Chapter 678: Learning Apparition After the party ended, Hermione seemed to launch yet another assault on the library.On the way to the Great Hall, she deliberately sought |
Although Professor Horace didn’t physically grab Draco’s arm to keep him from leaving, the way he kept staring at Draco made it look as if he was afraid that, the moment he stopped watching, Mr. Malfoy would disappear right in front of him.
And Horace’s eagerness made one thing perfectly clear.
The person he truly wanted to invite was Draco, not Hermione.
In fact, while Hermione’s potential was certainly worth investing in, Horace’s real focus was still on Draco.
To be precise, part of that focus was on the name Malfoy itself, a name known throughout the wizarding world as that of a noble family...
Although she had already prepared herself for it, and although the person being favored was someone she liked, Hermione still couldn’t help feeling a faint sense of disappointment when she actually saw it happen.
Especially for someone as competitive as her, someone who cared deeply about professors and academic performance, it took a little effort to steady her emotions.
“So it really was like that.”
“What, disappointed? I thought you’d already figured it out.”
The little bit of gloom Hermione had been feeling was instantly ruined by Pansy’s muttering. After shooting her a speechless look, Hermione finally noticed what kind of important people were standing in front of them.
“Draco, I’ve been wanting to introduce you to Eldred Worple. He was once my student, and he’s the author of Living Among Vampires.”
Besides the short, bespectacled wizard in front of them, there were plenty of other wizards gathered around him as well.
As Horace introduced them one by one, there were middle-aged wizards holding important posts in the Ministry of Magic, monster hunters who specialized in hunting dangerous Magical Creatures, and even wizard idols currently touring the wizarding world.
This one small long table had gathered together top figures from all walks of life.
And without exception, every one of them had once been one of Horace’s outstanding students.
After hearing all the introductions, Hermione came to understand Professor Horace even more clearly, and once again.
Who would have thought that this potbellied old wizard, who looked so ordinary at first glance, was actually holding such an astonishing network of connections in his hands?
For some reason, Hermione felt even more certain that Draco’s earlier analysis had been right.
After all, how could a Professor Horace like this possibly have let the Dark Lord slip by back then?
...
Although all of these wizards had achieved quite a lot in their respective fields, Draco was obviously not interested in them at all.
Under Hermione’s regretful gaze, Draco merely greeted them briefly, then took Hermione and the others away from Horace’s “entanglement.”
Thinking about it, Hermione had actually wanted to chat with that famous author who had become friends with a Vampire...
“Look. Professor Snape is actually here too?”
“And Potter’s with him. It looks like the atmosphere over there isn’t very pleasant.”
While snacking on the refreshments at the party, Pansy and the others were surprised to spot Snape in attendance. After all, Snape was not the sort of person who usually socialized.
Still, from where Draco and the others were standing, there was no way they could hear what was being said over there.
Draco shook his head. He was not surprised by Snape’s presence in the slightest.
“Because Snape was also Professor Horace’s student. You should remember that Horace has mentioned more than once that Potter’s mother was his favorite student.”
“I see.”
Although she did not really understand what that had to do with anything, Pansy still nodded as if she half understood.
Hermione, however, was much more concerned about something else. She turned her gaze back to Draco, who was gently swirling the wine in his glass, then covered her mouth with one hand and asked in a low voice, “When are we going to start?”
“Don’t rush. You should observe this place first.”
“Observe this place? How does that help our plan?”
Draco did not answer right away. Instead, he pressed the chilled glass in his hand against Hermione’s cheek, earning himself an annoyed, delicate glare from the girl.
With a soft chuckle, Draco took a sip of the Dragon’s Blood wine in his glass.
“Don’t forget where we are.”
“Professor Horace’s office?”
“Exactly. Then let me ask you another question. How do you get the secret you want from a professor, especially one skilled in Occlumency?”
“...But you never said any of this about the other professors.”
“Because from the very beginning, Horace was my target. To be more precise, aside from him, I don’t think any of the other professors know what we want to find out... well, except Dumbledore.”
That made not only Hermione stare at him, but Pansy too, who had been toying with Draco’s fingers a moment ago, now looked up at him with her lips slightly parted.
Didn’t that mean everything they had done before had been a waste of effort?
Realizing that, Pansy could not help glaring at Draco too.
Faced with the girls’ resentful looks, Draco gave a light cough.
“It’s not like I was certain.”
That answer only earned him more charming eye-rolls from the girls.
“Anyway, since there’s no way to get what we want directly out of him, then there’s only one option left.”
Draco’s words immediately aroused Hermione’s curiosity.
“You mean there might be some crucial information hidden in this office?”
Even as she said that, Hermione shook her head hard.
“That’s impossible. Even if there was something, so much time has passed. How could it still be here?”
“Words and objects may be gone. But what about memories?”
“M... memories?”
In the wizarding world, there are all kinds of magical objects.
They are fascinating, and they also bring a great deal of convenience to the lives of wizards...
Among them is one especially unique magical object.
It can preserve the thoughts and memories in a person’s mind, allowing them to be revisited and experienced again over time.
A magical object that remarkable naturally has a name that suits it perfectly.
The Pensieve.
...
The Pensieve.
Some wizards also called it a memory basin.
To be honest, a Pensieve was not the kind of magical item every wizarding family needed to have, nor was it something every wizard had to own.
Even though demand for it was not particularly high, its wondrous and complicated craftsmanship still made it one of the rarest magical items in the wizarding world.
And with Horace Slughorn’s influence and wealth, acquiring a Pensieve would hardly have been difficult for him...
As the know-it-all she was, Hermione naturally knew what a Pensieve was.
“I see. So your target is the memories Professor Horace stored in a Pensieve?”
“A Pensieve? Draco, where do you think Professor Horace would hide it?”
Whether it was Hermione or Pansy, both of them had already taken it for granted that as long as they found the Pensieve, they would get the information they wanted.
At the same time, through spending so much time with Draco, Hermione, despite being Muggle-born, had gradually started learning to look at things from a wizard’s perspective.
That was right.
In their eyes, someone like Horace Slughorn, a man with an enormous network of connections, would definitely make good use of a Pensieve and store his important memories inside it.
Especially now that he was getting older.
In fact, there was another reason Draco believed Horace’s memories were such a crucial breakthrough point...
Draco lifted the wineglass in front of his eyes.
With the light passing through it, his world seemed to take on a faint wine-red tint, making those gray eyes of his look strangely alluring.
“What do you think? Why would a wizard like Horace suddenly give up such a prestigious position as Head of Slytherin House?”
“You mean... Professor Horace resigned from Hogwarts of his own accord back then? I thought...”
“A position that important, one that gave him such extensive connections and status, isn’t something he would casually abandon. And after that, he even went into hiding under a false name, only to be tracked down again by Dumbledore recently.”
“Listening to you, was there some special reason behind it?”
Draco did not answer right away. Instead, he tipped back the rest of the Dragon’s Blood wine in one swallow.
It lacked the princely elegance he had shown before, but that forceful gesture was enough to make the girls’ hearts race all the same.
While they were still staring at him blankly, Draco set down the glass and slowly said, “Because our Professor Horace... was afraid.”
“Afraid? What did he have to be afraid of?”
“Think about it. If you knew someone’s secret, and it was the kind of secret that absolutely couldn’t be let out, then what would be the simplest and most efficient way to keep it hidden?”
“...Silence the witness?”
“Exactly. So is it possible that because he knew one of the Dark Lord’s secrets, he had no choice but to hide away, and even after the Dark Lord’s defeat, he still didn’t dare show himself?”
“But... if it really is like you said, Draco, then why would Professor Horace suddenly come back? And at a time when the Dark Lord has already returned?”
“That’s exactly why I can’t be sure...”
What Hermione could think of, Draco naturally had already thought of as well. The flaw in the logic was obvious.
If Horace had disappeared out of fear, then why come back while still carrying that fear in his heart?
At that thought, Draco slowly turned his gaze toward Professor Horace in the distance.
Even with that doubt and confusion in mind, Draco still placed Horace high on his list of suspects.
Maybe it was simply intuition...
...
Horace Slughorn had drunk quite a bit of mead, and with so many students attending, he seemed to be in exceptionally high spirits.
His face was flushed, and excitement made him look even more animated.
At the same time, Harry Potter, who had been staring at Draco nonstop, was now being forced to look away thanks to Snape’s venomous remarks.
In other words, for Draco and the others, who were planning to do something underhanded, this was the perfect moment.
Though Hermione looked a little reluctant on the surface, she was actually the most eager one of them all.
“I made a full round just now. I can already confirm that there’s no secret room or hidden door in here.”
“Same here. I didn’t find any suspicious magical items.”
After splitting up and then regrouping, Pansy and Hermione quietly shared the information they had each gathered.
As for Draco, he had stayed in the middle of the party, drawing most of the wizards’ attention so Pansy and Hermione would have the chance to act.
But unfortunately, they had not found the Pensieve Draco had mentioned...
Even so, there was no obvious disappointment on Draco’s face.
Which made sense.
Leaving aside the value of those important memories, the Pensieve itself was far too valuable to be left out casually.
No wonder Pansy and Hermione had come back empty-handed.
“What do we do? We didn’t find the Pensieve.”
“And even if we did, there’s no way we could use it with this many people around.”
“Not to mention the party’s almost over.”
“Looks like we’ll have to wait for another opportunity.”
Opportunities favored the prepared. In Pansy and Hermione’s minds, now that they had done this first round of scouting, they would definitely be able to find the Pensieve containing Horace’s memories next time.
In any case, once the girls had reached that conclusion, Draco brought up his backup plan as well.
“As for Horace’s residence outside the school, I’ll have Fleur look into it too, though there’s a high chance she won’t find anything...”
Perhaps it was because he had been drinking a little.
When he said that, Draco had not really thought it through.
Naturally, he also failed to notice the annoyed, slightly sulky expressions on Pansy and Hermione’s faces.
“That’s quite an intimate way of calling her.”
“You two really are close, aren’t you?”
“.......”
As if by some strange unspoken understanding, Pansy and Hermione said those sarcastic lines at the exact same time.
In that instant, Draco not only sobered up, his mind suddenly became much clearer as well, and he even thought of a method he had not considered before.
“Besides that, we could actually use another wizard’s name to get Horace to talk.”
Even though she knew Draco was changing the subject, Hermione still could not help picking up on it.
“Another wizard’s name?”
“For example... Dumbledore, who definitely knows the truth.”
“.......”
“.......”
The girls stared at him speechlessly, their lips parting slightly.
Had Draco gotten drunk?
Everyone knew that Lucius and Dumbledore were not exactly on friendly terms.
So with Draco’s Malfoy background, how was he supposed to use Dumbledore’s name to get Horace to open his mouth...?
...
After the party ended, Hermione seemed to launch yet another assault on the library.
On the way to the Great Hall, she deliberately sought Draco out. “I still haven’t found a single piece of information about Horcruxes.”
“Not one. I went through the entire Restricted Section. I even read the worst books, the ones that teach you how to brew the most horrifying potions... but there was nothing.”
Apparently not realizing what she had just blurted out, Hermione was immediately silenced when Draco covered her mouth with his hand and gestured around them with his eyes.
That made Hermione smack her own forehead in annoyance. “Sorry. I probably didn’t sleep enough, so my brain’s not very clear right now.”
Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed them, because in just a moment they were about to learn a long-awaited piece of magic.
In any case, there was not really much to say about the details of the party.
Making new friends, expanding your network, and exchanging favors on behalf of the interests behind you. Those three things were enough to explain the purpose of holding an event like that.
Even though those students had not yet graduated from Hogwarts, the ones invited by Professor Horace had already come into contact with that side of society ahead of time.
Maybe that was exactly why.
Because they got to the starting line earlier than everyone else, and because they received help from their seniors, these students were able to hold such a strong advantage in the fields they pursued after graduation, and then achieve the success that belonged to them.
Networks of influence were like a snowball. If Horace Slughorn had not disappeared for a period of time, then perhaps the wizarding world would not necessarily have been ruled by Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge...
After that party ended, the sixth-year students of Hogwarts were about to face an extremely important course.
That was learning... Apparition and Disapparition.
...
By February, the snow around Hogwarts had melted away, replaced by a bleak, clammy dampness.
Looking up, grayish-purple clouds hung low over the castle, and the endless cold rain had turned the lawns slick and muddy.
Because of that miserable weather, Draco and the others’ first Apparition lesson was moved from outdoors into the Great Hall...
That morning, when Draco followed the crowd into the Great Hall, he saw that all the tables had vanished, clearing out enough space for the young wizards to practice magic.
The sound of rain tapping against the windows filled his ears.
Above, the enchanted ceiling turned dimly overhead.
And in front of him stood the Heads of House from all four houses on the stage.
That scene, and that atmosphere, made all the young wizards who had just entered the Great Hall unconsciously quiet their breathing and movements, afraid their own Head of House might notice them from the stage...
Of course, Draco was not included in that.
He was not affected by the solemn atmosphere at all, and he was probably also the first to notice the unfamiliar wizard standing among the four Heads of House.
Draco noticed that this wizard, who was clearly much shorter than the others, was wearing the standard robes of the Ministry of Magic.
Obviously, even though the outside situation really was not very good at the moment, neither the Ministry of Magic nor Hogwarts was willing to be careless when it came to Apparition.
Otherwise, they would not have sent a specialist wizard over, much less gathered all four Heads of House together.
It was also worth mentioning that this short wizard, who was presumably here to teach Apparition, had an extraordinarily pale complexion, almost transparent eyelashes, and fine, wispy hair. He gave off an unreal feeling, as if a single gust of wind might blow him away.
Maybe frequent Apparition and Disapparition had weakened his constitution.
Or maybe that frail build was exactly what suited this kind of magic best.
Those were more or less the thoughts running through the minds of nearly all the young wizards present...
The Heads of House, of course, had no idea what kind of wild guesses the students below were making. Once everyone had arrived, they simply called for silence and handed the floor over to the short wizard.
Ahem.
After a heavy cough, the short wizard began introducing himself and explaining why he was there today.
“Good morning. My name is Wilkie Twycross. For the next twelve weeks, I will be your Apparition instructor, and I hope to help prepare you for your Apparition test.”
Excitement.
Anticipation.
The moment Twycross finished speaking, shouts erupted from the students below.
“We finally get to learn this spell?!”
“This is brilliant. I’ve been waiting forever for this!”
“So from now on I can sleep in and still not be late for class, right?”
Mm. Draco could practically picture Hermione slamming a book into that person’s face.
Perhaps because he had heard that remark, the expression on Twycross’s face turned a little strange as he reminded them, “As some of you may know, within a certain range of Hogwarts, Apparition and Disapparition are normally impossible.”
Only after making sure everyone’s attention had fully settled on him did Twycross continue.
“So your headmaster has specially lifted that enchantment, removing the restriction for one hour. Of course, you needn’t worry. The unrestricted area extends only to this Great Hall.”
“And let me emphasize this in particular. Do not Apparate beyond the walls of this hall. Anyone who tries it would be very unwise.”
Although he did not say what would happen if they did, judging from Twycross’s stern face, along with Snape’s cold expression that practically said he wished they would try it, the students below wisely took the warning to heart. Even the more reckless Gryffindors did not dare test it lightly...
“Now, I want everyone to spread out and leave enough room in front of yourselves to cast the spell.”
With Twycross’s instructions, the Great Hall immediately descended into chaos. The students scattering apart kept bumping into one another, and all of them were shouting at other people to get out of their space.
The Heads of House, who had clearly expected this, stepped down from the stage at once to help arrange their own students into position and settle disputes.
And one more thing was worth noting.
Hermione, who should have been standing with Gryffindor, walked straight over to where Draco was without a word.
And even though Snape clearly saw what she was doing, he gave no sign of questioning it. Let alone Professor McGonagall...