I'm playing a big knife at HP

At eight o'clock in the evening, Harry and Luna arrived outside Professor Slughorn's office.Loud music, laughter and buzzing conversations could be heard inside the door, and outside the door gathered the guests who entered slowly, chatting enthusiastically with each other, and walking slowly towards the door.When people saw Harry, they all greeted him with smiles, and Harry responded one by one with some restraint.After exchanging pleasantries like this for a while, Harry suddenly found that the conversation had quieted down, and everyone turned their heads to look behind him.He also turned around, and found a figure in a champagne-gold dress slowly walking towards them in the somewhat dim corridor.The material as soft as flowing water shimmered under the torch, which seemed to illuminate the corridor a little.Harry didn't realize it was Professor Larosa until she came closer and gave a small smile.She neither put her hair up in a bun nor braided her hair today, but let her shiny black hair hang smoothly behind her back, forming an elegant arc on the side of her face.

"Hello, Professor." Luna was the first to speak, and she said happily, "Look! The clothes we are wearing today match well. You are gold and I am silver."

Luna was wearing a robe covered in silver sequins today. Hearing this, the girls around her sneered.But Marciana showed a big smile: "Isn't it! I'm so glad to see you here, I'm going to have a good time tonight!"

"Ah, Harry invited me, you know, as a friend," Luna said cheerfully.Marciana smiled and nodded at Harry.Harry was still a little guilty when facing her because of the Ministry of Magic incident half a year ago, but seeing her approving expression, he felt a little relieved.

"You look good today, even better than usual." Luna said suddenly, she looked back into the room and nodded again, "I understand why."

Harry thought it was a little abrupt for Luna to say that, but a blush quickly crossed Professor Larosa's face.Harry became curious and couldn't help but look back into the room.The room was full of people, full of adult wizards, witches and some senior students, nothing could be seen.He took a closer look and found several faculty members, including Professor Flitwick, who was smiling and talking to a strange wizard, and Professor Trelawney, who was standing alone in a corner, with a black body, a sullen face and a lively atmosphere Out of place Snape.

Seeing Snape, Harry almost wanted to go home immediately.But at this moment, the crowd had crowded them to the door, and as soon as Harry squeezed through the door, he was stopped by Professor Slughorn: "Harry, my boy! Come in, come in." The old man looked up and saw Marciana, who was a few steps behind, laughed: "Oh, look at you, Martha, you alone made today's banquet look extraordinarily elegant and moving! You are so glamorous."

Harry noticed a momentary embarrassment appear on Professor Larosa's face, but it disappeared so quickly that he almost thought it was an illusion.

Seeing that Marciana didn't look very flattered, Slughorn nodded clearly: "Of course, who wants to listen to compliments from an old man like me, Severus, tell Martha whether she is looking good tonight?" ?”

Harry was horrified to find that Professor Slughorn had accurately picked out Snape from the crowd, and Snape's face was blacker than his clothes at this time, he nodded, and then fell silent, looking determined. She made up her mind and refused to comment on Marciana's appearance.Harry didn't know why, and felt that Professor Slughorn's behavior was inappropriate, but he couldn't tell the specific reason.Although he hated Snape, this time Snape didn't say a word, which made Harry breathe a sigh of relief.He didn't notice that Luna's strangely shallow eyes swept Marciana and Snape back and forth, and there was a somewhat interesting smile on Xiaoyuan's face.

An embarrassing silence spread, and Marciana glanced at Slughorn, whose smile was a little stiff, and then secretly glanced at Snape with a stinky face from under her eyelashes, knowing that it was up to Snape to save him. field is impossible.

She sighed inwardly, lifted her face with a smile, and said to Slughorn: "I'd rather hear your compliments, I've been dressed up for this party, and you'd better compliment me yourself, Haven't I wasted my time?" She took a wine glass from the house elf who passed by: "If you dodge and let Professor Snape praise me for you, then next time I will have to dodge and let him praise me." I picked out clothes."

As she spoke, she glanced at Head Slytherin's pure black teaching robe that had never changed for thousands of years, and took a sip of her wine with a smile.

Slughorn laughed, shook his head and nodded at her: "You little bastard." The old man smiled, and the embarrassment between him and Snape just now disappeared without a trace.Slughorn winked at Snape. "Oh, Severus, you still don't know how to please ladies."

Harry imagined Snape trying to please a woman, and shuddered, wanting to give himself a Forgetting Charm.After hearing Marciana's words, Snape's expression was originally relaxed, but after hearing these words, his expression became very gloomy and terrifying again.Harry felt that the situation was not good, so he decided to take Luna and slip away quietly.

But Slughorn has been watching Harry out of the corner of his eyes. Seeing him squeeze out, he immediately grabbed him: "Harry, where are you going? I have a lot of people I want you to meet!" , he excused Marciana and Snape, and dragged Harry to the place where the crowd was densest.

Snape and Marciana watched Slughorn's broad back disappear into the crowd, looked at each other, Snape rolled his eyes, and Marciana couldn't help laughing: "He forgot you How could you flatter me? Or did he think that when you became the head of Slytherin, you would automatically become as smooth as him?"

"I've always been smooth, but in a different way than Slughorn. Why, didn't Black complain to you that I'm a slippery fellow?" Snape glanced at her and said softly, "You seem to be Really good."

"Thanks, you too." Marciana smiled and gave him a sideways glance, "It's just the same as usual."

She turned around and went to the bar with Snape to get two glasses of mead. Before she could drink it, she found Professor Trelawney standing there alone, drinking one after another.Seeing Marciana, Professor Trelawney staggered over.Snape frowned, but Trelawney completely ignored him, squeezed between the two of them, "You're here too..."

Marciana quickly supported her, "Sybil, the dinner has just started, how much have you drunk?"

"A glass or two..." Trelawney waved his hand impatiently, grabbed her hand, and said with a big tongue: "Marciana, only you understand me, these people think that the lessons we teach are not important , all look down on us! Of course, the importance of Muggle studies is incomparable to that of divination, and predicting the future is the most mysterious and crucial knowledge..."

Marciana held Trelawney's hand with one hand and listened to her ramblings, and with the other hand, she took the wine glass in her hand very naturally, tapped her fingers, and the wine inside turned into water.She soothed Trelawney with her mouth, and winked at Snape: antidote, hurry up.

Snape seemed about to be annoyed to death, raised his eyebrows angrily: Don't ask, there is no question.

Marciana stared: You definitely have it, bring it here!

Snape folded his hands over his chest and looked away.

Marciana had no choice but to give Snape an apologetic look, and helped the older colleague to walk to the table full of food: "I see that some snacks are very good, come and try them with me ..."

Snape deeply believed that Sybill Trelawney was his fate.

Marciana stuffed Trelawney with a large plate of food, seeing that the older witch had eaten and seemed to be getting more and more awake, so she was a little relieved.She knew that Trelawney had always had a low self-esteem in his heart, and even felt insecure after he was almost kicked out of Hogwarts and his work was divided, so she couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic.Of course Marciana knew that Trelawney was a real seer, but how to predict this kind of thing depends on God's reward, so where did she start?She looked at the female colleague who was half arched and dressed in weird ways, and couldn't help sighing—Professor Trelawney's predicament was almost insoluble.For many people, Hogwarts is not only a job, but also a destination.

Marciana was thinking wildly, and found that Professor Slughorn squeezed back to her side again.The fat old man was flushed, and he seemed to have had a few drinks. He asked her kindly: "Martha, do you still have contact with Damocles Belby? I heard about it in recent years. He's got a lot going on, and he's a hot new star in the potions world now. How that kid liked you back then."

Marciana concealed her surprise for a moment, and maintained a decent smile: "No, I basically have no contact with him after graduation." She brought the wine glass to her lips and took a sip, her smile became more sincere Some: "But I heard that he had a daughter a few years ago, and the family is very happy."

Slughorn looked very regretful, and shook his head: "Oh, it's a pity, it's a pity, I still hoped that you could be together, after all, you are so talented, and he is so fascinated by you... I saw it back then. Knowing that Damocles can do something, alas, what a pity..."

Marciana didn't speak, just smiled.She was keenly aware that Slughorn's enthusiasm for her had cooled down, and sure enough, the old man shook his head, took a snack and left her to chat with other guests.

Marciana raised her eyebrows and turned around.She found that Trelawney was staring at her with a rare clarity and clarity in the eyes that were strangely magnified by the spectacles.Trelawney put a thin hand around the back of her hand, squeezed it, and whispered, "Leave him alone. Slughorn doesn't know you at all."

Marciana raised her eyes in surprise, and Trelawney patted her on the back comfortingly.A burst of warmth surged in Marciana's heart, and she couldn't help showing a smile.Suddenly, she saw a black figure out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head to find Snape standing not far away, looking at her with complicated eyes.Marciana realized that he must have overheard Slughorn talking to her, and suddenly felt a tinge of embarrassment at a situation she had only found funny.

She bit her lip and looked down.

Snape huddled beside her, and despite Trelawney's protests, pulled Marciana into a quiet corner, handed her a glass of Firewhiskey, and didn't speak for a while.Marciana looked up at him questioningly, and he finally said, "Are you angry?"

"Angry? Whom? Professor Slughorn?" Marciana smiled. "No, I'm not angry. To be honest, I quite like him."

Snape raised his eyebrows.

"Why should I be angry with him? He just expressed the society's evaluation of me more honestly. Originally, in the eyes of most people, I used to have excellent grades and have good development possibilities in many fields , I chose to be an Auror; I had a good future in the Auror Division, but I resigned when I was about to be promoted; ...Well, what do they say? Oh...I'm sure. In the eye of the beholder, I've had countless opportunities to lead myself to an enviable life, but I haven't taken any of them. I There is no shortage of talent, wisdom, and beauty, but they are all wasted, and now they are just taking care of Dumbledore and teaching a marginal subject under his wing, just getting by." Marciana smiled and took a sip of the flame whiskey, " Professor Slughorn despises me only because to him, my value is far less than before-at least in the past, he still had room to imagine my various possibilities. Let alone him, as a Slytherin Dean, didn't you just tell me recently that you also look down on this kind of person who can't seize the opportunity?"

Snape cleared his throat: "I don't dare to underestimate you."

Marciana raised her eyebrows ungratefully, "That's because you know me much better than Professor Slughorn. Don't worry, he will come back. In his heart, I'm not worthless .” She smiled and glanced at the old man walking through the crowd.

"Oh? If he doesn't know me about you, what is his value?" Snape asked very flatteringly.

Marciana raised one corner of her mouth: "Didn't you say that I am beautiful, talented, and good at being a human again."

Snape laughed: "Don't forget your virtue of modesty, too."

"Oh, now that you have beauty and wit, virtue doesn't matter much." Marciana smiled and clinked glasses with him, straightened up, put her lips close to his ear and lowered her voice: "Look, he The invited students. Boys can be roughly divided into two types, those who are highly talented themselves and those who are well-known in their families. But girls can be divided into the other two types, those with extraordinary brains..." Her blue eyes swept across Hermione, "...and those with outstanding looks and personalities." Her eyes flicked to Ginny.

Snape curled his lips.

Marciana leaned lazily against the wall, and continued: "So, as women, no matter what we plan, at least in the eyes of spectators, being beautiful and pleasing is a kind of capital. And in Slug From Professor Horn's point of view, although I have hardly made any achievements in my career and missed the big fish Damocles Belby, since I still have this," she raised her right hand and scribbled towards her face and front He waved his chest, "Maybe he can catch another big fish. So he won't give up on me completely."

Snape sneered: "You still say I'm cynical, you're worse than me."

"No, no, I'm not cynical, I'm just seeing reality. I accept reality well, without a trace of resentment. Besides, can you call my words prejudice? Let me ask you, Blaise Zabini is Why were you invited?"

She turned her head towards the handsome dark-skinned boy in the crowd.Presumably the student also knew that he was attracted to Slughorn because of his famous and widowed mother. He didn't look very interested, and he was chatting with a few classmates.

Snape said reluctantly, "Zabini is not without talent."

"Maybe." Marciana shrugged indifferently.

Snape's dark eyes lingered on her face for a moment: "Don't you care? You are belittled, even objectified, but you are obviously stronger than everyone in this room."

"What about you? Do you care, Head Slytherin?" Marciana turned her head, she drank some wine, her lips were bright red, and her eyes rolled, "Your talent in potions far surpasses that of Damocles Belby, who could have gained fame in the first place, has been working as a potions professor under Dumbledore for more than ten years, do you care?"

Snape laughed, and Marciana smiled too, fingers playing with an invisible round pendant between her collarbones.Yes, a Muggle philosopher said that a man who knows what he lives for can endure any kind of life.Now that they know what they want to do, and since even danger, hardship, and pain can't stop them, who really cares about a little bit of innocence?

Snape turned sideways to face Marciana and raised his glass: "Marciana LaRosa, I would like to toast you."

Marciana raised an eyebrow and also raised her glass: "For?"

As if he was choosing a suitable reason, a pair of dark eyes stopped on her face, and after a long time, he brought some smiles: "I don't know. Everything about you."

"Okay. To you too, Severus Snape, a true Slytherin, more cunning, wiser and more enduring than anyone I've ever met." She raised her glass too.The two drank the fire whiskey in the glass in one gulp.

Snape drank so fast that his face flushed for a moment.He showed a weird smile: "You are better at complimenting people than Dumbledore. Last time he said that I look like Gryffindor, he thought it was a compliment to me."

"He is indeed flattering you, your courage." Marciana and him squeezed towards the bar, turning around and smiling, "You also understand that Albus is not practiced, and when it comes to flattering people, How can you compare with a nobody like me."

Before Marciana's fingertips touched the glass of mead, Slughorn's loud laughter came from not far away: "...I don't think I've ever seen such a potion-related Genius! Talented - like his mother! I've only ever taught a few students who were so gifted, and I can tell you, Sybil - even Severus -"

Snape had a bad look on his face and turned to run away, but it was too late.A fat hand pierced through the crowd, hooked his shoulder accurately, and dragged him over.

Slughorn wrapped his arms around Snape's shoulders and said enthusiastically, "Don't be sneaky, come talk to us, Severus! I'm talking about Harry's special talent in Potions! Of course, it is also your credit, you have taught him for five years!"

Slughorn was fat, Snape was rather thin, and standing side by side, Slughorn was almost twice Snape's width.Of course, Snape must resist, and this old man who is almost three times his age may not be able to catch him, but how can he, as an old student, really get rid of Slughorn's face?

Seeing Snape's aggrieved face, Marciana smiled sympathetically.

Snape's anger quickly rushed to the familiar outlet.He squinted his eyes at Harry and said mercilessly, "Interesting, I never thought I taught Potter anything."

"Oh, that's genius!" exclaimed Slughorn, "you didn't see the dead water he gave me in the first class—never saw a student do better than him the first time. I think even you, Severus—”

At this time, Slughorn saw Marciana who was a few steps away, and pointed at her happily: "Of course, we must not forget Martha, she is a rare student who can hand in almost perfect works every time. But having said that, the difficulty of works in the lower grades is different from that in the higher grades, according to me, someone like Harry who can properly make advanced potions is called a real talent—”

"Her work is also perfect." Snape said suddenly, and the people around him, including Marciana, were taken aback.Snape drooped his eyelids: "Professor Larosa was in my potion improvement class back then. Whether it's the water of death or the potion of euphoria, the works she handed over have always been perfect." He rolled his eyelids, his eyes Looking sharply at Harry, he whispered, "When I see a real genius, I don't fail to recognize it."

Harry uneasily avoided his eyes, and Snape's mouth showed a hint of sarcasm, but his eyes narrowed slightly, full of scrutiny.

"That's it, alas, what a pity, what a pity." Professor Slughorn looked at Marciana with a heartbroken expression on his face, as if seeing a particularly delicate and delicious cake being thrown to the ground.Marciana didn't know whether he was regretting that she didn't get the potion in the end, or regretting that she had retired a few years early, so that she was not included in his pocket in time.

At this moment, there was a commotion outside the crowd.Marciana turned her head and saw a spectacle - Draco Malfoy was walking towards this side with Filch grabbing his ears.

Filch's voice was trembling - he was obviously excited to have caught the former trustee's son: "Professor Slughorn, I found this boy hiding in the upstairs corridor. Invited to the party, and said he was delayed in his departure. Have you sent him an invitation?"

Upstairs corridor?Marciana raised her eyebrows and glanced at Snape indistinctly.Snape looked angry and scared at the same time - no wonder he, if Draco didn't catch him and did something stupid that killed him, Snape might be buried with him.

"Okay, I wasn't invited," Draco said angrily, breaking free from Filch's hand, "I want to break in, are you happy?"

Of course it was an excuse, this lie was so low that even Harry would not believe it, let alone Snape and Marciana.But being able to cover it up with such an excuse that would make Draco feel ashamed in the past, Marciana knew that what Draco did was probably not an ordinary bad thing.She looked at Snape, and found that his face had turned green like the bottom of a black lake.Over there, Slughorn had already dismissed Filch, and Draco put on a social smile to flatter Professor Slughorn, and Snape finally said, "I have something to tell you, Draco .”

Slughorn belched, "Hey, Severus, Christmas, don't be so harsh—"

At this moment, Snape's anger value had exceeded his social endurance, and he replied rather bluntly: "I am his headmaster, and it is up to me to decide whether to be strict or not. Come with me, Draco."

With that said, he strode outside, and Malfoy followed behind with an expression of disbelief.

Marciana looked at the pale and haggard boy, and sighed inwardly.

"Draco Malfoy." She stopped him.Marciana could roughly guess Draco's state of mind at this time, so she folded her arms and tried her best to appear indifferent.

"I noticed that you didn't show up in the lobby during dinner." She said in a very flat tone, with a light wave of her left hand, a lobster roll filled with stuffing was lifted from the tray in the hand of an elf Floating inside, a piece of greased paper flew up, automatically wrapping it properly, so that no sauce would leak out.The lobster roll, the size of a fist and a half, floated in front of Draco.

"You're on your own now, Draco Malfoy." She glanced at the dark circles under the other's eyes, and still said in that faint voice: "Wasting yourself without eating or sleeping won't let you Things got better."

"What do you know! You don't need to be hypocritical." Draco said viciously.

Marciana lowered her eyelids indifferently, "Whatever you want." She turned and returned to the group of people who were talking, but the lobster roll was still floating in place.Draco examined the brown paper bag vigilantly for a long time, and finally took it off and stuffed it into the pocket of his school robe.

"Let's go," Snape said sternly, continuing to walk outside.Draco Malfoy followed.

When Marciana returned to Professor Slughorn, she found that there was one person missing.

"Where's Harry?" she asked Luna.

"He went to the toilet." Luna said happily.

Marciana calmly took a sip of the mead in her hand, thinking, Harry is still a little perceptive, he should have already suspected Draco.It's just that he can't be allowed to intervene in this matter, so as not to push Draco into a hurry and hurt Harry.

Ten minutes later, Snape re-entered the reception with a very ugly expression on his face.Marciana quietly left the crowd and walked to him: "How is it?"

Snape shook his head sullenly, and said in a low voice, "That kid has learned Occlumency."

Marciana's eyes widened in surprise, "Not bad."

"If only Potter could learn as fast as he does." Snape snorted coldly.

Marciana nudged him and gave him a wink - Harry was back here too, looking around, obviously looking for Snape.

"This is not the place to talk," said Marciana curtly.

Snape nodded, "Come to my office."

With that said, he walked towards Slughorn, exchanged some pleasantries, and left.Harry followed him suspiciously.

Marciana didn't leave right away, but talked and laughed with the guests again, and had a drink or two with Slughorn, which made him laugh out loud, before she slapped her head and remembered that she was leaving school tomorrow. He hadn't packed his luggage yet, thanked Slughorn for his invitation, and bid him farewell.Professor Slughorn seemed to have completely forgotten the previous disappointment, and kindly wished her a happy Christmas holiday, and warmly invited her to continue to the reception next semester.

Marciana walked out of the noisy office, making sure that there was no one following her. With a wave of her magic wand, her figure disappeared into the darkness, and even the sound of her high heels disappeared.

Author has something to say: Slughorn's special ability: 100% locate and capture Severus Snape :)

This chapter is also titled "On the Social Costs of Being a Fighting Hero".

I'm not sure if the little angels in the student party understood the part where Professor Slughorn commented on Maye's appearance at the beginning, why Maye was embarrassed, and Harry felt it was wrong.This is actually a little subtle-as a colleague, it is not very professional for Slughorn to comment on the appearance of his colleagues.In a way, the female teachers at Hogwarts are professional women.In the workplace environment, if it can be avoided, it is best not to overemphasize anyone's appearance. After all, everyone theoretically relies on their ability to make a living, and being sexualized is very inconvenient.In foreign countries, if a man praises a female colleague too much and shows excessive interest in her appearance, he may even be complained of harassment.

Professor Slughorn actually meant no harm.In fact, many people who are more prone to unintentional social mistakes are older because they were less particular when they were young.One thing to say, I feel that these particularities have actually only emerged in the past ten years. In the 90s, there is a high probability that everyone didn't care much about this.

As for Maye, she dressed herself up specially, so it was more of a shame that she was not angry with Slughorn!

PS Only this chapter will be updated today.Recently, I have been desperately coding, and the next chapter will be greatly revised.Everyone, for the sake of fatness in this chapter, forgive me?