Ma Jie and Elaine Shafiq return to the Slytherin common room.

They were still chatting about the Christmas holidays...... Although Christmas has passed for more than a month.

Just as they passed by the auditorium—

Suddenly, Miss Shafiq covered her forehead and let out a cry of pain.

"What's wrong?" Matthew frowned and hurriedly asked.

Matthew ...... My head...... It hurts......" Elaine said with a shudder.

She looked like something was unexpected.

"Do you want to take you to the school hospital?" asked Matthew with great concern.

It's still a long time before the lights go out, so it's definitely too late to send her to the school hospital.

"......No," Elaine said weakly, "send me to Professor Slughorn......

Matthew instantly frowned again.

"I beg you, Matthew...... I feel like I'm going to die......" Elaine Shafiq pleaded.

"Alright, I'll send you there now!" Matthew Wakefield nodded.

......

Holding Elaine Shafiq, they began to return to Horace Slughorn's office.

To be honest, Matthew felt that the girl next to him seemed to behave a little weirdly......

It's not just a sudden "seizure...... Including many things before, Matthew found it weird.

Many times, to herself, she acts like two people at a glance...... Sometimes she is very enthusiastic about herself, like a friend who talks about everything, and sometimes she is very cold, even deliberately avoiding herself......

But when this happened, he couldn't ignore it, so he had to listen to Elaine and send her back to Slughorn's office.

Soon, they were back in front of the Potions professor's office.

After a gentle knock on the door, Horace Slughorn poked his head out.

He had changed into a green velvet pajamas and wore a nightcap of the same color.

Matthew ...... What's going on?" he asked in a loud voice, "I'm ready to rest." ”

Before Matthew could speak, Slughorn's face changed when he saw Elaine Shafiq's strange appearance......

"Oh my God!" he exclaimed.

Then, without hesitation, Professor Slughorn picked up the little girl and ran to an inner room with her.

Then he ran out in a hurry, with a small bag in his hand.

Matthew stood aside with some boredom and watched as Slughorn opened the dispensing bag and added a little bit of this and that to a small crystal bottle...... It's all potion materials that have already been processed.

His movements were so fast that Matthew couldn't see them at all.

After only a few minutes, he picked up the crystal bottle and ran back to his room while stirring it.

Matthew couldn't even make out the final color and shape of the potion inside.

After handing the contents of the crystal bottle to Miss Shafiq, Slughorn finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Matthew didn't say anything the whole time, and he didn't appear to be very interested.

It wasn't until Slughorn had finished his work that he asked, "What's the matter, Professor? Elaine is okay?"

"Of course...... Thanks to you for sending her over in time......" Slughorn quickly replied, "Poor Elaine, she has had a congenital genetic disease since she was a child, and she needs to take potions in time to suppress ......"

"I see. Matthew smiled and nodded.

But in the bottom of his heart, Matthew was even more confused......

Because he felt that what Slughorn was saying was not like the truth, but more like an improvised excuse.

Just a few minutes after taking the drug, Elaine got up from her bed...... She looked all right.

"Then we're taking our leave, Professor. Suppressing the confusion in his heart, Matthew said calmly.

Before Slughorn could speak, suddenly, there was another knock on the door of his office—

......

"Wait a minute, Matthew," Horace Slughorn frowned, "there are still guests on such a big night!"

He walked slowly to the door.

Matthew could only continue to stay where he was and wait......

The door was opened, as if it had been forcibly pushed open.

"Severus?" Slughorn exclaimed.

"Professor Slughorn!" did come the voice of "Severus Snape" outside.

However, the voice of the Transfiguration professor now is far less gentle and amiable than in the usual classroom.

"Don't try to be a wallwall!" he said coldly, "now it's time to make a choice!"

"Severus ......" Slughorn's voice, sounding frightened, "I still have students on my side......"

"This is a final warning!" Severus Snape continued, completely unfazed by Slughorn's words, "You're a smart man, you should be able to guess what's coming......"

"Okay...... Slughorn stammered, "Thank you, Severus...... I'll consider ......"

"You don't have much time left...... Severus Snape said one last time, and turned to leave.

Through the figure observed through the crack in the door, Matthew could confirm it...... The familiar black suit seemed to have just left their Transfiguration Professor......

......

The two children in the back room looked at each other a little.

They seem to have heard something not so good.

Horace Slughorn returned with a dejected face, worry written all over his face.

"What's the matter, Professor?" asked Elaine Shafiq, innocently, "what do you mean by what Professor Snape just said?"

Matthew had expected Slughorn to refuse to answer.

But he didn't want to open a bottle of mead, and then with another wave of his wand, he conjured three wine glasses.

"I ...... Isn't it time for us to go back?" Matthew asked in a whisper, "It's not far from the lights out......

"No, with a decadent old man, there is still time for a few glasses of wine......" Slughorn shook his head a little bleakly, and then began to pour his wine with his head down:

"By the way, listen to me tell you another story!"

"The Story ...... Fifteen Years Ago"

......

To be honest, Matthew wasn't originally very interested in what "stories" were.

But when Slughorn suddenly mentioned "the story of fifteen years ago", his expression perked up.

There is no doubt that all the recent oddities, whether it is the fugitives from Azkaban, the Order of the Phoenix, or the undercurrent of Hogwarts, seem to have something to do with something that happened at Hogwarts fifteen years ago......

But the truth of that incident is not available in any book.

If ever the only way to get to the truth, it's probably someone like Slughorn.

Matthew quickly cheered up.

Slughorn unhurriedly handed the two glasses of mead to the two children.

Then he picked up his own cup and drank the mead in one gulp.

"I'm afraid you're all curious, the three fugitives from Azkaban...... Why did they break into Hogwarts after escaping Azkaban?" Slughorn's face flushed from the effects of the alcohol, and he spoke:

"Because all three of them were students at Hogwarts, just fifteen years ago...... Their names, James Potter, Ciris Black, and Peter Pedirou......"

Matthew once overheard Slughorn mention this passage through Hermione's eavesdropping device at the Two Broomsticks Bar.

"In fact, it's not just the three ......of them," Slughorn continued, "that class of Hogwarts students was full of talent, and they were all concentrated in Gryffindor House...... In addition to the three names just mentioned, there are Remus Lupin and Severus Snape......"

Matthew was stunned, could it be that Severus Snape of this world really graduated from Gryffindor House?

“...... It's hard to imagine that all five boys in a house are very smart and gifted, maybe Peter is a little worse, but he is good enough...... It's the first time I've seen Hogwarts for so many years...... I've got them all in my arms......"

"Wait, Professor......" Matthew couldn't help but interrupt him, "Did you mean our Potions teacher, Professor Snape?"

"Of course not," Slughorn sneered, and then spoke without hesitation, "He's fake!"

This was not shocking to Matthew, but it was intriguing when it came out of Slughorn's mouth.

"Fake?" said Elaine Shafiq in surprise.

"Because of that incident fifteen years ago, the real Severus Snape has been missing," Slughorn continued, "and for fifteen years, no one knows what he is now, and no one knows what he is doing...... And the person who claims to be 'Severus Snape' is naturally very likely to be disguised......"

“...... Others may not be able to see it," Slughorn said coldly, "but I am still familiar with my protégé!"

Matthew only felt that the amount of information in it was a bit large, which made his mind even a little unable to turn around.

"So what happened fifteen years ago?" he asked softly.

......

Slughorn paused for a long time, as if in deep thought, as if retrieving his memory......

"Fifteen years ago, those five children at Gryffindor House ...... They're smart, too smart...... So much so that he found something that he shouldn't have discovered......" As if he had made up his mind, he said quietly:

"They've discovered the secret of Headmaster Gellert Grindelwald!"

"What's the secret?" asked Elaine Shafiq, curious.

"It's a secret about the Headmaster himself...... Slughorn continued, "and I've been holding back these words in my heart for many, many, many years...... Now I've finally decided to say them—"

"Gellert Grindelwald is not the Headmaster of Hogwarts at all, he has seized control of Hogwarts through violent means, so he does not have the authority of the Headmaster of Hogwarts at all......"

“...... The children secretly infiltrated the principal's office through some unknown method and learned the secret......

"But that's not all!"

Slughorn paused for a long time again.

"Headmaster Grindelwald used a powerful Confusion Charm that allowed him to have some authority within Hogwarts, but it wasn't enough......"

“...... Because Hogwarts itself is a very powerful magical creation, it has been strengthened and transformed by a headmaster for thousands of years, and its power is unbelievably powerful!"

"Even a wizard like Headmaster Grindelwald is incomparable...... In other words, those children seem to have found a way to wake up the sleeping Hogwarts Castle......"

“...... With the power of Hogwarts Castle, you can even drive Headmaster Grindelwald away!"

"Did they succeed?" asked Elaine Shafiq, nervous.

"There's no doubt that they failed......" Slughorn shrugged, "it's mainly because—"

"They've got a traitor!"

......

"Traitor?" exclaimed Matthew, surprised.

"That's right," Slughorn nodded, "that traitor betrayed them at the most critical point in their plans...... Those loyal to Headmaster Grindelwald, crushed their plot......"

“...... And it wasn't just the five of them who were involved in the project, and many of the students at Hogwarts at the time shared their views, such as my favorite Lily Evans...... They should have been caught in the net!"

"However, there was a spy hiding at Hogwarts who gave a warning at the end of the gate...... The children fled...... And those who agree with them, but have not yet exposed themselves, also destroy all the evidence against them......"

“...... Since then, the wizards involved in this incident have either been imprisoned in Azkaban or kept incognito...... Only Lily Evans, who is still unequivocally opposed to Grindelwald and is at large......"

Slughorn shook his head with some regret:

"Honestly, I sympathize with the kids...... No, it can't be said that it is a child anymore, and if they are all alive, then they are at least in their thirties by now...... But it's just sympathy, they're too hot-blooded, they've been taken advantage of, and they've gone astray in the end......"

"So......" Matthew said with a serious expression, "those three Azkaban fugitives have returned to Hogwarts in an attempt to wake up the sleeping Hogwarts Castle once again and drive Headmaster Grindelwald away?"

"Yes," Slughorn nodded, "it's not just them, everything that has happened in the castle lately revolves around this purpose...... So, in the near future, there may be a fusion in the castle......"