Chapter 636: Hermione and Ginny Although they were curious about the new Potions professor, the young witches and wizards were instantly distracted by the dinner that sud |
Horace Slughorn.
Do not let appearances fool you. He was an old man as fat as a walrus, bald on top, and nothing about his manner made him look like someone suited to being a Hogwarts professor.
But in truth, he had already been a professor at Hogwarts years ago. More than that, if he had not suddenly chosen to step down of his own accord, then he would almost certainly still be Head of Slytherin now.
In that case, the position might never have fallen to Snape at all...
With that in mind.
Or rather, even a fool would understand that anyone capable of becoming the head of one of Hogwarts’s four houses could never be such a simple figure.
Even if he was older now, Dumbledore must have personally approved of him before inviting him back.
At the very least, his strength definitely met the standard...
And compared with the other confused young wizards, Draco was actually quite familiar with this former Head of Slytherin.
He loved comfort and he loved vanity.
The old man was always fond of associating with famous people, successful people, and important people, and he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling that his every word could influence them.
Because of that, Draco had seen Slughorn at almost every banquet, and the man had always shown obvious appreciation for him. That was how Draco had gradually come to know him in the first place...
From what Draco knew, although Horace was a professor, he treated ordinary students as though they did not exist, and often could not even remember their names.
On the other hand, he was always quick to notice and draw out students with exceptional talent, contacting them early, bringing them into his circle, and giving them all sorts of special treatment.
That way of doing things had made opinions about him sharply divided.
But it also had to be admitted that Horace had a very good eye. Among the students he favored, talented people emerged in droves, and there was no shortage of top figures in every field.
As time passed, that also gave him an astonishingly deep network of connections.
Maybe that was why he had once been Head of Slytherin.
Years ago, when Draco was already beginning to make a name for himself in the wizarding world, Horace, with his sharp eye and silver tongue, had already set his sights on Draco as his first choice.
Over the past few years, Horace had repeatedly tried to invite Draco into a club called the Slug Club.
It was only after news of the Dark Lord’s return spread that Horace suddenly vanished without a trace. Draco did not see him again until this year’s Sorting Ceremony...
Simply put, this new Potions professor was not a bad person at heart, but in his eyes, only outstanding students and wizards worth befriending and recruiting really mattered.
In a way, he was a very pure Slytherin.
Not exactly a responsible professor...
...
The moment Draco recognized Slughorn, Pansy, who also came from a well connected background, naturally recognized him as well.
To be more precise, it was through Draco that she had come to know this overly enthusiastic old wizard...
“I did not expect Dumbledore to actually find him. I thought he had gone back into hiding.”
The fact that Horace Slughorn had been deliberately avoiding Voldemort was no real secret among a small circle of people.
And it had to be said that Dumbledore managing to find him was rather surprising.
As for why he had been hiding from the Dark Lord.
Rumor had it that it went all the way back to the days when Horace was still Head of Slytherin, and Voldemort was still a student at Hogwarts.
After all, with how outstanding Voldemort had been back then, it was hard to imagine he had not been one of this “collector’s” prized targets.
Of course, almost no one knew the details...
In any case.
Just as Pansy had said, Horace Slughorn’s sudden return to Hogwarts at a time like this was bound to make people suspicious and surprised.
How exactly had Dumbledore convinced him?
Draco had no idea how Dumbledore had persuaded him, but now it seemed it was Horace’s turn to speak...
In that instant, the somewhat listless Horace from before completely changed the moment he stepped forward.
He turned into an old man overflowing with passion.
His eyes seemed to shine as they swept across the young faces below.
“Everything has changed, yet somehow it feels as though nothing has changed at all. Looking at all of you, I can still remember those outstanding students of mine.”
“Back then, every member of the Black family was in my house, but to my surprise, Sirius ended up in Gryffindor. What a pity... he was a very talented boy. The moment his brother Regulus arrived, I got him into my house at once, but it would have been even better if both of them had been mine.”
No one knew why Horace had brought that up, but the way he spoke sounded like a collector at an auction, as though the students he was talking about were pieces of art.
Those few sentimental words immediately drew plenty of hostile looks from the Gryffindors. It was hard not to suspect they had figured out that the professor on stage had once been Head of Slytherin.
Among them, Harry Potter reacted the most strongly.
That was probably because Horace had mentioned his dead godfather.
But Draco was more interested in one particular line, because it reminded him of something.
“All the Blacks... Regulus?”
Just when Draco felt he was only one step away from figuring something out, his train of thought was cut off by Horace on the stage.
“Forgive me. Please forgive an old man for being a little too nostalgic.”
And perhaps noticing the looks from the Gryffindor students, Horace spread his hands in surprise. “Oh, come now. Do not think I have some bias against Gryffindor. Harry’s mother was one of my favorite students in all my life, and there was also Cresswell, who was one year below him. Not all the students I favored were Slytherins.”
As though they had just heard some astonishing secret, most of the wizards turned to look at Harry Potter, who seemed a little stunned.
It looked as though this was the first time Harry Potter had heard that as well.
But before Harry Potter could react, Horace’s mood suddenly sank.
Right in front of everyone, the old man who had been brimming with enthusiasm a moment ago fell silent and returned to his seat, completely ignoring the young wizards below, whose eyes were now filled with curiosity.
That sudden shift left the students at a complete loss.
They had not said anything, had they?
As for what had happened, aside from Dumbledore, who stood up again and had the house elves begin serving the meal, perhaps no one knew what was wrong with Horace...
...
Although they were curious about the new Potions professor, the young witches and wizards were instantly distracted by the dinner that suddenly appeared on the tables.
After all, nothing mattered more than filling their stomachs...
Speaking of Hermione after she parted ways with Draco, it was impossible not to mention the Gryffindor table closest to the edge.
There was nothing inherently special about that table. What made it different was the people who sat there.
It was in a very marginal spot, and not just because it happened to be tucked away in a corner.
If you paid attention, you would notice that the people who sat there were either students with very few friends at school, or those who were not good at talking and interacting with others.
The only exception was probably Hermione Granger.
When she had first arrived at Hogwarts, she really had been a little arrogant and hopeless at reading the room. That had left people with the unpleasant impression that she was cold and meddlesome.
But anyone who actually got to know her would quickly realize that Hermione was the kind of girl who made a very good friend.
Given a little more time, she surely would have been accepted by Gryffindor's little lions.
But.
For some reason, things seemed to have gone off course.
And everyone knew the main reason for her current situation was that Malfoy...
Naturally, where there were people who struggled socially, there were also people who thrived.
One of them was Ginny Weasley, a year below Hermione, yet in a very short time she had already won the favor of most of the students. At that very moment, she was sneaking into the Great Hall.
With her open, unaffected personality, it was easy for both boys and girls to warm to her.
And with the way she stood up for her friends so frankly and bravely, the Gryffindors had accepted her almost at once.
By comparison, Hermione Granger, who was close to Slytherin, seemed like the exact opposite example...
...
In short, because Ginny was so well liked, even if someone noticed her sneaking around, they would pretend not to see it, and might even help cover for her.
What puzzled the others, though, was who had managed to offend this Weasley girl.
Her emotions were written all over her face.
Maybe she simply was not very good at hiding what she felt, because the puffed up, sulky look on Ginny's face was obvious.
Completely unaware that people had already noticed her, Ginny fixed her eyes on a certain someone.
Found you. Blushing that hard, she definitely forgot all about me.
The person Ginny was grumbling about was, of course, Hermione, who had left her behind earlier.
And just as Ginny had seen, Hermione's absent minded look and foolish smile, as though she were thinking of something and grinning to herself, made it seem as though she had completely forgotten there had been a third person present at the time...
It was hardly Hermione's fault for looking so silly.
Even she had not been mentally prepared for Draco to do something like that to her.
It was not as though they had never done such things before, but those moments had either been on a silent tower late at night or in an underground corridor where no one was ever likely to pass by.
In other words, always somewhere they absolutely would not be seen...
This kind of experience, though, constantly worrying that someone might catch them at any moment, was Hermione's first taste of that sort of thrill... Tch.
The moment the thought crossed her mind, Hermione, who had been smiling foolishly just a second ago, ground her teeth and stamped her foot. Her fair long legs pressed together a little awkwardly.
One second she was grinning.
The next, she was pouting.
So distracted and absent minded was she that she had probably not taken in a single word about the new professor up on the staff table.
That was probably why, even after Ginny came over and sat down at the table, Hermione never noticed the extra person beside her at all...
...
Thud.
Ginny dropped into her seat without the slightest concern for whether it looked graceful or ladylike, then stared with wide eyes at Hermione, who turned at the sound.
"........."
"........."
First came a long silence.
Then came the painfully obvious awkwardness.
Of course, Hermione was the only one who did not know what to say. Her guilty, wandering eyes made it perfectly clear that she had finally remembered exactly what she had forgotten...
"You're here."
"That's right, I'm here... No, wait. That is not what you should be saying, is it?!"
Realizing her friend really did seem angry, Hermione quickly pressed her hands together and started apologizing with a pleading look.
"I didn't mean to. I just... uh..."
Halfway through her explanation, Hermione realized there was no way she could actually explain it properly.
Not unless she was willing to talk about the intimate exchange she had just had with Draco...
And with how thin skinned she was, there was no way she could ever do that.
What she did not know was that Ginny, despite looking like she had come to demand answers, had already seen everything. Even now, those scenes still seemed vividly imprinted in her mind.
For some reason, under the curious gazes of the people around them, the two girls, each charming in her own way, suddenly fell silent and started blushing. Neither of them was willing to let their eyes meet for even a second.
As though they were afraid the other might see right through them...
As time passed, just as Hermione was feeling guilty and Ginny was tying herself in knots, tonight's feast appeared on the table at exactly the right moment.
Even though they saw this every year, the instant it happened Hermione and Ginny both slowly let out a breath and wore the same pleasantly surprised expressions as the first years.
Because they could finally escape that delicate, awkward atmosphere from a moment ago...
...
Good food could lift anyone's spirits, and Hermione and Ginny were no exception.
By the time dessert arrived, the two friends seemed to have forgotten the awkwardness from before, as though nothing had happened at all.
Taking a bite of fruit from her fork, Hermione sneaked a glance at Ginny. She was actually rather curious about what had happened over the holiday.
If there was one person who had become the most famous during that great battle, then without a doubt it was Draco.
But if Draco could be called the male lead, then the ones who could be called the female leads were probably only Ginny and Luna.
Hermione had not yet had a chance to hear the full story from Draco, but she could at least approach the matter from the girls' side first...
After a pause, Hermione set down her knife and fork.
"Come to think of it, you and Draco..."
"I didn't see anything!"
"........"
"......."
Hermione first looked blank, then in the space of a heartbeat her face turned bright red.
And after seeing Hermione's stiff, stunned expression, Ginny finally realized what she had just blurted out.
With a groan of regret, Ginny covered her face with one hand.
Was that not basically a confession...?