Chapter 33: A Private Talk

Chapter 33: A Private Talk

After Professor McGonagall and the others left, Slughorn waved and called the bar’s owner, Madam Rosmerta.

“Two steaks. It would be better if you had grilled elbows.”

Madam Rosmerta smiled, “We happened to have them this noon.”

Slughorn looked happy, “That’s amazing. Remember to brush two more layers with honey. I like that taste.”

After ordering the food, they did not drink any more alcohol but ordered two glasses of Butterbeer, the drink that the students often drink. With only two people left at the table, the atmosphere gradually cooled down.

Sherlock leaned back in the chair, crossed his hands, and waited quietly for Slughorn to speak first. He could see that the person who invited him out this time was him, and Professor McGonagall was just a messenger for him.

After Professor McGonagall and the others left, Slughorn’s smile gradually faded, and his face became gloomy. Only then did he seem to let go of all the façade he had been using and reveal his true feelings to Sherlock alone.

“Honestly, Sherlock. Minerva and the others don’t want me to mention your mother in front of you.”

He held a big glass of Butterbeer but didn’t mean to drink it. Instead, he turned his head to look at the sky that was still raining outside the window.

He said coldly, “I know what they’re worried about both of you. Sally doesn’t look like a mother after she became like that. They hope that you can never remember this memory. I even suspect that after I left, they eliminate-“

His voice suddenly stopped abruptly. Slughorn put down his glass, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair. Sherlock never said anything. He was digesting Slughorn’s words. The second half of the unspoken sentence piqued his interest.

“Sorry, I seem to be drinking too much. Don’t take what I said just now. McGonagall and Dumbledore are the only people you can trust completely and unconditionally.”

Slughorn seemed to have regained his senses, sat up straight from the chair, and laughed at himself, “Of course, I have no reason to say such a thing. After all, you have no trust in me at all.”

“Don’t think it’s nothing. The effect of Felix Felicis is strong, but you can’t drink a lot of it continuously. Otherwise, it will not only bring you good luck but also cause you serious problems. I have only used it twice in my life, and these are the one-time doses for you.”

Sherlock looked at the potion, which made it feel like a work of art just by looking at it. If it can really make people lucky, then this potion is something else.

Slughorn continued, “I don’t know why Dumbledore agreed to your position. Maybe he didn’t think that person’s resentment for the position was that strong, but I still think it’s risky to do so.”

Hearing this, Sherlock was a little surprised and asked, “You mean about the curse of that mysterious person was on the Defense Against Dark Arts professor position? Does it really exist?”

“It exists, but it’s not a curse,” Slughorn said seriously, “You are Sherlock, a master of Defense Against the Dark Arts. You should be able to understand the difference between a curse and a dark magic. There are a lot of dangerous dark magic. The Three Unforgivable Curses are all dark magic.”

“When that person cursed that position, his strength was not that strong. What was entangled in that position was just a normal curse, and this curse was only a partial. Even Dumbledore didn’t know what it was, and there’s no way to know about it for sure.”

“But what I’m sure of is that as long as you don’t have any ulterior motives in your position, the curse’s effect is not strong. Because of this, Dumbledore probably agreed to your application to be a professor.”

“Even If you’re in the castle the whole day, you still have to be very careful. Hogwarts has never been the safest place in the wizarding world, and even with Dumbledore, there will always be danger lurking around.

“I hope you believe my words, Sherlock.” Slughorn stared into his eyes.

“Don’t hate your father. He didn’t take the initiative to abandon you and yours. Don’t hate him. He is actually the most pitiful person I’ve ever known.”

After saying this, he didn’t talk to Sherlock about anything else. After eating the steak with extra layers of honey, Slughorn left Hogsmeade quickly, and no one knew where he went.

After he left, Sherlock didn’t leave immediately. He quietly looked at the one-third of the Butterbeer left in the glass, recalling word by word what Slughorn had just said to him.

Through this meeting, he can be sure that this person is not an ordinary person in the original book. The original Sherlock’s background is much more complicated than he imagined.