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"I will send Alice and Harry to Godric's Hollow to meet you after this end." I heard Dumbledore talking to Mom and Dad when I hurried downstairs, Harry looked embarrassed Standing restlessly on the floor mat at the door, he kept wiping the messy hair on top of his head. Mom put the two cups of hot tea brewed in the tray on the table and beckoned him to come in for a drink, but Dad's eyes clearly hoped that Harry would continue to Stay on that mat.

"Or is Severus not planning to go?" Professor Dumbledore didn't seem to realize how awkward the atmosphere on the first floor was, he took the tea his mother handed him with his left hand and drank it down.

"I'd better stay with you," said Dad, gazing at Professor Dumbledore's right hand, which was always in his pocket, "and I don't think it's a good idea for Black to see me in that state."

"Sev!" Mom gave Dad a reproachful look, "Do you have to make sarcastic remarks at a time like this?"

"Just tell the truth." Dad looked away from the window to see the unseasonable mist covering the yard at dusk again, "Didn't we discuss it last night?"

"Uh, I've packed it." I cleared my throat and said, all the people downstairs turned to look at me, I reached out and pulled the dark black skirt unnaturally, "Uh, I'm worried If you don’t have enough time, just change into the clothes you’ll wear tomorrow, is that okay?”

"Of course," said Dumbledore gently, "I hope you have your wand ready, Miss Alice."

"Should I change into clothes that are more suitable for action?" I looked a little nervous, after all, I have never communicated with Professor Dumbledore outside the school, even in Hogwarts, I basically only in the auditorium Across the long tables of the four colleges and the heat of the sumptuous food, he watched him sitting on the long table of the staff and smiling kindly at everyone.I don't know where Dumbledore is taking Harry and me today, and Mum said he wanted us to do him a little favor—I can't imagine how much I could do for Professor Dumbledore.

Professor Dumbledore seemed very accommodating: "It's okay, I just remind you and Harry that if you encounter any danger, you can fight back without any worries, but I don't think you need to worry about it at least tonight. After all, you and Harry I'm with you."

"See you tomorrow." My mother kissed the side of my face, and although her eyes were still red and swollen, she still smiled at me.

"See you tomorrow." I whispered to her.

"Then let's go. If you visit someone rashly without saying hello in advance, it's best not to choose the time too late." Dumbledore motioned Harry and me to follow his footsteps, the evening sun was slowly being swallowed by the night , the coldness that does not belong to mid-July is ready to swallow everything in the dark, the lights on the street did not light up orange as usual with the night, I regret putting my coat in I packed the bag and asked my mother to help me take it to Godric's Hollow.

"I assume you haven't passed the Apparition test yet?" Professor Dumbledore stopped at a deserted intersection.

"No." Harry finally said the first words after meeting me, "We will only turn 16 at the end of July this year, Professor."

"Ah, then we have to wait another year." Dumbledore stretched out his two hands, "You should all have manifested with your parents and followers, right? Miss Alice came to grab my right arm, but I hope you can control your strength a little bit, my right arm is not in a good state at the moment."

"This is—" I watched in shock as Dumbledore's right hand became dry and charred, as if all the flesh on it had been burnt, "Professor, this is serious—"

"Naturally, it would have been uglier without your father's help," he said lightly, "but that's not the point right now, catch me."

I never liked the feeling of Apparition. I didn't dare to grab Dumbledore's skinny arm too hard, but there was a feeling that I would get lost in the feeling of squeezing my body tightly from all directions and squeezing it in. The panic in the sense of oppression, I don't know what strange corner I will be thrown away, and then——

This place looks like an abandoned village, with sparse houses surrounding an old war monument, and only a few scattered houses have been lit.It's getting colder here, and I touch my arm, shoulders sinking as Harry pulls off his coat and throws it over me.

"It seems that James prefers to take you on a broomstick trip." Dumbledore said in a brisk tone, looking at Harry who kept rubbing his ears and eyes, and Harry grunted in agreement.

"By the way, have you ever mentioned to anyone else what I told you at the end of last term, Harry?" We followed Dumbledore wordlessly all the way around a corner, past a telephone booth and a The bus shelter, just when I thought that an awkward silence would accompany us to an unknown destination, Dumbledore suddenly asked Harry, and Harry stopped suddenly, as if he had hit an invisible side. the wall.

"Er, no," Harry replied, "I haven't mentioned that to anyone, Professor."

"I don't want you and Neville to shut themselves up because of what I said to you. To be honest, this is something I have been very worried about." Dumbledore looked Harry's eyes carefully and sighed, " We lose all the time, so we need to appreciate what we still have, and if you hide everything from your friends, I think they will feel hurt too."

"Well," said Harry with a quick look at me, "but Professor, you asked me to assure you—"

"Yes, so I feel that I need to give some explanations to Miss Alice in person." Dumbledore's sky blue eyes turned to me who was listening to their conversation blankly. "I don't want you to have unnecessary misunderstandings with your friends because of this incident."

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Simply put, I told Harry and Neville something you don't need to know right now - which is likely to come up frequently this school year, and I don't want you to think I'm asking them to keep it a secret from you out of distrust "Dumbledore said softly, "Of course, this kind of concealment will definitely make you have some emotions, so just blame all these emotions on me, the old man."

"So this matter has something to do with me?" I asked sensitively. "Otherwise, why didn't you let me know?"

"Well, that's the hard part to explain." Dumbledore replied, "I think that's where Harry wondered why he had to hide things from you that didn't seem to have anything to do with you. But I think... ...you'll find out for yourself some day, Miss Alice."

"Is it a good time again?" I asked automatically, but suddenly realized that this might be giving away memories of seeing my dad.

But Dumbledore didn't seem to care. He led us up a steep and narrow street with neat two-storey houses on both sides. The fog was getting thicker, and I thought uneasily of the dementors who had left Azkaban and participated in several large-scale attacks on Muggles, and I couldn't help but tighten my wand.

"I suppose James will find time to attend Amelia's funeral tomorrow, won't he, Harry?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes." Harry's voice became heavy, and I also lowered my head, "He said he would definitely go, although the ministry seems to have fully booked his schedule for half a month."

"Your father did a very courageous thing." Dumbledore said calmly, "The risks and pressures of being Minister of Magic at this time far outweigh the honors that can be gained."

"If... Amelia hadn't died, Dad would probably continue to refuse." Harry took off his glasses and wiped them, "Dad thinks it's because he pushed back too firmly that the Death Eater's eyes turned away." killed her, so he must be responsible for it."

"The living are all like this. They always feel that living is a kind of guilt and guilt." Dumbledore sighed, "We have suffered too much loss, I think it is this way, follow my children closely. "

"Aren't you curious about where this place is, or what I brought you here for?" Probably feeling that the topic just now was too heavy, Dumbledore asked proactively.

"This is the village of Budley Barberton. I paid special attention to it when I passed the bus stop just now." I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes, although I first learned that Mrs. Black was brutally murdered by Death Eaters. The shock has started to subside after a few days, but it still makes me sad to hear about her from other people - not so long ago I greeted her politely at King's Cross, but tomorrow I will But she had to wear a dark black dress to express her condolences at her funeral.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded, "Hey, I can't remember how many times I have said this in recent years, but there is no way, Hogwarts is short of another teacher, so I I hope you can help me persuade a colleague who has retired to go back to work. He briefly substituted for you in the third grade. I don’t know if you still have the impression—”

"Professor Slughorn?" Harry and I asked in unison, full of surprise.

"That's right." Dumbledore smiled. "I'm so glad I took two bright students out."

"Uh, isn't my dad going to be at Hogwarts next year?" I felt a little flustered, "He—"

"Of course your father will stay at Hogwarts," interrupted Dumbledore. "We have reached a point of agreement, which, of course, has taken a little too long in your father's opinion."

Harry showed a bitter melon expression. It seems that he, like me, guessed the personnel adjustment at Hogwarts next semester-that is to say, he felt that he could not get an "O" in Potions class, so he didn't have to go to Hogwarts again. My wish to see my dad in class was thwarted.

"Oh, my God." Dumbledore stopped suddenly, and I was still thinking about Dad finally getting his wish to become a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and I bumped my head on Harry's back.Before he had time to rub his nose, he followed Dumbledore's gaze. At the end of the well-maintained path was a front door that had been opened. It looked like it had been damaged by violence. The whole door was crooked. hanging in the wind.

Both Harry and I have drawn out our wands. Harry stretched out a hand in front of me and asked me to retreat behind him. Dumbledore looked at both sides of the empty street and whispered for us to follow. on him.

"Luminescence!" Walking through the garden path to the front door whose hinges were broken, Dumbledore listened carefully to the movement inside the door and then lit the tip of his wand. Harry and I followed his instructions closely , feeling the heartbeat beating abnormally fast because of tension.

The living room was in a mess, a grandfather clock shattered at my feet, the floor was full of shattered glass and scattered piano keys, a piano fell to the ground as if it had been hit hard, reflective glass and crystal It looked like it came from the broken chandelier, the upholstery was strewn all over the place, the white fluff was peeping through the breaks, and I could smell blood palpably in the air - but this blood smell was weird. Weird, I thought I'd smelled something similar in my dad's personal medicine cabinet.

Harry took a breath, and with the light of Dumbledore's wand, we saw the dark red blood splattered on the wall. They didn't seem to have dried up, and some were still dripping slowly.

"They... dragged him away?" Harry said slowly, looking around. "I didn't see a... body."

"I don't think so." Dumbledore looked too calm as he walked over to a bulging armchair that had been overturned on the ground.

"Professor," I scratched the wall lightly with my index finger, and twisted the viscosity of the liquid with my thumb and index finger to confirm my guess, "This doesn't seem to be human blood."

"So I beg your mother to ask you to come." Dumbledore showed a sly smile, and he suddenly shot the tip of his wand into the cushion of the bulging armchair, and the chair let out a scream. Harry looked taken aback, he almost jumped up in front of me.

"Good evening, Horace." Dumbledore stood up straight and said with a smile, "I brought two students to visit you."

The armchair turned into a bald, fat old man in the blink of an eye. While rubbing his belly, he narrowed his tearful eyes because of pain, and stared at Dumbledore angrily: "Even if I reveal my truth, I don't need to tie it up so much." Ruthless?"

Horace Slughorn, the old Potions professor who taught my parents, also briefly substituted for us.I haven't seen him for a few years, and he looks even fatter. The whole person is wrapped in maroon velvet clothes, and the pajamas can still be seen at the neckline. The silver-white beard on his chin is quivering comically with anger.

"How did you reveal yourself?" He staggered to his feet, and asked in a rough voice, "Even if that girl smelled the fire dragon's blood, she wouldn't be able to conclude that it was all my disguise, would she?"

"My dear Horace," said Dumbledore quietly, "if the Death Eaters had attacked you, they would have left the Dark Mark over the house."

"Ho!" Slughorn laughed, "I think there is still something missing, but I guess it's too late...Dark Mark, ho!"

"That's not funny." Harry retorted, I know he remembered the previous front page of the Daily Prophet that Mrs Black disguised herself as a Muggle in order to investigate the collapse of the Brockdale Bridge so that she could ask about the situation of the Muggles at that time, and she died tragically A huge skeleton was suspended above the Muggle house that was there at the time.

"Hey!" Slughorn looked at Harry and then at me behind him, turned to Dumbledore and said, "Don't you think that the son of the current Minister of Magic and Lily's daughter Can you convince me? I can tell you right now, Albus, the answer is still no!"

"I think we should restore this place to its original state before talking about other things." Dumbledore raised his wand politely, "Do you need my help?"

Slughorn looked at Dumbledore bitterly, and I felt that the breath from his nostrils was about to blow his beard up. After a second, he shook his head helplessly: "Then please."

The two of them back to back, one tall and one short, one thin and one fat, began to wave their wands in unison.All the furniture that was broken on the ground jumped back to its original position and restored to its original shape. The whole house became bright as new and exuded a delicate atmosphere. The sticky blood stains on the wall and the blood stains left on my fingertips automatically returned to Sla In the glass bottle in Ghorn's hand, the piano tinkled for the last time, and the whole room seemed to have finally returned to its original appearance.

"Is this fire dragon blood?" I looked at the glass bottle with interest, "I thought it was dragon blood, but I didn't expect it to be fire dragon blood."

"Naturally, it's terribly expensive at the moment, and I don't think your father has any." Slughorn replied with a touch of pride. "Well, it's a little dirty, but it's still functional."

He bent down to pick and choose in a cabinet for a while, and put a box of things with a strong sweet smell in front of me: "Have you had dinner yet?"

"I've eaten it." I looked at the candied pineapple in the box and waved my hands.

"Try it," he said gruffly. "Your mother loves this. When I was teaching you, you used to find excuses not to come to my parties. I never got a chance to give you a taste. Try it too, Jen." Tom Potter's son..."

"Uh, I was locked up by Professor McGonagall at that time." I took a piece from the box and argued palely, "It's not that I don't want to come."

"You look more and more like your mother." He muttered, "Time flies, I still remember when you were in the third grade, and in the blink of an eye-"

"Looks like we should have a drink," interjected Dumbledore, "for the old days?"

Slughorn was silent for a moment, then said reluctantly, "Just one."

"I'm old," he gushed as he poured Dumbledore's wine, "Look, asthma, rheumatism, I have to breathe a few steps now, people have to be old, I just I want to live a clean life and get some material enjoyment.”

"You are much younger than me, Horace." Dumbledore took the goblet calmly. "Life in Hogwarts is also very peaceful, isn't it?"

"I've heard some rumors—although I've been in hiding all this time, I'm still well informed, Albus, how did you treat Dolores Umbridge—"

"Professor Umbridge has clashed with some centaurs in the Forbidden Forest," Dumbledore replied. "I'm sure you're not going to walk into the Forbidden Forest and yell 'You're all dirty bastards' at a bunch of angry centaurs?"

"Is she that stupid?" Slughorn curled his lips. "I always knew she was a stupid woman. I didn't expect her to be so crazy."

Both Harry and I couldn't help laughing.

"Borrow the bathroom." Dumbledore stood up suddenly, and Slughorn looked disappointed. He might have thought that Dumbledore was going to leave.

"Go along the second door to the left of the hall." He pointed perfunctorily, nestled in the soft armchair and continued to eat the candied pineapple in the box.

"If you were both in Slytherin, maybe I'd be a little interested in going back," said Slughorn vaguely after Dumbledore had left the living room. Nepe's daughter was snatched by Gryffindor! Black's son was also taken away. You must know that apart from him, his younger brother, and his cousins ​​are all in our Slytherin! I thought Sirius was just a simple family Freak, tsk."

Harry and I looked at each other, not knowing how to answer this question, but Slughorn continued to mutter: "Of course, it's too late to say this now, what grade are you all in—sixth grade ,Heaven."

"I have a question." Harry asked, "Professor, you were happy to substitute for us in the third year, why now—"

"At that time, was that so-and-so resurrected at that time?" Slughorn yelled as if he was offended, "Going to teach at Hogwarts at this time is tantamount to publicly declaring that I support the Order of the Phoenix, of course I admire those who are brave and fearless, but the death rate, you should all know about Amelia Blake, right?"

"As a matter of fact, we're going to her funeral tomorrow." I felt a twinge of discomfort at his tone, especially when he was talking about mortality.

"Oh, yes, I forgot, your parents were the backbone of the Order of the Phoenix back then, and they must be no exception now." He waved his short, fat fingers, "Don't get me wrong, I don't mean any disrespect, I am also very sad, very...but you have to understand that some people are not that noble, and some people just want to live."

"I don't think anyone who was killed by Death Eaters wanted to die," said Harry, "and they all said that with Dumbledore around, Hogwarts is the safest place - You-Know-Who is afraid Isn't he? Even though he's been resurrected, he's never been near Hogwarts for the previous year."

"This is the truth." Slughorn reluctantly admitted, "I've heard about the Ministry of Magic, and Dumbledore still seems capable enough at the moment... It's impossible for me to join the Death Eaters, no I hope they can treat me as a friend because of a little teacher-student relationship, but cautious wizards these days had better not—"

Dumbledore was back in the house, and Slughorn was startled, as if he had forgotten he was there.

"Okay," he said to us, looking at the clock, "I think Fiona will worry if I don't send you to Godric's Hollow."

"You're leaving now?" Slughorn looked surprised.

"Oh, yes." Dumbledore said happily, "It seems that the defeat is already settled, so there is no need to waste time."

"Uh..." Slughorn twiddled his thumbs uneasily, and Harry and I stood up.

"I regret that you refuse to accept this job, Horace." Dumbledore made a farewell gesture while tightening his traveling cloak, "Actually, we have greatly strengthened our security precautions, and you are welcome at any time if you wish." Come back and see, you will feel younger when you are with these children, this is what you said back then, isn't it?"

"You're very polite," sighed Slughorn. "I mean—"

"Goodbye, Professor," I said to him politely, and he stared into my eyes for a moment, then his jaw contracted in pain, which made his face look even more comical - and then he seemed to finally make up his mind He roared, "Okay, okay! I'll do it!"

"You mean you're willing to come back to work?" Dumbledore asked immediately.

"You got sixteen-year-old Lily Evans standing in front of me and looking at me—and I told you you were vicious as a snake!" Slughorn waved impatiently. "I'm crazy , I shall regret it—but I will, yes, I will."

"Great." Dumbledore smiled, "I'll see you on September [-]st."

"But I have two demands." Slughorn held up his finger. "First, I want a raise, and second, you two agree to join me in my slug club."

"Uh, okay." I nodded, thinking about whether I could find a chance to eat a few more precise confinements, Harry nodded a bit reluctantly.

"Say hello to your father," Slughorn muttered to Harry. "I hope he doesn't think of me only when I put him in detention."

"Well done." Dumbledore said after we had reached the main road. "Of course, you already know Professor Slughorn to some extent. He likes to associate with famous, successful, powerful character, but that doesn't mean he's a bad person."

"I know," I said softly. "He's always been fond of my mother, even though she's Muggle-born."

"Yes, he is very tolerant of talents... and has gained a lot of benefits from it." He extended his hands gracefully to us, "When the school starts, he will definitely be the same as before, setting up his slug Club, continue to develop his hobby of collecting talents, the two of you, Neville, and many outstanding students will become the targets he wants to recruit."

"Um, so today you're...showing him the collection that's available?" Harry asked.

"Excellent metaphor, yes Harry, and you can convince him that there are many advantages to returning to Hogwarts. Horace is not used to living away from the crowd - he likes to be surrounded by people, so I say you Well done." Dumbledore looked at the night sky above his head, "Come on, children, it's getting late."