Chapter 710: Joining Slug Club Isn't a Bad Thing (Edited)

"Hermione, why did you make Fish say yes to his invitation?"

(??ˇ?ˇ??)

Fish asked, a little upset, as soon as Slughorn had left happily with his enormous belly.

"Fish doesn't like that guy nya!"

"I don't like him either."

Hermione nodded before explaining, "But well, he's a professor, and it's not right to keep rejecting him."

Of course, this was just to appease Fish. The real reason was that she had noticed Harry's conflict, and remembering that her mother had been part of the Slug Club, Hermione had decided to help him...

She thought for a moment and then said, "And didn't Dumbledore say that Professor Slughorn likes to 'collect' talented students? So if you reject him this time, there might be another opportunity, so why don't we talk to him tonight?"

"That's right..." Fish said, clenching his fist, "If he doesn't include the Cat Order in the Slug Club tonight, Fish will give him a beatdown nya!"

(`ω´)

"I didn't mean that!" Hermione hurried to dissuade him, "And aren't you afraid that Minerva will be angry if you do that?"

Upon hearing Hermione mention Professor McGonagall, Fish immediately became depressed.

"I thought you said you were going to talk to him tonight nya..." Fish murmured, scrunching up his nose.

"I mean, let's decline the invitation to join the Slug Club tonight, so he should leave you alone later." Hermione explained, astounded.

Then she looked back at Harry and said compassionately, "Harry, you don't have to think about us, join if you want to..."

After catching sight of Fish's suddenly puffed-up cheeks, eager to accuse Harry, Hermione hastily added, "After all, your mother was once in the Slug Club."

Fish blinked, his anger calmed in an instant, and he joined Hermione in the conversation.

"That's right nya, Albus said there were benefits to joining that club, and anyway, it was bound to be snatched by Fish sooner or later, so it doesn't matter if you join now nya!"

(??ˇ?ˇ??)

Fish said, putting his hands behind his head and nodding seriously.

"Ah... well... thanks."

Harry smiled and thanked them, not bothering to explain that he had declined Slughorn's invitation mainly because he didn't like his attitude...

Another reason was that Draco Malfoy had already said yes to Slughorn's invitation on the train, and that had made Harry a little hesitant to join the club.

Certainly, it was impossible for Fish to go back to his duties with Hermione in the afternoon, and he took his cat form, wandering around the castle, enjoying occasional strokes and treats from others, or finding a nice spot to half-close his eyes for a while.

Fish spent the rest of Saturday afternoon at his usual leisurely pace, only to meet up with Hermione, Ginny, and Harry in the common room after dinner time.

The four bid a disgruntled Ron farewell and made their way to Professor Slughorn's office together.

Since Snape hadn't changed his office to the third floor, and since Slughorn needed a space large enough to entertain the club members, his office was much bigger than the average professor's room.

"Ha! Look who's here," Slughorn greeted the four of them almost as soon as they entered, exclaiming enthusiastically, "The famous Fish and Harry! And Miss Granger, who is always the top of her class, and Miss Weasley, with amazing magical skill!"

He grabbed Fish and Harry by the arms and pulled them towards the room, while courteously nodding to Hermione and Ginny in a way that was quite different from how he had treated Neville and Ron before.

Fish didn't resist, as he was already drawn in by the aroma of the food wafting in the room.

(??﹃??)

"Allow me to introduce Gwenog Jones, of the Holyhead Harpies..."

Slughorn pulled the two towards a witch with dark skin who clearly wasn't a Hogwarts student, but halfway there, he suddenly found himself unable to walk...

To be precise, it was Fish, who was cooperating, that suddenly stood still, and naturally Slughorn couldn't drag Fish.

"Fish is hungry! We need to eat first!"

=(ΦДΦ)

Amid Slughorn's perplexed gaze, Fish spoke up and with a motion of his arm, broke free from his grip and snuck over to the table loaded with food.

Slughorn clumsily rubbed his forehead and then let out a dry laugh.

"Yes, yes, yes! I was in a hurry, so let's eat and fill our bellies!" He gestured with his hand and said to the others present, "We'll have plenty of time to talk after we've eaten."

The rest of Hogwarts was accustomed to Fish's style and weren't surprised or offended as they chuckled lightly and joined Fish at the table.

It must be said that the food prepared by Slughorn was very tasty; after all, he had relied on his own connections to acquire many things here that ordinary Hogwarts ingredients couldn't compare to.

So...

"Hermione... Fish suddenly thinks that... joining this club isn't such a bad thing."

Ψ(??~??)

Fish murmured quietly to Hermione beside him as he chewed his food.

Hermione looked amused at the greedy Fish and nodded, "Yes, yes, weren't you saying that? Professor Dumbledore also mentioned that joining the Slug Club has its advantages."

Fish looked at the food in front of him and nodded vigorously. "Mmm! The benefits are too great, nya!"

Then Fish furrowed his brow again as he continued to stuff his mouth with food. "But Fish still doesn't want to be a 'collectible'..."

Ψ(??~??)

"It depends on you," Hermione shrugged, not minding as she would support whatever Fish chose.

"Hello." The dark-skinned witch approached Fish's side as he swallowed and smiled slightly with pride while introducing herself. "I'm Gwenog Jones, the Beater and captain of the Holyhead Harpies."

"Beater? Quidditch, nya?"

Ψ(??~??)

Fish tilted his head and looked at her, speaking directly. "Fish doesn't like Quidditch, so I don't know you or the team you're talking about, nya."

"...eh?" The smile on Jones' face faltered.

The Holyhead Harpies were a female Quidditch team from Wales, and they were well-known, if not globally, at least within the magical community of England, especially among witches, where they were particularly popular.

This was also evident from the excited faces of Ginny and the other young witches standing beside her.

And since Jones had played for the Harpies, she had become so well-known in the magical world of England, even to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, that she hadn't expected such a response from Fish before coming here.

"Well, Fish doesn't like the complicated rules of Quidditch, so he's not very interested in the game, which is why he doesn't really know how good you all are," Ginny hurriedly explained for Fish.

"Oh...that's alright, it's rare, but there are people who don't like Quidditch." Jones naturally couldn't be angry with Fish and replied with a friendly wave of her hand.

Of course, that was just Fish. If anyone else had said they didn't like Quidditch in front of her, Jones would have had a good argument with the other person.

But since Fish wasn't interested in Quidditch, Jones didn't know how to start a conversation with him.

"Hey, guys, what are you talking about? Mind if I join you?"

At that moment, Slughorn approached with a glass of wine.

"Of course not, Professor." Jones turned to him with a bitter smile. "I was trying to get to know Fish, but it seems he doesn't like Quidditch..."

"Oh, I can't help you with that, dear." Slughorn raised his hands. "Fish doesn't particularly like me either... though I still don't know why."

With his social skills, it was impossible for him not to realize that Fish was bored of him, but he believed he could change Fish's opinion. However, he first had to figure out why, so he immediately followed Jones' words and dispelled the doubts he had.

"Could you tell me the reason, Fish?" Even knowing that Fish disliked him, Slughorn maintained his friendly attitude and asked Fish.

"Fish doesn't want to be anyone's 'collectible,' nya!"

(??ˇ?ˇ??)

Fish put down his knife and fork, swallowed his food, and responded with a serious expression.