Many times, people don't realize that what they take for granted—such as private baths and the most spacious dormitories per student—are luxuries others could only dream of.
Especially for children like Daphne and Astoria, who came from families with estates. For them, attending Hogwarts was like living a hard life.
"Honestly, what was the school thinking? Would it have killed them to make the baths a little bigger?" Daphne grumbled as she looked at the pool in front of her, barely larger than a bathtub.
"Come on, sister, there are so many students in the house. If each cubicle takes up ten square meters, a hundred of them would already be a thousand square meters. And with the Slytherin dormitory built under the Black Lake, Lord Slytherin must have had his reasons."
Astoria thought from Salazar Slytherin's perspective for a moment and realized that the best choice back then would have been showers, or perhaps a large shared bath for many people.
These individual small pools were the most troublesome and least efficient, but also the most comfortable and hygienic.
"If it were one of those massive baths where dozens of people soak together, I'd never go in." She added firmly.
Hearing her sister's words, Daphne pictured the scene and shuddered—it was disgusting just to think about! She definitely wouldn't want to share one pool of bathwater with others, how filthy!
"Then they should just admit fewer students. Honestly, I think most of the idiots here don't deserve to get in anyway." Daphne rolled her eyes. In her view, Slytherin House now was practically a rubbish bin, stuffed with the trash of too many pure-blood families.
As she spoke, she lifted her foot, pinched the heel strap of her shoe with her thumb and forefinger, and slipped it off, revealing the black cotton knee socks underneath.
"Well, if they don't come here, where else would they go?" Astoria mimicked her sister, pulling off her own boots. She carefully slid down the silk ankle socks that had already slipped to her heels, balled them up, and tucked them inside her boots.
Daphne glanced at her sister. "Want to bathe together?" She very much hoped to coax her into staying—this way she'd have someone to scrub her back and give her a massage.
Astoria blinked, glanced at the rather cramped bath, and finally agreed to her sister's request. She had guessed Daphne's intent, but she also wanted a massage herself!
Seeing her sister "take the bait," Daphne was overjoyed. Afraid Astoria might change her mind, she immediately ran to the door and locked it.
Then she peeled off her knee socks, tossed them aside, and barefooted ran to the bath to start filling it with water.
The bath was cleverly designed. Along its edge coiled a golden snake, its body encircling the tub. The snake's head was the faucet; turning the forked tongue left released hot water, and turning it right gave cold.
Daphne quickly filled the bath with hot water. In no time, she stripped off her robe, shirt, trousers, and undergarments, let out a cheer, and leapt into the steaming water.
Astoria frowned. Her sister's figure… wasn't this a bit too…? They both ate the same meals!
Then she remembered Daphne's earlier complaints during their chat. Slowly, Astoria's frown eased. The issue wasn't nourishment, but that it hadn't gone to the right places—her sister had paid too heavy a price for it.
In the water, Daphne stretched her body like a pale fish, letting out a satisfied sigh.
She leaned lazily against the golden serpent's body, eyes closed, and called for her sister to join her.
Astoria calmly and methodically undressed, placing her clothes neatly with Daphne's on the rack beside the bath.
The dirty clothes would later be tossed into laundry baskets labeled with their names, where the school's house-elves would collect them, wash, dry, and return them neatly to their bedsides.
Astoria did not immediately jump into the bath. Instead, she pulled out several small glass bottles from the bath kit she had brought and poured their contents one by one into the water.
These were fragrances and skin-care potions the sisters had brought from home.
"Add in that bottle of Witch of Dreams for me. I ordered it before the term started, and it was just delivered a couple of days ago. They say it's a skin-care potion improved from one of Slytherin's potion formulas." Daphne sniffed the fragrance in the air and, opening her eyes, asked her sister to put her prized purchase into the bath.
Astoria raised her eyebrows. That legendary wizard dabbled in this kind of business too?
"Of course," Daphne replied smugly, casting a sidelong glance at her. "It's said that when the four Founders were traveling the world, they once came to a bustling town. The streets were lively, filled with people and stalls selling all kinds of snacks with tantalizing aromas.
"Greedy Helga Hufflepuff was drawn to the scene and insisted on tasting everything, and in no time she spent all the money they had for the journey. They didn't even have enough left for lodging.
"At that moment, Slytherin stepped up. He went to an innkeeper and gave him a potion recipe, saying that if one bathed in a potion made from it, the skin would become as white as milk, as smooth as cream, and as supple as egg whites.
"The innkeeper brewed the potion as instructed and had his daughter try it. Sure enough, it was just as Slytherin described—miraculous. Delighted, the innkeeper waived the Founders' lodging fee and even gave them a generous sum of money for the rest of their journey.
"The news spread to the ears of a wealthy wizard, who immediately rushed to the inn and paid a hefty price to buy the recipe from the owner. Thus, this miraculous potion recipe was passed down through his family. Now, a descendant of that family had improved the formula and begun selling it to the public."
Astoria fell silent.
People actually believe this kind of story?! Pure-blood families really are easy to fleece…
Then as a descendant of the Greengrass family, wouldn't any story I make up be even more convincing?
She quietly poured the liquid from the serpent-shaped bottle into the bath, then slid into the water herself.
With Astoria joining in, the once roomy bath immediately felt a little cramped. The two girls inevitably brushed against each other, and after a while, they started to play around.
After some splashing and laughter, Astoria, panting slightly, leaned against the edge of the bath and tossed a bath towel into her sister's hands.
"Big sister, help me scrub my back~" she asked first, taking the initiative.
Daphne's brows furrowed; something about this didn't feel right, but she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
So, with a sigh, she leaned closer, one arm wrapping around her sister's waist while the other picked up the towel and began scrubbing across her smooth back.
Astoria closed her eyes in comfort, but within seconds, her small nose twitched twice. She opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the dirty socks her sister had taken off.
With obvious distaste, she lifted her hand and gave a light push with magic, sending the socks flying into the corner.
The mana flow Rhys taught me is really useful! she thought inwardly.
After scrubbing for a while, Daphne began to feel tired. She couldn't help but complain again: this lousy bath didn't even have a massage function! So disappointing!
Astoria lifted her head, a thoughtful glint flashing in her eyes. "I heard that the prefects' private baths aren't just huge, they also come with all sorts of magical features… including a massage function."
Hearing her sister's words, Daphne spoke from the heart: "Then I have to become a prefect, just to have that kind of big bath!"
Astoria: "…"
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