Chapter 694: Horace Slughorn (Edited)

Dumbledore guided the two of them, passing by an empty tavern and a few houses, then they turned a corner, passed by a telephone booth and a bus stop.

Then they went up a steep and narrow street lined with rows of houses.

"Professor, why can't we use Apparition to get to your former colleague's house?" Harry asked, noticing that they hadn't arrived after such a long time.

"Because that would be as rude as kicking someone's door down," Dumbledore explained. "Courtesy demands that we offer other wizards the chance to refuse us. However, most wizarding houses have magic to protect against Apparition. For example, at Hogwarts..."

"...Apparition is not allowed in the castle or on the grounds," Harry interjected. "Hermione told me."

"You are correct. We will turn more to the left."

Harry kept wondering, how was it possible that Dumbledore didn't find it impolite to visit his former colleague so late?

But instead of asking more questions, he followed Dumbledore and turned onto another straight street.

After crossing the street, they stopped in front of the main door of a neat stone cottage situated in a garden.

"Here we are," Dumbledore said.

Then they followed the well-kept path behind the door and reached the front door of the house.

Dumbledore approached and knocked on the door, which opened.

Behind the door was a long, narrow porch, with fine candelabras hanging on the walls on both sides, their white candles glowing warmly. To the left of the porch was an open door through which brighter light streamed.

Dumbledore shook his robes and entered the parlor, followed by Fish and Harry, naturally.

It was a narrow and cluttered parlor, filled with plush armchairs, footstools, drinks, and books, boxes of chocolates, and piles of plump cushions.

There was a clock and an expensive-looking piano, a gleaming chandelier on the ceiling similar to the one at the Black family ancestral home, and pretty wallpaper on the walls.

At the other end of the parlor was a desk with silver frames containing pictures of a fat, bald old man with other people.

The fat old man was comfortably seated in an armchair with a glass of wine, looking at them.

"Long time no see, Albus, my friend," the fat old man with the white and silver beard of a walrus raised his glass and gestured to Dumbledore, but remained seated in his chair without getting up, a little rude.

But Dumbledore didn't mind such a small thing and greeted him warmly, "How have you been, Horace? Have you been in good health lately?"

Horace's eyes shifted back and forth between Fish and Harry, not immediately responding to his question, but with a conflicted expression.

This puzzled Harry, why was he taking so long to consider such a simple question?

However, Dumbledore, as if he had been expecting it, led Fish and Harry to the plush sofa and sat down, introducing them, "This is an old friend and colleague of mine, Horace Slughorn. These two, I suppose, are not strangers to you, are they?"

"Of course, of course..." Horace said, looking at the two of them in astonishment and murmuring as if to himself, "The famous 'natural Animagus,' Fish McGonagall, and Harry Potter, the 'Boy Who Lived'..."

"Hello nya!"

(ΦωΦ)

Fish courteously greeted.

"Hello," Harry returned the greeting kindly with a nod.

"Alright, you win, Albus," Horace sighed resignedly and admitted, "I'm in."

The words spoken confused both Fish and Harry, but Dumbledore smiled approvingly as he confirmed, "Are you willing to return to work?"

"Yes, yes," Horace seemed a little impatient, and then hesitantly asked, "About... that man... it's true, isn't it?"

Though he said it vaguely, Harry guessed what he meant.

And Dumbledore did the same, nodding, "I believe you know me, Horace. And... you should know him too." He said significantly.

Horace's face paled slightly, then he fidgeted uneasily with his chubby thumbs and lowered his head, avoiding Dumbledore's gaze.

"I, I don't understand what you're talking about..." Horace clumsily tried to change the subject, "Oh, by the way, care for a drink? To commemorate my tenure, oh no, to celebrate the past..."

The more he spoke, and the more he made mistakes, he simply got up and went over to the sideboard, somewhat agitated.

"Professor?" Harry glanced questioningly at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, however, merely made a gentle gesture with his hand, offering no further explanations.

Soon, Horace returned with a silver tray and regained his composure at the same time.

As he distributed the drinks from the tray to the three of them, he said, "Come and try, it's a very exquisite drink sent to me by a friend, you should know how big her beverage business is... you two must be underage, just have a butterbeer!"

"No!" ×2

Dumbledore and Harry chorused in unison.

"You wouldn't want Fish to drink, Horace," Dumbledore said significantly.

And Harry nodded, "Yes... just give him a glass of milk or water!"

Fish: "..."

(?ω?)

Although Fish knew he couldn't drink...

Why did he suddenly want to try again?

He mischievously looked at the glass of wine in front of Dumbledore, his heart pounding.

Fortunately, Horace had already brought two glasses of milk, and the sweet aroma managed to distract Fish's attention.

"Well, Albus," Horace said after gently clinking his glass with Dumbledore's and taking a sip of his wine, "I promised to return to Hogwarts to teach, but you have to promise me that this won't put me in danger."

"Why do you think that, Horace?" Dumbledore tasted the drink in his glass, licked his lips with satisfaction, and said, "Accepting my invitation doesn't make you a member of the Order of the Phoenix. However, rejecting Voldemort's invitation should mean he won't leave you alone..."

He looked at Horace with a mocking smile and said, "If my information is correct, you've been erratic during the past year, never in one place for more than a week and rarely in contact with your 'collection' of contacts... that's unlike you. Let me guess... have you been approached by a Death Eater?"

"I don't even know if he's a Death Eater!" Horace said resentfully, forcefully slamming his glass on the table, spilling a good amount of liquor, "But that man's tone barely differs from those Death Eaters back then. Why do you think I believe your story so easily?"

"You're as cautious as ever," Dumbledore sarcastically remarked, swirling his glass in his hand.

"Today, it's the cautious wizard who lives most comfortably." Horace appeared nonchalant; he was a seeker of pleasures and never shied away from them.

"If you want to be comfortable, I don't think Hogwarts will disappoint you." Dumbledore smiled, "At least it's much more comfortable and secure than your current life, where you have to move every week."

"Let's hope so..." Horace took a sip from his glass, then looked at Fish and Harry with a complex expression on his face. "Anyway, I already promised you, didn't I?"

How could Dumbledore have agreed so easily if he hadn't been enchanted by those two (mainly Fish)?

Resentful, Horace decided to compensate in other ways.

And so, a new conversation began between Horace and Dumbledore regarding their arrangement. However, Dumbledore, who had already received a positive response from him, firmly rejected his unreasonable request.

"Well then, Horace, I'll see you on September 1st." After some discussion, Dumbledore set down his glass and stood up to bid farewell.

"Yes, no problem," Horace muttered. "But can't we renegotiate the salary...?"

"Of course not, the salaries of the Hogwarts professors are regulated." Dumbledore gently but firmly refused once again. "I'm already paying you the highest salary allowed."

"Ugh... well then... I should have discussed the offer with you before accepting it." It was clear that Horace was still not very pleased with his current salary.

"Albus, the price of enjoying a vacation as a professor at Hogwarts is earning less money... right, nya?"

(??ˇ?ˇ??)

When Dumbledore left Horace's house with Fish and Harry, Fish raised his head and asked seriously.

Dumbledore: "..."

Oh no! I forgot about kidnapping Fish to make him work at the school!