Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

At this time of day, the houses on Muggle Street have all turned off their lights and are resting, with only a few windows still letting in a faint light.

It was very quiet everywhere.

Dumbledore led John and Harry through the streets with practiced ease.

"So how can we convince Mr. Slughorn to tell us the truth?"

As they walked, Harry asked, his head throbbing.

In his view, even Dumbledore couldn't get any answers, so how could the two of them possibly get any?

"Although I just said a lot of bad things about Horace to you, he is essentially a stubborn old man who cares too much about his reputation and face."

"He still has a conscience and a sense of morality. No matter how much he tries to avoid the truth of what happened back then, he always has a scale in his heart."

"On one hand, his lifelong reputation was suppressed, and on the other hand, his conscience and sense of justice were suppressed."

"What you need to do is find a way to make his conscience outweigh his obsession with fame."

Dumbledore led the way, speaking slowly.

"To put it bluntly, it's about using moral blackmail and pressure on him."

John, standing nearby, complained.

Dumbledore: "..."

"No, I prefer to call it awakening his conscience."

John shrugged and did not answer.

......

Soon they arrived at a Muggle mansion, where moss covered the cracks in the bricks and the wrought iron door knockers gleamed from the cold.

"Take out your wand and be ready to deal with any unexpected situations."

Dumbledore looked at the door that had been violently broken open and narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

Although he had checked and found no Dark Marks nearby, he still needed to remain vigilant given the current situation.

Harry and John exchanged a glance and then pulled out their wands.

As the three of them entered through the crooked oak door, the mess inside the house came into view.

The furniture was overturned, the walls were covered with vicious claw marks, and the ceiling was broken, dripping blood.

"Horace?"

Dumbledore tentatively called out into the room, but received no response.

"Headmaster, are you sure Mr. Slughorn is here?"

"Or are we too late?"

John looked at the scene before him and asked in confusion.

"Hmm, let me see..."

Dumbledore did not answer directly, but instead picked up his wand and went into the room next to the front door.

He glanced around; the room was also a mess.

There was also a copy of last month's Daily Prophet on the ground, which featured headshots of John and Harry.

Dumbledore's gaze slowly fell on the corner of the room, on the only intact armchair.

Although the sofa itself is nothing special.

However, the fact that it was intact stands out particularly in this mess.

"John."

Dumbledore called softly, and John nodded, understanding the headmaster's meaning.

John then threw out a handful of pebbles, which changed shape in mid-air, affecting various joint components.

Then they were pieced together to form an exquisite stone knight.

This move is for no other reason than to show off.

In an instant, the group undergoes multiple transformations, which are then precisely assembled into a movable stone knight.

This is something no student at Hogwarts could do.

After the stone knight took shape, it immediately raised its hand and grabbed at the sofa.

However, just a second before he was about to touch the sofa.

"Merlin's beard!"

"What exquisite transformation magic!"

A head suddenly popped out from the back of the sofa and shouted with great surprise.

Even though they were prepared, John and Harry were still taken aback by what they saw.

It's terrifying, like a ghost.

Then, after a series of wobbles, the sofa stood up like a Transformer.

Finally, he transformed into a chubby, elderly male wizard wearing a bathrobe, who was none other than Slughorn himself.

"Horace, your transfiguration is equally superb; I almost didn't notice you."

Dumbledore smiled at Slughorn and said this.

"Of course, but how did you eventually find me?"

Slughorn nodded in approval at first, but then immediately asked a question in return.

"Don't you think this messy room doesn't match your sofa at all?" Dumbledore said slowly.

"Oh, I see..."

Slughorn nodded, but was immediately drawn to the exquisite stone knight beside him.

"Merlin's beard, what exquisite transformations it is, completely unlike those self-contained stone statues."

"More agile, more powerful, more refined, but also more energy-consuming."

"You must be John Merrick."

Slughorn carefully examined the stone knight, muttering to himself for a while, before speaking to John.

John: "No, I am Harry Potter."

Harry: "..."

Slughorn laughed at John's playful response.

"Haha, I may be old, but I don't have Alzheimer's yet."

"Who in the wizarding world doesn't know the name Harry Potter!"

As he spoke, he looked at Harry beside him, staring into his eyes.

"Especially since you have eyes exactly like Lily's..."

Upon hearing this, Harry's Adam's apple bobbed, and then he asked.

"Sir, do you know my mother?"

"Haha, of course, of course, Lily is my favorite student."

Slughorn looked into Harry's eyes and spoke very seriously, his gaze carrying a hint of reminiscence.

But before he could begin reminiscing about the past, Dumbledore interrupted him softly.

"Horace, what happened to this house?"

"Are you waiting for other guests? Like Death Eaters?"

Horace looked at Dumbledore again after hearing his words.

"Oh, you know, the Death Eaters have been trying to recruit me, but I can't keep turning them down."

"We can only pretend that this place is deserted."

Horace shrugged, speaking with a mixture of helplessness and annoyance.

Dumbledore nodded, said nothing more, and then spoke to John again.

"John."

"It's me again?"

John muttered a complaint under his breath, but obediently waved his wand.

back to normal.

As his magic surged forth, all the broken porcelain shards, crooked furniture, and damaged walls in the room began to automatically return to their places.

Just like reversing a video, it restores it to its original state.

A beautiful and cozy living room appeared before everyone's eyes.

Upon seeing John's actions, Slughorn's eyes lit up again.