The leader of HP arrives

"Master, Professor McGonagall from Hogwarts is visiting." The house elf quietly appeared at the dining table, and put the neatly folded Daily Prophet on the table.Lucius and Severus glanced at each other, raised their eyebrows in unison, and the strong and mellow coffee in the cup became a bit bland.

"It's a great surprise to see you after graduation, Professor McGonagall." Lucius scrutinized the witch sitting on the sofa in the reception room, with her old-fashioned bun, old-fashioned expression, and old-fashioned posture. Stubborn dark green magic robe, just like ten years ago, this young female teacher is as unchanging as a Hogwarts sculpture.

"Principal Dumbledore should have written a letter to reply to Mr. Snape. I'm here for his application for suspension." McGonagall glanced at Lucius's novelly tailored Slytherin-style robes, and stopped at Sev On Les, his sharp gaze was fixed on Severus' left arm, as if he could see the brand new Dark Mark underneath through the thick black cloth.

"I thought Professor Slughorn was the dean of Slytherin." Severus snorted coldly, and sat down on the sofa opposite McGonagall with arms crossed uncomfortably. It's pretty clear, and I don't think there's anything else that needs to be added."

"Actually, if I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I remember Severus sending an application for graduation, not a leave of absence. Maybe you need to check with Headmaster Dumbledore."

Lucius sat down on the other side of the sofa and knocked on the coffee table. A pot of steaming Darjeeling black tea, honey and milk in the same exquisite tea set appeared on the table.The early death of his father put him through more tests, and at this time he seemed calmer and more cautious than Severus, "Any fifth grader has the right to apply for graduation—Merlin knew, Severus's His talent seems to be reflected in his Potions subject, even the former prefect of Slytherin and the top students of Hogwarts over the years can't save his History of Magic grades."

Lucius noticed that Mag's lips moved, but he didn't give Mag a chance to speak. The young platinum nobleman hooked his fingers, and the exquisite bone china teacup waltzed the steaming black tea It was sent to Mag, "You should try it. This is the first batch of tea picked from the Himalayas this year. It is said that this tea garden is the closest to Mount Everest among all the tea gardens, so the tea produced It is also the most unique of all Darjeeling black teas.”

McGonagall hesitated for a while, and had to swallow the suggestion about Snape's grades, and stretched out his hand to pick up the teacup that was bowing to him, "You should cherish the opportunity to study at Hogwarts, Mr. Snape, this It is one of the most precious times in a wizard's life. Hogwarts is the cradle of magic in the whole of England, and no one has a second chance to return to Hogwarts to study."

Severus snorted coldly, pursed his lips, and wanted to refute the Gryffindor witch's naivety, the rejection of Slytherin, the hostility of Gryffindor, the repeated battles between himself and Potter , if this was one of the most precious times in his life she was referring to, in fact, he couldn't think of anything worse than the day-to-day suffering at Hogwarts, except for the death of his mother.

But Lucius' eyes prevented Severus from rebutting, Lucius was far better at negotiating with people than himself, and his gloomy personality could only make things worse.The self-aware young Slytherin casually picked up the black tea in front of him, ignored the struggle of the cup to protest, gulped down the expensive tea, and flushed the retort down his throat back into his stomach.

"Although it is impolite to say so, I think Severus's chances of passing NEWTs are pitifully small, unless he can boil the entire "Transfiguration Spell Theory" into a potion and drink it." Lucius said slowly to himself. The cup was filled with tea, but he didn't drink it, "In fact, I hope I can recommend Severus to study in Germany. You know, there are some very old potion families in Germany, and they basically hold the According to the apprentice education, Severus is extremely talented, but it will take him several years before he can return to England." [NEWTs Ultimate Wizarding Level Examination]

"Mr. Malfoy, I never thought Slytherin had the virtue of helping others." McGonagall looked suspiciously at the two young men in front of him, one was the youngest patriarch of the Malfoy family, and the other needed a scholarship to get by Based on her knowledge of Slytherins, apart from Snape's reason for joining the Death Eaters, she really couldn't find any reason for these two Slytherins to sit together.

"Slytherin has always admired capable wizards." Lucius casually played with a piece of biscuit, and watched the slightest expression changes on McGonagall's face from the corner of his eye, "You should have heard of the Prince family, the British prestigious One of the magic families. Severus is the sole heir of this family. As long as he passes the family test and restarts the magic circle, the wealth accumulated by the entire Prince family through the ages is unimaginable to ordinary people. Not only that, but even more precious The most important thing is those lost potion formulas... Hogwarts can't help Severus, Professor McGonagall, what he needs is an elite education in Germany, only in this way can he pass the rigorous family test instead of doing nothing to become an ordinary wizard."

"I will report the facts to the headmaster, and headmaster Dumbledore will consider it." McGonagall's expression was a little loose, and Lucius described a successful future for Snape. As an orthodox educator, she couldn't do it. To the point of snuffing out Snape's brilliance for his own sake, even if that brilliance meant the Death Eaters would have yet another ally.

"Your excuse is really high-sounding, Mr. Malfoy, who is helpful." Watching McGonagall apparating outside Malfoy Manor, Snape snorted coldly, reached out and picked a leaf that fell on his shoulder, "The whole manor You know, even St. Mungo's has to buy a few ounces of Sri Lankan cinnamon powder at high prices on the black market. Maybe Mr. Malfoy should save a few ounces out of your teeth every day Use cinnamon powder to develop your benevolent spirit." [Cinnamon is a commonly used edible spice and a commonly used magic material.Cinnamon is considered to have the power of "enlightenment" and is used in many magics, as the main material of magic or to enhance the effectiveness of magic.Carrying cinnamon with you helps build resistance and protects against basic black magic of envy. 】

"For you, Severus, I have always been willing to help others. The cinnamon tree in Malfoy Manor is always open to you." Lucius glanced at the suppressed excitement in his friend's eyes, and had to change his words to remind, "I will let you The house-elf sent the cinnamon bark to your lab, Severus. These Chinese cinnamons are not cheap, you'll at least want to keep the few in the garden looking decent."

The corner of Severus's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc, and he turned and walked towards the laboratory at Malfoy Manor, "For your helpfulness, Lucius, I will show mercy. Take the cinnamon with your lunch before noon Send it to the lab."

The black robe rolled on the path full of magic roses, Lucius looked helplessly at Severus who would never conform to Slytherin's calm pace, "Actually - that's not an excuse, Severus In fact, at the beginning, when the future patriarch of the Malfoy family decided to introduce himself to a down-and-out Slytherin half-blood wizard, all I saw was the wealth of the Prince family——

But Severus, who was already far away, couldn't hear the whisper. Lucius looked at the lush cinnamon tree with a wry smile, and clapped his palms to summon the house elves to gather the bark.Originally, he only valued Prince's blood in Severus, but now, he regards him as a confidant. When did all this start to change?

While Snape was squandering the expensive cinnamon powder in Malfoy Manor recklessly, Dumbledore was having a headache for him. The head of Slytherin, Horace Slughorn, who always hated hovering The Slytherin wizard of the stairs paid an uninvited visit to the headmaster's office.

"You're here, Horace, I'm about to send someone to find you." Dumbledore glanced at the panting wizard. Like himself, Horace Slughorn was old, which reflected that On his increasingly protruding belly and increasingly thinning hair, it is even more reflected in his increasingly sleek and cunning personality.Rather than saying that Horace is keen on supporting younger generations, it is better to say that he is keen on collecting talents. Those students who have participated in the "Slug Club" graduated from Hogwarts, and then were recruited by another group of students who participated in the "Slug Club". Acceptance, this is how he built his huge network year after year.It was also such a huge power that ensured that Horace, in the position of Head Slytherin, could still maintain a neutral attitude between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix.

"Oh, Dumbledore, the headmaster's office is really too high." Horace took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweaty brow, and pulled out his wand to transform the high-backed chair into a comfortable sofa chair. "I heard Severus Snape put in a graduation application? What a pity, the smell of potions runs in the blood of the Princes, if the kid isn't a half-breed - where is he? I'll have to talk to him, maybe I can ask someone to find him a job at St. Mungo's, so that he won't bury his talent in potions."

"I visited the Malfoy Manor. Lucius Malfoy is planning to send Snape to Germany to study potions, and then get a share of the profits after Snape inherits the Prince family—" McGonagall glanced and interrupted Horace, who was reporting by himself, straightened his shoulders and continued the topic just now, "For this reason, Snape will be away from England for a few years, and I think it will be good for him, Headmaster Dumbledore. At that time, the fighting in Britain was over long ago, and Britain just needs a lot of medical talents and potions to deal with post-war affairs."

Dumbledore sighed silently. Lucius Malfoy's excuse was flawless, but only a simple and upright wizard like McGonagall would believe that the Death Eaters would send an excellent magician out at the most important moment. U.K.Malfoy may indeed have expected Snape to inherit the Prince family, but something about learning potions may not be true, especially since Riddle himself is a master of potions.

Mag's words were too straightforward, which made Horace feel uncomfortable. He coughed lightly, and a few faint scents of potion floated from Mag.Horace turned around and glanced at Mag, "Alpine Darjeeling black tea, I will never forget this aroma, but unfortunately I have never bought this kind of tea in England. The last time I drank this kind of tea was in the Malfoy gave it to me for my birthday."

"Obviously, for this year's birthday, Lucius Malfoy will give you the same gift." McGonagall interrupted Horace's memory impatiently. She was upset and irritable.

Horace touched the pocket of his robe and didn't care about Mag's tone.The scent of Darjeeling black tea has long been insufficient to attract his attention after several hours. Even an excellent potion master would not pay attention to such a faint scent at any time. What really attracted his attention was the faint smell on McGonagall. Rosemary, and a more shallow euphoria masked by Darjeeling black tea.Rosemary is called the "magic needle" in many ancient potion notes. It has the power to lead to the soul and is often used as a medicine for spiritual magic.Mind magic has long been lost, but rosemary plus euphoria can produce a similar effect. The effect of this potion is very weak and difficult to detect. Its function is to guide the mind of the user to change according to their own expectations.The smell of this potion can be well integrated into the aroma of tea leaves. Using large doses will cause potion damage, but using a small amount can play a vital role in negotiations.

He revealed this little secret only once, at the graduation party of the "Slug Club".Horace was keenly aware of the particularity of this matter. He only heard from the Slytherin students that Snape hadn't returned to school, but he didn't receive any news. Now it seems that Dumbledore obviously Overstepped himself and sent McGonagall directly to deal with this matter.It seems that Snape's graduation was not a simple academic issue, but a power struggle between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix.

"Speaking of which, Dumbledore, I have submitted my retirement application for the third time, and now have a fourth in my robe pocket. I am getting old, Dumbledore, and after my birthday this year, I want to return to the Go to your own manor to spend your old age in peace."

Horace took out the rolled parchment from his pocket and pushed it in front of Dumbledore, but his thoughts returned to the conversation with a certain student last night.There have been rumors of the mysterious person disappearing for a while, but last night a former student suddenly visited him and revealed some important news.The Dark Lord did not disappear, but lived in seclusion in Voldemort's manor, and when he reappeared in front of the Death Eaters yesterday morning, his magic power became even stronger.The seclusion during this period caused many small families to waver, and some began to take refuge in the forces of the Order of the Phoenix. Obviously, this time, the Dark Lord was not prepared to tolerate such a betrayal. He ordered the Black family to check all the family lists and prepare to eliminate the Death Eaters All the unreliable factors inside.

At such a sensitive moment, Horace felt that he should help Snape, at least it could be used as a means of showing favor to the Death Eaters. enemy.

"We are about the same age, Horace, and as long as I sit in this office, I will not let go of a good potions master. Who do you want me to find to manage Slytherin, Horace, I don't think so." Find someone who is more suitable than you." Dumbledore was silent for a moment, and chose to compromise. He gave up Snape and chose to keep Horace. After all, Snape wanted to reach the height of Horace, and he still There is a lot to go.Horace's network and level of potions are crucial to any force, and he can't afford the risk of handing him over to the Death Eaters. Since he doesn't want to join the Order of the Phoenix, he can only be imprisoned in the Order of the Phoenix. Hogwarts allowed him to maintain a neutral attitude.

"This is Severus Snape's graduation certificate, and this is a certificate to the Ministry of Magic." Reluctantly, Dumbledore took out a quill and signed his name on two pieces of parchment, stamping his seal , pushed to Horace, "I think it would be more appropriate for the head of Slytherin to hand over to Snape."

"If you insist." Horace stuffed the two pieces of parchment into his pocket and stood up from the chair, "This old bone of mine can still serve Hogwarts for a few more years, but I'd rather be able to lie down Enjoy the opera on a chaise longue at the manor."