The Forbidden Forest Is the Safest Place in the Wizarding World!

From a scientific perspective, attraction arises from the release of dopamine.

This is a very useful substance, especially in interpersonal communication.

After all, the difference between having goodwill and not having it is quite significant.

When you have feelings for someone, you can tolerate most of their flaws.

Even when she throws a tantrum, you think she's just being affectionate and even find it quite charming.

When goodwill disappears, let alone becoming repulsive, sometimes every second spent together can be incredibly disgusting.

Does Slughorn have feelings for Harry?

Certainly!

Given Slughorn's collecting obsession, "The Boy Who Lived" is definitely a "treasure" worth treasuring.

Harry is also the son of Lily, one of his former favorite students.

Combined with Snape's notes, this created the illusion that Harry's Potions had reached a very high level in a short period of time...

All things considered, Harry was indeed Slughorn's favorite student besides William and Hermione.

This is also what Dumbledore wanted to see.

With such a favorable situation, we should strike while the iron is hot and take the relationship to the next level, developing it into something like "godson" or "I'll take care of you in your old age."

When the relationship is this good, it's easy to get information out of someone or to probe indirectly.

But Harry, still in the early stages of developing feelings for her, directly demanded her memories.

It's like you're flirting with a girl, and you immediately ask her, "What will we name our future son?"

Anyone would be scared away, right?

So Slughorn's feigned illness was a deliberate attempt to avoid Harry, and he felt that any approach from Harry was motivated by ulterior motives.

The relationship that had been built up before was completely destroyed, and the relationship became one of complete estrangement.

Since Harry is not an option for the time being, we need to quickly consider Plan B.

Easter is just around the corner, and the summer offensive is imminent; time is of the essence.

What is B?

When building up favorability no longer achieves the desired result, the only option left is... brute force.

Inside the Potions Office,

There was a round table, soft chairs, a footstool, drinks and books, as well as boxes of chocolates and a pile of bulging cushions.

Slughorn sat comfortably on it, reading "The Life and Lies of You-Know-Who".

Based on his understanding of Tom, there were clearly many inaccuracies in it.

For example, Moaning Myrtle, who is considered Moaning's first love.

But many details are indeed true, because he had heard about them as well.

Slughorn was also sweating profusely, exclaiming how terrifying Voldemort was.

He opened the curtains to let the sunlight fall on him, hoping to ward off the chill.

That's great.

Enjoying the sunshine while sipping afternoon tea and reading a book.

Not having to go to class and getting paid for nothing—it's just too wonderful.

Slughorn decided to just coast through the rest of the semester.

Let Severus teach in my place; after all, it's only right that young people do more work.

As for leaving Hogwarts?

Don't be ridiculous, in this Wizarding World, where is there a safer place than here?

He will stay here as long as William and Dumbledore are at school.

The only thing worth noting is that they are hiding from Harry and Dumbledore.

That's right, Slughorn is definitely not sick; he's just faking it.

Dumbledore is using Harry against him? Well, he'll feign illness and see who can outlast whom.

Want his memories? No way unless he's dead!!

Just then, an owl flew by and dropped a letter.

Slughorn thought it was Dumbledore or Harry.

But to my surprise, when I opened it, it wasn't the headmaster's thin, italicized handwriting, nor Harry's seemingly dog-chewed handwriting.

Instead, it contained messy, illegible letters, along with a large blot of ink on the paper, making it difficult to decipher.

Dear Professor Slughorn:

Aragog died last night...

When school started, we talked about him. You said you really liked the Acromantula and wanted to see Aragog.

I know there aren't many wizards left who like the Acromantula like us.

If Aragog had met you sooner, he would definitely have liked you too and become good friends with you.

So, it would mean a lot to me if you could come to the funeral this afternoon.

I plan to hold the funeral in the evening, which is his favorite time of day.

I know you're sick. I didn't want to make this request, but I can't face all of this alone.

Your loyal Hagrid.

Slughorn stared at the letter, hesitating whether or not to attend the funeral.

After all, being sick is his current persona, and if he doesn't go, he really can't bear to part with the venom of the Acromantula.

He recently made some inquiries and discovered that the price of the Acromantula is continuously rising, supposedly due to the discovery of a substance that extends lifespan.

Ultimately, the thought of making money prevailed, since being sick and making a living don't conflict.

After dressing up, Slughorn changed out of his fancy robes and into a solemn black suit.

He also brought two bottles of wine, intending to celebrate for that poor beast... oops, I mean, to give it a proper send-off after its burial.

Funerals should be celebrated.

After making sure everything was in order and there were no oversights, Slughorn left the office and headed towards Hagrid's Hut.

Along the way, he deliberately avoided students to prevent being seen.

After crossing the meadow, he soon arrived at Hagrid's house.

But he was immediately stunned; a tall man and a young wizard were standing at the door waiting for him.

The tall one was Hagrid, and the young wizard...

"Good afternoon, Professor," William said with a smile.

"Merlin, William, what are you doing here? You startled me." Slughorn stopped abruptly, looking at him warily.

"I remember you had class this afternoon, didn't you?"

Not only Harry and Dumbledore, he also became wary of William, as if he were a frightened bird.

"I asked Professor McGonagall to give me time off to attend the funeral," William said sadly.

"Aragog is a good friend of mine. Although it is much older than me, we are friends despite the age difference."

The Acromantula family has also given me a lot of help.

It was indeed a great deal of help, not only making money for William but also enriching his food chain, and even providing him with free work.

"Are you alone? Where's Harry?" Slughorn asked warily.

"Harry Hagrid didn't invite him; there's Apparition Class in the afternoon for sixth graders. So Hermione can't attend the funeral either."

"Oh, okay." Slughorn relaxed a little.

"Hurry up, you two," Hagrid said hoarsely. "We need to go see Aragog's body."

He began to sob, his eyes red and swollen. On his arm was a black sleeve, which looked like it was made from rags soaked in shoe polish.

The three walked along the road towards an open space.

"William, where will you bury him? Right here?" Slughorn asked in a low voice.

"No, deep within the Forbidden Forest," William said meaningfully.

"Forbidden Forest... safe?!"

"Don't you know?" William said with a half-smile.

"Hogwarts, Gringotts, and the Forbidden Forest... are the three safest places in the wizarding world."

There is nowhere safer than the Forbidden Forest.