Chapter 727: Time (Edited)

Harry took a sip of the potion and didn't respond to Fish's question. Instead, he closed his eyes and felt something.

A few moments later, he opened his eyes, and his whole demeanor changed drastically. He appeared to be in a good mood and confident.

"You'll know once you try it." He smiled and handed the potion to Fish.

"Nya?"

?ω?

Fish blinked and then shook his head negatively. "No, Fish will wait for Severus to prepare it, nya."

Harry didn't insist since the Potion had instructed him to give it to Fish if he wanted it and not to force it if he didn't.

So he withdrew his hand from the potion, securely sealed the flask, put it away, and stood up with a smile and confidence.

"It doesn't taste like anything special, neither good nor bad," Harry said as he took his invisibility cloak and covered himself with it. "But the feeling afterward... It's fantastic! Now I have to hurry and find Professor Slughorn."

His voice faded away, and then he disappeared into the hole in the portrait on the wall.

"Er... Aren't you going to take a look?" After a brief silence, Ron asked Hermione and Fish.

"No, Fish wants to stay in front of the fire, nya."

(=ΦωΦ=)

Fish said as it transformed into a striped cat, climbed whistling onto a chair by the fireplace, and curled up in a comfortable position.

As the weather grew colder, Fish reduced its nighttime excursions and visits to the Forbidden Forest. Although it wasn't afraid of the cold, it felt more comfortable at home by the fire than out in the open.

While Fish fell asleep by the fire, Harry arrived at the door of Professor Slughorn's office, dressed in his invisibility cloak.

He took off the invisibility cloak and knocked on the office door.

The door opened, and Professor Slughorn appeared, dressed in a light purple cotton nightshirt, slightly frowning at the sight of Harry but quickly putting on a smile.

However, before he could dismiss Harry citing curfew, Harry spoke first, "Do you like purple, Professor? It's the third pajama I've seen you in, and they've all been purple."

"Light purple and lavender, to be precise." Professor Slughorn seemed pleased that Harry had noticed his preference and immediately let go of the idea of sending him away.

"Would you like to come in and have something?" He unconsciously extended an invitation, in a good mood.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Harry nodded with a smile and entered.

Only then did Professor Slughorn regain his senses, and a bitter smile suddenly appeared on his face. But having invited Harry in, he couldn't retract his invitation, so he would have to make the best of it.

"Fish isn't here today. Would you like some wine to warm up?"

Professor Slughorn asked as Harry sat at the table and poured himself a glass of wine from the wine cabinet.

Harry's mind stirred, and he suddenly came up with a way to obtain Professor Slughorn's true memories, but... not today.

He lowered his eyes slightly and whispered, "Thank you for your kindness, professor, but I'm still not an adult, so I can only have a little butterbeer with you."

"Well, that's a shame," Professor Slughorn returned the wine to its place. "Then we'd better have a glass of warm milk. Coffee or tea at this hour can keep you awake, and older people usually don't stay up late... of course, the same goes for the young ones."

After that, he seemed to find his own remark amusing, clutching his round belly and smiling like a contented old walrus.

Harry chuckled softly, even though he didn't find it very funny.

Professor Slughorn stopped talking after serving Harry a glass of warm milk and took small sips from his own glass as he gazed at the white liquid inside, as if it were a beautiful painting.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, professor," Harry said slowly after taking a sip of milk.

"Oh, no, it's nothing," Professor Slughorn waved his hand.

Although Professor Slughorn appeared unconcerned, Harry was fully aware, with the help of the potion, that his body was subconsciously tense, and he would surely become worried if the topic was mentioned.

So... it wasn't the best day for it.

That's what the potion told Harry.

So Harry didn't say a word about the Horcruxes. "Actually, I'm here to ask about my mother."

Professor Slughorn immediately relaxed. Harry had asked about Lily so many times in the past that he had no doubts and took him at his word.

So Slughorn shifted his hips to get more comfortable and asked in a soft voice, "So, what is it you wanted to ask me today to come at this hour?"

"It's about my mother and Professor Snape..." Harry had a complicated look on his face. "You said last time that my mother was angry with Professor Snape, and that's why..."

"Oh, my dear Harry," Professor Slughorn smiled and shook his head. "I didn't explain it well to you at that time. It's true that Lily might have approached James Potter in the first place, possibly to annoy Severus, but that doesn't mean she didn't care for your father."

Harry suddenly felt encouraged. In fact, he had always been worried about this issue but had feared asking further, afraid of receiving some unpleasant response.

Today, if it hadn't been for the potion, Harry would have continued to avoid discussing the topic.

"Lily isn't the kind of girl to go against her own will just to make a bet with someone. She must have really liked him if she chose to marry him... I said what I said before because I thought he wasn't good enough for her, and I was a bit biased." Professor Slughorn shrugged. "I've always had a special preference for club members, you know?"

He said it lightly, but Harry wanted to slap him with the walrus-like beard.

It was his "subjective feelings" that had kept Harry awake for days, and even today, when he saw Professor Snape, Harry still had mixed feelings.

"So, Professor Snape..." Harry continued to ask.

"Severus..." Professor Slughorn sighed. "Even without James Potter, I don't think the two of them would have ended up together..." He shook his head with a sorrowful air, as if lost in his memories.

Harry was growing tired of waiting for Slughorn to continue. "Severus was too obsessed with Dark Arts, and like most Slytherins, he fanatically worshipped Voldemort, so as much as I hate to admit it, it was inevitable that Lily wouldn't end up with him. Even without that misunderstanding, they would have taken separate paths sooner or later."

At that moment, Harry finally felt the knot in his stomach loosen. Simultaneously, he could sense the effects of the potion wearing off.

So Harry drank his glass of milk, stood up, and said, "Thank you, Professor. I should go and learn more about my mother later." He spoke these words with the last remnants of the potion's influence.

"Of course, of course. You and Lily are good kids..." Professor Slughorn's eyes glistened faintly with tears. "I can tell you about Lily whenever you need, anytime."

Harry bowed deeply to him, then left the office, donned his invisibility cloak, and made his way to the Gryffindor dormitories.