At this moment, the Christmas feast downstairs has begun, and on the snow outside the castle, many wizards light their wands and sing in the snow.

Colorful fireworks burst into the air, forming the shapes of various animals.

Brilliant very.

But in the dark corridors at the top of the castle, Hoffa walked slowly.

The moonlight shines through the Gothic lattices at the top of the castle tower, forming even spots of light horizontally. And the fireworks that bloomed in the air from time to time reflected Hoffa's face in red and green.

He and the world beneath the castle were separated by an invisible aura. He was vigilant, and the meditation method was working all the time.

The spirit is extremely sharp.

The dagger slowly turned into a dagger as he walked, the tip of the sword scratching a tiny scratch on the ground.

Rounding the corner, Hoffa suddenly stood still, his eyes squinting and turning his head, a hint of casual conversation in his ears.

“...... Who did the Ministry of Magic send....."

The voice is somewhat familiar.

Someone came, it was a school teacher.

Hoffa put away his meditation method, and the sword in his hand turned back into a wand. He leaned into the corner and hid behind a pair of armor.

The conversation grew louder.

Then, two robed figures slowly emerged from the darkness.

One is tall, the other is thin.

Both of them knew each other, Dumbledore and Deppert.

Dippet asked as he walked, "...... Albert is here?"

Dumbledore: "Well, he's going to Slughorn now, you know, they're classmates at school. ”

Dippet didn't speak for a moment.

Dumbledore pondered for a moment, "Do you want me to come over for a moment?" ”

"Go ahead, Albus. I feel that your concern is not unfounded, protect him and don't let him have an accident at Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic has been watching him very closely lately. ”

As they spoke, the two got closer and closer.

Hoffa knew no wonder the masked man was hiding.

In the face of the two headmasters of Hogwarts, Hoffa did not dare to hesitate, and directly started the ghost walk, entering the shadow world with only gray and white.

The two walked past the armor.

Dumbledore asked worriedly, "Are you going out again in May?"

"There is no way, the situation this year is already very serious, the Austrian Ministry of Magic has collapsed, and if we don't sign the agreement, I'm afraid it's too late. ”

Dumbledore: "Then I'......."

Dippet: "I asked Adebe to follow me, you don't go with me, we're understaffed." After I'm gone, you take care of the school. ”

The two of them walked farther and farther away, their voices getting quieter and quieter, and Hoffa slowly withdrew from the shadows.

Dumbledore: "If Violet and those people were still there, they wouldn't be ......"

"It's none of your business, Albus. Needless to say, you go to Slughorn first. ”

"Good. ”

After speaking, Dipet, who was in the distance, opened a stone door in the shape of a dripping monster and disappeared into it.

Albus Dumbledore, on the other hand, stood in silence for a long time. He frowned and raised his head, as if feeling something.

Hoffa slowly stepped back, he didn't expect that the place where the masked man came was the location of the headmaster's office.

Regardless of why the two Headmasters of Hogwarts are talking here, this is definitely not something that a first-year student can mix into.

Gotta get out of this place of right and wrong quickly.

Hoffa breathed a sigh of relief as he retreated to the bottom of the hallway next to a pair of steel armor.

Just get out of here.

But at this moment, that strange aura suddenly became stronger.

He looked up.

On the balustrade side of the upper floor of the tower.

The masked man was staring at him coldly.

There was silence for a second.

A sneer tipped at the corner of its mouth, and it threw a stone that struck the head of the Iron Armor beside Hofa.

Clang.

This small sound is in the corridor at night, crisp and loud.

The other party still wants to frame himself at this time.

Hoffa froze for a second, then suppressed his desire to escape, and stood motionless, staring at the figure upstairs. He didn't do anything wrong, why did he run away?

In the distance, Dumbledore turned his head.

He disappeared in place in the blink of an eye, and then appeared beside Hoffa.

One tall and one short, both staring at the figure on the second floor at the same time.

That strange figure was under Dumbledore's gaze, smiled calmly at Hoffa, and Shi Shiran left.

Dumbledore's brow furrowed, but he didn't stop it.

Looking at the solemn expression of the tall man next to him, a hint of foreboding appeared in Hoffa's heart.

He finally knew something was wrong.

It seems that except for himself.

No one could see the figure.

After a long time, Dumbledore lowered his head and looked at Hoffa: "Why are you here?"

His tone was calm, and there was no wave.

"I'm lost, sir. ”

Hoffa said with his head down.

Dumbledore snorted, not very concerned, and the rest of his eyes remained on the second floor.

"I see, have you had dinner?"

"Nope. ”

"Well, come with me, I'll take you to get something to eat. ”

Dumbledore finally stopped paying attention upstairs, and he patted Hoffa on the shoulder, naturally but irrefutably.

"Where?"

Hoffa asked.

"Go to your Potions teacher and ask him for a cup of house-elf vintage. ”

Dumbledore gave a look of nostalgia.

With that, he strode ahead with Hoffa and left the area.

Hoffa turned around and followed Dumbledore, the masked man long gone.

The two walked silently for a while.

Finally, when they left the tower where the principal's office was located.

Hoffa couldn't help but look up and ask, "Have you seen anything unusual?"

Dumbledore paused, slightly surprised.

"Well, you feel it too?"

"Hmm. ”

Hoffa nodded.

But Dumbledore didn't ask, he pinched his red beard and sighed: "Wizards with higher spirits than ordinary people can always perceive something that ordinary people can't see when they are young, the elusive magical substance, the ghost that wanders on the boundary between reality and illusion. It's a talent, and it's a curse. ”

"You see?" asked Hoffa. "The ......"

"I can't see, I can feel it doesn't mean I can see, I'm old. ”

Dumbledore shook his head and said lightly: "Sometimes it's not a good thing to see anomalies, Bach, you are still young, and you should focus on real friends." ”

Unseen?

Even though Hoffa was mentally prepared, when he heard the news, his heart was still half cold.

He recalled three meetings he had with the masked man.

The first time in the Violet Chamber, it came straight out of the painting, and I didn't suspect too much.

But now that I think about it, that's not normal at all. Even wizards can't come out of the portrait directly, and Dippet has to open the portrait to get in.

Moreover, it is always a person, and even when standing in a crowd, others will turn a blind eye to it.

Ghostier than ghosts.

As he stepped down from the tower, he wanted to ask something more, but Dumbledore had already walked briskly forward, greeting a few wizards enthusiastically.

They made their way to Slughorn's office.

Slughorn is the Head of Slytherin, but unlike previous Slytherin heads, his office is not in the basement, but on the third floor of the castle. Next to the office of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Meleth.

It may be that Slughorn thinks it's a better place to party.

After saying hello, passing by the two house-elves who received the invitations, Hoffa saw Slughorn.

He stood at the door with a big belly, wearing a purple smoking shirt, and chatting with people happily.

Seeing Dumbledore appear with Hoffa, his expression was slightly stunned. But he immediately put away his expression and walked quickly to Dumbledore's side.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, pushed Hoffa.

Hoffa understood and entered the office alone. Leave them a private space to chat.

I don't know if this was the case, or if it was because of the magic, Slughorn's office was much larger than the average teacher's room.

The ceiling and walls are covered with emerald green, crimson and gold draperies, which look like in a large tent.

The room was crowded and stuffy, illuminated red by a golden lamp hanging in the center of the ceiling. There are real elves flickering in the lights, and each elf is a bright point of light.

A few talkative old wizards had pipes on their heads, and some house-elves were walking around with heavy silver platters as they prepared their tables.

There are already a lot of people gathered here, men and women, old and young. They were all dressed in ceremonial robes.

Hoffa soon saw Miranda and Aglaia in the crowd, surrounded by a group of seniors.

Dressed in a gown, they are all dressed up beautifully, one is noble and beautiful, and a small and cute.

This made Hoffa a little uncomfortable, as he didn't have a gown, only a school robe.

Hoffa also saw Tom Riddle next to a pine tree covered with colored balls.

His opponent in the orphanage was now a male courtesan, and although he was dressed ordinarily, his good temperament and handsome appearance attracted many elders to stop.

Coupled with the polite manner he now has, no one can associate him with the future Dark Lord.

Aglaia spotted Hoffa at a glance, and her expression was a little stunned. Then she whispered a few words in Miranda's ear, intentionally or unintentionally.

Miranda immediately turned her head to look.

But she didn't say anything special, just nodded to Hoffa.

Hoffa nodded at her with some embarrassment.

They invited me to come, but I didn't.

As a result, he was brought by Dumbledore halfway through.

Think from Miranda's point of view.

Hoffa felt like he was cheap.

Soon after, the table was ready.

Unlike the auditorium below, this is probably somewhat similar to the form of a family dinner, although it is not as grand and lively as in the auditorium, but it is better than exquisite and sophisticated.

A dozen house-elves shuttled back and forth at Hoffa's feet, each with a silver dinner plate on their heads.

Presumably, people like Slughorn don't like to snap their fingers once, and the food appears, and then the food disappears with another snap of their fingers. He likes pomp and circumstance, he loves tradition.

But it also gave Hoffa the opportunity to really observe traditional Western festivals.

Turkey stuffed with truffles, roasted quails neatly stacked. Stacks of thick bolognese, roasted creamy polenta, and minced meat pies cut into dozens neatly sat on plates, topped with strawberry jam. A dozen servings of almond pudding in small porcelain, about one serving per person.

Hoffa also saw a roast suckling pig with a red apple in its mouth. I have to say that it sells like Qijia.

Looking at the various foods in front of him, Hoffa suddenly realized that he was really a little hungry, and when he chased the Faceling, he ran at least forty floors.

But the embarrassing thing is that since he has no experience in this kind of private banquet, he has no friends. No one told him anything to do, so he didn't know where to sit for the time being.