"No, I'm not happy at all!" cried out Mr. Argus-Filch, but it did not match the smug look on his face: "You're in trouble! The headmaster has a rule that he is not allowed to wander around at night without permission...... Right?"

As he spoke, Filch looked at the parchment roster in his hand, "By the way, you're Draco Malfoy, right, I show you here that you submitted an application to go home for the Christmas break, only to return to school early without permission...... Ha, there's one more crime!"

"It doesn't matter, Argus, it doesn't matter!" Professor Horace-Slughorn waved his hand nonchalantly, "It's not a sin to want to go to the party at Christmas...... Forget it this time, let's not take it as an example...... Draco, you can stay. ”

Filch's expression of indignation and disappointment was indescribable, but he finally chose to let go.

Malfoy looked relieved, and he quickly put on a smile and thanked Professor Slughorn for his leniency.

At the same time, he was a little impatient, looking for something in the crowd.

......

"It's Draco, how did he get back to school!" Blaise Shabini said to herself with a frown in the Slytherin group.

Gregory Goyle, who was on the side, looked surprised as he hid something in his pocket.

When Draco Malfoy left the school not long ago, he warned Goyle that if something "unexpected" happened on campus, he would be contacted through their unique point of contact.

So in addition to being surprised that Christophe Patrick had returned to Hogwarts, Goyle quickly sent the news to Malfoy.

However, what he didn't expect was that Malfoy hurried back to Hogwarts from Malfoy Manor in a quarter of an hour, and was even caught by Mr. Filch when he sneaked into Slughorn's Christmas party.

"Draco, come on, sit down......" Seeing Malfoy coming towards him, Goyle quickly moved out of the way.

"Merry Christmas, Draco......" Bress Shabini on the side said lukewarmly, "I heard that your father escaped from Azkaban, congratulations!"

Malfoy ignored him, but leaned into Goyle's ear and asked in a low voice, "You said Kristoff is back at school, and where is he now?"

"It's on that table!" Goyle hurriedly pointed to the long table next to the rostrum: "Did you see ......it?"

Staring at Christophe's familiar face for a moment from afar, Malfoy asked in a low voice, "Who is that old man next to him, the rude-looking ......?"

"That's Durmstrang's Headmaster Winston Vance......" Goyle grinned, "Durmstrang's Headmaster came to Hogwarts to celebrate Christmas, it's a strange thing, isn't it......"

"Headmaster Durmstrang ......" Draco Malfoy's face was a little terrifying, and his clenched fists became a little shaky.

"What do you want to do, Draco!" watched Malfoy prepare to rush that way, and Crabbe hurriedly hugged him from his side.

"I'm going to Christopher...... Something very important......" Malfoy said in a hoarse voice.

"Wait, that table is full of Slughorn's guests...... If you offend them, maybe Slughorn will kick you out again!" Goyle quickly explained, "and in a quarter of an hour, the ball will begin, and it will not be too late for you to go to him for anything......"

......

"It's three more little bastards who want to break into the party, running around the school on a big night!" Filch said excitedly outside Professor Slughorn's office, "This time, I don't think the professor will be extrajudicial again!"

"We're looking for Dumbledore—" Ron Weasley shouted.

However, his sister Ginny quickly stopped him, and she pulled an invitation out of her pocket: "We have an invitation from Slughorn!"

"I have it too!" Harry Potter also pulled an invitation out of his pocket.

After confirming that there were no problems with the two invitations, Filch's face turned extremely lost again.

He took one last look at Ron, who didn't pull out the invitation.

"He's my dance partner!" Ginny said calmly, "Okay, can you let us in?"

Finally passed the Filch level, and the three of them hurriedly broke into Slughorn's office-

At this moment, the party was in full swing, and not many people noticed the three intruders.

The three of them soon spotted Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom, who were sitting next to the door, and quickly and quietly touched them.

Harry...... Ron...... And also...... Ginny!" Hermione said in surprise, "How is this possible...... Didn't you say you're going to spend Christmas in Grimmauld Place, how could you ......?"

"Grimmauld Place has been attacked by a group of mysterious people...... The Order of the Phoenix has suffered a lot of damage, and we have been transferred to Hogwarts!" The two boys were already too tired to catch their breath, but Ginny explained on the sidelines, "We found out about Professor Dumbledore at Slughorn's Christmas party, so we rushed over to inform him......"

Hermione looked startled, but she quickly calmed down again, "Was it a Death Eater attack......"

"No, not like a Death Eater...... It seems to be a more mysterious group of people...... I need to inform Professor Dumbledore where he is......" Harry said, gasping for air.

"Dumbledore has already left, an hour ago, when the party had just begun!" Hermione shook her head.

"That's when the attack!" said Harry, clenching his fists.

But his voice seemed a little loud—

"Oh, Harry, my boy!" Slughorn exclaimed, "I thought you had turned down my invitation, but you were just late...... Welcome, very welcome, my little trickster!!"

Horace Slughorn walked over without saying a word, and took Harry Potter's hand: "Come on, let me show you the other guests of this party!"

"Welcome, Miss Weasley, I'm still impressed by the 'Bat Spirit Charm' you used on the train. At the same time, Slughorn nodded to Ginny and then Ron, "Of course, you're welcome, Weatherby!"

Hermione took a deep breath, then stood up and walked over to Harry.

"Say I'm your dance partner, Harry!" She whispered in Harry Potter's ear in the smallest of voices, and she cast an apologetic look at Neville Longbottom.

"Miss Granger?" Slughorn was slightly surprised.

"Hermione is my dance partner!" Harry quickly said, knowing this.

"Oh, I see, come with me!" Slughorn grinned again, as he seemed to forget that Hermione Granger had been here with Neville Longbottom an hour earlier.

......

Both men sat in the last two empty seats of the long table closest to the rostrum.

"Harry, I want you to meet Elder Wolple, my former student and author of Blood Brothers: My Life as a Vampire......"

“...... And this one, Barnabas Gufe, editor-in-chief of the Daily Prophet, is also a former student of mine......"

“...... And, of course, Gwenog Jones, captain and Seeker of Holyhead Harpy......"

Horace Slughorn enthusiastically introduced the "VIPs" at the long table to Harry Potter one by one.

Harry listened absent-mindedly until Slughorn's attention was taken away from him.

"Hermione, what's going on?" he asked, looking down.

"Look at the two people in front of you—" Hermione's voice was solemn.

Harry looked up and was stunned, "Wait...... Among them, the young man...... He is...... It's Christopher!"

For Christopher Patrick, the mysterious exchange student, Harry is still very impressed.

And just now Slughorn introduced all the guests at the long table, but he intentionally or unintentionally omitted Kristoff and the old man next to him.

Christophe ...... How could he ......"

"It's not just Christopher, it's Winston Vance next to him, the headmaster of Durmstrang!" Hermione said in a trembling voice.

"Headmaster Durmstrang?" Harry just felt that his brain was a little underwhelming.

"He's not just the principal of Durmstrang, he's also ...... One of Gellert Grindelwald's most loyal followers!" Hermione took another deep breath:

"Harry, don't tell me, you don't know about Grindelwald's escape!"

Harry wasn't familiar with the name "Grindelwald ......", but from the tone of Hermione's voice, he could already feel the fear conveyed by the name.

"I have to talk to him...... Christopher Patrick, have a good talk with him!" Hermione Granger seemed to regain her courage: "Take advantage of the start of the Yule Ball!"