Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 324 The Slug Club

Time flies by in the peaceful life at Hogwarts. It seems like the Quidditch match with Slytherin was just a short while ago, but in reality, Hagrid has already brought all twelve Christmas trees that are a must-have in the Great Hall every year.

Holly and gold leaf were wrapped around the railings of the stairs and corridors, candles flickered inside the helmets of the armor, and large bunches of mistletoe hung at intervals. From the day they were hung there, Hogwarts couples could always be seen standing below them.

Of course, most of them were girls who looked at Harry with eyes that seemed to want to devour him.

Everyone wants to taste the lips of the Savior, even if it's through some unethical means.

"Be careful tonight, and it's best not to accept drinks from strangers," Hermione said to a frowning Harry in the common room, holding a book. "Earlier, I went to the restrooms, and there were lots of girls talking about how to get you to drink a love potion. They all want you to take them to the Slughorn party. You also saw the love potions Fred and George had; they all bought them from there."

"I remember, weren't those forbidden?" Harry asked, puzzled. "Owls are inspected, how did they get into the castle? And why didn't you confiscate them?"

"They didn't bring the medicine into the bathroom, so who knows where they hid it?" Hermione said, closing the book. "Besides, Fred and George sent it in as perfume and cough syrup."

"You know a lot," Harry remarked, looking somewhat troubled.

"Anyway, be careful, there's no antidote in this world..."

Hermione finished speaking and left; she needed to prepare her outfit for the evening. Slughorn didn't want anyone attending the party dressed too formally, so a school uniform was definitely out of the question. But Hermione didn't have anything else.

No, there is one, but she doesn't want to wear it on this occasion.

Harry stayed in the common room for a while longer, all alone. Not long into the new term, Ron and Lavender became close, and they were practically inseparable except during class and when copying Hermione's homework.

As a friend, Harry was happy for Ron, but to be honest, he was also a little annoyed at times.

Those two people can be really awkward sometimes...

Leaving the common room, Harry kept thinking about Hermione's words. He wasn't blind; he could clearly see the girls staring at him. He also knew that the only way to avoid those troubles was to find a female companion.

But who should we turn to?

The faces of the girls he knew flashed through his mind, but only one girl gave him a strange feeling, and that girl was the one who would never accept his invitation.

"Hi, Harry!"

As he was walking, a voice called out to him. Harry turned around, his eyes lighting up.

"Hey, Luna, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I just came out of the bathroom." Luna looked at Harry with her empty eyes, tilted her head, and said nothing, but Harry coughed awkwardly.

"Are you nervous, Harry?" Luna asked.

"Ahem, no... By the way, how's this semester going? I haven't seen you at all."

"That's good. I'm a little lonely without DA, but Ginny is great. She even stopped two boys from calling me 'crazy girl' the other day..." Luna replied. "Also, the atmosphere in the academy is weird. It's like everyone's brains have been messed up by the harassing flies."

"Really..." Harry nodded slightly, then mustered his courage and asked, "Would you like to come with me to Professor Slughorn's party tonight?"

"A party? With you?" Luna looked at Harry in surprise, which made Harry very nervous and somewhat incoherent.

"Yes, we all have to bring guests... Maybe, I mean as friends, you understand... but if..."

"No, I'd like to go with you," Luna said with a bright smile, "as a friend!"

"Great... um, I mean, see you in the lobby at eight o'clock tonight..."

Having made the appointment with Luna, Harry felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders, a genuine sense of relief. But clearly, he relaxed far too soon. He had no idea that Peeves was hiding nearby while he was inviting Luna.

So when he returned to the common room, the news had basically spread throughout the entire Hogwarts.

Everyone was very surprised, including Ron.

"You could have chosen anyone, I mean anyone!" Ron exclaimed in surprise at dinner, "But you chose Luna!"

“I think it’s great,” Ginny interjected. “I’m glad you’re taking her, Harry.”

"Alright, alright, you can all go..." Ron said somewhat sourly, but he quickly became cheerful as Lavender and Parvati came in and the two immediately hugged each other.

As mentioned before, they are very good at making people feel awkward, especially Pavati, who came in with Lavender.

"Hi, Harry, Hermione, Ginny," Parvati greeted them. "What are you talking about?"

"Professor Slughorn's party," Hermione said. "Are you going?"

"Nobody invited me..." Parvati said, sounding a little dejected. "I really want to go, it sounds like a great idea..."

"Then come with me," Hermione immediately extended an invitation, which surprised everyone else.

"Is this...is this appropriate?" You could tell that Parvati was very happy, but also a little embarrassed.

"There's no rule about the guests' gender, is there? How about it, want to come along?" Hermione asked, looking at Parvati.

"Of course...that's fantastic!"

"Let's go back and get ready now. Time is tight and there's a lot to do... First, you need a beautiful dress..." With that, the two left the hall.

At eight o'clock in the evening, when Harry arrived at the foyer, a large group of girls had gathered there. He found Luna amidst the resentful and accusatory stares, and was quite surprised to find her wearing a perfectly normal bright silver dress.

"Let's go," Harry said.

"Great!" Luna replied. "By the way, where's the party?"

"Professor Slughorn's office," Harry said, ignoring the uncomfortable stares as he and Luna walked out. "I heard there are vampires here too. That's really rare. I thought they'd all gone to... I mean, to the Dark Lord..."

They chatted as they walked toward Slughorn's office. As they walked, bursts of laughter and music gradually reached their ears, growing louder when they arrived at the office door.

Harry knocked on the door, and it opened quickly, revealing Professor Slughorn's enormous belly.

"Harry, my son!" he exclaimed, looking very pleased. "Come in quickly, everyone here is eager to see you!"

As she spoke, she put her arm around Harry's shoulder and pulled him into the house without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)