"Draco, why do I only ever see you when we're eating or in class? You always show up just before the lesson starts."
Pansy complained softly as she stopped Malfoy at the classroom door just as he was about to enter.
She had been waiting there for him for quite some time.
"I might have been in the library earlier, but you simply didn't see me."
Malfoy yawned. His pale-grey eyes narrowed slightly, giving him a sleepy appearance.
"Liar. I just came back from the library."
Pansy sounded annoyed.
"All right. That's a secret."
His response was perfunctory, offering no explanation whatsoever.
"What were you doing last night? You always look so sleepy."
Pansy had a keen eye for such things.
"Don't make accusations without evidence, or Slytherin will lose points."
"Besides, class is about to start."
Malfoy changed the subject.
Pansy lightly stamped her foot, planning to question him again once they were in class, and followed him down the stairs.
Just as they were about to pass through the stone doorway, Malfoy felt something tugging at his robes.
"Hmm?"
He turned his head and looked down.
It was a cat, its sharp claws tearing at the hem of his robe.
Its entire body was covered in ginger-yellow fur, and its flat face often looked as though it were angry.
Though, judging by what it was doing, it might actually have been angry.
"Crookshanks! What are you doing here? Go back!"
Hermione's surprised voice came from behind them.
"I'm sorry for troubling you."
She hurried over to Malfoy, bent down, and picked up her pet cat. She stroked Crookshanks's bristling ginger fur while sincerely apologising.
However, when she looked up and clearly saw who she had been apologising to, her expression became awkward.
She froze as though someone had suddenly grabbed her by the throat.
Then, lowering her head and clutching her pet tightly, she hurried into the classroom.
She muttered something under her breath, apparently scolding Crookshanks.
"All you ever do is cause trouble."
"Why aren't you in your dormitory today? As punishment, you're not getting any dried fish today. It'll be good for your diet."
Hermione continued scolding her pet.
Crookshanks merely scratched himself with his paws, completely unmoved by his owner's reprimands.
If Hermione takes him back now, I might be late.
I'll have to bring him into the classroom.
Malfoy frowned as he watched the girl disappear inside.
"What an ill-mannered pet," Pansy muttered. "The owner is probably the same."
Malfoy shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.
However, there really was something unusual about the situation.
Where exactly did the anomaly occur?
Malfoy was puzzled.
The door to the underground classroom was about to close.
"We'll be late if we don't leave now."
He suddenly spoke.
The two of them entered and walked into the classroom.
Before Slughorn even appeared properly, his enormous belly could already be seen. His walrus moustache trembled above his smiling mouth as he greeted every student who passed him.
Unlike usual, the underground classroom was filled with steam and various strange smells, most of them rich and fragrant.
Large cauldrons had been set up throughout the room, with liquids bubbling and gurgling inside them.
"This is my first class with all of you. As students in the advanced class, I know you have all achieved excellent grades."
"But first, please allow me to introduce myself."
"I have known Dumbledore for a very long time. We used to talk and laugh together many years ago."
He began by invoking the name of someone of considerably higher status, establishing his own position in the process.
"I worked with him many years ago, when I held this position and he was a Transfiguration professor."
"Hmm…"
Slughorn looked down at his enormous belly and gave it a pat.
"My belly certainly wasn't this large back then."
He looked suspiciously at his protruding stomach.
A burst of cheerful laughter came from the students.
Slughorn wore a satisfied smile, apparently pleased with his own joke.
"At the time, we were colleagues. He was a Transfiguration professor and became Headmaster only a short while later."
"Of course, I actually think he should have become Minister for Magic."
"But he had no interest in power. He once told me that power could drive people mad and cause them to lose their way, and that the best way to deal with it was simply to avoid it."
"Not long before his death, he came to see me and invited me to return as the Potions professor."
"I hesitated at first, but he kept asking me. Out of respect for him, and for a few other reasons…"
"I miss him too. But we must look forward, don't you think?"
"All right. We've chatted for long enough. Let's get down to business."
Slughorn said this as steam rose around him, making his large frame appear almost ethereal.
"Class, please take out your scales, your first-aid kits, and don't forget your copies of Advanced Potion-Making…"
Professor McGonagall's advice proved useful at this moment.
Harry and Ron were no longer without textbooks or scales.
"All right."
Slughorn returned to the front of the classroom, puffing out his already bulging chest. The buttons on his waistcoat looked as though they might burst at any moment.
"I've prepared several potions to broaden your horizons. Purely out of interest, of course."
"Once you complete this advanced course, you should be able to brew things like these."
"Although you haven't made them yourselves, you have certainly heard of them."
"Can anyone tell me what this one is?"
He pointed towards the cauldron closest to the Slytherin table.
Hermione's well-trained hand was the first to shoot into the air.
Slughorn pointed towards her.
"It's Veritaserum, a colourless, odourless potion that forces anyone who drinks it to tell the truth."
Hermione remembered the time she had brewed potions in the bathroom and the days she had spent with Moaning Myrtle.
Sirius had gained her trust through that potion, and a series of events had followed, making the truth seem increasingly elusive.
Slughorn was momentarily stunned before quickly recovering.
"Very good! Very good!"
He was clearly delighted.
"What's your name, Miss?" he asked with a smile.
"Hermione Granger."
"Now…"
He pointed towards the cauldron closest to the Ravenclaw table.
"This one is quite famous. It has even featured prominently in some of the pamphlets the Department has recently issued."
"Who can tell me—?"
Hermione raised her hand again.
"Miss Granger, shouldn't we leave some opportunities for the others?"
Hermione lowered her hand upon hearing this.
"Let me check the roster. I'll choose someone at random this time. It will also give me a chance to get to know the students better."
He glanced down at the list.
"Draco Malfoy?"
He paused.
"His grades are very average… an average of zero. An excellent student!"
Slughorn looked up with an amused smile.
"Now, tell me the name of the potion in this cauldron."