Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 452, Section 447: Stop reading, please stop reading!

"If we could recruit such talent, if we could become professors to such outstanding individuals..."

Dumbledore's voice seemed to drift from beyond the heavens, whispering softly in Slughorn's ear.

"Then it would be worth dying for."

Slughorn blurted it out without thinking.

He immediately snapped out of his daze, staring blankly at Dumbledore, his face instantly contorted with anxiety.

If one could invest in such a little wizard destined to become a great figure...

If he could join his own slug club.

If we could take him as a disciple and pass on all the knowledge we have learned in our lives to him...

Normally, even if Dumbledore didn't come looking for him, as long as he knew the news, he would do everything he could to beg to return to Hogwarts to teach.

But it just so happens to be at this time.

He didn't even have time to escape.

Based on his understanding of that former student, he knew that this trip to Hogwarts might very well be the end for him.

"You, me, and him."

Slughorn stammered for a long time but couldn't utter a complete sentence.

Dumbledore didn't answer, he just watched him quietly.

Dudley felt he should say a few words: "Mr. Slughorn, I'm sorry, you're not a professor at Hogwarts yet, so I can only address you as such. I think you've overlooked something: the situation outside is extremely dire. The whole of Romania has become a paradise for Death Eaters, and even neighboring Bulgaria hasn't been spared. Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was forced to close because of this."

"If there is any place in this world that is safe, I think it is Hogwarts."

"Because the only wizard there who can stand up to Tom is our Professor Dumbledore."

"Is the situation outside really that bad? I was planning to go to Bulgaria next."

"Yes, Horace. Headmaster Karkaroff of Durmstrang was recently in touch with me. He will be bringing a group of students to Hogwarts at the start of this term to attend classes temporarily."

Dumbledore added.

After hearing the news from Dudley and Dumbledore, Slughorn frowned deeply: "You're right. If there's any place in this world that's safe, then wait, you called him Senior Tom?"

Slughorn stared wide-eyed at Dudley with an incredulous expression, as if the other had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

"Albus, did you tell him?"

He saw Dumbledore shake his head at him.

"He guessed it himself."

Dumbledore said this with a smile, a smile that carried a hint of relief at impending liberation.

Hogwarts has a successor.

Not only Dudley, but many young wizards throughout Hogwarts are already capable of standing on their own.

"This is not a big deal; a little investigation would reveal it."

Dudley took over and wrote a few words in the air with his wand—Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"You were a student of Dumbledore more than fifty years ago, and you were also my senior."

"His mother is Merop Gaunt, and his father is Tom Riddle the Elder, so he is a half-blood wizard. Incidentally, he killed his father with his own hands."

Dudley recounted Voldemort's life story in detail, presenting it to the two of them.

"I don't think we should be afraid of him, afraid of a half-blood wizard who even he despises."

"Stop talking, please stop talking."

Slughorn stared in horror at Dudley, who was about to expose Voldemort's secrets, and desperately covered his ears, looking like he was begging, "Master, please stop reading."

No wonder Slughorn was so terrified. Voldemort would kill someone for disrespecting him. Now it's not a matter of respect anymore; this is Voldemort's deepest secret.

Everyone knows Voldemort is a master of Legilimency; the more secrets you know, the faster you die.

However, Dudley's words seemed to be under a spell; no matter how Slughorn covered his ears or even tried to block his hearing, they still entered his mind, and he even conceived a scene.

Seeing Slughorn's reaction, Dudley also stopped talking.

After covering his ears for quite some time, Slughorn finally looked up at Dumbledore.

"Truly, exceptionally excellent."

"Albus, you've won."

Hearing Slughorn say this, Dumbledore finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had achieved his goal.

He wanted to recruit the best professors in the entire wizarding world to Hogwarts before he left.

This was a setting that was made from the very beginning in the 'script'.

"So when do we set off?"

Slughorn seemed to be under a spell, not only starting to pack his belongings but also acting unusually enthusiastically, even speaking with an eagerness to leave immediately, completely different from before.

"I'll bring back a few boxes of chocolates; these dark snacks taste amazing."

He had figured it out: rather than hiding here, it would be better to move to a safe place as soon as possible.

However, that's not the main reason. He heard everything, whether he should or shouldn't have. Unless he casts a forgetting spell on himself, if Voldemort reads these secrets, he will definitely die a terrible death.

No, the Oblivion Curse won't work either; who knows if Voldemort has the ability to read the memories of wizards under the Oblivion Curse?

"Albus, although I've agreed to go to Hogwarts with you, I have one request."

Slughorn packed all his belongings into a suitcase.

"What is it, Horace?" Dumbledore asked.

He would agree to the other party's request unless it was too unreasonable.

"I demand a raise. The salary for Hogwarts professors is far too low; it's simply not enough to cover our daily living expenses."

"Horace, due to the change in the board of trustees, the professors' salaries are now three times what they used to be."

"Three times?!" Slughorn raised his voice ten decibels, his face beaming with joy. "Albus, you should have told me this immediately. That would have saved us a lot of trouble."

The first thing I'll say is that Slughorn will make me run even faster.

He just said it casually.

You just listened to it casually.

"Tell me quickly which philanthropic school board member did this, so I can see if it's one of my students."

Dumbledore pointed to Dudley beside him and said, "It's still this Dursley gentleman. Oh, and he also has another identity: a Hogwarts school board member."

At that moment, Dudley really saw Professor Slughorn's eyes shining.

At this moment, he had completely figured it out: life is like rape, and if you can't resist, you might as well just silently enjoy it.

No wizard in this world would want to mess with a glittering Galleon.

(End of this chapter)