allendalepharm Chapter 209 Horace Slughorn
Chapter 209 Horace Slughorn
Chapter 209 Horace Slughorn
"I still want to talk to Newt now."
After all the professors had left, yawning, Ryan, who was still with Dumbledore, spoke to Gale, who lived in the headmaster's office.
"Please, have some mercy. Your good student doesn't have your energy. He's just a mortal who'd fall over at the slightest touch," Gale said, his face contorted with sarcasm when he mentioned Newt.
Dumbledore, sensing something amiss, changed the subject, ignoring Gale and instead talking to Lane about Horace Slughorn.
He said Horace was pleasure-seeking and vain, but not a bad person at heart. Born into one of the Twenty-Eight Tribes, he was elitist but possessed a strong talent for judging character. He was easygoing and unpretentious with students he admired, and enjoyed befriending promising and talented students.
"May I ask, what were the reasons that Professor Slughorn chose to leave Hogwarts back then?"
Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. Learning more about Slughorn might be very helpful in getting him to come out of retirement.
Upon hearing this question, Dumbledore was also lost in memories, his mind drifting back to the era when Voldemort was still wreaking havoc.
In those days, the world was in turmoil and people were filled with anxiety. Hogwarts was the most dazzling banner and the most solid fortress. This was not only due to Dumbledore's name, but also to the hard work of the professors and deans.
At that time, Snape, now the Potions professor, was Voldemort's right-hand man and the most trusted second-in-command among the Death Eaters. Neither of them could have imagined that they would one day "fight for love." They still maintain a cooperative relationship.
Thus, the responsibility of producing potions and providing medical treatment at Hogwarts fell to Slughorn. He worked tirelessly, putting in extra hours, becoming unlike his usual self.
Then Dumbledore discovered that Slughorn was always worried. Until the last days of Voldemort's reign, he fell ill, very seriously. Madam Pomfrey diagnosed him with a serious mental illness, and the mental pressure caused him to have very serious problems.
If the root cause of the psychological problem cannot be eradicated, then the only option is to relax and rest.
At that time, Slughorn, who had countless famous disciples, was highly respected and could be seen as another banner under Dumbledore. Even within the Death Eaters' camp, he enjoyed great prestige.
When news of Slughorn's illness spread, there was an uproar. People thought it was a symbol of the decline of the White Wizards' faction.
This call continued until Sybil Trelawney came to apply for a professorship and made a real prophecy, with Voldemort's own experiences adding a strong footnote to the mystery of prophets.
"Upon receiving news of Voldemort's crushing defeat, Slughorn was completely transformed, revitalized. His immediate display of ecstasy, and the fragments of words he uttered, first alerted me to the possibility that Slughorn and Tom Riddle might share some dark secret." I tried to gently inquire about it, but only deepened his defenses. A few days later, he resigned, having served as a teacher at the school for half a century.
As Dumbledore finished his recollection, he had a new speculation about Slughorn's choice at the time—that they had found Voldemort's means of "transcending death."
They have confirmed that Voldemort possesses Horcruxes, and more than one.
Horcruxes were indeed Voldemort's source of confidence in his belief that he could transcend death.
Dumbledore didn't say it directly, but the meaning was clear: Slughorn and Voldemort had discussed Horcruxes.
"Ever since then, I've wanted to ask him, whether by letter or communicator, but Horace has always dodged the question. Harry would be a good candidate to get him to talk—"
He muttered to himself, his gaze shifting from above his glasses to the table, where Ryan's detailed plan for the subject matter and a note that had been there all along were placed.
The sticky note had a person's name written on it.
"Wake me up when it's time to leave, Headmaster." Ryan noticed that the hands of the clock had already passed the top, and it was time to say goodbye.
"Sweet dreams, see you tomorrow," said Dumbledore.
Suddenly, flames rose up in the fireplace.
A letter was expelled from it.
The letter was lit, and a voice rang out: "I am Maxim. I have important business to discuss with Mr. Dumbledore face to face in ten minutes."
After the sound was repeated a third time, the letter was burned to ashes.
Ryan's communicator also beeped. He saw that Quirrell, Fleur, and Maxim were all sending him messages, asking if he had rested and telling him that the magic wizards had encountered an accident.
He and Dumbledore exchanged a glance, both agreeing that this was no small matter; otherwise, the Beauxbatons, who hadn't developed the bad habit of holding meetings at night, wouldn't have come to visit at this hour.
"When I left Beauxbatons tonight, I told them I'd see them again in three days. I really didn't expect to see them again tonight."
"
As Ryan spoke, he was surprised to find that Dumbledore and Gale didn't seem particularly shocked, as if they had known this would happen all along.
prophecy?
He looked at Gail questioningly and received an affirmative answer. He then asked, "What about the prophecy?"
Gale: "Among the Squibs you promoted, there were quite a few idiots who couldn't resist temptation and foolishly went to the French intelligence service, only to be arrested after being discovered. That's all I've seen."
Upon hearing Gale's words, Ryan sensed a familiar feeling, as if there were some techniques involved that he was very familiar with.
He had some understanding of the first batch of students at the Magic Gold Wizarding Academy. Among them were ordinary people, people with firm minds, and people who were easily swayed. However, all the students had awe for wizards and professors, as well as awe for ordinary people and national governments. They dared not and would not openly violate the secrecy law, let alone let them go and cause trouble in front of a country's intelligence agency.
"What goes around comes around, karma is inescapable. Lal, the literary elder, learned from me how to incite public anger and successfully oust Fudge. Now, these power players who want to overthrow me and seize the spoils of magic gold wizarding are copying me—using the same tactic on me?"
Ryan, who had come with Dumbledore to greet the visitors at the castle gate, planned to wait until Maxim and the other two arrived so that he could explain the whole story and the current situation clearly, and then accurately judge the level of his opponent.
Know yourself and the enemy, a hundred battles will never end.
Since it's clear that we're going to have a showdown, we need to know just how good our opponent really is.
The other side has also learned to drive wizards and incite conflict, so he cannot be underestimated.
Ten minutes after the letter arrived.
Maxim, along with Fleur and Quirrell, arrived right on time in front of Hogwarts Castle.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Dumbledore." She appeared large and elegant.