What is a snobbish professor like?

Slughorn had indeed heard of the feud between the Soman family and Dumbledore. He was old enough that the younger generation of wizards would only regard the duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald as a fun trivia tidbit from a Chocolate Frog picture book, while Slughorn had lived through that turbulent era!

Alright, alright. Only Europe was in turmoil—Britain was spared thanks to Albus Dumbledore.

It felt like it happened just yesterday to him.

It seems like only yesterday he was sitting in the professors' lounge with his colleagues, drinking tea and discussing with barely concealed amazement how their proud colleague had finally made his move and decisively defeated Grindelwald.

Slughorn vaguely remembered that the initial excitement of that topic had barely died down when a new name was brought up. While there were many noble individuals among the Hogwarts faculty, ordinary people always made up the majority. They huddled together, whispering and sighing with pity about the name: Elena Dumbledore.

She was a poor little woman. News reports called her "Germany's Dumbledore and Grindelwald hostage." The professors, however, had a slightly different focus: they'd heard she hadn't even received a proper wizarding education. Given that, would Albus take her back to Germany to be a transfer student at Hogwarts?

I might be able to teach a Dumbledore...

This excited Slughorn for a long time.

But soon after, news of Elena's marriage and change of surname reached England. Her husband, Oscar Soman, was a very talented wizard. Pure-blooded, powerful, and with a good business sense, he seemed like a perfect match, except that he was 20 years older than Elena.

If he weren't the second-in-command of the Mughal Party, Slughorn would have thought it was a good match—for wizards who generally live long lives, 20 years old is nothing!

The problem lies with this "practically second-in-command of the UMNO party"...

Old Soman's identity makes this marriage sound too much like he wants Elena's special status to shield him from Dumbledore's wrath.

Compared to Slughorn, many of his colleagues were considered "young," so they had no idea what Albus Dumbledore was to wizards of his generation.

Among those with such power, he could indeed be considered good-natured; but he was still a Gryffindor—still a lion who loved hunting and could devour the flesh and blood of his enemies!

Therefore, Slughorn thought that the German was in big trouble.

...But that didn't happen.

Not only was Old Soman not single-handedly taken to Nurmengard by Dumbledore, but he wasn't even purged by the German wizarding community! It's as if everyone has forgotten the numerous crimes he committed, which is truly unbelievable!

The last time Slughorn saw his name was when he took office as the Deputy Minister of Magic in Germany, in the bold headline of the Prophet's newspaper.

Too many things happened that surprised Slughorn, so the old professor stopped worrying about it.

Moreover, Slughorn always felt that the excessive attention paid to the Soman family was somewhat like invading Dumbledore's privacy.

This thought always made Slughorn uneasy. He still held a certain amount of awe for Dumbledore.

Slughorn preferred a simple life. He needed the young people he selected to give him small rewards. Enough to convince him that he was a respected and beloved mentor—that was enough for him!

Moreover, compared to the benefits he had given to those young people, this reward was really nothing.

Slughorn had almost forgotten about the surname Soman. It wasn't until he suddenly heard that a freshman named "Edmund Soman" had been assigned to his college that Slughorn remembered this past event.

But he hadn't participated in the Sorting Ceremony, so he hadn't remembered Edmund's appearance. And today, when the old fox and Edmund locked eyes, the old fox couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine:

This kid even has eyes exactly like Dumbledore's!

“…………”

The old professor paused for a few seconds, a multitude of thoughts swirling in his mind. After a few breaths, Slughorn's smile returned to its genuine form, his attitude even more warm than before.

"I've heard of you!" the old headmaster of Slytherin laughed heartily. "Edmund...please allow me to call you Edmund! You seem very well-mannered; I am truly proud of Slytherin to have a student like you!"

Slughorn practically put his arm around Edmund's shoulder, and Edmund, seeing this, readily raised his head, looking quite proud.

Only Travers was completely baffled, revealing a clear look in his eyes.

He couldn't understand why cursing the statue would earn him the dean's favor and so much praise. He could only slink behind the two of them, hoping that Edmund would casually introduce himself to the dean as he walked toward the classroom.

As for why Slughorn suddenly changed his mind?

Well, that's because, before seeing Edmund in person, Slughorn had always been pessimistic, believing that children born from political marriages of their parents were bound to be neglected and lacking in confidence; and that the strength of wizards was often closely linked to their attitude toward self-examination!

Putting aside the child's personal factors, if Slughorn had to choose between "the German Deputy Minister of Magic and Dumbledore," he would definitely choose Dumbledore. Only a fool would offend the most powerful white wizard of this century for the sake of the Ministry of Magic!

But upon seeing Edmund, the astute Slughorn immediately realized: this little snake seemed to have grown up surrounded by love. Far from being unloved, he was likely quite the opposite! Most importantly…

"Let me guess, someone must have said your eyes look a lot like your mother's," the old headmaster asked vaguely. "Bright and sharp, that's a symbol of strength, Edmund."

Edmund responded with a pleased "hmm".

Slughorn admitted he was overjoyed.

—If the mother is Dumbledore, why can't the child be Dumbledore?

No, no, this is all messed up.

Slughorn has always been a teacher, and he certainly has an addiction to imparting knowledge and teaching students.

...The thought that he might be able to teach another student like Albus Dumbledore...just imagining that scene made Slughorn tremble with happiness.

Clearly, he had high hopes for Edmund's future. He had almost decided at that moment to regard him as the most liked and valued student in this year's freshmen.

However, plans never keep up with changes. Edmund, whom he had placed high hopes on, only had average potion-making talent, while two potion-making prodigies emerged in the very first class of this year's freshmen.