Chapter 744: Two Bottles of Amoret Potion
Chapter 744: Two Bottles of Amoret Potion
"Kyle, you must attend tomorrow's party."
After the end of Potions class, Slughorn stopped Kyle, who was about to leave, and said, "This is to celebrate Mr. Zabini's 17th birthday. You'll come, won't you?"
He looked cheerful, nodding and swaying as if he were the one about to have a birthday celebration.
Kyle, whom he had called out to, simply nodded and said, "Of course, Professor Slughorn. I'll be there."
"I knew it," Slughorn said with a broader smile. "A wizard coming of age is a big deal, and many people will be there. You certainly don't want to miss it."
"Then I'll go and prepare the drinks for the party. I hope the Three Broomsticks has some good aged wine..."
Slughorn fastened the golden clasps on his fire-breathing briefcase and turned to leave.
"Wait, Professor, I have a question," Kyle suddenly called out.
"Then ask, quickly, child, ask..." Slughorn turned back and said kindly.
"Professor, do you know... Horcruxes?"
Slughorn froze, his hand suspended in midair, and his round face seemed to sink.
It was strange; a person who had been so energetic just now seemed to wither in an instant, as if he hadn't slept for days.
He licked his lips and asked in a hoarse voice, "What, what did you say?"
"Horcruxes, Professor," Kyle repeated. "I came across it in a book and became curious."
"Did Dumbledore send you?" Slughorn asked in a low voice, but with certainty. "Did Dumbledore show you that memory...right? He sent you to ask me about it!"
Slughorn's eyes were filled with shock and fear, and he began to sweat.
"What memory? Does Professor Dumbledore know about this too?" Kyle asked in confusion.
"You don't know?" Slughorn paused and took out a handkerchief from his breast pocket to wipe his forehead.
"What should I know?" Kyle said. "As I said, I saw it in a book."
"What book!" Slughorn demanded. "I'm sure there's no record of such things in the Hogwarts library. You can't fool me. It must be Dumbledore..."
"No, Professor," Kyle interrupted. "I saw it in Nicolas Flamel's private collection. I came across a book called 'Unveiling Darkest Arts' and found it fascinating.
"But some parts were too vague, and I didn't quite understand them, including Horcruxes."
"I have nothing to tell you!" Slughorn said softly, wiping his sweaty forehead again. "You've come to the wrong person, Kyle. I know nothing about Horcruxes... nothing!"
Slughorn emphasized the last sentence, as if to hammer home his point.
Then he grabbed his briefcase and stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket, about to leave.
But when he reached the door, Slughorn suddenly stopped.
He seemed to have thought of something, took a deep breath, and turned back to face Kyle.
So, so similar...
At that moment, Slughorn felt as if he were seeing two overlapping figures.
Both were exceptionally talented, shining so brightly that it was hard for them to fit in with the other students at Hogwarts.
And just like that person, he had also taken an interest in Horcruxes...
"I advise you not to waste your time on this, Kyle. It's not something you should know about."
Slughorn spoke seriously. "You should focus your energy on other things, like... well, Quidditch, for instance. I recall you're a decent Chaser.
"If you wish, I could recommend you to the Holyhead Harpies. There, you're sure to become a famous professional Quidditch player."
Slughorn didn't give Kyle a chance to respond.
He didn't even seem to care about Kyle's answer, finishing his speech and then slamming the door shut behind him as he left the classroom.
Only Kyle and Connor remained in the room.
"What did you ask him?" Connor asked, puzzled.
She had never seen someone change their expression so quickly. The fear on Slughorn's face had been palpable.
"Nothing, just something he didn't want to talk about," Kyle shrugged, walking out of the underground classroom with Connor.
"You didn't do that on purpose, did you?" Connor eyed Kyle suspiciously. "To avoid having to attend the party?"
"The effect was quite significant, wasn't it?" Kyle smiled. "For a long time after this, I probably won't have to worry about him inviting me to any parties... He probably won't even want to see me."
...
Indeed, events unfolded just as Kyle had predicted. For the next two weeks, Slughorn didn't say a word to him. Even during Potions class, he kept his distance from Kyle and deliberately ignored him when checking homework, as if Kyle were invisible.
Even Connor, who sat next to Kyle, enjoyed a rare period of peace as Slughorn seemed determined to draw a clear line between Kyle and those associated with him.
To this, Kyle merely replied that he had to thank Harry for the inspiration.
And it was true; if it weren't for the previous encounter with Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussing Horcruxes in the entrance hall, Kyle wouldn't have thought of this idea.
The one thing Slughorn resisted the most was anything related to Horcruxes, and the best way to keep a distance from him was to bring up this topic.
Kyle couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed with himself for not thinking of it sooner!
...
As February turned into March, the weather remained unchanged, persistently cold, but now with the addition of dampness and strong winds. Fine snowflakes were blown against the windows of the classrooms, creating a constant pattering sound.
It was the weekend, but people were generally not in high spirits as they had just received notification that the planned visit to Hogsmeade had been canceled.
"This is the second time!"
During breakfast, Kyle overheard someone complaining, "How come? I've been looking forward to it since last week!"
"I knew this would happen," Justin Finch-Fletchley said as he walked by and patted the other student on the shoulder. "Don't forget, that Gryffindor student is still in St. Mungo's."
"But I finished my candy during the Christmas break, and I was looking forward to buying some more."
"I bought quite a lot last time," McMillan said, "but now I only have Every Flavor Beans and Pepper Imps left."
"Lucky you. I should've bought more with a Galleon the last time."
Kyle walked past the group of students, deep in their discussion.
He wasn't surprised about the cancellation of the Hogsmeade visit, especially with the recent attack and the increasing number of missing persons reports in the Prophet, some of whom were even relatives of Hogwarts students.
Under such circumstances, it was understandable that the school wouldn't allow students to leave the premises easily.
Kyle and Connor sat down at an empty spot, preparing to have their breakfast.
"Kyle, do you have any plans today?" Connor asked as she spread jam on her bread.
"No, why?"
"I want to try brewing a new potion today," Connor said, "but it requires quite a lot of ingredients, and it's a bit troublesome to handle them all by myself. Can you help me if you're free?"
"Sure," Kyle nodded. "When do you want to start?"
"How about after breakfast? We can go to the underground classroom."
"I think it's better if we use the Room of Requirement instead," Kyle suggested after a moment's thought. "If we go to the underground classroom, we might run into Slughorn, and he's been avoiding social gatherings lately, even his beloved parties. I don't want to scare him off again."
"The Room of Requirement has everything we need, and the environment is better than the classroom."
"Alright," Connor nodded in agreement.
After breakfast, the two of them made their way to the eighth floor, where they encountered Harry and Ron.
However, something seemed amiss with the duo.
"Let go of me, Harry! I need to find Romilda Vane. Stop holding me back!"
Harry tightly gripped Ron's arm, dragging him along, while Ron twisted and turned like a fish that had been pulled out of the water, desperately trying to break free.
"Yes, yes, I'm taking you to her right now," Harry said without turning back. "She's in Slughorn's office. We're going there now."
"Why is she there!"
"Maybe she's attending a Potions class..." Harry replied casually.
"Maybe I can apply to join her!" Ron said dreamily, his eyes sparkling with adoration.
"Yes, yes, you can... Oh, don't drip your drool on my sleeve!"
"What's going on?" Connor whispered to Kyle as she eyed the pair suspiciously. "Look at Harry's eye; it's all bruised, and Ron seems a bit... love-struck."
Kyle glanced over and noticed that Harry indeed had a faint bruise around his left eye, roughly the size of a fist.
Combining this with Ron's lovesick demeanor, Kyle had a pretty good idea of what had transpired.
"Hey, Harry!" he called out, "Did Ron drink a Love Potion or something?"
The only thing that could make Ron willingly give up his weekend to attend an extra class was either the Imperius Curse or a Love Potion.
"I think so," Harry acknowledged, seeing the two of them. "He ate Romilda Vane's chocolate cauldron that she gave me for Christmas."
"That must be it," Connor said thoughtfully. "Remember I told you about someone bringing Love Potions into Hogwarts? Vane was one of them, but I thought I confiscated her Love Potion."
"Obviously, she bought another one," Kyle shrugged.
"Never mind that now," Harry interrupted urgently. "Do you guys have any ideas on how to fix this?"
Kyle stepped forward and tapped Ron's forehead with his wand.
"Amorentia Reversal!"
"Hey, what are you doing!" Ron protested, pushing Kyle away. He then turned to Harry and said, "Let go of me! I need to find my beloved Romilda!"
"It didn't work?" Harry looked at Kyle, perplexed.
"It seems Romilda used a genuine Love Potion, not one of those joke products from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Kyle explained.
Kyle remained silent and glanced at Connor.
"Half an hour," Connor replied. "Countering a Love Potion requires mixing several potions together, but I'm missing the most basic one—a Calming Draught."
"If you don't want to wait, you can always go to the school hospital or find Professor Slughorn," Kyle suggested, turning to Harry. "They should have ready-made potions available."
"I'll go find Professor Slughorn, then," Harry said. "But can you help me with something first? He keeps kicking my leg, and it hurts. Did the Love Potion also enhance his strength or something?"
"Not normally," Kyle chuckled. "But you're the one standing in the way of him pursuing his beloved. He's got every reason to knock some sense into you."
Connor couldn't hold back her laughter anymore and let out a soft giggle.
Indeed, the way Harry was looking at Ron right now, he did resemble a typical villain who was keeping lovers apart.
Harry's face fell. If he had a choice, he wouldn't want things to turn out this way, but what could he do? He couldn't just let Ron go find Romilda, could he?
"Forget about the potion for now. Let's help him first," Connor suggested.
"Alright, if you insist," Kyle said as he took out his wand again.
"Stunning Spell!"
A flash of red light later, Ron collapsed into Harry's arms, fast asleep.
"This should be easier now."
Kyle used the Levitation Charm to float the unconscious Ron, and together with Harry, they made their way to Slughorn's office.
The door was ajar, and Harry gently knocked before pushing it open, only to be greeted by a startled cry.
"Sorry, Professor Slughorn, about Ron..." Harry began, but his voice trailed off as his eyes widened in surprise.
Kyle looked up just in time to see Slughorn charging towards them like an angry bull, pushing past Harry and rushing out into the corridor.
"Out of my way... Rosmerta... my dear... I must see her now!" he kept repeating as he ran.
Hmm...
Harry sat down on the floor, rubbing his sore back. He had just been knocked over by a professor.
So, Professor Slughorn had a thing for Madam Rosmerta of the Three Broomsticks?
For some reason, the scene felt oddly familiar, as if he had witnessed something similar before.
At that moment, Kyle quickly moved Ron to the side and pointed his wand at Slughorn.
"Stunning Spell!"
The next second, Slughorn joined Ron on the floor, lying motionless.
Kyle had just stunned a professor!? Harry was taken aback for a moment before realization dawned on him.
No, it wasn't a Stunning Spell... He remembered Slughorn's behavior, which was identical to Ron's after consuming the Chocolate Cauldron.
Harry quickly looked inside the office.
There was no Chocolate Cauldron in sight, only a plate of steaming steak, presumably Slughorn's breakfast, along with a bag of dried pineapple and half a cup of mead.
"What in the world is going on here?"
Harry was baffled.
"Why would Madam Rosmerta of the Three Broomsticks give Professor Slughorn a Love Potion? That doesn't make any sense."
To be honest, Kyle didn't think it made much sense either. After all, Madam Rosmerta was quite popular in Hogsmeade, while Professor Slughorn... He visited the Three Broomsticks at least twice a week and made additional trips during special events.
But he had just heard Slughorn's outburst, and so had everyone else.
"Regardless, we should probably take them both to the school hospital. When Slughorn wakes up, we'll know what happened," Kyle said, rubbing his forehead. "Harry, do you know the Levitation Charm? Actually, never mind. Go inform Professor McGonagall instead.
"Slughorn is a professor, and someone using a Love Potion on him is no small matter."
"But what about Ron..." Harry trailed off as he glanced back at Ron, who had been moved to the side by Kyle.
"We won't just leave him here, of course," Kyle assured him. "Connor, why don't you take Ron? He's a bit lighter."
Connor nodded and pointed her wand at Ron.
"Mobilicorpus!"
Ron immediately floated in mid-air, softly swaying as Connor guided him forward.
Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, hurrying off towards Professor McGonagall's office.
Kyle used the same spell to levitate Slughorn and followed behind Harry.
Their unusual procession immediately drew the attention of everyone they passed, mainly due to the conspicuous presence of a floating professor.
The students were curious and tense, wondering what had happened to cause a professor to collapse in the castle.
However, Kyle and Connor couldn't exactly explain the situation, especially not the part about Slughorn consuming a Love Potion. That would be too embarrassing for the professor.
So, they endured the curious stares and whispers as they made their way through the castle towards the school hospital.
"Kyle, maybe I should go find Professor McGonagall instead," Connor suggested worriedly. "In case Madam Pomfrey asks questions, Harry might be able to provide more details."
"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey won't ask," Kyle shook his head. "And Harry might not know the Levitation Charm anyway. We can't have him carrying Ron there, can we?"
(End of Chapter)
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