Hogwarts Outsider Chapter 66: Followers

Matthew and Slughorn crossed the road and were in the little bar a few minutes later.

The bar was warm and smoky and very crowded.

A woman with a beautiful appearance and an elegant figure was greeting a group of noisy wizards in front of the bar.

There is also a bald, middle-aged wizard, with five or six wine glasses of different colors in the tray in his hand, and he is carrying them to different tables.

"Rosmerta!" Slughorn shouted.

"Oh, Professor Slughorn!" The bald middle-aged wizard no longer cared about greeting the guests, and trotted up to Matthew and Slughorn: "What a rare visitor! Excuse me How many companions do you have, do you need to go to the box upstairs?"

"No, no, no need...it's just me and little Matthew today!" Slughorn said with a smile.

"Okay, please follow me!" Mr. Rosmerta squeezed behind the bar with two guests.

Between the windowsill and a pretty Christmas tree, he helped choose a good spot, an empty table by the fireplace.

Matthew waited for Slughorn to sit before he took his seat.

"I wonder what you need, Professor Slughorn?" Mr. Rosmerta said enthusiastically.

"Two glasses of mead!" Slughorn gave Matthew a generous look, and said with a smile, "Merry Christmas, Matthew, I have a treat today; the mead brewed by the Rosmertas , has a history of more than 20 years, and is considered well-known throughout Europe... Two glasses of mead, Rosmerta!"

"Okay, please wait a moment!"

Didn't we agree to drink butter beer... Matthew thought to himself.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Professor Slughorn!" However, he quickly said respectfully on his face.

"You don't have to be so restrained, Matthew." Slughorn shook his head with a nonchalant expression on his face: "It's a holiday now, so you don't have to treat me like a professor, you can even call me For 'Horace'..."

"Okay, Professor Slughorn." That was all Matthew could answer.

Just then, Mr. Rosmerta brought over two glasses of mead.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, due to the impact of the Industrial Revolution at that time, the water pollution in Britain was extremely serious. In addition, there was no reliable water purification method at that time; for most people, wine, especially beer, was a cleaner drink than water.

This habit has also slowly spread to the wizarding world, so it is very normal for children in their early ten years to drink alcohol; of course, high alcohol spirits are excluded.

Slughorn obviously liked the mead here, but Matthew hated the taste a little, like rotten apples.

But he could only drink while forcing a smile on his face.

However, after swallowing a few sips of mead, the chill on his body suddenly disappeared, as if every inch of his body became warmer.

……

"Why didn't you come home, kid?" Slughorn said while sipping the wine in his glass, "It's Christmas now."

"I am a Muggle-born student, Professor." Matthew replied honestly.

"Oh, that's right..." Slughorn was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly, "I almost forgot...haha... Slytherin's Muggle-born children are rare! "

Judging from Slughorn's expression, he doesn't care about such things as blood and origin.

"By the way, Professor." Matthew took a sip of mead and asked innocently, "Mr. Percival at the Pig's Head Bar just now, why did I just casually ask him that the bar is open?" How many years has he become extremely angry?"

"Percival..." Slughorn's face became a little serious, and he didn't answer directly: "That weird old man is a bad guy; Matthew, I still suggest you stay away from him !”

"I see, Professor." Matthew nodded hastily.

"But speaking of the age of the Pig's Head Bar...it's indeed quite old, maybe fifty or sixty years old, and I can't remember exactly..." Slughorn tilted his head, as if thinking Thinking: "Matthew, why do you ask this question?"

"I just think the stains on the floor there are almost fifty or sixty years old!" Matthew replied softly.

Slughorn couldn't help laughing, and Matthew laughed too.

But his expression is a bit serious——

Since the Pig's Head Bar hasn't changed owners in fifty or sixty years, that is to say, the bartender was there before Gellert Grindelwald's victory...

So it's very possible... that bar is still related to the Order of the Phoenix; and the bartender is also related to Aberforth Dumbledore!

This is a very valuable piece of information.

Although it seems meaningless to me now.

But in the future, it is likely to be useful!

……

Matthew and Slughorn continued to sit by the fire and chat, but it was about ordinary things.

Slughorn seems to be in a good mood~IndoMTL.com~The chat between them is also very pleasant.

As the glass of mead in his hand gradually drained, Slughorn said, "I'm going to go to the Fengya wizard clothing store later to buy a new robe. Matthew, what are your plans?"

"I'm going to Honeydukes..."

Before Matthew finished speaking, Slughorn laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "Sure enough, Ambrosio Froome's candies are too attractive to you children But...but I don't like that kind of sweets! Then Matthew, let's say goodbye!"

As he spoke, he began to take out his pocket.

"Let me pay the bill, professor!" Matthew said hastily.

"There's no reason to ask students to pay the bill!" Slughorn refused righteously, and then walked to the bar on Mrs. Rosmerta's side.

This made Matthew a little surprised. Was Horace Slughorn in the original book so generous?

Or was there some happy event today that made him so happy?

……

But Matthew soon ran out of time to think about it, because something more important caught his attention.

As early as when he left the Pig's Head Bar, he had noticed that the witch wearing a thick black scarf hanging down to her feet was secretly following them.

Matthew directly acquiesced that she was following Slughorn. After all, he had no relatives, no kindness, no grudges in the wizarding world; so when Slughorn left, he did not follow, but went alone. stayed.

Now, Slughorn is gone, but the mysterious witch still stays, and looks at her from time to time.

So, the target she is really following is herself?