That's the situation.
Argus repeated to Slughorn what he had told Dumbledore.
Slughorn shook his head as he listened.
Albus always thought he could control everything.
Unfortunately, many things don't go according to plan.
"If he hadn't been so arrogant, Harry and Ron wouldn't have been ambushed by Lockhart."
"Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore." Slughorn was prone to dwelling on people from the past.
He was afraid that continuing the conversation would make Argus nervous, so he immediately changed the subject.
"Have you looked at the notes I gave you? Is there anything you don't understand?"
"Thank you for your concern. Your notes are very detailed, and there's nothing I don't understand for now."
Argus had only glanced at Slughorn's notes.
Compared to Snape's innovations, Slughorn's Potions Notebook was more rooted in practical experience.
It allowed people to quickly bypass the process of accumulating trial and error, helping them mature into skilled potion masters.
In other people's hands, it might be a treasure.
But Argus never intended to devote too much energy to potion-making.
He studied potions primarily to analyze the nature of magical creatures and potion ingredients, thereby deepening his understanding of spells.
For example, one could infer the principles of weather spells from the Thunderbird's instinct to summon thunderstorms and control the weather.
Or use invisibility beasts to deduce illusion spells, and so on.
The courses on magical creatures and herbs focused on classification and breeding, which were far less detailed than the in-depth analysis in Potions.
Slughorn was unaware of these things, only assuming that Argus treated his notes with the same seriousness as Dumbledore.
He immediately beamed with joy.
"With your talent, the notes I give you can only serve as an aid."
"Once you've thoroughly mastered this one, I'll give you the next one."
"Thank you for your generosity, Professor Slughorn."
"Hahaha... No need to be so polite. Come and try the Earl Grey tea that one of my former students gave me."
...
One week later.
Hogwarts returned to calm.
During this period, Alan Mitchell made two more high-profile visits, both times to assist Dumbledore with the investigation.
Both attempts ended in failure.
British wizards were in an uproar over this.
Many people felt that Dumbledore, as the headmaster of Hogwarts, was seriously derelict in his duty by not staying at the school and instead running around all day for just two students!
When several students were petrified, why hadn't he been so proactive?
Was the life of a savior more precious than that of an ordinary wizard?
Some even believed that Dumbledore was feeling guilty!
He had disappeared from Hogwarts to evade the Ministry of Magic's investigation!
The Great Hall of Hogwarts Castle.
The prefects from the four houses were surrounding Argus, pressing him for answers.
"Argus, is it the fifth years' turn tonight?"
"Argus, could you talk to Professor Slughorn about having a few more classes before curfew? We can talk to our Head of House, and we can head back when curfew starts every night!"
"That's right, and we can also find time to attend classes on Fridays and weekends!"
After a week of learning, the fifth- and seventh-years who had participated in the club activities clearly noticed an improvement in their grades.
They might not yet understand the deeper meaning behind these changes, but the intensive, exam-focused teaching had trained them to subconsciously generate answer ideas as soon as they saw the test paper and questions.
While other students were still struggling to figure out how to solve the problems, those who had joined the "evening self-study" sessions had already come up with countless solutions.
The difference was immediately apparent when compared side by side!
For top students, this kind of education was indeed useless and might even limit their development.
But most students were just ordinary people, and this method was a lifesaver when they were on the verge of failing the exams!
Argus raised his hand, signaling the others to pause.
"Everyone, I know you're anxious."
"But you should also consider Professor Slughorn's situation. He has been retired for many years, but he still has to teach extra classes every day."
"Plus the clubs before curfew."
"If we continue to add more classes, you'll be fine, but Professor Slughorn's health won't be able to take it."
Several prefects couldn't help but show awkward smiles.
Argus thought for a moment and said, "How about this: if the fifth- and seventh-years really want more time to review, you can talk to the professor and apply for an extra classroom."
"I'll prepare test papers for them and let them review on their own. When it's their turn, we'll go over the explanations together."
"Okay! Let's do it this way!"
Several prefects knew that this was a concession made by Argus to protect the reputation of their own house's students.
While appreciating the gesture, gratitude showed in their eyes.
Just as the group was discussing the specific arrangements, a large flock of owls flew in from the ceiling.
Rolls of newspapers and gift boxes were thrown onto the long tables.
Before Argus and the others could speak again, gasps of surprise erupted from all the long tables.
"Someone has escaped from Azkaban!"
"What! Really?! Aren't there Dementors guarding that place? How could someone have escaped?!"
"It's true! The one who escaped is Sirius Black, the serial killer arrested twelve years ago! He's escaped from prison!"
"The newspapers say he's a Death Eater who once killed an entire street of Muggles!"
"Merlin's beard! Why doesn't this murderer let a Dementor give him the Kiss? Won't he take revenge on the wizarding world if he escapes?"
"The Daily Prophet says that before he escaped, he frantically shouted Harry's name, perhaps to kill Harry and avenge...that person!"
Did Sirius Black escape from prison?
Argus raised an eyebrow.
According to the original story, Sirius Black should have recognized Peter Pettigrew after seeing photos of the Weasleys' trip to Egypt during the summer holidays, which led to his escape from prison.
Why so much earlier?
Was he still frantically shouting Harry's name in prison?
Could it be that he knows about Harry becoming an idiot?
If that's the case... then you'd have more room to maneuver!
Argus exchanged a few brief words with the prefects of the four houses before hurriedly picking up the Daily Prophet to check it out.
The first thing he noticed was the moving image of Sirius Black screaming when he was captured.
After carefully reading the report, his brows slowly relaxed.
"It seems that he did choose to escape from prison after knowing that Harry was in trouble."
"It's just unclear whether he knows that Peter Pettigrew is still alive."
"It's time to get our hands on Ron's rat!"
…
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