Chapter 732: MISSION COMPLETE! (Edited)

The tactics of the Order of the Cat managed to distract Fish, but everyone knew it was temporary and would soon fail as Fish's interest waned.

So...

"Fish McGonagall!!!"

Hermione suddenly appeared at the door with Professor McGonagall in tow.

"Roar?"

∑(=⊙Д⊙=)

The large white cat amidst a flurry of birds came to a sudden halt and slowly turned its head in the direction of the sound.

Then it saw a furious Professor McGonagall, staring at him through her glasses.

Like a statue, Fish remained motionless for a moment, and then he turned his head and leaped towards a window, shrinking back into his cat form and jumping out of the castle before anyone could react.

Professor McGonagall rushed to the window and saw a small gray figure running erratically towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Fish! Come back!!" Professor McGonagall roared at the top of her lungs.

Fish, however, kept running as if he hadn't heard anything and disappeared from Professor McGonagall's sight in an instant.

=(==(=ω=(=`ω=)

"Who gave Fish something to drink?!"

Professor McGonagall turned around, glaring furiously at Hermione and the others.

"It... it was Professor Slughorn..." a weak voice sounded out of nowhere.

"Where is Slughorn?!" Even though he was a colleague and former teacher, Professor McGonagall wasn't going to let him off the hook at this point.

"He's drunk, Professor, and I just took him to the dormitory to rest." Harry, who had appeared at some point, honestly replied.

At the same time, Hermione stood behind him and winked discreetly at Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall was slightly taken aback but quickly regained her composure.

There was no way Fish would drink with Hermione watching, even if Professor Slughorn was persuading him to do so. Obviously, something was going on that she didn't know about.

Professor McGonagall was also unaware of the "mission" Dumbledore had assigned them. After all, it had to do with Professor Slughorn's reputation, so she wouldn't have let more people know unless Fish had mentioned it.

"In that case, let's wait until he's sober." Professor McGonagall said coldly after a few moments of silence.

As Professor McGonagall left, the others looked at the messy office and glanced at each other.

"Ahem... let's first take Mr. Worple and Mr. Sanguini to the infirmary." Professor Snape was the first to break the awkward silence as he nonchalantly cleaned up the mess for Fish. "That's it for today's party. All students to their dormitories, the guests can follow me and leave the rest to the house-elves."

Under Professor Snape's orderly arrangement, everyone exited Professor Slughorn's office in an orderly fashion. As soon as they were out of sight from Professor Snape, they gathered together and engaged in lively discussion.

After all, tonight the Order of the Cat was truly boasting.

"That Slug Club is nothing," said Ron proudly. "Did you see how those kids cowered in fear of Fish? Hahahahahahaha..."

He laughed heartily, dissipating his resentment for not being able to join the Slug Club.

"The club is more or less useful," argued Cormac McLaggen, who had joined the Slug Club with a mixed smile. "At least we get to meet famous people there, and Jones said she would recommend me to the Kenmare Kestrels in the future!"

"What? Is that true?" Seamus immediately asked excitedly, teasing McLaggen, who was a fan of the Kestrels.

Ron's mood soured once again, and he overlooked the conversation.

Once back in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione, Harry, and Ron gathered silently.

"Did you get it?" Ron asked impatiently.

"Of course."

Harry took a glass jar from his pocket and shook it proudly, the silvery substance inside shimmering white.

"So, are we going to see Dumbledore? But Fish hasn't returned yet," Ron scratched his head. "And with tomorrow's holiday, Harry and I didn't choose to stay at the school."

"Dumbledore is not here, that's what Professor McGonagall said," Hermione said. "It seems we'll have to wait until after the Christmas break to see... or you can leave the memory jar with me. Fish should know how to use the Pensieve, and we don't know when Dumbledore will return."

Harry pondered it for a moment and actually handed the glass jar to Hermione. Although he would have liked to be the first to know the truth, it was important for Dumbledore to get a lead as soon as possible.

As Hermione took the memory bottle, she also gave Harry the Felix Felicis potion that Fish had given her, and then had a brief conversation with Harry and Ron before hurrying back to her dormitory.

Hermione had considered going to the Forbidden Forest to search for Fish, but considering that Fish had consumed the potion before getting drunk and was unlikely to be in danger in the Forbidden Forest, she abandoned the idea, although she was still a little worried.

...

As the sun rose, it shone through a gap in the leaves and illuminated a cute tabby kitten.

The little tabby lay on its back among the branches of the willow, sleeping soundly.

But when the winter sun hit its face, the sleeping cat seemed a bit uncomfortable. It lifted its paws, covered its head, and rolled its body to the side to avoid the direct sunlight...

Then the little tabby kitten tumbled off the tree.

"Nya!"

∑(=ΦДΦ=)

In mid-flight, Fish woke up startled, quickly adjusting his body and firmly stepping on the frozen ground of the Forbidden Forest with his four paws.

"Nya?"

(°ω°≡°ω°)

Fish looked around, confirmed his position, and sat down.

The seductive fine wine that has been aging in the cellar for seven years truly has a different effect. This time, Fish has been drunk for a long time, and the key is that he doesn't feel a headache.

Also...

His transformation energy has increased again!

Does drinking increase transformation energy?

?ω?

Fish tilted his head, confused.

Or was it because of the Felix Felicis potion?

But soon, Fish pushed it out of his mind because Fish was hungry.

Of course, he had to do the necessary stretches, licks, and facial massages before dinner.

After spending some time grooming his fur, Fish patted the trunk of the Whomping Willow and gracefully walked back to the castle.

|ΦωΦ=)

As soon as he entered the entrance hall, he sensed the aroma of food coming from the Great Hall, but instead of rushing in, he stealthily peeked his head through the door...

Indeed, Professor McGonagall was waiting there with her arms crossed and a stern face, while Hermione obediently sat by her side.

Apart from that, there was no one else in the Great Hall. Everyone had already boarded the Hogwarts Express and headed to London.

"Minerva~ good morning, Nya~"

●ω●

Fish immediately transformed back into his human form and jumped towards Professor McGonagall, giving her a tight hug and affectionately rubbing his cheek against hers.

Professor McGonagall gently pushed Fish away, looking at him coolly but with a hint of pleasure on her face.

Only after a long moment did a helpless smile appear on her face.

"There's nothing I can do about it..." she sighed as she reached out and rubbed Fish's head.

In other words, there was a reason for what happened last night, and there weren't many consequences, otherwise, Professor McGonagall wouldn't let him off so easily.

"Hehehe... Minerva is the best, Nya!"

(つ≥ω≤)つ

Fish hugged her again.