Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

But this will take time - as Grindelwald has said more than once, a wizarding society that has stagnated for centuries is like a golden apple filled with rotten lint.

Reversing the situation is not easy, even for an almost omnipotent wizard.

Especially at this point in time when we urgently need to unite and face the outside world together.

The example of the British Ministry of Magic is not worth promoting universally, although the Ministries of Magic in major countries already have arrangements for stargazers.

Lynn knew it, Grindelwald knew it, and Dumbledore knew it too. They all knew it tacitly.

Plans can never keep up with changes.

Back then, Grindelwald, who had the blood of a prophet, and his arrogant wizard party never expected that they would eventually suffer a Waterloo in front of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, who stood at the pinnacle of the wizarding world, had never expected that there would be Voldemort, a dark lord who would rise rapidly and sweep across the British Isles.

The unstoppable Dark Lord and his Death Eaters never imagined that they would collapse because of a mother and son at the height of their power, let alone this helpless ending of destruction.

Similarly, Lynn, whose goal from the very beginning was to completely eliminate Voldemort and complete the transformation of wizard society, did not expect that such a strange species as false gods would exist in the world and have such far-reaching influence.

But he is fundamentally different from any previous winner or loser.

Because he has always believed in preparing for a rainy day, and he never feels unhappy about doing useless work.

With the help of the principle of “the more prepared the better”, he and his fellow stargazers never lost their composure. Instead, they were able to flexibly rally more and more people around them and gain a more relaxed posture for themselves.

This gives him the most room for error.

Whether it is Leviathan or unknown risks from ancient civilizations, he has the ability to handle and deal with them.

Rather than being a response, it would be more accurate to say that these severely redundant resources and forces, which were originally prepared to deal with Voldemort and the conservatives in wizarding society, just happened to be put to good use.

This is precisely the ability that the Wiccan Party, the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters have never possessed.

-----------------

After leaving Iceland, Lynn did not return directly to Hogwarts or Beauxbatons, nor did she go to London.

Although his schedule was busier than ever, he still took half a day off, went home to change his clothes, arranged for the Longbottoms to escort the letter, and headed straight to Godric's Hollow.

There were the graves of the Potters, especially Lily Potter - there were guests waiting for him.

And I've been waiting for quite a long time.

Chapter 568 Slughorn's Request

"Want some pineapple preserves, Lynn?"

The first thing Slughorn said when they met was still to offer snacks, using his favorite delicacy.

Even in front of the grave of his favorite student, the old man still did not change his usual style.

But there was a hint of sadness between his brows.

“Obedience is worse than respect.” Lin En pretended not to notice, took the candied fruit with a smile, and sat on the ground next to the old man.

After one bite, the sweet taste flows from the tip of the tongue to every part of the body, including the overworked brain.

The overly sweet candied fruit seemed just right on this busy, sleepless night - Lynn suddenly began to understand Dumbledore, who was far away in Africa.

Neither of them spoke, but they finished the whole box of candied fruits one by one.

When the last candied fruit was picked up by Slughorn's stubby fingers, Lynn could see that there was a hint of mist in his eyes.

"...You know, I'm not very good at Transfiguration, especially compared to Lily - she is so talented, and the most valuable thing is her wild imagination."

Swallowing seemed to become difficult, and Slughorn's face showed a sadness that he rarely showed to outsiders.

"That's true, professor." Lynn nodded slightly.

As a former friend and research partner, he was one of the people in the world who best understood the talent of this talented witch who died young in the fields of Transfiguration and ancient magic.

Coincidentally, as Slughorn's most focused student during those years, he was also well aware of those anecdotes.

This used to be a good topic of conversation, but it has long since become a sad place that no one wants to touch.

After a moment's thought, he said softly, "I'm sure Lily will be happy to hear you say that."

"I hope so," Slughorn murmured. "In fact, I haven't dared to come here to see her for many years. This time I have prepared a gift."

He fumbled clumsily and slowly in his arms, his expression struggling and painful. After a long while, he finally took out a gift box tremblingly.

When the gift box was opened, Lin En, who wanted to admire it, was stunned.

He couldn't say anything, but just watched the old man place the gift next to the flowers.

The reason is simple: this gift is really too special.

It was the blooming fish that Lily had given to Slughorn when they were students, and now, this magic had been replicated with some difficulty.

"It's a bit ugly, isn't it?" Slughorn smiled bitterly. "It's really not very impressive, but this is the result of a long time of practice."

“No, it looks very nice.” Lynn felt as if her voice came from far away.

He had completely forgotten the speech he had prepared before coming here.

"Lily is my favorite student." Slughorn turned around and looked at the tombstone with his back to Lynn. "That person and you are both very scheming. It's the most pleasant to get along with her."

Lynn didn't say anything, waiting for his next words, and Amelia's words echoed in her mind.

【He wants you to come to him in person, not through me and a letter. 】

Slughorn's voice became erratic.

"I remember that time when you two were in my club, along with Faye. She was about to graduate, but you and Faye were still young - it was a great time."

"I miss that stage too," said Lynn.

"Unfortunately, she died at the hands of another of my favorite students—precisely because of me."

Slughorn's trembling back tells of pain, not the pain of losing a connection or a "collection", but the self-condemnation of conscience and morality.

Lynn did not intend to persuade or comfort him, because he knew very well that this old man, whose qualifications were comparable to those of Dumbledore, would not get better or become more depressed because of this.

That's exactly what happened.

After a brief catharsis, he took out his handkerchief and wiped the tears from his face. When he turned around, his expression showed a bit more relief and gratitude.

"Now she is also my favorite student. You avenged her with your own hands... This account can no longer be settled."

"Originally there aren't that many scores to settle. After all, Lily and I are not Slytherins." Lin En walked forward and handed over a metal hip flask. "Would you like a drink?"

The jug contained Slughorn's favorite mead.

"You are still so considerate."

Slughorn, who always showed his graceful and graceful manner, was unusually generous this time. He took the jug and drank it all in one gulp.

Being a little drunk, he pulled Lin En to sit on the ground.

"I am a pleasure-seeking person, and I have never been willing to take on any heavy tasks or responsibilities. However, I have been burdened with guilt and fear for decades, until I heard about that person's death a few days ago - the real death."

He pointed to Lily's tombstone and said, "It was you who helped me break free from this cage and gave me the courage to face my students again."

“I just did what I had to do.”

"That's true for you, but I can't see it that way," said Slughorn. "You've saved my conscience, and I'm certainly willing to do something for you."

"So last night...?"

"If I had agreed to Bones, would you still take the time to see me?" Slughorn asked back, "And to be honest, I would also need some courage and support to come and see her."

"I see."

"You don't fully understand, Lynn. Sometimes you think too badly of me - of course I'm not blaming you, because I also know my shortcomings." Slughorn said in a gentle tone, "But I'm not such a vain and profit-seeking person."

"I never thought of it that way, Professor." Lynn said, "Dumbledore and I both know who you are, so we invited you to teach at the school before the start of this school year."

"I'm much happier when you say that." Slughorn relaxed. "Let's not talk about Albus. Today it's just the two of us. Let's not talk about interests or right or wrong. Let's talk about feelings - whether it's from Lily's side or from my own side."

He took out the handwritten letter from Amelia and said, "This is indeed a disaster. I know what you want me to do. There are indeed many excellent people in the magic world who are stubborn about pure-bloodism. You hope to make use of them, right?"

"It's not for my use, but to jointly deal with this crisis of unknown magnitude. You know me, professor. I don't want to see any situation that goes beyond expectations and lacks solutions." Lin En said seriously, "In order to avoid this future, we need to fight for all the power we can, and this requires your prestige and appeal."

These words are neither compliments nor exaggerations.

With the death of Voldemort and the resignation of Fudge, who represented the interests of pure-blood wizards, the prominent families generally suffered a severe blow. The living conditions of pure-blood wizards in the British wizarding world today have reached a historic low.

At this time, Slughorn, who had great magical powers, a vast network of connections and was also from one of the twenty-eight pure-blood families, was almost the only person with the most influence among the pure-bloods - even though he had always been a carefree person.

Slughorn himself was well aware of this and had made his decision early on.

After a moment's thought, he reached out to Lynn.

"Give me a few days and I'll do my best to convince more people."

"Thank you, Professor." Lynn shook his hand, looking relieved. "But this is not my entire purpose."

"Oh?" Slughorn raised his eyebrows. "Tell me, what do you need an old man like me to do? You know I don't like to put too much burden on myself, but if it's your request, there may be an exception."

"Then I would like to thank you in advance. There is indeed a very important matter." Lin En lowered his head slightly, giving enough face, "Dumbledore and Grindelwald are in the lair of those monsters in Namibia. Soon, outstanding researchers in various fields will go there, but they can't stay for too long. Someone needs to take their place. After thinking about it, I think only a respected senior like you can do it."

"I'm afraid I can't handle the situation over there by myself."

"There are two other people working with you." Lynn had anticipated this reaction and said calmly, "Newt Scamander and Barty Crouch Jr. I believe that your intelligence and talents can replace Dumbledore."

"For an old man like me, this is the highest compliment that can't be given." Slughorn looked very happy, just like every time he was complimented by Lynn. "Although I am almost useless at my age, since it is your invitation, I accept it."

Lin En was immediately delighted: "That's great. If possible, I hope you can get there within five days. By then, Batty should be discharged from the hospital."

"I think if you tighten your schedule, it's fine," said Slughorn, with a slightly amused look on his face. "This is indeed the common responsibility of all wizards, but I can't say I don't want any reward."

"Of course, Amelia and I both think so," Lynn chuckled.

"No, no, no, I don't need Galleons. As you can see, I have never lacked for material comforts." Slughorn shook his stubby fingers slyly.

"Then what reward do you want?"

"It's easy." A winner's smile appeared on his fat face. "When everything is over, let me prepare a proper wedding for you and Fei, how about that?"

"?"

Lynn's eyes widened slightly.

Chapter 569 Another Use of the Philosopher's Stone

Slughorn left Godric's Hollow satisfied.

In his words, he lost one of his favorite students, and watched another of his once favorite students go astray and eventually die. He didn't want to have any regrets.

Although Lin En was somewhat skeptical about this, he had no reason to refuse.

After all, this is an old man with very Slytherin qualities.

-----------------

After Slughorn left, Lynn didn't stay around for too long.

He sat quietly in front of Lily's tombstone for a while, saying nothing, leaving only a bouquet of flowers, then went home and slept until the evening.

When he woke up again, the phone beside the bed was filled with all kinds of messages:

Sonya and Lupin wanted to discuss with him the newly revised second edition of the Handbook of Wizarding Defence Lore.

The second batch of funds escorted by Iain himself has arrived at Hogwarts and is being temporarily stored in the Chamber of Secrets.

Inès returned from South America and invited the fortuneteller who had previously predicted the location of the crown for her.

Batty is being naughty in the hospital, and Amanda sends a message for help.

Lucius received the news that Slughorn had come to lobby - the first stop was the Greengrass family.

……

In the waterfall-like flow of information, he finally saw the message sent by Euphemia from Beauxbatons.

Just a few words.

[Completed]

The remaining sleepiness was instantly swept away, and after hastily replying to everyone, he grabbed the robe hanging on the hanger and left, rushing directly into his own fireplace.