Horace Slughorn.
Do not let appearances fool you. He was an old man as fat as a walrus, bald on top, and nothing about his manner made him look like someone suited to being a Hogwarts professor.
But in truth, he had already been a professor at Hogwarts years ago. More than that, if he had not suddenly chosen to step down of his own accord, then he would almost certainly still be Head of Slytherin now.
In that case, the position might never have fallen to Snape at all...
With that in mind.
Or rather, even a fool would understand that anyone capable of becoming the head of one of Hogwarts's four houses could never be such a simple figure.
Even if he was older now, Dumbledore must have personally approved of him before inviting him back.
At the very least, his strength definitely met the standard...
And compared with the other confused young wizards, Draco was actually quite familiar with this former Head of Slytherin.
Slughorn was not like those aloof wizards who treated Galleons like dirt, nor was he one of those scholars who only cared about chasing the unknown and shutting themselves away to study magic alone.
He loved comfort and he loved vanity.
The old man was always fond of associating with famous people, successful people, and important people, and he thoroughly enjoyed the feeling that his every word could influence them.
Because of that, Draco had seen Slughorn at almost every banquet, and the man had always shown obvious appreciation for him. That was how Draco had gradually come to know him in the first place...
From what Draco knew, although Horace was a professor, he treated ordinary students as though they did not exist, and often could not even remember their names.
On the other hand, he was always quick to notice and draw out students with exceptional talent, contacting them early, bringing them into his circle, and giving them all sorts of special treatment.
That way of doing things had made opinions about him sharply divided.
But it also had to be admitted that Horace had a very good eye. Among the students he favored, talented people emerged in droves, and there was no shortage of top figures in every field.
As time passed, that also gave him an astonishingly deep network of connections.
Maybe that was why he had once been Head of Slytherin.
Years ago, when Draco was already beginning to make a name for himself in the wizarding world, Horace, with his sharp eye and silver tongue, had already set his sights on Draco as his first choice.
Over the past few years, Horace had repeatedly tried to invite Draco into a club called the Slug Club.
It was only after news of the Dark Lord's return spread that Horace suddenly vanished without a trace. Draco did not see him again until this year's Sorting Ceremony...
Simply put, this new Potions professor was not a bad person at heart, but in his eyes, only outstanding students and wizards worth befriending and recruiting really mattered.
In a way, he was a very pure Slytherin.
Not exactly a responsible professor...
...
The moment Draco recognized Slughorn, Pansy, who also came from a well connected background, naturally recognized him as well.
To be more precise, it was through Draco that she had come to know this overly enthusiastic old wizard...
"I did not expect Dumbledore to actually find him. I thought he had gone back into hiding."
The fact that Horace Slughorn had been deliberately avoiding Voldemort was no real secret among a small circle of people.
And it had to be said that Dumbledore managing to find him was rather surprising.
As for why he had been hiding from the Dark Lord.
Rumor had it that it went all the way back to the days when Horace was still Head of Slytherin, and Voldemort was still a student at Hogwarts.
After all, with how outstanding Voldemort had been back then, it was hard to imagine he had not been one of this "collector's" prized targets.
Of course, almost no one knew the details...
In any case.
Just as Pansy had said, Horace Slughorn's sudden return to Hogwarts at a time like this was bound to make people suspicious and surprised.
How exactly had Dumbledore convinced him?
Draco had no idea how Dumbledore had persuaded him, but now it seemed it was Horace's turn to speak...
In that instant, the somewhat listless Horace from before completely changed the moment he stepped forward.
He turned into an old man overflowing with passion.
His eyes seemed to shine as they swept across the young faces below.
"Everything has changed, yet somehow it feels as though nothing has changed at all. Looking at all of you, I can still remember those outstanding students of mine."
"Back then, every member of the Black family was in my house, but to my surprise, Sirius ended up in Gryffindor. What a pity... he was a very talented boy. The moment his brother Regulus arrived, I got him into my house at once, but it would have been even better if both of them had been mine."
No one knew why Horace had brought that up, but the way he spoke sounded like a collector at an auction, as though the students he was talking about were pieces of art.
Those few sentimental words immediately drew plenty of hostile looks from the Gryffindors. It was hard not to suspect they had figured out that the professor on stage had once been Head of Slytherin.
Among them, Harry Potter reacted the most strongly.
That was probably because Horace had mentioned his dead godfather.
But Draco was more interested in one particular line, because it reminded him of something.
"All the Blacks... Regulus?"
Just when Draco felt he was only one step away from figuring something out, his train of thought was cut off by Horace on the stage.
"Forgive me. Please forgive an old man for being a little too nostalgic."
And perhaps noticing the looks from the Gryffindor students, Horace spread his hands in surprise. "Oh, come now. Do not think I have some bias against Gryffindor. Harry's mother was one of my favorite students in all my life, and there was also Cresswell, who was one year below him. Not all the students I favored were Slytherins."
As though they had just heard some astonishing secret, most of the wizards turned to look at Harry Potter, who seemed a little stunned.
It looked as though this was the first time Harry Potter had heard that as well.
But before Harry Potter could react, Horace's mood suddenly sank.
Right in front of everyone, the old man who had been brimming with enthusiasm a moment ago fell silent and returned to his seat, completely ignoring the young wizards below, whose eyes were now filled with curiosity.
That sudden shift left the students at a complete loss.
They had not said anything, had they?
As for what had happened, aside from Dumbledore, who stood up again and had the house elves begin serving the meal, perhaps no one knew what was wrong with Horace...