After Harry followed John into the compartment, he realized that quite a lot of people had been invited by Professor Slughorn.
At this moment, everyone was smiling as they looked at Link, who was being pestered by Neville.
And in the main seat beside Link sat a half-bald old man.
The old man also noticed Harry at this moment. He stood up and waved, saying, "Look who's here! Harry Potter, our savior star! I'm so happy you could come. Come on, sit next to me!"
This was probably Professor Slughorn.
Thinking that, Harry was warmly ushered to sit beside the old man, an awkward smile hanging on his face the entire time.
Because the Black boy sitting across from him was looking at him with raised eyes full of disdain.
Especially when Professor Slughorn called him the savior star, the other boy even let out a scornful sneer.
Harry knew very well where that hostility came from, because that boy was a Slytherin, and one in the same year as him.
They had been at odds since first year. There was no way the other boy would give him a friendly face.
Sadly, there weren't few Slytherins in this compartment.
Harry recognized no fewer than four of them, while the number of Gryffindors was pitifully small.
These people were openly radiating hostility toward him.
It made Harry feel like even breathing was getting difficult.
Professor Slughorn clearly noticed this too.
But he only smiled lightly and said, "Alright, now that everyone's here, let me do the introductions! You probably all know Harry Potter, so I won't say much about him. I'll start from here…"
He pointed toward the row where the Slytherins were clustered. "Blaise Zabini, his mother is quite a charming lady…"
The Black boy stood up and gave a bow to everyone.
"This is Cormac McLaggen. His father is the head of the Apparition Test Center at the Ministry of Magic, a very responsible official, and also a former student of mine!…"
"This is Marcus Belby…"
"This charming young lady is Melinda Mona…"
———
After introducing nearly ten people in one breath, Slughorn paused and pointed toward Link on the other side.
Harry noticed that at this moment, Slughorn seemed to glow with excitement. Even his pale beard trembled slightly, expressing his joy.
"This one needs no introduction, right? Link Flamel! Just hearing the name should tell you, this is an extraordinary person!"
Slughorn spoke with animated excitement.
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted inside the not-so-large compartment.
Neville's face turned completely red. He clapped so hard that he even stood up.
But he wasn't the most enthusiastic one.
The most excited and vigorous was actually the Black boy named Blaise Zabini.
No, not just him.
All the Slytherins were extremely excited.
That pure, fanatical admiration was completely different from the disdain they had shown Harry earlier. It was like night and day.
Link raised his hand with a smile.
The applause instantly stopped as if someone had flipped a switch.
But that didn't extinguish everyone's excitement.
They all looked at Link with intense enthusiasm, even Slughorn was no exception.
Under everyone's gaze, Link slowly stood up and said to Blaise Zabini, who was slightly in front of him, "Your name is Zabini?"
Hearing this, Blaise Zabini reacted like a soldier hearing a command from an officer. He shot to his feet, stood straight, and said in a trembling voice, "Sir! You can just call me Blaise!"
"Heh heh heh!"
Link laughed, clapping as he did. "What a great name. You've left a deep impression on me. I'll remember you, Zabi…ni!"
After saying that, Link laughed even more happily.
That smile was genuine joy.
Seeing this, Blaise Zabini became so excited he could hardly contain himself, his whole face turning red.
That wasn't easy for him.
After all, his deep skin tone made it hard for other colors to show on his face.
The other Slytherins also looked at Blaise Zabini with envy.
They all thought this was praise from Link toward Blaise Zabini.
Some people even had jealousy in their eyes.
Just think about it, being remembered by the famous Link Flamel, what an honor that was?
Unlike them, Harry's expression was a bit strange.
Based on how well he knew Link, that smile just now felt more like mockery.
It was as if Blaise Zabini's presence itself was a joke, a huge joke that made Link unable to hold back his laughter.
Zabini himself was indeed somewhat amusing.
His mother was a famous widow known across Europe.
That lady was said to have breathtaking beauty.
But what truly made her famous throughout Europe was that she had been widowed seven times, and every husband who died left her a large inheritance.
After a thorough investigation, the Ministry of Magic ruled out the suspicion that she murdered her seven husbands for their wealth.
But such bizarre experiences still earned her the nickname "black widow."
Logically speaking, with such a family background, Zabini should have been pitied.
After all, he didn't have a father.
But Zabini didn't feel anything wrong about it.
He even often boasted proudly, showing off the wealth his mother had gained for him.
That made him a bit unpleasant.
Thinking about all this, Harry couldn't help but feel like laughing too.
He quickly turned his head away, trying not to laugh out loud, but ended up meeting Slughorn's gaze.
Slughorn gave him a wink, making Harry feel like his thoughts had been completely seen through.
"Well then, a chance to get to know all of you better, how delightful," Slughorn turned and said with a smile.
"Here, take a napkin. I brought my own lunch. I always find the food on the trolley tastes too much like licorice wands. An old man like me, my digestive system can't handle that stuff… have some quail, Belby?"
Hearing that, the boy named Belby sitting in the corner was clearly startled, but he still accepted the half of what looked like a cold quail.
"Link, you may not be very familiar with this young Marcus, but you definitely know his uncle Damocles," Slughorn gave the other half of the quail to Link.
Harry noticed that Link's portion was clearly bigger than Belby's. "A very outstanding wizard, truly outstanding. His Order of Merlin was absolutely well deserved. Do you often see your uncle, Marcus?"
Eating quail was definitely a skill.
The meat of these small creatures was rich and fragrant, but at the same time, their bones were small and dense.
Without experience, it was easy to make a mess while eating, or even choke on a bone.
Marcus Belby clearly lacked that experience.
When Slughorn turned the conversation back to him, he was struggling to chew on a rib bone. Slughorn's words made him tense up, and his face instantly turned a dark red as he choked, unable to speak.
"Anapneo."
Link pointed his wand at Belby and said calmly. Belby's airway seemed to clear instantly.
Catching his breath, Belby even coughed out tears as he panted and said, "N-not really… I don't see him much."
Link lowered his wand and said lightly, "You should visit him more. Your uncle's achievements in potions are remarkable."
"The famous Wolfsbane Potion was invented and improved by him. This invention has benefited countless people who were accidentally infected with the werewolf virus, and it earned him an Order of Merlin."
As soon as he said that, everyone in the compartment turned to look.
This was the first time they had heard that Belby's uncle had such outstanding achievements.
After all these years, Belby had never mentioned it even once.
Harry and Neville's expressions also changed dramatically.
After all, Professor Lupin was also a werewolf.
Without the Wolfsbane Potion and Link's help, he probably still wouldn't have been able to return to human society.
Facing everyone's complicated looks, Belby gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "Well… yeah, but he and my dad don't get along very well, so I don't really see him much…"
His voice grew quieter and quieter until it disappeared.
Because halfway through his sentence, Slughorn had already begun to sneer and turned to look at McLaggen on the other side.
"And you, Cormac," Slughorn said, "I happen to know that you often see your uncle Tiberius, because he has a wonderful photo of the two of you… let me think… hunting a Blast-Ended Skrewt in Norfolk, right?"
"Oh yeah, that was great fun,"
McLaggen said excitedly. "Betty Higgins and Rufus Scrimgeour came along too, of course, that was before he died."
"Ah, you know Betty and Rufus too?"
Slughorn said with some emotion as he picked up a plate of pies and handed them out, somehow skipping Belby. "What a pity, Rufus is dead. Truly regrettable."
"He was a very competent Head of the Auror Office. Wouldn't you say? Link, as one of the current members of the tripartite committee of the British Ministry of Magic, you should know this well."
Hearing this, Link thought for a moment and said, "He was a pure soldier."
As soon as he said that, Slughorn nodded deeply, looking quite moved. His eyes even reddened.
Seeing this, Zabini and the others in the compartment lowered their heads in silence.
Only John was different.
At those words, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
He knew too well.
Link's evaluation of Scrimgeour as a "pure soldier" was definitely not praise.
After all, the Auror forces led by Scrimgeour had often intended to attack the Flamel family's hunter group.
It could be said they were absolute enemies.
That was why John had no goodwill toward Scrimgeour at all.
And in the end, what happened?
Scrimgeour still died, didn't he?
Even the Auror force he was so proud of had now become claws in Link's hands.
No one noticed John's expression.
Slughorn quickly recovered, wiped the faint tears from the corner of his eyes, and said to Neville, "Next, it's Mr. Longbottom's turn. Oh! Longbottom, just hearing that name reminds me of your grandmother."
"I taught her for a year when I first became the Potions professor at Hogwarts. She was so beautiful and full of grace back then! How is her health now?"
"Thank you for your concern, her health is quite good, just that her mobility isn't very convenient anymore."
"That's a common problem among the elderly. Not just her, my mobility is even worse now. But that's alright, we're wizards, we have plenty of ways to deal with that."
As he spoke, Slughorn's expression suddenly became serious. "I'm very sorry about your parents. They were both excellent and kind people. I sincerely hope they recover soon."
Hearing that, Neville was visibly moved. He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, I'll pass that on to them."
Slughorn nodded in satisfaction, "That's wonderful. But I'm a bit puzzled, because before coming here, I had heard some things about you."
"They said you were a bit… um… shy. But from what I've seen today, it doesn't seem to be like that at all. Is someone slandering you?"
"That's not it, Professor Slughorn. What they said about me isn't slander. I really was timid and cowardly, and I used to cry a lot. But that was the old me. Now, I'm different!"
"Oh? How so?"
"It's all thanks to Link! Link gave me a new life, I…"
Neville choked up.
Even so, he still told everything that had happened to him during this time.
That sincere emotion made Harry's eyes redden again, even though it was the second time hearing it.
The others were also deeply moved.
And just then, the compartment door on the other side suddenly opened.
Emily, dressed in black just like Link, walked in.
As she placed several pumpkin casseroles on the table, she smiled and said, "Sorry I'm late. I didn't miss anything, did I?"
"You missed quite a lot," Link said with a smile.
"Neville has already been reborn. He was just talking about working hard and becoming better to repay me and all that."
"Honestly, Neville, you don't need to do that. But I still welcome you to work at the Ministry of Magic after graduation. I welcome talents like you."
As soon as he said that, Zabini and the others across from him all looked at Neville with envy and jealousy.
Link's words were basically giving Neville a reserved spot.
This was a privilege ordinary students wouldn't even dare to dream of.
Slughorn also looked at Link in surprise.
He didn't seem to understand why Link would say something like that.
After all, in his view, Neville didn't seem to have inherited the outstanding talents of the Longbottom family.
"Professor Slughorn, didn't you know?" Link said in a surprised tone. "Neville has remarkable talent in Herbology. Professor Sprout has always thought highly of him."
"I see! This is the first time I've heard that. Looks like I'll have to observe you carefully in the future, Neville. You should know, students who are good at Herbology usually aren't weak in potions either."
Slughorn suddenly understood. He glanced at Neville, who now looked completely energized, then continued, "But compared to that, I'd actually rather hear about your experiences, Link."
"You're a legend among legends, and the things that have happened to you must be quite extraordinary, right?"
Hearing that, everyone's eyes lit up.
As a legendary figure at Hogwarts, Link's stories were already widely known.
Because of Ron's unreliable brothers, many exaggerated and ridiculous versions had even spread around.
But everyone still wanted to hear Link tell it himself.
Seeing the eager looks on everyone's faces, Link smiled, cleared his throat, and looked like he was about to start speaking.
But at that moment, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the direction of the front of the train.