A certain Hogwarts rune professor

Chapter 626 Lurking
It was an embarrassing moment.

In retrospect, Harry wished he had knocked on the door more slowly, if only for a second.This way they can sneak away, or hide in the pumpkin patch until Professor Slughorn leaves.But the fact is that before he could analyze the pros and cons in his head, his hand had already slammed heavily on Hagrid's wooden door involuntarily.

There was a sudden silence in the room.

Then they heard Hagrid yelling rudely, "Who's outside?" Harry looked behind him, Ron turned his head unnaturally, staring blankly at a bunch of dried mushrooms drying on the wall of the cabin, Hermione averted his eyes, Feet rubbed back and forth on the ground.

There was no way, in the end Harry could only bite the bullet and say, "It's me, Hagrid. And Ron and Hermione, we came to see you."

There was the sound of a glass shattering in the room, accompanied by an exclamation of "Oh my God!"This let Harry know that Professor Slughorn was just as surprised as he was, and that Hagrid didn't make a sound, seemed still angry, or simply didn't think of a way to deal with it.

"Hagrid, we need to talk," said Harry at the top of his voice outside.

Hagrid opened the door anyway, though he was still fuming and unimpressed.Ron shrewdly mentioned the funeral - Harry wasn't sure if that was correct, because Hagrid burst into tears, both for poor Aragog (the acromantula Hagrid had raised since childhood) and because Harry III No one chooses his improvement class.

"Little heartless...Please eat so many rock cakes...Oh, Aragog..."

Hermione tried to comfort Hagrid, whose eyes were blurred with tears.Harry and Ron couldn't work it out. They tried too hard to help Hagrid up, but they were suffocated by the two thick arms that were wider than their waists. Eun kept rolling his eyes.

"Professor, do something quickly." Hermione said to Slughorn sternly. The professor seemed to be in some kind of awkward situation from the very beginning. Harry thought Hagrid had said so much in terms of berating them that he couldn't have thought it up on his own.

It's not hard to guess how many 'nice words' Professor Slughorn provided before they came.

Slughorn stood up in a daze, took out his wand and gestured wildly, "Oh, oh, yes... Wingardim Leviosa!" He raised his wand and pointed at Hagrid, Harry and Ron Once the pressure on their bodies was released, they pushed the dizzy Hagrid back on the bed, slumped on the ground, gasping for breath, rubbing his sore ribs.

Hagrid blew his nose, opened his wet eyes, and stared at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"I know...you may not have time..." Hagrid murmured twice, blushing a little, "I'm going to get rock cakes." Harry and Ron, who had just sat down, immediately jumped up and rushed towards Slughorn desperately. The professor winked, and Slughorn fiddled with his handkerchief, cleared his throat, and said, "Hagrid, we'd better go see Aragog."

"You're right." Hagrid was taken aback, then stood up.

They came to the pumpkin patch at the back of the hut, and Fang whimpered. Harry saw from a distance a guy the size of a carriage, with black bristles that had turned into soft gray, and eight thick, blade-like legs twisted strangely. The two terrifying pincers pointed to the sky. It was Aragog, the acromantula.Harry had forgotten that Professor Haip had cast magic on the king of acromantula, and he felt a little terrified when he saw it suddenly.

Hagrid staggered forward, knelt on the ground, and crushed a pumpkin.It took Ron a hard time not to laugh, and he was shaking all over.Harry understood Ron's thoughts, his good friend didn't like spiders at all.So Harry stood up by himself, cleared his throat, and tried to say some random eulogy or something, when there was a sudden twitch of the big pincer, which almost made Harry jump up.

"It's not dead?" Harry couldn't help crying.

"Of course not," Hagrid said hoarsely, glared at Harry, and muttered, "But it's coming soon, just these few days... it doesn't eat anymore." He couldn't help but feel sad again Tears, "Thanks to Professor Slughorn, he, he said he had seen a similar funeral, willing, willing to help... Can you come by then?" He looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione , asked very soberly.

"Of course." Harry swore.

"Great……"

When returning to the castle from Hagrid's hut, Slughorn walked ahead with a big belly. He turned his head several times, as if he wanted to say something.As they stood in the hall about to part, Slughorn finally turned his head.

"Well, boys," he said hesitantly, fiddling with the last button of his vest, "I think I owe you an explanation... not to speak ill of people behind their backs, but... Hagrid is really sad, I thought, Since you're not here..."

"Forget it," said Harry, "we should have gone to see Hagrid, and I certainly haven't written to you."

Slughorn looked a little embarrassed, and he waved.

"It's all just a joke... But it's good to let the misunderstanding go, isn't it?" He became amiable and said with ease: "I plan to hold a small party recently, and only invite some potential students, there is Malfoy, The Greengrass sisters, McLaggen, Zabini, Burns, Longbottom, and the charming Melinda Bobin - don't know if you know her, her family owns a big drugstore chain - and Yes, of course, and I very much hope you three will do the same."

"Um, I'm not sure if I have time..." Harry racked his brains for an excuse, maybe it would be a good choice to schedule the team practice until that day, he didn't want to eat sweets and listen to the mess all night celebrity stories.

"Don't try to shirk it," Slughorn pretended to be serious, "I'm just pointing at you, if I let go of the three youngest Merlin Medal winners, what kind of ridicule would I receive!" Then he pointed Playing with the tip of the walrus' beard, he said with a smile, "Don't worry, I also invited Severus. He has taught you for five years? I have read the papers he published in recent years, which are very valuable..."

Harry listened with a blank face, and he didn't even want to go.

"...and Felix, the cunning little fellow, he wanted to decline just like you, but I told him to follow his time, and now he couldn't refuse..." said Slughorn He patted Harry on the shoulder and said earnestly, "I understand that talented people are more proud. But, how should I put it?" He played with his two thumbs, "It's always right to make more excellent friends. , maybe one day I will help you... It's decided."

He hummed a ditty and disappeared down the stairs down the hall.

"What should we do?" Harry asked softly after staring at the shiny bald head disappearing.

Hermione didn't speak, but thought for a moment, "He also invited Susan and Neville?"

"One is an aunt with the Minister of Magic, and the other is the son of a war hero," said Ron, pointing his fingers. Just get out of the way of Snape, it can't be worse than a ghost birthday party and an acromander's upcoming funeral."

They went back to the dormitory, dug out their schoolbags and did their homework.

Harry and Ron had to resign themselves to Hermione's nagging, borrowed a full range of reference books from her (and of course Hermione's papers), and started writing ancient rune homework. "A full fifteen inches." Ron whispered, with several documents in front of him at the same time, his eyes kept rolling.

He suddenly remembered the 'trick' Luna had mentioned to her in the morning, and couldn't wait to share it with Harry and Hermione.Harry was confused, Hermione frowned and pointed out sharply, "This method may only be suitable for her."

"Then what do you think of me writing this idea into the paper?" Ron asked with interest, "I feel like I can make up a lot of words."

Harry's heart skipped a beat too, and he looked at Hermione, but Hermione hid herself behind the book with a stern face and said nothing.

After a while, she said sullenly, "I think Luna just wanted to express the concepts of 'favorite' and 'focus'. If you can't do what she does, you can only study hard and work hard on practice makes perfect."

"...It's as if I didn't say anything."

……

The next morning, Rita Skeeter triumphantly knocked on the door of the Minister of Magic's office, and the two women looked at each other across their desks.

"Sit down, Skeeter," said Ms. Burns, looking up from a thick stack of papers through her monocle.

"Hello, Minister Burns." Rita Skeeter said with a broad smile.Burns looked at her scrutinizingly, and after a moment he looked away from the exploding scroll on Skeeter's head.She said coldly: "Someone recommended you to me, saying that you have some energy in the Muggle press."

"Not 'some', Minister," said Skeeter, digging green nails into the crocodile leather handbag and pulling out a work card from it. "I'm a special correspondent for the Sun newspaper. A separate office, although I can't go there once a month, but," she paused, "that office will only be reserved for me."

Ms. Burns snorted softly, "Given your past illegal record, I have reason to worry that your behavior will have an adverse impact on the "Secrecy Act."

"Oh." Rita Skeeter froze for a moment, fiddled with the zipper of the crocodile leather bag with her long fingernails, and said contemptuously, "There is no evidence that—"

"It hasn't been found yet," Ms. Burns corrected.

"The most important responsibility of the Ministry of Magic is to hide everything about magic, and now there is such a person who appears in the Muggle society openly, surrounded by a group of colleagues who have a keen sense of smell and are good at catching wind and shadows—yes, I am very impressed by "The Sun" The newspaper has heard about it, and you have found your field of expertise."

Skeeter opened his mouth. "Not to mention," Ms. Burns continued without giving her a chance to intervene, "this person has weak legal awareness and has too many criminal records to count, which means no one will pursue him. Otherwise, I believe there will be many people Hope to see her unlucky."

Skeeter flinched back.

"Now, tell me, Skeeter," Ms. Burns asked flatly, staring at her face, "Will such a person suddenly become law-abiding when he enters Muggle society?"

Rita Skeeter's expression was stiff, and she took a few deep, trembling breaths and said, "I thought you came here today because—"

"What does the Ministry want from you?" asked Ms. Burns coldly.

"No, of course not." Skeeter showed a flattering smile, "I just heard that there is an opportunity to earn extra money, if you can serve the Ministry of Magic," she gritted her teeth, "I don't want a Galleon."

"The Ministry of Magic is not short of your reward." Ms. Burns said, pushing a non-disclosure agreement.

With a gloomy face, Rita Skeeter pulled down her glasses, lowered her head and read the terms above repeatedly.Her eyes dilated a little behind her jeweled glasses.She raised her head abruptly, met Ms. Burns' serious and calm face, and said in a broken voice, "You want me to stay in Muggle society for a whole year?"

"You can come back at the weekend," Ms. Burns said quietly.

Skeeter bit her nails and thought about it for a long time, then she gritted her teeth and said: "When things can be made public, I will publish this experience, and you can't use any excuses to stop me. "

"I agree," said Ms. Burns, nodding.

So Skeeter signed her name on the non-disclosure agreement, and the expression on her face softened. Anyway, she seemed to have pre-ordered a bestseller.She got up and went to the door, looking at Ms. Burns.

"Forgot to ask, how much do I need to do?"

Ms. Burns said with a straight face: "You don't need to use magic, your identity is the best channel of information. What you should be most concerned about is how not to be discovered as a wizard in the next year."

"Don't worry about it," Skeeter's smile jumped slightly, which made her expression full of provocation, "Did Mr. Haipu also sign a non-disclosure agreement?"

"He initiated this matter, and he recommended you," Ms. Burns raised her eyebrows, "so you can understand that, on the one hand, he trusts you a lot, although I don't know where this trust comes from. Come? On the other hand...he doesn't want 'any' mistakes."

Rita Skeeter gave her an annoyed look, turned and strode away.

"You don't need to remind me."

In the office, Ms. Burns rubbed her forehead. She kind of understood why Fudge was desperately trying to draw a line with Dumbledore. She, a Minister of Magic, even relied on her reputation as a professor in the school to warn Rita Skeeter. , If you change your mind, you will definitely be dissatisfied.

But the truth is, once out of the UK, she's not necessarily as famous as 'Felix Hemp'.

There was a knock on the door.

Kingsley Shacklebolt pushed in and handed Ms. Burns a document.

"Minister, Carlotta Pinkstone is out next week," he said quietly.

Ms. Burns felt her head hurt even more, "The troublemaker?" There is no doubt that this is a more difficult woman than Rita Skeeter.She thought for a moment, then said, "Send an Auror to keep an eye on her."

"Stalking secretly, or—" Kingsley asked hesitantly.

"Of course, follow her in a fair manner," Ms. Burns said through gritted teeth. "Let her know the attitude of the Ministry, so as not to get her locked up again after a few days."

(End of this chapter)