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

"Merlin's beard, I'm sure you're even more formidable than the newspapers claim."

Seeing John's performance, Slughorn couldn't help but praise him.

"Of course."

John said it with a very arrogant tone.

"I really wish you were purebloods too..."

"ha?"

John, who was originally quite arrogant, immediately became unhappy upon hearing this.

"I heard from the principal that you are a wise, visionary elder who never judges heroes by their lineage."

"So, you're a pureblood like Voldemort?"

John started by praising one thing and then criticizing the other.

"Oh no, no, no, I absolutely didn't mean that."

"Like Harry's mother, Lily, who was his favorite student. She was smart, kind, brave, and also Muggle-born."

"I absolutely do not discriminate based on race."

John's words alarmed Slughorn, who quickly waved his hand in denial.

"Also, don't mention that person's name."

"What's so hard to talk about? I ran into Voldemort just over a month ago."

However, John ignored him completely, pursed his lips, and then said something.

"I'm going to the restroom. Call me when you're done."

Then the person disappeared from the room.

Slughorn stood frozen in place, his lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something but didn't get a chance. Dumbledore, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow and said...

"I'll go too."

After saying that, he left the room, but before leaving, he winked at Harry.

Harry: ?

No! You two ran away?

Harry stood there, at a loss, his gaze darting back and forth between the empty doorway and Slughorn.

Slughorn wasn't angry at John's retort; instead, he sighed helplessly.

"Lily is definitely my favorite student."

"I've lamented to her more than once how wonderful it would be if she were a pureblood."

"Hehe, guess what she said?"

Slughorn slowly walked to a cabinet, which was filled with more than a dozen picture frames of various sizes.

"How so?" Harry asked, following up on the conversation.

"Haha... She said, I don't care about purebloods."

"That temper of hers is no less than John's just now."

Slughorn smiled, picked up a picture frame, and handed it to Harry.

When Harry took the photo frame, he immediately recognized the red-haired woman in it as his mother, Lily.

"Those I've placed here are all my best students from back then."

"This man, Barnabas Guffey, is now the editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet. If I write to him and express my opinions, I'm sure to get them published."

"And this one, Gwenog Jones, captain of the Holyhead Harpy, she always sends me free tickets whenever there's a game."

Slughorn pointed to the cabinet full of picture frames and introduced Harry to his prized students.

"It's just a pity, if Lily were still alive..."

"I'm sorry, child. I hope I didn't say anything wrong."

Slughorn's voice suddenly lowered, and he choked up as he looked at Lily's photo.

Harry shook his head; he was no longer the boy who would become bitter and resentful over a few words.

He gazed at his mother's youthful and vibrant smile, his fingertips gently brushing across the glass surface.

It's as if you can touch that vibrant red hair and bright green eyes.

"She's always lived," Harry said softly, "in our hearts, hasn't she?"

Hearing Harry's words, Slughorn nodded slowly, smiling with satisfaction: "Yes, yes..."

Just then, John and Dumbledore's voices came from the corridor outside.

"Hey principal, are you a pervert? You follow me even when I go to the bathroom?"

"Sorry, John, I thought you were just making an excuse to leave."

"Why would I make an excuse to leave when I have nothing better to do?"

"Who knows? Maybe she's just in a bad mood?"

"Huh? Am I in a bad mood?"

Are you in a good mood?

The sounds of the two bickering could be clearly heard from outside.

Harry felt a little embarrassed for them and glanced at Slughorn apologetically.

Slughorn didn't seem to care at all; in fact, he said with a hint of envy.

"Oh, Albus and that child are really close."

"It's not as good as you imagine..."

Harry chimed in with a comment.

"Oh? Is that so?" Hearing Harry's words, Slughorn blinked, and a smile reappeared on his lips.

Before long, John and Dumbledore returned together.

Harry and Slughorn seemed to be having a good chat.

"Dumbledore said slowly."

"Horace, I'm sure you know why I'm here. What have you thought about it?"

Upon hearing this, Slughorn paused for a moment and gently placed the photo frame back in its original place.

His gaze fell on Harry, then turned to John.

One is a humble and polite savior who is the focus of everyone's attention.

One is an unruly, once-in-a-century genius.

He took a deep breath, then looked at Dumbledore and spoke with dissatisfaction.

"Albus, you're so mean!"

Dumbledore simply smiled gently, already understanding Horace's choice.

"Horace, Hogwarts welcomes you back."

Slughorn lowered his head to straighten his cuffs and waved his hand angrily.

"Come on, let me make this clear! I want to use Professor Miles's original office, not that tiny, toilet-like break room!"

"And you need to give me a raise! This world is too chaotic, too chaotic!"

Dumbledore's smile widened, and he did not refuse.

"Then I look forward to your arrival soon."

"Let's go, children, say goodbye to your new professor and go home."

Harry and John responded in unison, then waved to Slughorn.

Goodbye, Professor.

"Okay, goodbye, see you at our school, kids."

Facing Harry and John, Slughorn smiled again and greeted them kindly.

His expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book, like a grandfather saying goodbye to his beloved grandson.

Dumbledore then led the two away from the Muggle mansion.

......

After coming out, the three of them walked along the same path they had taken before.

Harry let out a long sigh, then looked at Dumbledore and John with dissatisfaction.

"Professor, John! You're such good actors! You left me there alone to face Professor Slughorn!"

"Oh Harry, you did a great job, didn't you?"

Dumbledore chuckled and said something in response to Harry's complaint.

"The main thing is that we've done all the acting and all the show we were supposed to do, and you're the only one who hasn't had a chance to shine, so of course we'll let you have your turn to shine."

John, who was standing nearby, also laughed.

That angry outburst just now was all an act; it's called showcasing the personality of a genius.

I'm not some good boy. If you want to be my teacher, you have to show some skills to convince me.

Of course, if things go wrong, Harry will be the only one who can save the day.

That's why he turned and left.

Harry wanted to refute it but didn't know how.

Indeed, he didn't do much from beginning to end; he just chatted...

"All Harry needs to do is show himself; Horace will absolutely not be able to resist your temptation."

Dumbledore added slowly.

Harry couldn't say anything more, so he could only follow the two of them back.