As expected, Professor Slughorn's career planning initiative was a resounding success at Hogwarts.
The moment he opened up his appointment slots, they were snapped up by upper-year students in no time.
This charismatic professor quickly brought a large number of students he deemed exceptional into his fold and wasted no time organizing a Slug Club gathering the following weekend.
"This time, it's all upper-year students—fifth, sixth, and seventh years!" he told Jane Yu when inviting her. "After talking with them, I've realized there are so many brilliant minds among them!"
A proud smile spread across his round face as he added, "Of course, my dear, you're an exception. Even though you're a third-year, they should feel honored to meet you."
Such a gathering would likely include students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, which might be a good opportunity to expand her customer base.
Jane readily agreed.
Seeing her enthusiasm, Slughorn beamed with delight.
But when she arrived at the event, she found that the room was filled with the male and female student body presidents, numerous prefects, and several upper-year students she didn't recognize.
Clearly, this wasn't the ideal setting to promote her gaming console. These prefects were probably more concerned about students getting distracted by games and losing the House Cup.
Jane sighed inwardly.
But Slughorn, who was laughing heartily in the center of the room, immediately spotted her.
"Oh! Jane, my dear!" He jumped up, his belly jiggling twice, nearly popping the gold buttons on his waistcoat. "Wonderful, you've finally arrived!"
He quickly made his way to the door, draped an arm around her shoulder, and led her to the center of the room, as if unveiling the star of the night.
"Alright, let's get to know each other—"
Gemma Farley immediately came over to hug her, and Slughorn looked delighted.
"Of course, of course, you're from the same house, naturally close!"
Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater also stepped forward to greet her warmly and asked if she needed help with her essays or coursework.
"Oh!" Slughorn exclaimed, his eyes full of curiosity. "Perhaps you've met before—?"
Penelope smiled, her long curls bouncing slightly.
"Last year, I was petrified by the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. She killed the basilisk and saved me!"
Percival Weasley from Gryffindor also squeezed in, extending his right hand formally to Jane.
"Miss Yu, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Jane wasn't meeting him for the first time; they had briefly crossed paths on the last day of summer break. However, she had been too busy finishing her homework to engage in conversation.
As a member of the Weasley family, Percy had the trademark red hair and wore glasses. His attire was neat and proper.
She recalled Ron complaining about his older brother's strictness and lack of humor.
Following British social etiquette, she extended her right hand to shake his.
"How have you been?" he asked stiffly, his voice somewhat rigid and formal.
"Very well, thank you—" Jane replied.
Slughorn nearly chuckled at the overly polite exchange. He understood Percy was ambitious and enjoyed networking with influential figures, much like himself. However, Percy's overly formal demeanor often made him less likable.
"Percy, I'm sure you've heard of her!" Slughorn stepped in to ease the tension. "Jane, this is Percy, a Weasley and the current male student body president!"
Percy seemed to relax a bit. Ever since Jane had helped his girlfriend Penelope and his younger siblings last year, he had wanted to thank her.
However, he didn't want to publicly reveal his relationship with Penelope, so he explained instead:
"Miss Yu saved my sister Ginny last year and also helped Ron... Our whole family is very grateful to her!"
As the crowd took turns thanking and praising Jane, Slughorn smiled so broadly he resembled a round, cheerful sunflower.
"Ah, how delightful!" he said with satisfaction. "Just as you all said, Jane is indeed a kind and capable young witch. Defeating a basilisk in her second year—what an extraordinary young lady!"
As if wanting to further enhance Jane's reputation and connections, he deliberately revealed the reason for his return to Hogwarts:
"I wasn't planning to return to teaching, you see—I'm not exactly young anymore—"
"But Jane came to find me. She had heard about the confusion many upper-year students were facing regarding their futures and said you needed career guidance—"
"That's why I accepted Dumbledore's invitation."
"What a blessing for us!" Gemma quickly picked up on his implication and responded smoothly. "Thank you for coming back!"
She turned and grasped Jane's hands.
"And, Jane, we owe you even more thanks for your efforts!"
Gemma then began sharing stories from the summer holidays.
She mentioned how she had casually written to Jane about students' concerns over their futures. Their brilliant junior, Jane Yu, a two-time recipient of the Special Contribution Award, had gone to great lengths to find Slughorn and persuade him to return to teaching.
This earned Jane a wave of admiration from the prefects, who lined up to introduce themselves.
After all, within just a week, they had all had "heart-to-heart" talks with Slughorn and had reaped various benefits. Some had gained clarity and solid career plans, while others had even secured recommendation letters and internship opportunities.
Naturally, the girl who had brought them this professor, Jane Yu, became the center of attention.
Slughorn watched the scene with satisfaction.
While he might not be able to offer Jane much in terms of magical prowess—after all, she had someone as powerful as Dumbledore by her side—
He could certainly help her build connections both within and outside the school, connections that could support her in going further!
In this atmosphere of camaraderie, they might even stand a chance against the hidden dangers...
And, of course, it also enriched his own collection of talented individuals—
What a wonderful thing!
As the gathering continued, Penelope suddenly mentioned:
"Our patrol duties have become unusually heavy this year."
Percy nodded in agreement. As the newly appointed male student body president and a workaholic, he did his best to ensure Gryffindor students followed the rules. However, the adventurous nature of the young lions and the antics of his own brothers made his job particularly challenging.
The pride he had felt at the start of the term was now replaced by exhaustion.
"There are Dementors at the school entrances this year." His face darkened, clearly displeased. "Dumbledore has emphasized not engaging with them and strictly forbidding students from leaving the castle, but they just won't listen."
Percy enjoyed the authority his position brought but also felt a strong sense of responsibility to protect the students, ensuring they didn't clash with the Dementors.
"Can you believe it? Someone even said they wanted to see what a Dementor looks like to verify what the books say!" Penelope exclaimed, angrily flicking her hair. "Just yesterday, I caught a Ravenclaw almost sneaking out of the castle at night. If I hadn't been patrolling there, who knows if he'd still be alive!"
Listening to their conversation, Jane suddenly thought of the Patronus Charm.
"Have you learned the Patronus Charm? It might help with patrols," she asked.
Penelope and Percy both shook their heads.
"We've read about it in books," Penelope explained, "but it's a very advanced spell, far beyond the level of ordinary wizards. Even experienced witches and wizards struggle with it. Learning it requires guidance from a seasoned wizard."
Jane frowned.
So if students accidentally encountered Dementors, they would just be sitting ducks?
Even with prefects around, without the Patronus Charm, they'd only add a bit of flavor to the meal.
Slughorn, sipping his tea and chatting cheerfully nearby, had been keeping an eye on Jane. Seeing her deep in conversation with Penelope and Percy, he walked over.
"What are we discussing, children?"
"We're talking about the Dementors at school," Jane replied. "They're making the prefects' jobs much harder. We were wondering if you could teach us the Patronus Charm?"
Slughorn launched into a detailed explanation of the spell. After talking himself dry, Jane suggested:
"You're so knowledgeable! Perhaps you could help the upper-year prefects learn this spell at the next gathering?"
"After all, as you know, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes over the past two years have been practically useless—"
She had to admit, the spell's secondary function—delivering messages in the caster's voice—had piqued her interest.
If she mastered the Patronus Charm, she could quickly communicate with Aberforth and others, maintaining close contact.
After all, relying on owls took hours—and there was always the risk of the letter being intercepted.
Slughorn froze for a moment.
He instantly realized this was an excellent opportunity to expand his influence at the school!
By teaching the Patronus Charm, he could strengthen the cohesion of the Slug Club and recruit even more talented individuals!
Not only would this ease the prefects' workload, but it would also gather these outstanding witches and wizards—
A win-win!
As expected of Jane Yu, his most cherished young witch!
She truly understood him!
Giving Jane an approving look, he announced:
"Brilliant idea, Jane!"
"Everyone, you are the most talented witches and wizards of your generation. I believe in your abilities. Why don't we start training next week?"
His words were met with enthusiastic applause from the prefects.
"If we can master this spell, we won't have to fear the Dementors!"
"We can protect the younger students—even if they clash with the Dementors!"
"What a clever idea, Jane!"
Their faces lit up with anticipation.
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