Standing behind Professor Horace Slughorn was an elderly man with a goatee and a faintly sly look about him.
Dressed in a threadbare suit, he appeared frail and utterly ordinary—so unremarkable that, without Slughorn's introduction, it would have been difficult to connect him to the rumored new Headmaster of Durmstrang, Professor Winston Vance.
Rumor had it that this 'new' headmaster, who had taken office a little over a year ago, was ruthlessly decisive. In just a few short months, he had swept away all the forces the former headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, had cultivated within Durmstrang.
And after Gellert Grindelwald escaped from Nurmengard Tower, Winston Vance became an even more enigmatic figure.
In his youth, he had been a devoted follower of Grindelwald and had spent a full twenty years imprisoned in Yemland Prison—a wizarding prison under the Swedish Ministry of Magic—before regaining his freedom.
Many Hogwarts students eyed the plain-looking headmaster with open curiosity.
At the same time, they couldn't help wondering why the headmaster of Durmstrang would visit Hogwarts on Christmas Eve to attend a holiday party. Did Professor Slughorn truly wield such influence?
Yet what drew even more attention was the young man standing behind Vance.
"Good evening, Blaise… Tiffany… Sean… Long time no see. Merry Christmas, everyone!" Christopher Patrick greeted his old friends one by one with an easy smile.
This Durmstrang student had spent over half a year at Hogwarts as an exchange student, and he had gotten along remarkably well with many of the Slytherin students.
...
"Good heavens!" Daphne Greengrass covered her mouth. She looked at the young man surrounded by the crowd, then at her sister beside her. After taking a steadying breath, she whispered, "Christopher… Jon… how is this possible…"
"Wasn't his identity as a Durmstrang student fake? Why… why is he now the Headmaster's favorite student…"
Muttering to herself, Daphne turned to Astoria with a puzzled expression. "Astoria, did you know he was coming back?"
Astoria shook her head stiffly, her gaze even more bewildered than Daphne's.
She studied "Christopher Patrick" carefully, then turned toward where Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had been seated moments earlier.
"Dumbledore is gone?" she murmured.
Daphne glanced over—and it was true. The Headmaster who had been calmly enjoying his herbal stew was nowhere to be seen, leaving only an empty seat behind.
"He probably had some urgent matter to attend to," Daphne said casually. Her gaze stayed locked on the suddenly reappeared Christopher Patrick (Jon Hart). Nothing else seemed to matter to her.
A flushed student hurried toward Professor Slughorn. The sisters recognized him as Marcus Belby of Ravenclaw—he had been sitting beside Albus Dumbledore earlier.
"Professor Slughorn… Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to tell you… he received an urgent message and had to leave at once!" he stammered.
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried far enough for those nearby to hear.
"See?" Daphne shrugged at her sister, trying to force her gaze away from the bustling crowd.
Headmaster Winston Vance of Durmstrang had clearly heard the news. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corner of his lips.
At the same time, he turned and glanced at his "favorite student." If anyone had been watching closely, they would have noticed that his look was one of inquiry.
Christopher Patrick merely shook his head subtly in response.
...
The two "distinguished" guests took the most prominent seats at the Christmas banquet.
Headmaster Vance even sat in the place previously occupied by Headmaster Dumbledore.
He leaned slightly toward his "favorite student," whispering about something. To the surrounding guests, it looked as though they were discussing matters concerning Hogwarts.
More and more notable guests arrived, and Professor Slughorn greeted each one with enthusiastic warmth.
"Welcome, Miss Granger!" he called out as he once again approached the entrance, his smooth, booming voice filling the room. "Delighted to have you here… and your dance partner—if I remember correctly—Mr. Longbottom? Ha! Even if you didn't choose to take my Potions class…"
"Yes, sir… I'm Neville Longbottom," came a somewhat nervous reply.
"And a warm welcome to you as well, Neville. I was always on excellent terms with your parents—before that dreadful tragedy, of course. I'm deeply sorry for what they endured…" Slughorn enveloped Neville Longbottom in a hearty embrace.
Then he turned to greet the next arrival.
"Mr. McLaggen, welcome…"
Hermione and Neville took seats among several Gryffindor students. Neville looked rather tense, while Hermione calmly observed the room.
"Why are so many people gathered over there?" she asked, pointing toward the crowded group in the distance and addressing a younger Gryffindor girl beside her.
"I think it's an exchange student from last year—he's back at Hogwarts!" the girl replied, her mouth stuffed with food, making her words slightly garbled.
"An exchange student from last year? That's impossible!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, his name… I think it was… Christopher Patrick?"
...
The party carried on in high spirits—
Until a small disturbance broke out.
Argus Filch, the castle caretaker, came striding in, dragging a boy by the ear.
"Professor Slughorn!" Filch panted, his jowls quivering and his bulging eyes gleaming with the manic satisfaction he always showed when catching a misbehaving student. "I found this boy lurking in the upstairs corridor. Did you send him an invitation?"
The boy wrenched himself free, looking furious.
"All right, you didn't invite me!" he snapped. "I snuck in. Happy now?"