Chapter 519: Feast
Chapter 519: Feast
Hermione was dressed in a simple yet elegant blood-red robe today. Her hair was loosely tied back in a bun, much like it had been at the Yule Ball, secured with a simple yet charming hairpin adorned with small Elven White Gems. She rarely showed her neck, but today it was exposed, revealing smooth, fair skin that added to her refined appearance.
"I finally discovered one benefit of increasing my power", Hermione remarked as they ascended the stairs. "I used to dislike these gatherings because I had to maintain a perfect hairstyle to avoid being rude in front of everyone. My hair is quite unruly, and the last time I attended such an event, I had to use a lot of hair-smoothing elixirs to get it right. Now, all I need to do is let a little magic flow through it."
Liam found this a bit amusing. This was the power that could make one a deity, and she was using it to smooth her hair. It seemed a bit overkill.
As they reached the corridor leading to Professor Slughorn’s office, they saw Harry and Ginny being welcomed inside by Professor Slughorn. Considering the professor would be busy entertaining Harry, Hermione waited a minute before taking Liam’s arm and ascending the marble steps to enter Slughorn’s office.
Slughorn’s office appeared much larger inside than it did from the outside, likely due to a temporary Undetectable Extension Charm he had cast for the evening’s dinner party. Despite the charm being temporary, the office was still meticulously decorated: the ceiling and walls were draped in emerald, deep red, and gold curtains, giving the impression of a grand tent. A golden chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, casting a warm, reddish glow over the room. The chandelier contained real Pixies that flickered, each one a bright point of light.
"Welcome, welcome", Slughorn said, approaching them with a velvet hat adorned with poppies that matched his smoking jacket. He must have just finished taking a photograph with Harry, given the position of the camera and the lingering smoke.
"Good evening, Professor Slughorn", Liam and Hermione greeted him.
"I’m delighted to see you, Mr. Liang and Miss Granger. I hope you enjoy the evening. I must take my leave now, as I have many guests to attend to tonight." With that, he bid them farewell and went to introduce Harry to the other guests.
Slughorn was undoubtedly pragmatic, but he was also a master of social graces. He paid attention to the smallest details, ensuring that everyone he wanted to impress received a favorable impression. For instance, he was one of the few who could pronounce Liam’s surname correctly, whereas most others tended to pronounce it closer to “Leng.”
Slughorn’s demeanor was exactly what Liam and Hermione had hoped for. After finding a corner and each picking up a glass of juice, they began to survey the gathering.
As Slughorn had mentioned, the room was indeed bustling with people and activity: from a distant corner came the loud, mandolin-accompanied singing; several older wizards were engaged in animated conversation, their heads enveloped in the blue smoke from their pipes; and House-Elves, carrying heavy silver trays, navigated through the forest of legs, their bodies hidden under large tablecloths to avoid being seen by the wizards, making them look like wandering tables.
"Harry has been monopolized by Professor Slughorn all night. I’ve been waiting for ages, and the professor won’t let him go", Ginny complained as she squeezed through the crowd and took a glass of juice from the table, sipping it as she spoke to Hermione.
"Your beloved is the most important and shining guest at Professor Slughorn’s dinner party tonight", Hermione said, mimicking the tone of the Elves from Middle-earth, causing both her and Ginny to burst into laughter.
Liam's lips curled into a smile as he watched the scene unfold, but suddenly he sensed an unfriendly gaze fixed on the two girls. Hermione, naturally, noticed this as well and casually placed her right hand on her left wrist, ready to draw weapons from the Braceletdimension she wore.
When they followed the gaze, they found a tall, thin young man with dark circles under his eyes, looking thoroughly exhausted. However, at that moment, he was staring at Hermione and Ginny with a hungry look.
"Is he a Vampire?" Liam stepped forward, blocking the Vampire's view of the girls and glaring at him. After all, they were at Professor Slughorn's Dinner Party, and out of respect for the Dinner Party Master, Liam felt it was enough to warn the impolite fellow to keep his distance.
To everyone's surprise, the Vampire, upon making eye contact with Liam, let out a shrill scream and, after knocking over several people and a few chairs, bolted out of the office. The small, bespectacled man who had been chatting with Harry was taken aback for a moment before shouting, "Nicolai, what are you doing?"
His cries were in vain, as the Vampire had already turned the corner and vanished. The small man quickly apologized to those around him and rushed out to find his Vampire companion. With this, Harry finally let out a sigh of relief and, after scanning the room, made his way over to Liam and the others.
"What just happened?" Ginny asked Harry in a low voice, handing him a drink.
"I have no idea", Harry replied, equally puzzled. "Those two were introduced to me by Slughorn. The small, bespectacled one is Eldred Worple, the author of Blood Brothers, and the other is his Vampire friend, Nicolai. Worple was trying to convince me to write a biography, and I was just trying to get rid of him when all this happened."
While Harry recounted the events, Worple had found Nicolai in the corridor. To his surprise, the Vampire was crouched behind a statue, hugging his head and trembling. When Worple tapped him, Nicolai sprang up as if he had been launched by a spring.
"It's you, you scared me to death", Nicolai said, initially trying to flee. But upon recognizing Worple's face, he finally relaxed and slumped against the statue, panting heavily.
"What were you doing?" Worple said angrily. "We could have met many important people today, but you've ruined everything! Why did you run?"
"It was terrifying!" Nicolai said, still shaken. "You know, as a member of the vampire clan, I have a higher sensitivity than most Wizards. I saw in that young boy's eyes the deaths of at least a dozen members of the vampire clan, many of them more powerful than me. I was so scared that I lost control."
"At least a dozen? There haven't been any large-scale Vampire deaths in recent years, have there? Wait, could it be the incident in Romania two years ago?" Worple's eyes widened as a terrible realization dawned on him. "Regardless, we need to inform Professor Slughorn before we leave. But remember, you must keep this a secret. If he chose to keep it a mystery, I doubt he would hesitate to silence a poor author and his Vampire friend to protect his secrets."
"I won't say a word. As a member of the vampire clan, I understand the power of someone capable of wiping out an entire clan. Why don't you Obliviate me now?" Nicolai said with a hint of sincerity.
"Let's wait until we've said goodbye to the professor. I think I'll need an Obliviate myself by then", Worple said with a shrug.
(End of Chapter)
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