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Chapter 744: Two Bottles of Love Potion
Chapter 744: Two Bottles of Love Potion
"Kyle, you must come to the party tomorrow," Slughorn said, stopping Kyle as he was about to leave after Potions class. "It's to celebrate Mr. Sabini Breese's 17th birthday, and you'll definitely be there, right?"
He looked cheerful and bobbed his head, as if the birthday boy was himself.
Kyle, who had been stopped, simply nodded and said, "Of course, Professor Slughorn, I'll be there."
"I knew it!" Slughorn beamed even more brightly. "A wizard's coming of age is a big deal, and many people will be there. You wouldn't want to miss it."
"Then I'll go and prepare the drinks for the party. I hope The Three Broomsticks still has some good aged wine..."
Slughorn fastened the gold clasp on his dragon hide briefcase and turned to leave.
"Wait, Professor, I have a question," Kyle suddenly called out.
"Then ask quickly, child, ask quickly..." Slughorn turned and said warmly.
"Professor, do you know... about Horcruxes?"
Slughorn froze, his hand hanging in mid-air, and his round face seemed to sink.
Oddly, the once-energetic man seemed to wither in an instant, as if he hadn't slept for days.
He licked his lips and asked in a hoarse voice, "You, what did you just say?"
"Horcruxes, Professor," Kyle repeated. "I read about it in a book and found it intriguing."
"Did Dumbledore send you?" Slughorn asked in a low voice, but with certainty. "Dumbledore showed you that memory... didn't he? He asked you to come and ask me!"
Slughorn's eyes were filled with shock and fear, and his forehead began to sweat.
"What memory? Does Professor Dumbledore know about this too?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
"Don't you know?" Slughorn paused and took out a handkerchief from his chest pocket to wipe his forehead.
"Should I know something?" Kyle asked. "As I said, I read it in a book."
"What book!" Slughorn pressed. "I dare say the Hogwarts Library has no records of such things. You can't fool me. You must have read about it somewhere else."
"No, Professor, I saw it in Nick's private library," Kyle interrupted. "I found a book called 'Unveiling Dark Magic' in his collection, and the content was really interesting.
"But some of the questions were too general, and I didn't quite understand them."
"I have nothing to say," Slughorn whispered, wiping his sweaty forehead again. "You've come to the wrong person, Kyle. I know nothing about Horcruxes... nothing at all!"
Slughorn emphasized his last words and grabbed his dragon hide briefcase. He shoved the handkerchief back into his pocket and headed for the door.
But just as he reached the door, Slughorn suddenly stopped.
He seemed to have thought of something and took a deep breath before turning around to face Kyle again.
Too similar...
At that moment, Slughorn seemed to see two shadows merging into one.
Both equally talented, radiating a blinding light that seemed out of place at Hogwarts.
And just like the other, he had taken notice of Horcruxes...
"I advise you not to waste your time on this, Kyle. It's not something you should know."
Slughorn spoke earnestly, "You should focus your energy on other matters, like... well, Quidditch is a good choice. I recall you're a decent Chaser.
"If you're willing, I can recommend you to the Holyhead Harpies. There, you'll surely become a renowned professional Quidditch player."
Slughorn didn't give Kyle a chance to speak. He finished his monologue and slammed the door shut, leaving the classroom.
Only Kyle and Conna remained in the room.
"What did you ask him?" Conna asked, puzzled.
She had never seen someone's face change so fast, and Slughorn's fear was almost overflowing.
"Nothing much, just some past he didn't want to talk about," Kyle shrugged, walking out of the underground classroom with Conna.
"You're not doing this on purpose, are you?" Conna looked at Kyle suspiciously. "To avoid the party?"
"The effect is quite significant," Kyle smiled. "For a long time, I shouldn't need to worry about him coming to any parties... he won't even want to see me."
...
Indeed, Kyle's prediction came true. For the following two weeks, Slughorn didn't speak a word to him, not even during Potions class. He would keep his distance from Kyle as much as possible, and even during inspections, he would deliberately ignore Kyle, as if he were invisible.
Even Conna, who sat with Kyle, enjoyed a rare break from Slughorn's scrutiny. It seemed Slughorn had decided to draw a clear line between Kyle and those around him.
But this was exactly what Kyle wanted, and Conna felt the same.
It's been two weeks since Kyle was assigned detention, and he couldn't help but agree with Conna that he should've done it sooner.
In response, Kyle simply thanked Harry, crediting him for the inspiration.
It was also true that if they hadn't run into Harry in the Entrance Hall, where Ron and Hermione were discussing Horcruxes, Kyle might not have thought of this idea.
Slughorn was most resistant to anything related to Horcruxes, and to keep a distance from such topics was simple; he just had to steer the conversation in that direction.
Kyle was a bit annoyed with himself for not thinking of it sooner!
February turned into March, and the weather didn't change much; it was still as cold as ever, only now with added humidity and stronger winds. Fine snowflakes were blown against the classroom windows, creating a crisp tapping sound.
This day was the weekend, but people weren't generally in high spirits because they had just received a notification that the Hogsmeade visit was canceled.
"This is the second time already!"
During breakfast, someone complained, "Why is it like this? I've been looking forward to it since last week!"
"I thought of it first." Justin Finch-Fletchley patted his shoulder, "Don't forget, the Gryffindor is still at St. Mungo's."
"But my candy was finished during Christmas, and I was thinking of buying some more."
"I bought quite a bit last time." Michael Corner said, "But now I only have Every Flavour Beans and Whiskerleaf Mints left."
"Great, if only I knew, I would've bought a Galleon's worth too."
Kyle walked past the group.
Regarding the cancellation of the Hogsmeade visit, he similarly didn't find it strange, except for the recent attack incident and the increasing number of missing reports in the Prophet, some of whom were relatives of Hogwarts students.
In such a situation, the school would definitely not allow students to leave easily.
Kyle and Conna sat down next to an empty seat, preparing to eat breakfast.
"Kyle, do you have something going on today?" Conna asked while spreading jam on her bread.
"No, what's up?"
"I want to try a new potion today." Conna said, "But the preparation requires quite a few things, and it's a bit troublesome. If you're free, can you help me?"
"No problem." Kyle nodded, "When?"
"After breakfast, we can go to the underground classroom."
"I think the Room of Requirement would be better." Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Going to the underground classroom might run into Slughorn, and I heard he rarely hosts his favorite parties now, what if we scare him again?"
"The Room of Requirement is also well-equipped, and the environment is better than the underground classroom."
"That works too." Conna nodded.
After breakfast, the two of them went to the eighth floor, where they encountered Harry and Ron.
However, the two of them seemed a bit off.
"Let go of me, Harry! I'm going to find Romilda Vane, don't stop me!"
Harry tightly gripped Ron's arm, dragging him along, while Ron twisted and struggled like a fish pulled onto the shore.
"Yes, yes, I'll take you to her right now. She's in Slughorn's office, let's go there now."
"Why is she there?"
"Maybe, she's taking Potions class..." Harry said casually.
"Maybe I can apply to take it with her!" Ron said happily.
"Yes, yes, you can... Oh, don't drip your drool on my sleeve!"
"What's going on?" Conna asked, moving closer to Kyle, "Look at Harry's eyes, they seem bruised, and I feel like Ron's state is a bit off."
Kyle looked over and indeed, there was a faint bruise around Harry's left eye was about the size of a fist.
Combining this with Ron's lovestruck expression, Kyle roughly guessed what was going on.
"Harry!" He called out to the two of them, "Ron must've taken a Love Potion, right?"
Only the Mind Control Spell could make Ron willingly give up his weekend to catch up on classes, other than the Love Potion.
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"I think so too." Harry also looked at the two of them and quickly said, "He ate the Chocolate Cauldron Romilda gave me for Christmas."
"That must be it.
"I remember I mentioned someone brought Love Potion into Hogwarts, right? Romilda was one of them, but I remember I confiscated her Love Potion already."
"Obviously, she bought another bottle." Kyle shrugged.
"Stop talking about this already!" Harry said anxiously, "Do you have a solution?"
Kyle walked over and tapped Ron's forehead with his wand.
"Love Potion Dispel!"
"Hey, what are you doing!" Ron pushed Kyle unhappily, then said to Harry beside him, "Let go of me, I'm going to find my dear Romilda!"
"It's useless?" Harry looked at Kyle blankly.
"Obviously, Romilda is using a real Love Potion, not a joke product from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
"Kyle put away his wand," he said, "we'll need to prepare an antidote for this situation."
"Can you do it?" Harry asked.
Kyle didn't speak; he just glanced at Cona.
"Half an hour," Cona said, "to counteract the effects of the Love Potion, we'll need to mix several potions together, but I lack the most basic Calming Draught."
"If you don't want to wait, you can also go to the Hospital Wing or find Professor Slughorn," Kyle said, looking at Harry. "They should have ready-made potions there."
"I'll go find Professor Slughorn," Harry said. "But can you help me with something? He keeps kicking my leg, and it hurts so much. Does the Love Potion also have the effect of increasing strength?"
"Normally, no," Kyle laughed, "but who told you to block Ron from pursuing his beloved? He's not hitting you, is he?"
Cona couldn't hold back and snorted with laughter.
"Well, looking at Ron now," Harry said, "he does seem like a villain who breaks up couples."
Harry's face fell, and if he could, he wouldn't want to do this either. But there was no other way; he couldn't let Ron go find Romilda, could he?
"Forget it, the potion isn't urgent, let's help him first," Cona said.
"Since you've said so much, then fine," Kyle said, taking out his wand again.
"Stupefy!"
A red light flashed, and Ron immediately collapsed into Harry's arms.
"This is much simpler now."
Kyle used the Levitation Charm to carry the unconscious Ron, along with Harry, to Professor Slughorn's office.
The door was ajar, and Harry gently knocked, causing it to creak open.
"Sorry, Professor Slughorn, Ron..." Harry began, but then he suddenly exclaimed as he pushed the door open, "Oh my!"
Kyle quickly looked up, and then he saw Professor Slughorn like an enraged bull, charging towards Harry and frantically running out into the corridor.
While his mouth kept repeating, "Get out of my way... Rosmerta... My love... I'm going to see her right now!"
Um...
Harry sat on the ground, rubbing his sore back, feeling a bit perplexed.
So, Professor Slughorn liked Rosmerta from the Three Broomsticks?
Somehow, he felt like he had seen this scene before, like deja vu.
At this moment, Kyle had already swiftly moved Ron to the side and aimed his wand at Professor Slughorn.
"Stupefy!"
The next second, Professor Slughorn also lay motionless on the ground.
Kyle had used the Stunning Spell on the professor!
Harry was initially startled but quickly realized what had happened.
Wait, it was the Love Potion... He remembered, Professor Slughorn's behavior was just like Ron after drinking the Chocolate Cauldron.
Harry quickly looked inside the office.
There was no Chocolate Cauldron, only a plate of steaming steak, presumably his breakfast, along with a bag of pineapple toffee and half a cup of honey wine.
"What is going on here!"
Harry was a bit confused.
"Rosmerta from the Three Broomsticks wouldn't need to use a Love Potion on Professor Slughorn, would she? It doesn't seem necessary."
To be honest, Kyle also didn't think it was necessary. After all, Rosmerta was quite popular in Hogsmeade, while Professor Slughorn... He would go to the Three Broomsticks at least twice a week, and he'd make an extra trip during parties.
But what he had just shouted wasn't false; they had all heard it.
"Anyway, let's first send them both to the Hospital Wing," Kyle said, "and when Professor Slughorn wakes up, he'll naturally know what happened."
Kyle rubbed his forehead and said, "Harry, you go notify Professor McGonagall."
"Professor Slughorn and Ron are different. He's a professor, and using a Love Potion on him isn't a small matter."
"But Ron..." Harry turned to look at Ron, who had just been pushed aside by Kyle.
"We can't leave him here," Kyle said. "Cona, you take Ron, it'll be easier for you."
Cona nodded, taking out her wand and pointing it at Ron.
"Zombie Hovering Charm!"
Ron immediately floated softly in mid-air, and Cona led him forward.
Only then did Harry heave a sigh of relief. After standing up from the ground, he immediately ran towards Professor McGonagall's office.
Kyle used the same method to take Professor Slughorn away.
This unique combination instantly attracted everyone's attention, especially with Cona's eye-catching appearance.
A professor had fainted in the castle, and everyone was curious about what had happened, creating a slightly tense atmosphere.
But Kyle and Cona couldn't explain the situation; they couldn't just say he had drunk a Love Potion, or Professor Slughorn would lose face.
So, they could only endure the strange gazes from the students as they made their way through the castle towards the Hospital Wing.
"Kyle, let me go find Professor McGonagall instead," Cona said with some worry, "What if Madam Pomfrey asks, and Harry knows more?"
"Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey won't ask," Kyle shook his head, "And Harry might not even use the Levitation Charm. We can't have him carry Ron on his back, can we?"
(End of Chapter)
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