Archaeologists at Hogwarts

363 Slughorn

"Yeah, ah, ah!"

"Slow down, Al, talk slowly, what have you overheard?"

"Yeah yah!"

"Did he really say that? How could Moody know how to deal with the devil? Has he been to Loch Ness, Toby?"

Facing Angela's question, Toby, who was standing by the window, analyzed: "It can't be Loch Ness, otherwise I would have found traces at the bottom of the lake long ago. Traveling is just an excuse. I guess these are all from Dumbledore." Lido only discovered it by accident when he was sent out to do errands last semester, no wonder he is so hostile to me, no one will have a good impression of me after seeing so many ancient magics."

Toby's words basically guessed Moody's motives.But in comparison, he still cared more about the other thing Moody said - the person who failed to transform.

"I'll ask Aberforth again when I have a chance." Toby murmured, "These two are on a mission together, so he must know something."

However, Moody's matter is not completely over.

His remarks in class quickly spread throughout the school, and everyone now knew that he and Professor Highmore were at odds.While catching up with their homework, the students waited silently for Professor Highmore's reaction, and whether they would fight him like they did against Snape.

But unexpectedly, to the surprise of everyone, it was another new professor who jumped out first.

"Toby was my student."

Slughorn said bitterly: "He was one of my best students - now maybe I have to get rid of 'one'. I will never allow someone to slander him like this."

Principal McGonagall, who was sitting across from him, looked up from a stack of documents.

"Huh? Slander?" She said with a strange look: "It's hard to say whether this is really slander. Toby's course content has always been very controversial, and it didn't get better until this year——Besides, have you ever seen the devil?" ?”

"Isn't it just ancient magic?" Slughorn's tone was completely no big deal: "I am very aware that my student is a bit weird, and occasionally he is keen on those dangerous types of magic. But who doesn't? ? I think that's totally understandable."

"So you haven't seen a devil?" Mag rubbed his eyebrows and said, "How long have you been in touch? Toby is different from before, very different."

"This is prejudice." Slughorn's beard was shaking angrily: "I really didn't expect this kind of prejudice to exist in Hogwarts today, Minerva, I have to say that you are indeed not as good as Hogwarts in this regard." Albus is excellent."

"Then it's up to you to do it." McGonagall said angrily: "Whether it's mediating conflicts or other things, you can do whatever you want-but remember, I don't want to see any professor Suddenly poisoned."

"Sounds like an easy thing to say," Slughorn snorted.

Soon, Slughorn found Toby and told him that he would help solve this trouble.

"Huh? Dean, what are you going to do?" Toby asked puzzled, "Do you want to fight Moody?"

"Duel?" Slughorn looked down at his big belly again: "Do you think I can beat a legendary Auror? No, Toby, this way is too rough."

His real intention was to buy Toby and Moody sometime for a drink before they settled their problems at the wine table.

Of course, Slughorn's preferred method was to throw a party, but the whole school was preparing for the Triwizard Tournament this term, so that wouldn't work.

"Well, I'm fine."

Toby pushed Al away who was eager to try, and at the same time glared at Angela who was about to take the scepter and prepare to attack. He reluctantly said, "If you can invite Moody, I will go too."

"Just leave it to me." Slughorn's tone seemed very confident.

It didn't take long for Toby to get a note from the old dean.

[Things have been settled, the time for the banquet is set for [-] pm, and the location is in the Pig's Head Pub-this is Moody's own request, so you may need to bring your own glass. 】

Al and Angela looked over their heads curiously.

"ah."

"It's really strange. That person doesn't know how to drink anything other than his own bottle. How could he agree to go to the bar? Do you need us to go with you?"

"No need." Toby put away the note and said, "Give me the scepter and the magic ball, you two just stay in the office - watch Al, don't let him have a chance to drink secretly. correct--"

Facing Al's angry gaze, Toby waved his hands up and down at it and said, "Just give me one more thing—the locket, and it can also explain its origin by the way, just say it's a Slytherin relic I found. .”

"It's also time to ask the dean about the Horcrux."

Toby didn't intend to delay this matter for too long, just as he knew one of Slughorn's habits - he liked drinking mead very much, and he was often prone to getting drunk.

Sometimes, that's even more effective than a dose of Veritaserum.
-
that night.

Pig's Head Bar.

"I want the best mead! Don't be reluctant to take it out, I'll pay for it later!"

Toby said proudly to Aberforth, and Slughorn on the side smiled: "I knew you would not treat those who helped you badly—by the way, tell me about the World Cup again, I heard you put on a special pregame show? How did you do that?"

The two chatted for a while, and Toby briefly picked out those topics that could be talked about, and mentioned the Pharaoh's mask by the way, so that it would be convenient to draw out the Slytherin locket later.

After a while, another person finally arrived.

The first thing that sounded was the sound of the crutch hitting the ground. Moody walked into the bar silently, the magic eye was still staring around, and the rest of the guests stood up uncomfortably and walked out one by one without saying a word.

Aberforth was very dissatisfied with this.

"I don't think you need to order anything."

"No, give me their mead too."

Slughorn looked at Moody in surprise. He didn't know that the two had gone out together to carry out the mission that Dumbledore had given him, and he thought it was Moody's sudden change of temper.

"This is a good start." He said with satisfaction, feeling that the meeting was really a success.

After Aberforth put the wine glass heavily on the table, Moody habitually sniffed the taste in the glass, and then raised his head and asked, "So, gentlemen, do you have anything to say to me?"

"That's the thing." Slughorn began to talk eloquently, trying his best to help his students solve the problem of unfriendly relationships among colleagues.

Toby has been listening silently like this, but the number of pours seems to be a bit frequent. Whenever Slughorn's wine glass is a little less, it will be filled immediately.

"No need."

After Slughorn finished speaking, his tone had become a little dizzy.He covered the mouth of his wine glass and said: "Wait a while to drink, you guys have a chat first, I may need to rest for a while."

"No problem, Dean," Toby said, filling his glass indiscriminately, before turning to look at Moody.

Moody was also watching him silently.

"Harry Potter, that lad you fooled - he came to me after today's class and stammered that he agreed to participate in the Triwizard Tournament. Don't tell me you made him change his mind."

"I knew it was easy to guess, Harry is not a good liar."

"What are you talking about? Maybe I drank too much—hey, why is the glass full again?"

Toby naturally filled the dean's wine glass again, and then asked Moody: "Before you came to Hogwarts, did Dumbledore give you anything extra? For example, against me? This Is that what he ordered you to do?"

"On the contrary." Moody said gruffly: "He only said not to let me provoke you, and he never thought of using me against you. You can see that he knows you very well and knows that doing so will not hurt you." any good."

"But you don't think so?" Toby said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, I don't think so." Moody's eyes were fixed on Toby: "I have my own way of doing things, and I have never been Dumbledore's subordinates—especially when I saw it with my own eyes. After seeing some ancient magic relics, I think I know better what kind of threat you are."

"devil?"

"It's the devil."

The conversation stalled for a short while.

With a disdainful arc at the corner of Toby's mouth, he waved to Aberforth who had been silently watching the scene from behind the bar and said, "Looks like I have to order a refreshing potion, some people here are not in a good mind—could it be?" It never occurred to you that the two of you were lured there on purpose? I'm not sure how much you know—"

"It's enough to understand what you said." Moody replied unhurriedly: "Dumbledore revealed many amazing facts to me, and he told me who the enemy I should be cautious about is—except Green Besides Devo, there is also Hai Erbo, I heard that his behavior is completely different from the records, and he has nothing to do with insidiousness, right?"

"At least from the outside, it looks like this." Toby said with strange eyes: "Then you plan to provoke another enemy for no reason?"

Moody slowly put down the empty wine glass.

"I still ask you this way."

He stared straight at Toby and said, "Triwizard Tournament, what is your purpose for hosting the Triwizard Tournament? Even if you don't tell me, I can probably guess that you have made different promises to many people. But which one is true? I think it would be difficult for the Goblet of Fire to grant multiple wishes at the same time."

Toby stared at Moody silently for a moment, then glanced back at the calm Aberforth.

"I asked why the headmaster was so calm when he heard the news. (Chapter 347) It turns out that he already knew the purpose of the Goblet of Fire from you, and he also knew that I would definitely find a way to hold another competition. This is Your question? Or Dumbledore's?"

"I don't think that's the key." Moody didn't answer Toby's question, but asked instead: "The key is, what are you going to do with the Goblet of Fire this time? Last time you became half a After the devil, I think it's hard for anyone who knows that fact not to worry about the threat you pose."

"A bigger threat than Haierbo?" Toby sneered, "Or do you already think I'm more dangerous than Grindelwald?"

At this time, Aberforth behind the bar suddenly said: "Grindelwald never managed to drive Albus out of Hogwarts."

"It seems to be it." Toby stood up, and he finally asked: "Then do you still plan to let Harry participate in the competition?"

"No more." Moody said, sitting motionless in his seat, "I think we all understand your threat."

"Threat?" Toby sneered: "If you know me as well as Dumbledore, you should know that I never care about what others think. I have never been afraid of any opponent."

"You can't scare a man cursed by death."

He lifted Slughorn up with one hand.

"Huh?" Slughorn woke up from his sleep: "What time is it now? Is it already this late?"

"Yeah, it's time to go, Dean." Toby led him out of the bar.

"How is your problem solved? Are you reconciled? Don't let such a good mead go to waste."

"Relax, Dean."

Toby's voice echoed in the silent bar.

"You've always been so good at it, I don't think there's ever been a more successful reception."

"That's all right, that's all right, Toby."
-
By the time they got back to Hogwarts, it was already midnight.

Toby escorted the old dean to the Potions office - certainly not the one Snape had in the basement, Slughorn never treated himself badly in terms of quality of life.

It's a pity that the largest office was already occupied by Toby, so Slughorn reluctantly chose the second largest one.

Fortunately, the principal's office is smaller than their rooms, otherwise, I don't know how much trouble they will cause.

"Thank you, Toby."

The drunkenness was gradually rising, and it was obvious that Slughorn was so sleepy that he would fall asleep as long as he fell on the pillow.

He said in a daze: "Then, good night."

"Don't worry, Dean."

Only then did Toby take out the locket.

"I have something for you to identify. This is probably a relic of Slytherin—yes, I'm talking about one of the founders of Hogwarts—Salazar Slytherin."

No matter how sleepy he was, Slughorn had to pull himself together at this time.

"Where is the thing, show me quickly, this is really embarrassing, I can't accept such an expensive gift—"

"It's not a gift, it's just for you to see. I have to take it away later."

Slughorn seemed briefly sober.

"Okay, just take a look." He said regretfully, his tone was very obvious, it seemed that he was already too drunk.

When Slytherin's locket was placed in his hand, Slughorn obviously couldn't put it down, and he couldn't find it strange at the first time-if it was only from the outside, this Things are still pretty normal.

"It looks like the real thing." Slughorn praised dizzily, "You're going to make a lot of money. It's worth at least a few thousand Galleons, and it's even priceless. If you want to buy If you are at home, you can contact me."

"No, Dean."

Toby slowly took the locket back from Slughorn's hand, and he said to the other side's eyes that he couldn't part with.

"It would hurt other people if I did, because I have another discovery, if I'm not mistaken—"

"It appears to be a Horcrux."

"Do you know Horcruxes, Dean?"

(End of this chapter)