Private Conversation

After Professor McGonagall and the three of them left, Slughorn waved and called the owner of the bar, Madam Rosmerta.

"Two steaks, it would be even better if you have grilled strip steak here."

The charming Ms. Rosmerta said with a smile.

"I happened to be able to acquire it at noon today."

Slughorn looked very happy.

"That's great, remember to brush two more layers of honey, I like the sweet taste."

I like meat and sweets, no wonder I have grown so fat.

After ordering the noon lunch, they did not drink anymore but ordered two glasses of butter beer, the drink that the students would often drink.

With only two people left at the bar table, the atmosphere gradually cooled down.

Sherlock leaned back in the chair, crossed his hands on his stomach, and waited quietly for Slughorn to speak first.

He could see that the person who invited him out this time was the fat old man in front of him, and Professor McGonagall was just acting as a messenger.

After Professor McGonagall and the others left, Slughorn's smile gradually faded, and his face gradually became gloomy.

It was only at this time that he seemed to let go of all his masks, and only revealed his true emotions to Sherlock alone.

"To be honest, Sherlock, Minerva and the others don't want me to mention your mother in front of you."

He held the big glass of Butterbeer in front of him, but he didn't mean to drink it. Instead, he silently turned his head to look at the gloomy sky that was still raining outside the window and said coldly.

"I know what they're worried about. Sally doesn't look or feel like a mother after she became like that. They hope you can never remember this memory. I even suspect that after I left, they eliminated-"

Having said this, his voice suddenly stopped abruptly.

Slughorn put down his glass, closed his eyes with a painful expression, and leaned back in his chair.

Sherlock never said anything. He was thinking about Slughorn's words. The second half of the unspoken sentence was so thought-provoking.

"Sorry, I seem to be drinking too much. Don't take what I said just now. Mag and Dumbledore are the best people in the world right now. You can trust them completely and unconditionally."

Slughorn seemed to have regained his emotions, sat up straight from the chair, and laughed at himself.

"Of course, now I have no reason to say such a thing. After all, you have no trust in me at all."

"I still remember the last time I saw you at the funeral seventeen years ago. You hid in the corner, holding the toy wand that your mother gave you on your first birthday, sitting alone on the ground with your knees in a daze. ."

"When I found you, I could already guess at the first glance that you would become what you are now."

"Having been Head of Slytherin at Hogwarts for so long, having seen countless students, and knowing what kind of experiences make people what they are. But there's nothing I can do, and I'm just a weak and old bastard. I'm an old man, like a lost dog, can only find a place to hide and escape from everything I have committed."

Sherlock frowned when he heard what he said.

He remembered that there was no mention of his family in the original owner's diary, even though there was a portrait of his lunatic mother hanging in his study, even though his Muggle father was still alive, and even sent someone to persuade him to inherit his own family's estate.

But whether it is life at Hogwarts or entering the magical society after graduating from Hogwarts, there is nothing in the diary.

It was as if the original had no feelings for his parents, and did not leave the slightest emotion behind.

Slughorn's remarks seemed to reveal the truth, and he could hear it. He had a good relationship with the original owner's mother, and he regarded Sherlock as a close relative.

They left the original owner alone before, as if they were afraid of something and wanted to hide it desperately.

"What happened to my mother back then?"

Sherlock asked softly after the steak was served.

This was the first time he took the initiative to speak to Slughorn, but the other party did not give him a satisfactory answer.

"I'm sorry Sherlock, I can't tell you." Slughorn shook his head, "We made an agreement, and even made a unbreakable vow, to bury this secret forever, unless Dumbledore feels that the time is right, he will not tell you."

Sherlock was silent in his heart.

He hates dealing with these older wizards the most. Whenever something happens, he plays Riddler here, and sometimes he doesn't even tell you what the riddle is.

"Then why did you come to me specifically?"

"I wanted to remind you of Sherlock." Slughorn's face was extremely solemn, and he stared into Sherlock's eyes tightly, "Hogwarts is very dangerous, very dangerous, especially with Dumbledore and The boy being there at the same time."

He took out a small glass bottle from his pocket, and there was some shimmering golden liquid flowing slowly inside.

Slughorn placed the potion in front of Sherlock.

"The only help I can give you is this, Felix felicis, a potion that can temporarily make you lucky, you'd better take it with you, it may help you a little at a critical time."

"Don't think it's too little. The effect of felicis is very strong, but you can't drink a lot of it continuously, otherwise, it will not only bring you good luck, but it will also cause serious problems. I have only used it twice at my age. , these are the one-time doses only for you."

Sherlock looked at the bottle of potion, it was a work of art just by looking at it.

If it can make people lucky, then this potion is really strong.

Slughorn continued.

"I don't know why Dumbledore agreed to your application, maybe he didn't think that person's resentment for the position was that strong, but I still think it's risky."

Hearing this, Sherlock was a little surprised, and he asked quietly.

"You mean the curse of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on the defence professor? Does it exist?"

"It exists, but it's not a curse." Slughorn said very seriously, "You are Sherlock, a master of Defense Against the Dark Arts, you should be able to understand the difference between a dark magic curse and dark magic, these are the two danger levels of a dark magic curse, a curse is very dangerous and a taboo, the three unforgivable curses are all curses."

"But when that person resented the position of professor of defence, he thought his strength wasn't enough, so what he cast in this position was just a curse, but this curse was very subtle, and even Dumbledore didn't know about it."

"But what I'm sure of is that as long as you don't have ulterior motives in staying in your position, the effect of the curse wont be that powerful."

"But anyway, as long as you're in this castle for a day, you still have to be very careful, Hogwarts has never been the safest place in the wizarding world, and even with Dumbledore, it's not safer than any other place."

"Finally, I hope you believe my words, Sherlock."

Slughorn stared into his eyes.

"Don't hate your father. He didn't take the initiative to abandon your mother and son. Don't hate him. He is a pitiful person."

After saying this, he didn't talk to Sherlock about anything else.

After eating the steak and the strip stake brushed with three layers of honey, Slughorn left Hogsmeade in a hurry, and no one knew where he went.

After he left, Sherlock didn't leave immediately, but quietly looked at the one-third of the butter beer left in his glass, recalling word by word what Slughorn had just said to him.

Through this meeting, he could be sure that this fat old the man was not an ordinary character in the original book.

And the original owner's background is much more complicated than he imagined.

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Editor: this chapter gave me some trouble having to skim the Harry Potter Wiki but this is nothing compared to what's to come.

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