Chapter 715: Kanna, the Transferred Student
Harry had never endured such a grueling lunch. For the rest of the afternoon, Slughorn rambled—half the time about topics he found interesting, the other half about the past.
He recounted numerous anecdotes about famous wizards, mentioning how they had all joined an organization called the Slug Club during their time at Hogwarts. Slughorn proudly explained that he had founded the club, naming it after the first part of his surname. It had started as a joke, but he'd found it so amusing that the name stuck.
The so-called lunch break dragged on until the evening shadows lengthened and lamps were lit.
"I didn't even notice they had lit the lamps," Slughorn said in surprise, as though only just realizing how much time had passed. "Well, as much as it pains me, you must now hurry back to change into your school robes... Kyle, Harry, you're welcome to come and see me anytime, as are the rest of you, of course."
Several Slytherin students stood up, slowly packing their things. They didn't leave until Kyle, seated by the door, exited the compartment, prompting them to follow.
"Finally," Neville said with a relieved sigh once they were outside.
"Yeah," came a voice in agreement beside him.
It was Belby, who glanced back at the compartment, winked at Kyle and Harry, and whispered, "Between you and me, I actually get along with my uncle."
"Then why did you say that earlier?" Harry asked, confused.
"My uncle taught me that," Belby said in a low voice. "He doesn't like Professor Slughorn much, and when he heard Slughorn was returning to Hogwarts, he figured scenes like today's would happen again."
"So he told me that if I pretended not to know him well, I could dodge those boring parties. And it worked, didn't it?"