Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 27: Invitation
"Gifted?..." James never considered himself as such, and he did not like being called that either.
He had worked extremely hard to acquire his current knowledge and skills.
But he also understood why this professor would think that of him.
His amber eyes moved to the large table the professor had set up in the middle of his massive office. The two potions he had made so far in class… were carefully placed on top.
"You've been analyzing my potions?" James was familiar with the measuring tools lying on the table.
Slughorn also looked to the table. "Indeed…" He approached and took one of the vials. It was the one James had made in their first class, the Calming Draught.
"I have to admit that I was surprised when I found out that it was you who made them… I had believed this was the work of Bellatrix Black and that she had learned it from her grandfather."
"Her grandfather?" James inquired.
Slughorn nodded. "Pollux Black… He is retired now, but a while ago, he had earned the title of Potion Grandmaster and was considered the best one in the country."
"There is such a skilled potioneer in the Black Family?" James knew how much that title meant but had never heard of that name before. In fact, he knew little about that family's history.
By the time he met Sirius, most of them had already died, and their house was on its last legs, being maintained by a grumpy old house-elf.
'But it is still strange… Even if it was so long before my era, I should have at least heard of such a skilled Master.' James thought about it. He knew about many potion masters who died long before he was born. He even recognized the author of this year's schoolbook, though he didn't have a great opinion of his work.
"What books has he published?" He might remember some of the titles.
Slughorn chuckled. "That's the thing… He never published a single book…"
"Not a single one? How is that possible?" James looked truly surprised. He had never met a Master who didn't want to publish any of their work. It wasn't just for recognition and money...it was also about the satisfaction one gets from sharing their knowledge with the world.
"Don't get me wrong. I know for a fact that he wrote many books in his lifetime. But those are all stored somewhere in his family home. When I asked him about it, he told me that he only wished to pass on his knowledge to his descendants and no one else. He only cares about his family."
James frowned. "That sounds like a very selfish way of thinking." He had dedicated almost half of his life to teaching others and making sure his research was passed on to the world… to make it a better place.
He could understand if this Master wanted to keep part of his knowledge a secret or pass it only to a select few.
Even James had things he never shared with anyone… not even with his best disciples.
"I understand why you would think like that. But I have known Pollux for many decades… He is a good man. He just had a tough life that made him very distrustful of others." Slughorn sat down in front of the table and made a gesture for James to approach. "But enough about that. I called you here to speak about you, Mister Potter."
"Right. But if you want to request my brewing method, I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you."
Slughorn didn't seem too disappointed. "Worry not, my boy. I already expected that. A method like yours won't be easily given away."
The professor held one of the potions and gave it a swirl. The liquid inside was very thick and didn't move much.
"Although I am very curious about how you achieved such high purity. I am sure that much like me, many other Potion Masters have tried to accomplish this before and failed… The ingredients always ended up burning and losing their properties if you try to refine them for too long."
James considered it for a moment. "I cannot give you the details, but I can tell you that the key to achieving this is in the flame."
"The flame… Right, I remember seeing it change color… It had a blue tone and felt much more potent," Slughorn commented.
"That's right. You need to heat up the cauldron way beyond boiling point, and the temperature has to rise extremely fast. A normal fire will never be able to accomplish this."
"I think I understand… They refine before they can burn… I see…" Professor Slughorn began to mumble his words as he considered what James had told him.
After a minute or so, the professor spoke again. "That is a brilliant solution, Mister Potter. Thank you for sharing this much with me."
"No problem… Now, if that is all you wanted from me, then—" James was preparing to stand up. Snape had likely gone away by now, and he could go to his lab in peace.
"Hold on, Mister Potter. There is one more thing I wish to say." Slughorn made a gesture to wait.
"And what would that be?" James sat back in his seat.
"You see… Every three weeks or so, I like to host a small dinner party in my humble office room. I invite a few very select individuals from Hogwarts to attend them."
"A dinner party?" James repeated. He was already familiar with that one but pretended not to know what he was talking about.
"You see, the objective of these parties is to allow the most notable students in the school to establish connections with other talented individuals. These connections will come in handy in your future when you are all out in the real world. I can guarantee you that much."
"And you want me to attend these dinner parties," James said.
"I'll be honest… Before this year started, I would never have imagined doing such a thing…" Slughorn commented. James had been one of his worst students for the first three years.
"But in view of recent events… I have changed my mind. What do you say, Mister Potter? You would be getting to know the most influential students in the school."
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