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After Lucius finished speaking, he deliberately looked toward the Slytherin long table again, toward his son Draco.
'Draco, do you see it? This is the allure of power.'
'Your disciplinary group is nothing before me. As for this Mr. Dursley, I only need a small trick to make it collapse on the spot.'
However, what Lucius had never expected was that his words would be like a spark thrown into a powder keg. The reaction was a hundred times stronger than when Dumbledore had been removed.
The entire Great Hall first fell into an eerie silence.
From Gryffindor and Hufflepuff to Ravenclaw and Slytherin, the students of all four Houses collectively went silent. Every one of them stared blankly at Lucius after hearing those words.
The disciplinary group's reputation had now taken root in everyone's minds. Whether in points, grades, or anything else, it was the strongest force in Hogwarts.
'Father, you have done something foolish. Something unbelievably foolish!'
Draco rubbed his temples hard. He no longer knew what words could describe his current feelings.
'I clearly told him long ago. Why would he not listen?'
'Why did he have to go against the disciplinary group?'
Then he looked around at his fellow Slytherin students. Seeing their gazes grow colder and colder, he knew it was already too late.
Especially when he saw that Dudley's face showed no particular expression.
There was no time.
"All Slytherins, stand up."
At that angry roar, the students at the Slytherin table, from the upper years down to the lower years, all stood at once.
Everyone's gaze turned toward Lucius.
This left Lucius at a loss, completely baffled.
'What is Slytherin trying to do?'
It was not only him. Fudge also had no idea what was happening.
'What exactly is the disciplinary group? Why do I know nothing about it?'
'What else has Lucius not told me? What exactly is he planning?'
At this moment, Fudge also recovered from his panic over Dumbledore. If Dumbledore had truly wanted to become Minister for Magic, he would have done so long ago. He would not have waited until now. Fudge only felt extremely angry, angry at being played by Lucius, though he hid it very well. No one noticed.
Or rather, everyone had ignored him from the beginning.
After all, he was only a slow-reacting, incompetent, utterly mediocre fool.
"Uncle Lucius."
The first to speak was a sixth-year Slytherin student. He was a member of the Bulstrode family, pure-blood wizards for generations, and currently the only legitimate heir to the Bulstrode family. There had originally been two others, but they had followed Voldemort and become Death Eaters. They were now imprisoned in Azkaban and had been stripped of their inheritance rights. He had once followed his father and dealt with Lucius in certain business matters.
At this moment, he looked at Lucius with a serious expression and said, word by word, "Please take back what you just said."
"What?" Lucius looked at him in bewilderment, question marks seeming to flash through his mind.
Had the next heir of the Bulstrode family gone mad? How dare he speak to a Malfoy in that tone?
Questioning him in public?
Even his father, the current head of the Bulstrode family, had to show Lucius enough respect.
But before Lucius could flare up, another voice spoke.
"Uncle Lucius, take back what you just said!"
Once there was a first, there would be a second. The second to speak was the eldest son of the Yaxley family, likewise the future heir of his family.
Unlike the Bulstrode family, the Yaxleys had even greater power, and he was their only son. They were one of the few families able to stand on equal footing with the Malfoys.
"Take back what you just said, Uncle Lucius!" Pansy Parkinson, the little princess of the Parkinson family, also stepped forward.
As more and more people spoke, Lucius's expression became increasingly grim.
It was as if he had said something utterly unforgivable.
Finally...
"Take back what you said!"
The Slytherins shouted as one. Their unified voices shook the entire Great Hall, making it seem to buzz. This scene not only shocked the students of the other three Houses, but also deeply shocked every adult wizard present.
'Since when has Slytherin been this united?'
Lucius could not understand what was happening no matter how hard he thought.
Among the four Houses of Hogwarts, the most united was Hufflepuff, though outsiders called that the weak huddling together for warmth. Next came Gryffindor and Slytherin, which were roughly similar and would only unite under specific circumstances. As for Ravenclaw, it was truly every person for themselves, a group of lone operators. After all, everyone there was a "clever person."
It was not as if Lucius had never seen Slytherin united. That had been many years ago. But even then, they had never been as united as they were now.
What right did a mere Dursley, a wizard from a Muggle family, a Mud... have to receive Slytherin's devotion?
As someone from Slytherin, Lucius understood Slytherins' thoughts far too well. Unless there were enough benefits, they would not...
No. That was not quite right. Slytherin was the House that worshipped strength the most. If a powerful, exceptional figure worthy of following appeared...
For example, that person from back then.
At this moment, Lucius suddenly remembered what his son Draco had once told him.
Never provoke Mr. Dursley.
Could it be...
No, impossible. A wizard born into a mere Muggle family. What right did he have to be compared with that person?
Lucius shook his head hard, trying to drive away the distracting thoughts in his mind, but he still could not stop thinking about them.
Lucius, who prided himself on being a pure-blood wizard, did not know that his former master, who had spread pure-blood supremacy everywhere, was himself only a half-blood wizard. Worse still, he was the pitiful product of a love potion.
Aside from Lucius, Fudge and the Aurors were also shocked.
They could swear that when they had been students, they had never seen Slytherin this united. Could that wizard named Dursley be the descendant of some important figure?
After all, only noble blood would receive such support from Slytherin.
Fudge was even feeling fortunate. It was a good thing he had reacted slowly and failed to back Lucius up.
Otherwise, he would have offended someone he could not afford to provoke, and his already weak public support would certainly have fallen again.
At the center of it all, the target Lucius had aimed for, Dudley picked up a napkin and gently wiped his mouth. Yes, he had been the only person in the entire Great Hall still eating just now. Lamb chops and chicken legs had disappeared into his mouth elegantly yet quickly. Now he was only about sixty percent full.
He raised his hand slightly.
The Slytherins instantly fell silent as one, and the Great Hall quieted once again.
The Slytherin students all stared at Dudley's back with burning gazes.
Respect, worship, obsession, and... fervor.
Countless indescribable gazes gathered together and intertwined.
Dursley, King of Slytherin.
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