Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying

Chapter 879 - 250: Slughorn

The moment Vid pushed open the door to the hospital ward, he was hit by a stifling scent of sedatives mixed with blood.

Only a kerosene lamp was lit in the room, casting dark shadows. In a corner, a hunched figure was curled up on the floor, tightly wrapped in a dark green robe like a frightened hedgehog.

"Don’t use the Lumos Spell, and don’t speak loudly," whispered the young healer, Pye, as he advised Vid and Harry: "He is afraid of bright lights and loud noises."

The commotion of them entering had already startled the patient curled up in the corner. He reflexively twitched, trying desperately to hide himself, and hoarsely said:

"No... don’t come near..."

Vid saw that it was a very thin, bald old man, with his sleep robe appearing loose, as if it were a curtain hung on a skeleton.

Both his neck and wrists, exposed above his clothes, were wrapped in bandages, from which faint black-red blood seeped.

Ordinary wounds could heal instantly under the effect of Magic Potions. A wound still bleeding and requiring bandages either had potent toxins, or was inflicted by Dark Magic.

Dumbledore slowly approached, speaking softly, "Horace, it’s me, Albus..."

"No... no..."

Slughorn suddenly began to tremble violently, waving his hands wildly in front of himself, and screamed loudly, "I don’t know anything... let me go... I’m begging you, let me go..."

He banged against the wall several times, and Dumbledore quickly waved his Magic Wand to prevent him from further harming himself.

Once controlled by the Spell, Slughorn frantically struggled a few more times before suddenly stopping. His murky eyes gleamed with an unnatural light, and his lips twisted into an exaggerated smile.

"Oh, oh, thank you for the pineapple. Yes, I really like it..."

A flush appeared on his sallow face as he mysteriously addressed the empty wall:

"See this mead? This is top-notch stuff, sent to me by Uagadou’s headmaster... care for some? I can tell you, no one else but you is so fortunate..."

Suddenly, the gleam in his eyes shattered, and he curled up again, neurotically biting his nails:

"Don’t ask me... this... this is very evil... I won’t say anything..."

Harry stared blankly at the insane patient. Then, Dumbledore gently nudged Harry’s back.

The young man hesitated, took a step forward, and the weak light shone into his green eyes.

Slughorn turned and saw him, suddenly freezing, his bloodshot eyes fixed intensely on Harry’s eyes.

That scarlet gaze immediately reminded Harry of Voldemort, stirring discomfort and sympathy as he stepped forward again, whispering:

"Hi, um, sir... can I help you with anything?"

Large tears suddenly slid down the patient’s sunken cheeks as his mouth opened slightly and he began to cry painfully like a child, mumbling a name.

Harry listened carefully for a while before understanding what he was saying—

"Lily... Lily... forgive me... Lily... I was wrong, I shouldn’t have... shouldn’t have told him those things..."

Harry immediately froze.

Slughorn sobbed incoherently, sliding to the ground, curling into a ball like a child, constantly apologizing and repenting to the deceased.

Harry, incredulous, turned to Dumbledore, then back to Slughorn, asking: "The Lily you mentioned... is my mother? You knew her? Why are you apologizing to her?"

Slughorn lay on the ground, his crying stopped. He looked up, staring blankly at Harry, and suddenly chuckled silly.

"Correct answer, Gryffindor plus ten points. Please, have a seat, Miss Evans."

Slughorn seemed to be teaching a class as he said, "Yes... The brewing of Felix Felicis is very complex. I dare say, there are not many Wizards in the entire United Kingdom who can brew it successfully... let me talk about the key points now..."

He lectured while flashing an overly bright smile, with tears falling pat-pat.

The bizarre expression completely stunned Harry; he suddenly felt reluctant to continue talking to him for some inexplicable reason.

"You give it a try, Vid."

Dumbledore said softly.

Vid stepped forward, showing a polite smile but before he could speak, Slughorn suddenly shuddered as if electrified.

His eyes bulged wide open, pupils shrinking to pinpoints, staring intently at Vid’s face.

"No—"

A heart-wrenching scream pierced through the ward as Slughorn frantically stuck to the wall, clutching his head and screaming hysterically:

"No—no—don’t ask me—I’d rather die—Tom!"

Vid’s eyes widened instantly.

In the struggle, Slughorn knocked over the medicine bottles on the nightstand. The young healer wanted to restrain him but was helpless, awkwardly flailing his arms like a clumsy bird learning to fly.

Amidst the continuous screams, more healers rushed into the ward. Dumbledore pulled Vid behind him, and Vid saw the deep green curtains being swiftly drawn to isolate the berserk Slughorn within, but the dreadful wails continued unabated:

"Don’t ask me... don’t ask me!"

"I’m sorry, the patient cannot be disturbed now, please leave!"

A healer wearing a mask spoke unceremoniously, stretching out her arms to escort them out of the ward, then slammed the door shut with a "bang."

Outside, Harry stood pale-faced, gripping his Magic Wand tightly, unable to imagine what terrifying ordeal the people inside were undergoing.

Dumbledore stood etched like a statue, his long beard lightly trembling, his eyes flickering with an indescribable agony.

After a while, Vid heard the cries inside gradually turn into intermittent sobs, like a dying small animal, the sound growing softer until it was unheard.

They seemed to have experienced a dreadful torment themselves, finally relaxing a bit now that their backs were drenched in cold sweat.

Vid’s gaze suddenly became somewhat unfocused, lost in thought.

For the first time, he stood outside the ward, truly comprehending—when the patient struggles in agony, a bystander endures a heart-piercing torment.

To him, the person inside was a stranger, yet the cries of anguish were already gripping him. What would it be like if they were a family member... how intense must that pain be?

The light in Vid’s eyes dimmed for a moment, revealing an unspeakable pain.

"Bang!"

The ward door suddenly swung open, and an elderly healer stormed out, her robe billowing as she angrily growled:

"Dumbledore! I told you long ago that the patient’s condition is very bad! He needs quiet rest! Rest! How could you provoke him like this?!"

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly saw the appearance of the two young men beside her, and was startled into silence with her mouth agape:

"You... you two are..."

"Yes." Dumbledore placed his hands on their shoulders, saying: "They are Vid Gray and Harry Potter. I believe you understand the significance of bringing them here, dear Elliot... This is very important for Horace, for the Magic World. Please give us a little more time."

The healer’s face hesitated; she looked at the figure curled in the ward, then at the two young men, and finally let out a heavy sigh:

"Five minutes."

She said, "If he is provoked again, I will immediately throw all of you out!"