Volume 1 Chapter 53 If You Don't Give It a Try
"After discovering your problem, other things about you will become clearer."
Jon's eyes never left Slughorn's, but he kept an eye on the rain outside the window.
"Before the second attack, I guessed from the information in the newspaper that the man hiding in the carriage wanted to get the Philosopher's Stone. Nick Flamel and Dumbledore have always had a good relationship. Hogwarts has no source of income but has never suffered any financial troubles until now. It is very likely that they accepted Nick Flamel's gift. The Philosopher's Stone can not only make elixirs of immortality but also turn stones into gold. The second attack later also confirmed my guess. The two attacks on this carriage were actually just to cover up the man in the carriage. The Ministry of Magic knew very well that with Dumbledore around, no one could destroy Hogwarts unless the dark devil came in person. They just want to provide you with convenience so that you can successfully find what they want you to find."
"Apart from Dumbledore, what else in this school could be worthy of the attention of a man who has gained power over the entire wizarding world? The only thing left is the Philosopher's Stone, which is unique in the world!"
"But the first two times, even though all the rooms in the carriage except the dining room were completely unguarded, the man still didn't find what he wanted. Then you started to come into contact with Hagrid's pet Niffler, teacher."
"After you realized that you couldn't find the Philosopher's Stone on your own , you wanted the Niffler to help you. During these days, Beech ran into the carriage almost every day. Hagrid complained to me about this many times. I also caught him in front of the storage room door several times. From that time, I roughly deduced that Beech had found the approximate location of the Philosopher's Stone, which was in these storage rooms."
“Pah pah pah… ”
Slughorn put the Philosopher's Stone into his pocket and applauded Jon with admiration on his face.
"It's amazing, Jon. I never thought that an 11-year-old who has only been exposed to magic for less than a year has already learned so much knowledge. The Philosopher's Stone, the use of African tree snake skin, the effect of Polyjuice Potion, these things may not be fully explained even if you find an adult wizard."
"I already thought highly of you, but I didn't expect that I actually underestimated you. Having a student like you is indeed what countless teachers dream of."
Jon looked at him with complicated eyes.
"In that case, teacher, why do you still do this? Wouldn't it be good to stay in Hogwarts? You told me when you first taught me Occlumency that you thought it would be good to stay here as a professor."
Slughorn still had that good-natured smile on his face, and he gently twirled the wand in his hand.
"I wasn't lying to you when I said that. When Dumbledore tricked me into getting on a carriage, I did think it would be nice to stay here and teach, but people can't stay the same."
His kind voice gradually turned cold and the smile on his face gradually faded.
"Do you think this Hogwarts really has a future?"
Jon didn't answer his question, nor did he need to, as Slughorn had already given the answer himself.
"There is not even a glimmer of future! Yes, it is warm and harmonious here, but with the general trend of the times, how long can this illusion of peace last? Do you know what my student is doing now? He is uniting the pure-blood forces of other magical societies throughout Europe, and plans to completely integrate the power of the European wizarding world! His power is constantly growing, but what about Hogwarts led by Dumbledore? After seven years of fleeing, he didn't even have the courage to leave Britain!"
Jon's voice also became extremely cold.
"So just because you don't see hope, you're going to join the wrong side?"
"There is no right or wrong." Slughorn stroked Beech's furry head slowly. "Now it's just that the resistance led by Dumbledore is still there, so you think that man's ideas are wrong. But think about it from another angle. He can actually bring more benefits to wizards. In the adult world, as long as the vast majority of people in this society benefit, then this thing is right."
"The Dark Lord can bring greater benefits to the vast majority of wizards?" Jon couldn't help but sneered, "I don't understand, teacher, who benefits from oppression and inequality!"
"The redistribution of social benefits will always involve a period of pain. It is inevitable that Muggle wizards will suffer some losses and hardships now. My student's philosophy has changed a lot. He used to believe that only dead Muggles were good Muggles, but now he can tolerate Muggle wizards becoming slaves. Isn't this a good progress? When he gets what he wants, he will win over more people to consolidate his power. By then, the resources of the entire wizarding world will be integrated, and the status of Muggle wizards will be further improved. At that time, the wizarding world will definitely be much better than before."
In response to Slughorn's vision of a future ruled by Voldemort, Jon simply said coldly.
"Although I am young, I have only heard of snakes eating too much and then spitting out the food they have eaten!"
"Aha, that's a great metaphor, Jon." Slughorn praised, "But what if my student is not a snake? The talent and heart he has shown now can definitely be called a great leader."
"Such praise will only make others feel sarcastic and ridiculous."
Slughorn shook his head, ending the argument between teacher and student, and quietly looked at Jon who was blocking the door.
"I have talked to you long enough. If I want to leave, are you sure you can stop me and wait until Dumbledore comes back?"
Jon, who had been a little anxious because of the waiting, now calmed down.
He had discovered such an obvious problem with Slughorn before, so he was certainly not unprepared.
In fact, although he did not go directly to Dumbledore, he had already stuffed a letter into the headmaster's office.
After all, one is an old friend he has known for nearly a hundred years, and the other is a student who has been in Hogwarts for less than a year. Jon believes that in Dumbledore's heart, his importance is definitely not as important as Slughorn.
Slughorn's abnormality was written in the letter for Dumbledore to see. With his intelligence and vigilance, it would have been fine if he had not been aware of it before, but after seeing the letter, it was impossible for him not to observe Slughorn carefully.
This is also the reason why Jon dares to stop the fat walrus here alone. Originally, the safest option was that he could just wait in the restaurant and not take the risk of making this trip.
But in the end, he couldn't help himself and came to see whether the traitor was who he guessed, the teacher who had always taught him everything.
But by this time, the heavy rain outside the carriage had begun to gradually subside, showing signs of stopping, but Jon did not see any of Dumbledore's backup plans.
What Dumbledore was thinking he had no idea.
Perhaps he had absolute trust in Slughorn and had no doubt about his old friend even after seeing the letter; perhaps he felt that the place where he hid the Philosopher's Stone was safe and no one could find it; or perhaps some accident happened that he didn't know about, and the headmaster of Hogwarts didn't even see the letter he left.
But at this point, Jon obviously could no longer count on the biggest pillar of the carriage.
If he did nothing to stop Slughorn from leaving now, Jon believed that his teacher would not hurt him in the slightest.
But he has already come here, how can he be willing to do nothing in the end?
Jon took a deep breath, and with a firm and solemn expression, he clenched the chestnut wand in his hand and held it upright in front of him!
"How can you know the result if you don't try, Mr. Slughorn?"
