Chapter 729: Christmas Party (Edited)

Soon the day before Christmas vacation arrived.

Around eight o'clock in the evening, the invited students gathered in pairs and trios and made their way to Professor Slughorn's office, while the uninvited students could only watch them with envy and jealousy.

In Fish's dormitory, Ron gathered the others first, while Harry took the opportunity to retrieve the Felix Felicis potion and drink half of it.

Harry's spirits lifted as he drank the potion, and then, decisively, he handed it to Fish.

"When we've gotten Professor Slughorn drunk, remember to take a sip of the potion before you drink," he told Fish. "Well, that's what the potion told me." Seeing that Fish seemed about to refuse again, he hurriedly added, "Is that so?"

(⊙ω⊙)

Fish scratched his head before taking hold of the potion. "Then Fish will make it up to you later, nya."

"Uh..." Harry immediately thought of the idea from the Advanced Potion-Making book, but just as he was about to refuse, a sudden thought struck him...

It was impossible for Professor Snape to have tampered with the potion he had given Fish.

So he immediately swallowed his refusal, and in that moment, he changed his mind again... That would be taking advantage of Snape! Why would he refuse?

"Let's go, Hermione and the others must be waiting," Harry told Fish as he stood up.

Fish hurriedly put away the vial of potion and followed Harry to the common room where Hermione was.

In addition to Hermione, who was already waiting, there were Ginny, McLaggen, and several other members of the Order of the Cat, as well as Neville, Ron, Lavender, and Parvati.

Neville was the winner of the sixth year of the Order of the Cat, Ron had been invited by Harry, and Ginny invited Lavender under Ron's pleas, leaving only Parvati in Hermione's dormitory, so Hermione simply brought her along.

They went to the entrance hall to meet with the other members of the Order of the Cat, and the group, led by Fish, made their way to Professor Slughorn's office.

Professor Slughorn's office was larger than ever, but Fish was not surprised, as any club member knew that Professor Slughorn was well-versed in the Undetectable Extension Charm.

The interior of the room had been specially decorated, much more than in previous parties. The ceiling and walls were covered in emerald green, crimson, and gold, as if they were inside a grand tent. In the center of the ceiling hung a golden lamp that cast a red glow over the entire room. The lamp flickered with real fairies, each one a bright point of light.

From a distant corner came a lively song, sounding like a mandolin; the green smoke from a pipe wafted above the heads of chattering old witches; elderly wizards conversed with the smoke from pipes hanging over their heads; they held heavy silver trays, covering their bodies, resembling wandering little tables.

"Fish, Harry, and dear children!" Professor Slughorn exclaimed loudly as Fish and the others pushed open the door. "Come in, come in, there are many people who want to meet you!"

Professor Slughorn was wearing a velvet hat with tassels that matched his shirt tonight. Without a word, he grabbed Fish and Harry by the arms and led them through the crowd.

Hermione and Ginny followed them naturally, along with members of the Cat Order like Cormac McLaggen and Ernie MacMillan, who wouldn't miss the opportunity to expand their network of contacts.

Students like Ron and Neville, who weren't taken seriously by Professor Slughorn and had a lot to say about him, went elsewhere to talk to familiar faces.

"I would like everyone to meet Eldred Worple, my former student and the author of 'Blood Brothers: My Life Among the Vampires'... and, of course, his friend Sanguini."

Professor Slughorn led the two of them to a small man with glasses, and next to him stood a tall, thin man with dark circles and a tired appearance.

Fish was less interested in Worple than in Sanguini and approached him, sniffing vigorously.

"You smell very strange, nya, like the scent of so much mixed human blood."

?ω?

Fish tilted his head and said to Sanguini, "So you're a vampire, huh?"

"Yes," said Sanguini, his previous tiredness dissipating as he stared intensely at Fish with a bright and hungry yet restrained look in his eyes. "Your blood is tempting..." He swallowed hard. "But for some reason, I don't want to bite you."

Contrary to what he said, two sharp canine teeth protruded from Sanguini's lips.

"Fish is scared of teeth, nya!"

Naturally, Fish wasn't frightened by such provocation and opened his mouth, revealing the two rows of sharp teeth that had become pointed inside, while his ears flattened in a gesture of attack toward the vampire in front of him.

"Ha~!"

"Wait, wait! Sanguini!" Worple jumped between the two, scolding the vampire with a stern gaze. "Enough! Didn't I tell you not to attack the students here?" He quickly grabbed a piece of cake from a house-elf's tray and placed it in Sanguini's hand. "Here, have a piece of cake."

Sanguini smiled ironically as he held the cake. "It wasn't my intention to bite him. It's just that the taste of the boy's blood is so tempting that I can't resist..." He unconsciously licked his lips as he spoke.

Hermione and Ginny's faces on the side turned slightly pale, and they pulled their boyfriends away, trying to distance them from Sanguini.

"Ahem... Eldred, I think you already know Fish and Harry, so I'll take them to meet the others first."

And Professor Slughorn, fearing that something might happen, greeted Worple and quickly took Fish and Harry away.

Worple, who had been thinking of giving Fish and Harry a book each as a gift, sadly watched them leave, then cast a disgruntled look at the cake-eating vampire.

He had thought he could show off his powers and facilitate Fish and Harry's agreement to an interview and a joint book deal... had he known, he wouldn't have brought him.

Next, Professor Slughorn took Fish and Harry to meet various members of the Slug Club, and due to their fame, several former members attended, such as Gwenog Jones, whom they had already met, and others.

In addition to these "elders," several teachers and staff members had also accepted the invitation. Harry saw among them Mrs. Pince, Filch, Professor Trelawney, and Snape... all of whom he didn't want to confront.

Fish, on the other hand, was less concerned, especially when he found out that Professor McGonagall wasn't there. Fish was even happier, especially with the smell of steak in his hand.

After introducing Fish and Harry to all the new people, Professor Slughorn finally let them go, and Fish could enjoy his meal even more.

Harry, on the other hand, could finally start with his plans.

After a brief exchange of glances among the members of the Cat Order, Ernie MacMillan grabbed a glass of fruit wine from the tray and was the first to approach Professor Slughorn...