On Saturday afternoon, Will climbed the spiral staircase toward the top floor of the East Tower.
From a window high above, he could see the grass beside the Black Lake, where many students were relaxing and having fun.
Aurors were scattered around the area, keeping the students safe.
At the top of the East Tower, Will pushed open the door.
The rich scents of grape juice, mead, and Roasted Pine Nuts greeted him.
The spacious Circular Room had apparently been completely redecorated. A huge round table stood in the center, covered with a snow-white tablecloth.
It was laden with exquisite pastries, stemmed glasses, and several bottles of gleaming grape juice. Velvet drapes even hung on the walls.
Slughorn had clearly put a great deal of care into reopening the Slug Club.
Several students were already inside. Slughorn sat at the head of the table, chatting with them.
Neville, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Susan Bones, Blaise Zabini, and others...
Neville and his friends looked rather reserved, while Zabini, Macmillan, and the others seemed much more at ease.
The Slug Club's standards for recruiting members were obvious:
Students with exceptional talent in some field, such as Lily and Snape, who excelled at Potions.
Of course, Will was exceptionally talented too... Perhaps he was among the most talented people in the Wizarding World. Perhaps he was the most talented of all?
Then there were children from prominent families with deep influence in the Wizarding World, such as Neville, Ginny, and Susan Bones.
Students he considered mediocre, of no use to him, or likely to bring him trouble were excluded outright.
Slughorn lit up when he saw Will. "Ah, Will, you're finally here! I'm so glad to see you."
His eyes shone. Belly leading the way, he hurried over like an agile bowling ball and