Chapter 218. Return to Hogwarts.
The following day, after a very pleasant time with Bellatrix, Severus needed to return to Hogwarts: that small island of quiet and relative peace where he could unwind to some degree and continue developing his craft in Potions, Runes, and Healing Magic under some of the finest practitioners those fields had to offer.
And so, that morning, he Apparated to the familiar village not far from the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and walked the rest of the way to the castle, breathing in the clean morning air he missed so much in the Muggle world, along with the considerably higher density of magic, though his own house surpassed Hogwarts on both counts.
Still, there was something far more pleasant about walking through a place inhabited only by wizards. Diagon Alley didn't count: it sat in the middle of one of the busiest Muggle cities, and between the stale air and the general cold atmosphere, true relaxation was never quite possible there. It couldn't compete with this quiet, unhurried little village.
Severus reached the castle in fifteen minutes. He passed through the main entrance with its two large double doors and headed directly for the Slytherin common room.
There were no classes that day, as the students were only just returning from the winter holidays. By evening, new timetables would be posted in the Great Hall and the common rooms, covering the schedule through June, the end of which already had the seventh-year exams marked on it.
This year, however, few students had taken the opportunity to leave the castle for two weeks, which was easy to see from the near-full Great Hall he passed on his way through.
Most parents were understandably anxious for their children and understood that Hogwarts was significantly safer, especially under the protection of the Most Powerful Wizard in Britain and its staff, after what had happened on the twentieth of December.
There were those who had left, of course, primarily children from aristocratic families and some Muggle-born students whose parents, like the students themselves, had a limited understanding of the situation in the wizarding world. No one had rushed to enlighten them.
Descending the stairs toward the dungeons and rounding the corner to the right, he spotted a familiar older man some distance ahead. He looked exhausted, with a slight pallor, shadows under his eyes, and visible creases in his robes, which mildly surprised Severus.
Slughorn was deep in thought, not having noticed him yet, walking with his gaze on the floor and paying no particular attention to his surroundings.
Only when a few meters separated them did he look up, finally registering the student, and offer a small smile, a tired one but warmer than his appearance suggested.
"Welcome back, Mr. Severus. It's good to see you. I hope you had a pleasant holiday?"
"Likewise, Professor, though apparently rather more pleasant than yours." Severus studied him with mild curiosity. "Has something happened?"
"Nothing, nothing at all, everything is perfectly fine. I simply had a little too much to drink last night and didn't sleep well."
"Professor. You can say that to other people, but we've known each other quite a long time, and I know you wouldn't drink like that without a reason, certainly not that much, and then end up in such a state and go out in public. You guard your reputation too carefully for that." A vial appeared in his hand, which he extended to the puzzled man. "Not poison."
In reply Slughorn gave a silent nod, accepted the potion, and uncorked it. He inhaled a pleasant mint fragrance, raised an eyebrow with mild surprise, and took a small sip, which soon led to him finishing the entire vial.
Within a few seconds, his face took on a slight flush, and the weariness began to recede visibly. He seemed to fill with energy before Severus's eyes.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it. So, what happened?" Severus drew his wand and made a light circular motion toward Slughorn, whose robes smoothed themselves instantly. "And please don't say it's nothing serious. You, drinking like that."
"It's nothing ser—" But he didn't finish. He looked somewhat self-conscious, cleared his throat a couple of times, and said, "I simply decided to have a drink, and the wine turned out to be rather stronger than I expected."
"Professor."
Seeing that Severus hadn't believed a word of it, Slughorn grew more flustered, and after a few seconds his forced cheerfulness became tinged with quiet sadness.
"One can't hide anything from you, can one? But there's no great secret here either. A good friend of mine passed away yesterday. So I..."
"Professor, drinking alone is poor form."
"Mr. Severus, please don't use my own sayings against me."
"It is also the first sign of alcoholism."
"Mister—" His voice took on a noticeably sterner tone, but Severus continued:
"You could have invited me. I would have been glad to keep you company in such a 'trying endeavor.'"
Seeing that shameless smile, Slughorn felt, for the first time, a genuine regret that corporal punishment had been abolished. He very much wanted to give the boy a clip on the ear for mocking him and putting his own Head of House in such an absurd position.
"Regarding the potion you gave me," he attempted to redirect the conversation.
"My own invention. Considerably better than the Sober-Up Potion we covered in sixth year. In addition to clearing the head, as the standard one does, it also restores the body's energy and eliminates all external and internal signs of alcohol consumption; and if you add a Cleansing Charm on top, you can remove every trace of evidence entirely," Severus said calmly, as though he hadn't noticed the attempt to change the subject at all.
"Remarkable." Slughorn's admiration was entirely undisguised. "If I'm not mistaken about the ingredients you used, you could make tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of Galleons from this! Severus, you really are a genuine genius."
"I've already done that. They go on sale next week, at the same price as the standard Sober-Up Potion." He said it matter-of-factly, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "Professor, I happened to overhear that someone recently spotted you near the hospital wing with a bouquet of flowers."
"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Incidentally, how is your preparation going for your O.W.L.s?" Slughorn asked with a sudden air of perfect composure, as though nothing had happened at all. "If you have any questions at all, please do ask!"
"Oh." Severus's smile became considerably more playful, his eyes narrowing to two thin lines, at which point genuine perspiration appeared on the professor's face.
How? Where could he possibly have learned about that? I checked; there was no one nearby at the time!
I approve of your taste, Professor. She is quite strict, but she's an extremely kind woman and makes remarkable tea. I would only caution against drinking, if you're serious about pursuing Madam Pomfrey... but..." The impudent smile faltered, to Slughorn's great unease. He sensed something was coming and asked carefully.
"But?"
"Two months ago, a sixth-year was brought to the hospital wing: he'd slipped out to Hogsmeade during Halloween and drunk himself to the point of being unable to walk. I have never seen her that angry. Though as Gryffindors go, he got off fairly lightly: only a bucket-sized enema, with the largest applicator I have ever seen." Slughorn felt everything below the waist tighten, and all colour drained from his face in an instant. "And imagine if I hadn't been there? So if you want to win a woman like that, I would strongly advise against drinking: otherwise you may wake up one morning and find..."
"That's quite enough! Let's close this topic immediately." He rattled it off quickly, produced his silver pocket watch, and looked at it. "Oh! I've been talking far too long: I really must go and have breakfast, and then I have to meet with Professor Flitwick!"
"Of course. Enjoy your breakfast, Professor. If you ever need advice, don't hesitate to ask." Severus fixed his most "benevolent" smile on the retreating man's back, suppressing laughter with considerable effort, and only once Slughorn had disappeared around the corner did he let out a quiet, satisfied laugh. He turned around and continued toward the common room in considerably higher spirits, hands clasped behind his head.
"You never told me that story." Nagini's slightly drowsy voice emerged from beneath his robes.
"Because I made it up." He tapped her on the nose. She withdrew with an indignant hiss as he kept walking. "Only partly, though."
"What do you mean?"
"The incident actually happened, but without the enema. I read her thoughts at the time, and I learned that if I hadn't been there, that boy would certainly have lost his innocence somewhere rather specific." He gave a slight shudder at the memory, and there was one particular cupboard in the hospital wing he would not open under any circumstances, up to and including mortal peril.
That reaction was sufficiently amusing to one particular snake, who showed considerably less restraint than a certain "Master" and laughed out loud. She had, however, forgotten that this particular "Master" had a very good memory.
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