Who let this Dementor into Hogwarts!

Chapter 514 Like father, like son

"Here, take a napkin, everyone."

Slughorn handed them a white napkin with a squirrel pattern.

“I bring my own lunch—the licorice wand from the delivery truck always smells too strong; a poor old man like me can’t digest that stuff…”

Then, he took out a nicely packaged lunchbox, opened it, and began sharing the food with the students around him one by one.

But Cohen could clearly see that Slughorn's motives were not pure.

"Would you like some quail, Belby?" He handed what looked like half a cold quail to the skinny boy next to him.

Cohen remembered him, Marcos Belby, a Ravenclaw student a year younger than them.

"Ah? Oh, okay, thank you, Professor..." Belby took the quail.

Then Slughorn talked about Belby's uncle, Damocles, the genius who developed the wolfsbane potion.

This made Belby very embarrassed, because Belby's father and uncle had almost broken off their relationship due to a conflict.

"Um...it's like this...he doesn't get along well with my dad, so actually I..."

Belby put down the quail, as if he felt he shouldn't be there—

Slughorn chuckled at him and turned to ask another burly student.

Harry watched this scene unfold and exchanged a glance with Cohen.

“Typical Slytherin style,” Cohen said, gesturing with his eyebrows.

“I feel a little uncomfortable.” Harry twitched his eyebrows a few times. “And why do I feel like I can hear your voice coming from your eyebrows?”

“Get out of my head!” Cohen said, feigning anger.

“And you, Cormac?” Slughorn said. “I happen to know you see your uncle often because he has a picture of the two of you together… let me think, the one of you hunting the Great Tail in Norfolk?”

Next to be asked was Cormac McClargen of Gryffindor. Having learned from the experience of Belby, McClargen immediately began to talk about how good his relationship with his uncle was, and how many high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic knew his family.

Seeing Slughorn's increasingly radiant smile, McClagan's desire to perform also rose, and he began to talk about a bunch of high-ranking officials who had gone on trips with his family.

For example, Betty Higgins, and for example...

"Rufus Scrimgeour and Edward Norton also went with us—before he became minister, of course..."

“Really?” Cohen raised his eyebrows and said, “I don’t recall him going out hunting giant-tailed beasts with anyone before he became minister.”

“Heh! You’ve come to the right person, Cormac.” Slughorn looked at McCragan with a skeptical expression.

This immediately panicked McClargan, who quickly winked at Cohen, hoping Cohen would cover for him.

"Maybe, it might be from one of the department trips..."

That's even more unlikely; Edward had never even been to the Ministry of Magic before.

Even so, McClagan's fate was still better than Bellby's; at least he did have a good relationship with his uncle Tiberius and gained Slughorn's "appreciation".

Almost everyone invited here is related to important figures. Neville is related because of his Auror parents, and a Slytherin student named Sabine is related because of his beautiful witch mother who was married seven times (each of her husbands died young and mysteriously, leaving behind a large sum of Galleons)... Except for Cohen and Harry—the two of them are important figures.

Perhaps there's also Ginny. According to Slughorn, he happened to see Ginny using a brilliant bat-demon spell on two boys who were relentlessly pursuing her as he passed by a train car, and he thought Ginny was very talented.

Slughorn became particularly excited when talking about Cohen and Harry.

Furthermore, in a gossip-like tone, it was revealed that Edward's appointment as minister was largely due to Cohen.

Thanks to the Daily Prophet's previous revelation, everyone now knows that Cohen is actually a Dementor created in a laboratory—which makes it sound like Cohen was threatening those in the Ministry of Magic to nominate his father as minister.

When the discussion reached this point, many people around looked at Cohen with awe.

Neville and Ginny were the most normal of them all, quietly chatting about dinner.

"Yes, yes, after all, a tiger cub will not be a dog father."

Cohen began to feel that the party was not so interesting anymore—firstly, because Slughorn would not share his private stash of mead with them, and secondly, listening to these students who were associated with the rich and powerful boast was like watching an old-fashioned TV drama.

Next is Harry—the boy who survived, who repeatedly thwarted Mystic's plans, and who, according to rumors, gained unimaginable power on the night his parents died.

But Harry doesn't want to discuss this topic here.

Seeing that Harry's expression was a bit off, Slughorn immediately changed the subject, turning to his former accomplished students.

The party lasted until it got dark outside, and Slughorn said goodbye to each of them one by one—for some reason, he didn't say "I look forward to seeing you again" to Belby.

“That’s strange.” Neville followed Cohen and Harry out the door. “Is this the new professor, isn’t he?”

“I really didn’t like the atmosphere,” Ginny said. “But he didn’t lock me up—at the time I was trying to get rid of Michael Corner and Reagan Lambert, who just wouldn’t accept that the relationship was over.”

“You’re dating so many boys?!” Harry’s eyes widened.

“Don’t be like Ron, Harry. I’m not dating them at the same time.” Ginny looked at Harry with a very awkward and strange look. “He has told me more than once that I’m not allowed to date Dean Thomas. In fact, who I date is none of his business. People who don’t know better would think that he likes Dean.

“I definitely have no objections,” Harry immediately raised his hands in surrender. “Cohen, what do you think of the party?”

“I’d do anything for Galleons.” Cohen wasn’t listening; instead, he said as if he had made up his mind. “Harry, do you think Edward and Rose would agree if I skipped a class by saying I joined the new professor’s club?”

“It’s hard to say,” Harry said noncommittally. “Mr. Norton’s club is open on weekends—he knows this kind of thing won’t take up your class time.”

“Indeed…” Cohen sighed, “What were you just saying? Who is Ginny dating?”

“Dean.” Harry looked at Ginny.

But this time Ginny turned her head away and hurriedly walked away.

"The scene looks so familiar," Cohen said, clicking his tongue.

“Don’t tell me…” Harry looked at Cohen in horror.

"How did you manage to win the hearts of two brothers' sisters at the same time without anyone noticing?" Cohen asked.

(End of this chapter)