Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 451, Section 446: Next time, we can try pig's blood.

"Great suggestion? I can try it next time."

Slughorn glanced at Dudley and nodded thoughtfully.

"However, if I were you, I would choose to use pig's blood next time. Since you'll need to add something else to mask the taste anyway, pig's blood is easier to get than expensive dragon blood."

Dali added another sentence.

"I also suggest you don't choose to store blood in crystal bottles, as their preservation level is limited."

The more Dudley spoke, the brighter Slughorn's eyes became, as if he had discovered some rare treasure. However, this state did not last long, and he forced himself to suppress it.

"Yes, this is the last bottle of dragon blood, and the price is outrageously high."

Slughorn tried to avoid looking at Dudley, muttering complaints incessantly. He walked heavily to the sideboard, picked up a small crystal bottle from the top, and looked at it with some heartache at the tiny amount of viscous liquid that remained inside.

"If it weren't to avoid you, I wouldn't have used this last bottle. I haven't seen my lovely students for a whole year, and I don't know if they even think about me. Most importantly, I haven't received any gifts. I don't know how long this damn situation will last."

Slughorn kept babbling on and on, like an old woman gossiping and spreading rumors, but his eyes never left Dumbledore.

"If you're willing to come with me, you can go back to the way things were anytime. You should know why I came here."

Dumbledore intended to get straight to the point and go straight into the path.

"So I refused." Slughorn's answer was decisive and firm.

The two are like kindred spirits; to outsiders, they seem to be speaking in riddles, but in reality, they both know what the other is thinking.

"Don't you want a peaceful life, instead of living like this, constantly on the run?"

Dumbledore looked straight at Slughorn.

Slughorn avoided eye contact, automatically averting his gaze: "I'm very comfortable here. There are soft chairs, footstools, drinks and books, a cozy fireplace, boxes of chocolates and a bunch of bulging cushions. There's nowhere more comfortable than this."

"Aren't you worried that the Death Eaters will try to recruit you? I think that good student Tom has arranged for a lot of people to search for you."

Dumbledore continued.

Slughorn's expression shifted slightly, clearly realizing his thoughts had been exposed. How could he not worry about the Death Eaters? Everything he had done was to evade them. Yet, he muttered, "They won't find me. I never stay in one place for more than a week. Moving from one Muggle dwelling to another is easy once you get the hang of it."

Dumbledore didn't want to continue playing games with him; this guy was like that back at Hogwarts. Always giving you the runaround.

"Horace, listen to me, this year's sixth-year students are definitely the most talented Hogwarts has had in nearly a hundred years."

"Each one is no worse than any one in your club."

Dumbledore knew Slughorn's character traits: he would ignore mediocre people, even pretend they didn't exist, but he could be infinitely tolerant of talented people, especially outstanding ones.

Slughorn gave me a look that said, "Are you kidding me?"

"Albus, are you starting to talk nonsense just to get me to go back with you?"

No matter how Dumbledore explained it, Slughorn didn't believe it, mainly because the content was just too absurd.

Was he already better than the graduates in fourth grade?

All of the four colleges?

Are you trying to fool some idiots?

In previous years, even one outstanding student would be treated like a treasure and nurtured. Now you're saying all four academies are involved?

They can't even make up a believable lie.

Dumbledore also looked like he had a stomachache. He really wasn't trying to fool Slughorn; every word he said was the truth, without the slightest exaggeration.

Dudley, who was standing next to him, could testify to this.

Unfortunately, the content was too exaggerated, and the other party simply wouldn't believe it.

To be fair, if he didn't know what was in his heart, he wouldn't believe it either.

So Dumbledore had to resort to another approach, his gaze falling on Dudley: "I forgot to tell you, this Mr. Dursley is not only a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, but also the inventor of wizard cards."

"Albus, do you think the Order of Merlin First Class or the Order of Merlin Third Class is more valuable?"

Slughorn is far too familiar with the Merlin Knights' system; even if he were to become popular in the entertainment field, he would at most only earn a third-class Merlin Medal.

I don't care if it's a wizarding game or not, I don't care if it's a world-class mass entertainment event.

"What if he also has the identity of being the youngest member of the Wizengamot?"

Dumbledore changed the subject, raising his voice slightly.

"What did I say? What did you say?"

Slughorn's words caught in his throat, his eyes wide open.

He didn't care about being the inventor of Wizarding Cards, and being a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, was just an empty title, but the members of Wizengamo were the real power holders in the wizarding world.

Ordinary wizards, let alone joining, might only be there to face judgment.

Moreover, the phrase "youngest" implies that the other person has a bright future.

"He is very likely still the youngest chief wizard of Wizengamo."

Dumbledore continued, and Slughorn's breathing began to quicken.

Then he realized something and said to Dumbledore, "You're not still lying to me, are you? To become the First Wizard, at least half of the Wizengamor members need to agree, given his age."

"If it weren't for his age, Dudley would be the chief wizard by now."

Seeing Slughorn's expression, Dumbledore finally smiled: "In fact, Mr. Dursley has more than two-thirds of the support in Wizengamor."

Having the support of half of the Wizengamo members is already a very rare achievement. Under normal circumstances, as long as one-third of the votes are in favor, the candidate will be elected unless there are special circumstances.

And it has more than two-thirds of the support.

This only shows that he is not only an exceptionally talented person, but also has a very powerful background.

"Although my first nomination was rejected, I can still apply for a second nomination this year. There will be a vote by all Wissengamo members, and given Mr. Dursley's approval rating, it's almost a done deal."

Dumbledore continued, "I have no reason to lie to you about such things. If you don't believe me, you can always ask Wizengamor."

Seeing how certain Dumbledore was, Slughorn was already mostly convinced.

His breathing began to quicken.

Can you imagine the feeling of a top-tier, avid card collector discovering an SSR card right in front of them?

Especially when SR or R can be detected at most normally.

Yes, that's exactly how Slughorn feels right now.

(End of this chapter)