Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 684 Misunderstanding?

Chapter 684 Misunderstanding?

When Harry stood up again, it was already the early hours of the next day. Dumbledore chatted with him for a few more minutes before telling the two of them to go back to the common room to sleep.

Because alchemy takes time, Dumbledore told Shiron to leave the shapeshifting lizard skin bag there, and Shiron agreed without much hesitation.

Over the next two days, Harry finally stopped doing the homework assigned by Dumbledore. Every day, besides observing Malfoy's every move, he spent the rest of his time racking his brains to figure out how to get Slughorn to hand over his real memories.

But he had no inspiration whatsoever. The only thing he could think about was a sentence that Dumbledore had said before he left the headmaster's office that day.

"Sometimes, there isn't just one way to generate courage."

But he never understood what it meant and discussed it with Ron and Hermione every day.

Siren listened from the side, unsure whether he should tell him that Dumbledore's real intention was for him to use this incident to scare Slughorn. As long as Slughorn believed that Voldemort wanted to silence him, that's why the Death Eaters had Rosmerta, who controlled the three brooms, sold him the poisoned mead.

Slughorn had kept it a secret until Voldemort had truly threatened his life.

But it's different now.

If he doesn't keep it a secret, Voldemort will kill him; if he keeps it a secret, Voldemort will still kill him. So why is he working so hard?

When Slughorn realized that only by killing Voldemort could he save his own life, he was willing to cooperate with Dumbledore.

But Siren couldn't say these things, because he didn't know if Slughorn would use Legilimency.

If Slughorn's Legilimency is like Snape's, able to see through someone's thoughts with just a glance, then Harry's terrible Occlumency skills are simply no match for such spying.

Therefore, Harry's best state is to have a vague understanding, and based on Dumbledore's hints, find a general direction to do this.

To be honest, this is quite difficult, and I don't know if Harry can succeed.

However, there is a simpler method, but it is a bit troublesome, and Xilun has been hesitant about whether to do it.

A week later, Dumbledore handed the brand-new shapeshifting lizard skin bag to Siron. He glanced at it only once before heading straight to the Potions office.

"What did you say? The mysterious man wants to kill me!" Slughorn jumped up, his round belly knocking over a thick stack of Potions homework on the table.

The parchment was scattered all over the ground, but Slughorn had no interest in picking it up at that moment.

"Impossible—this is impossible—he had no reason to kill me—"

"I heard it with my own ears." Celen waved his wand, and the parchments on the ground were neatly stacked and returned to the table.

"Last night, I went to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office to retrieve my confiscated Quidditch book, and I overheard Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Snape talking inside. They mentioned Lady Rosmerta."

"What did they say?" Slughorn asked anxiously, staring into Xiren's eyes.

"Headmaster Dumbledore said that Mad-Eye Moody found out that it was Barty Crouch Jr. who cast the Imperius Curse on Lady Rosmerta."

Slughorn's pupils contracted sharply, but quickly returned to normal. He forced a calm expression and said, "This is impossible, Siron, absolutely impossible. If it were true, Albus would have told me."

"But—" Xiren's eyes flickered, as if he was struggling. After a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind and let out a long breath.

"Well, this is fine too." Siren stood up. "Then, Professor Slughorn, I'll head back now."

He was about to leave when Slughorn stopped him.

As a social expert and adept at reading people, how could Slughorn not see that what Siron really meant was not that?

"How about a piece of pineapple preserve? I have plenty here."

"Thank you, Professor, but I don't like things that are too sweet."

"Where's the chocolate frog?"

"I don't collect cards."

"By the way, your homework from last time."

"It's finished."

Siren seemed determined to leave, ignoring everything Slughorn said.

It wasn't until he mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that the Felix Felicis he had prepared in class during the first lesson was almost finished.

Xilun, who had already reached the door, suddenly stopped.

"No, Professor, I still can't bear the pangs of my conscience." Xiren gritted his teeth and said, "I know why they won't tell you the truth."

"Oh, why?" Slughorn asked hastily, but quickly pretended to be indifferent.

-

"Because the headmaster and Snape are afraid you'll resign," Celen said. "They said it's difficult to find qualified professors to serve at Hogwarts during this special time."

C

"So they decided—decided—to lie to you, to say that Ms. Rosmerta had made a mistake, and that the bottle of wine was originally intended for Harry."

"Hahaha!" Slughorn suddenly laughed.

"That's impossible, you must have misheard," he said. "Harry Potter isn't even an adult yet, how could Rosmerta sell him mead?"

"Maybe, but I really heard it." After saying that, Siron left the Potions Department office.

Slughorn, on the other hand, completely relaxed, humming a classic tune by Setina Warbeck, and tidied up the table he had just messed up.

After we finished doing all that, it was just lunchtime.

Slughorn liked to have lunch with everyone in the auditorium, which he saw as a good opportunity to get to know the famous students, whether it was to chat or invite them to dinner parties.

After lunch, Slughorn prepared to teach Potions to the sixth-year students.

However, just as he reached the vicinity of the stairs, someone chased after him from behind.

"Please wait a moment, Horace."

"Albus?" Slughorn looked at Dumbledore, who was walking up from behind, and asked, "What do you want with me?"

""

"There is one thing," Dumbledore said.

"Does it matter?" Slughorn asked. "Should we talk in my office?"

"It's important, but it doesn't need to be that complicated." Dumbledore shook his head. "Well, Alastor has investigated Lady Rosmerta of the Three Brooms and asked me to tell you that it's all a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstand?"

"That's right." Dumbledore nodded and said with a smile, "You should remember that during the first Hogsmeade Week, the Death Eaters attacked the Aurors, right?"

"Of course, I remember it vividly," Slughorn said.

"It's the same this time." Dumbledore's expression turned serious. "They controlled Rosmerta this time to kill Harry with poison, but their Imperius Curse was so bad that Rosmerta mistook him for someone else."