Slughorn swirled his glass, his eyes blurry.

"I know why you've come to me, Harry," he whispered. "I know what you want to know..."

Harry's heart was pounding as he leaned forward, staring at Professor Slughorn.

"Professor," he pleaded, "please don't let my mother's death be in vain. Please tell me the truth."

Professor Slughorn closed his eyes in pain, as if he was struggling with something.

After a long time, he opened his eyes, his eyes filled with regret and sadness.

"You're right, I... I can't let her die in vain..." He stretched out his hand tremblingly, extracted a strand of silver-white thread from the depths of his memory, and handed it to Harry.