After saying this, Slughorn felt itchy, like a cat's claws scratching at him, and he couldn't wait to see Argus.
The mess at Hogwarts made him hesitate to go there.
His expression changed several times before he finally sighed.
"Let me think about it, Albus. I will reply to you in a couple of days."
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore knew that the matter was settled.
Given Slughorn's fondness for gifted students, there's no way he would let go of Argus, the most talented student in Hogwarts' history.
Back then, even though Slughorn sensed something was wrong with Voldemort, he was still willing to believe in him and offer him help.
Not to mention the even more talented Argus!
Just as Dumbledore said, if Slughorn really missed Argus, he would probably regret it so much he'd want to bang his head against a wall.
...
Hogwarts Castle.
This class was originally supposed to be Defense Against the Dark Arts, but unfortunately Lockhart had passed away, and Hogwarts hadn't found a new professor yet.
Under Argus's orders, the Slytherin members' Defense Against the Dark Arts class was temporarily held in the common room.
Each grade's prefect was responsible for providing guidance.
The textbooks abandoned Lockhart's storybooks and continued to use the textbooks from the previous year.
Quirrell died young and his teaching skills weren't great either.
But the textbooks they chose were pretty good; at least they actually taught people something.
"Chief, I don't quite understand this spell."
"Master, why don't goblins have specific exorcism spells? They just eat plants, so why do so many wizards hate them so much?"
"Chief, what's the difference between a fire crab and a turtle covered in jewels?"
"Chief, Chief..."
Argus patiently answered each of the Slytherin members' questions, one by one.
No matter how simple the problem was, there was not a trace of impatience.
"Chief, this can't go on forever."
"The lower grades are fine, but fifth and seventh graders are preparing for wizard exams, and without professors to guide them, it's really... sigh!"
Gemma Farley brought several prefects who were not in class to Argus.
She was now somewhat relieved that she was no longer the top student in the house.
Otherwise, this troublesome job would have fallen on her shoulders.
While most members of Slytherin were pure-blood, there were also a small number of half-blood wizards.
Moreover, there were differences even among purebloods.
Some members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight might not care much about these things, and some pure-blooded individuals might have parents who were just ordinary sorcerers.
The OWL and NEWT exams were very important to them.
For this group of pure-blood and half-blood wizards, the only way to acquire magical knowledge was through Hogwarts professors and the library.
Now that professors were gone, they had almost lost one of the few remaining avenues for acquiring knowledge.
"Fifth and seventh years are definitely a problem."
Argus frowned almost imperceptibly. "I will discuss this with the head of house and principal."
"Have them find a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor as soon as possible."
"Until then, fifth-years will be temporarily tutored by sixth-years who have passed their OWLs."
"If seventh-years have any questions, they can ask the various prefects or other professors."
"This is the only way we can do it for now." Gemma Farley couldn't think of a better solution either.
Each of Hogwarts' four Heads of House was capable of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts.
However, they each had a required course, which were among the most important courses at Hogwarts, so it was okay to occasionally go to the office to ask about it.
They wanted to substitute teach, but they simply didn't have the time.
"Prefect Cary, you keep an eye on the common room. I'll go find Headmaster Dumbledore and ask when classes can resume."
Argus, not wanting to waste time, went to Professor McGonagall's office.
After failing to get an answer from Professor McGonagall, he received a password from Headmaster Dumbledore's office.
He arrived at the principal's office.
The moment the door opened, he met Dumbledore's slightly surprised gaze.
"Argus? What brings you here?"
"Headmaster Dumbledore, I would like to ask about the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship," Argus said politely.
"Fifth- and seventh-years have exams coming up soon. If they don't have teachers to teach them, they might have a hard time passing."
"You don't need to worry about this. I've already found a professor, and he'll be here in a couple of days."
"May I ask about the professor's identity?" Argus couldn't think of anyone else in the British wizarding world who would be a suitable candidate.
Could it be that Dumbledore had summoned Lupin or Mad-Eye Moody in advance?
That seemed unlikely, didn't it? Lupin had been under his surveillance all along. Although Moody had retired, he was once an elite Auror, and many people in the Auror Office had connections with him.
If it were him, Alan Mitchell would definitely have sent him a message beforehand.
Dumbledore assumed that Argus was wary of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor because of Lockhart's actions.
He smiled and explained, "There's no need to worry about the professor. It's Mr. Horace Slughorn, the former head of Slytherin and professor of Potions."
"Although he used to teach potions, it doesn't mean he wasn't proficient in defense against the dark arts."
"With him around, there's no need to worry about the exams."
It's him! Wasn't this guy supposed to appear much later in the timeline?
Why had Dumbledore brought him out so early!
If you have him teach Defense Against the Dark Arts now, what will happen to Lupin next year?
Argus suppressed his doubts.
He nodded and gave Dumbledore a polite smile.
"Yes, Headmaster, thank you for letting me know."
"There are still quite a few members studying in the Slytherin common room, so I'll head back now..."
"Wait a minute! Argus!" Dumbledore interrupted Argus, who was about to leave.
He slowly began to speak. "Mr. Horace Slughorn is getting on in years, and it's too much of a strain for him to teach seven years at the same time."
"I would like to invite you to be his assistant and to be in charge of teaching the Defense Against the Dark Arts course for the first- and second-year students."
What? I'm in charge of teaching?
Argus couldn't believe his ears.
Voldemort applied so many times, and you rejected them all!
I haven't even mentioned it, and you're already offering me the position?
Are you really not afraid that I'll convert all the first- and second-year students from Hogwarts into acolytes?
He didn't dare to agree rashly, fearing that Dumbledore was testing him.
He shook his head and said, "I'm just a second-year student myself."
"If I were to be in charge of teaching courses, even if I were willing to teach, the students at Hogwarts might not be willing to listen."
Dumbledore felt a surge of urgency, but he couldn't voice it.
The biggest reason he was able to summon Horace Slughorn was Argus!
During the conversation in the cabin, he had subtly hinted that he intended to entrust Argus to Horace Slughorn for training.
When Horace Slughorn arrived and found Argus hiding far away, he was bound to get furious!
He might just give up!
One of them felt that the other was testing him, while the other felt that the other had noticed something and was waiting to take advantage of him.
They stared at each other, wide-eyed!
Finally, Dumbledore let out a long sigh.
He took a worn-out notebook from the drawer behind him and placed it on the table.
"These are some insights I gained about Transfiguration when I was young, and I hope they can inspire you..."
…
100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter Tomorrow!
Help us reach the goal!
The book is likely Already Finished there. Don't wait for daily updates—read the complete story + R-18 scenes right now!
[email protected]/Ren Saga