The four Prefects of Slytherin: Gemma Fawley, Damien Rosier, Darius Warrington, and Cordelia Selwyn seemed to have already discussed the arrangements.
Only Gemma stayed seated with the First-Year students of their House as the other three led the seniors to the dormitory first.
Ravenclaw were doing the same, while the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students were not as organised, but still behaved themselves.
When only the Slytherin First Years remained in the Hall, Altair stood up, and Gemma politely curtsied to him before she led the way.
"Who will be showing us around the school tomorrow?" Cho curiously asked.
"Cordelia and Darius, Miss Chang."
"Please, just call me Cho."
"All right." The young lady smiled and sneaked a glance at Altair, who was curiously looking around.
The Entrance Hall was now dimly lit, with most of the torches extinguished, and the castle felt eerily silent with only the footsteps echoing down the hallways.
Whilst the other houses were heading upstairs, or going deeper down a large hallway in Hufflepuff's case, Gemma led them down through a narrow, stone staircase, quite similar to the one they had taken to come up from the Dark Port.
This, however, was slightly better lit, and they arrived at several platforms, with a door each, either to the classrooms or multi-purpose rooms. They passed some dark alcoves and stone corridors, lit by flickering torches set in iron sconces.
They occasionally heard some faint sounds. Whispers, probably of ghosts, far-off footsteps, dripping water, and even the groaning of old pipes.
Eventually, they entered a passage where the temperature sharply dropped, and the air became damper.
Now, a greenish light illuminated the way, and when they passed by a window, they realised that they were under the Black Lake.
They continued descending downstairs for another couple of minutes before they arrived in a grand hallway.
There was a dead end, a stone wall with a coiling snake sculpted on it.
"Always Pure."
Gemma said the words of House Black out loud, and the coiling serpent came to life. It started slithering in a circle, and when it completed it, a vault door was revealed, which opened on its own.
A long, low but grand passage revealed itself with greenish lamps illuminating it, and all around were stone walls, but refined and smooth to the touch.
She led the way inside, leading them to a silver door with another coiling snake resting on it.
"Always ready."
She gave another password, and the door parted, revealing a massive common room with multiple fireplaces, sitting areas, sofas, couches, and tea tables. All made out of dark materials with silver linings.
The entire place was decorated in green and silver, their House's colours, and through the windows, they could see some dark figures moving in the lake.
A few of the students took deep breaths as the air inside the dormitory was as fresh as something on the grounds outside the castle.
There was a faint smell of incense in the air, which none of them minded. It was quite pleasant.
All the students of Slytherin were already present, and Altair, understanding their intentions, took out his wand and transformed a stool into a small stage at the centre of the common room.
As he stepped on it, everyone quickly gathered in front of him, and he smiled at them.
"Always Pure... The words of my House." He playfully said as he sensed a figure standing behind a pillar, secretly listening to what he had to say. "They don't quite fit here, do they?"
The question tensed up nearly half of the students, who forgot to breathe.
"We don't have any Muggle-borns here. Slytherin has never had any Muggle-born students, but we have Half-Bloods. Do you know why?" He gently asked, but no one answered.
"Why?" a girl meekly asked.
She was probably in the Fourth or Fifth Year, but she feared him, just like every single one of them did.
"The fault of a parent does not lie on the child," he told her, and his voice was very gentle.
His words instantly relaxed those who had been holding their breaths, and his smile comforted their hearts, but his next words shocked them.
"Also, those present in this room right now are not technically Half-Bloods."
"What?"
"There have been Half-Bloods in Slytherin, but none of you have a Muggle parent. All of you have magical parents, and if you honour your blood, your children will be considered Pure-blood after a long enough time has passed. There are a lot of Pure-blood Houses, like the Browns, who are not noble or ancient, but still considered pure. After all, both sets of their parents and grandparents and ancestors were magical, and there is no link to a Muggle ancestor by blood. A Muggle-born has no blood connection to their Muggle parents. Magical blood and non-magical blood are not the same."
His words made some of their eyes go wide in surprise.
"However, a child of a Pure-blood and a Muggle-born is still considered a Half-Blood. Do you know why?"
"Why?" the girl from earlier asked.
"A Pure-blood's blood is potent and refined, and bears the efforts and blessings of their ancestors. The moment you mix it with a Muggle-born's blood, the child born does not carry those blessings. However, depending on how potent the bloodline of their Pure-blood parent was, they gain a rather terrifying boost in raw magical power. Sometimes, even a gift from Magic. A compensation to them for the sin of their parents. Magic is never unfair."
He allowed his words to sink in their hearts.
"Slytherin has always favoured and supported those who carry the burden of a legacy on their shoulders. Even as Half-Bloods, you carry the burden of your magical ancestors. Every single one of you has, at least, one magical grandparent. You are their legacy, burdened with the responsibility of making your family better, burdened with the responsibility of making a name for yourself and your family. You are here because you have ambitions, even if they may be some very questionable ambitions. We don't judge."
His words prompted a few to smile.
"Honour and pride. Do not forget these two words in your every action," he warned. "If you bring shame to the name of Slytherin, you will not be forgiven. I don't forgive betrayals."
Suddenly, they all felt a weight pressing on their hearts.
"Is there any witch here who is in love with a Muggle-born and plans on bringing shame to their blood?" he coldly asked, and all the girls instinctively shook their heads. "Any wizard who is in love with a Muggle-born witch?"
"No!" the boys answered in unison.
"It's fine if you are. I will not punish you." He shrugged, and his words stunned them. "Just don't make your relationships public as long as you are in Hogwarts and my House."
Seeing the confusion on their faces, he sighed.
"The truth is that you cannot stop people who are bent on bringing shame to their blood. You cannot force people to have honour and pride. Someone who has no care for the blood in his veins is lost, and I don't care about them. They are no better than Muggle-borns. No code, no honour, no legacy, no bloodline, no burdens. Such people are driven only by their impulses, their whims, and dare I say, they may be even worse than some Muggle-borns, who, at least, have ambitions and want to make a name for themselves in the Wizarding World. Those who care about their future children and wish to provide them with a magical life are more honourable than a Pure-blood who ungratefully destroys their blood."
Silence fell after his words, which made a lot of them feel very uncomfortable in their hearts.
"You don't hate them?" a seventh-year boy frowned.
"Who?"
"The Muggle-borns."
"Why should I hate them?" He smiled and asked back.
"They are lesser..."
"Does a dragon hate the dogs because they are lesser than it?" He cut the boy off and asked.
There was no answer. They all found it silly that a dragon would hate dogs. They were insignificant in a dragon's life.
"If someone is lesser than you, it does not mean you have to hate them."
His words made them all frown.
"I don't hate any Muggle-borns. I don't dislike them either until they give me a reason to dislike them."
"What reason?" a girl curiously asked, trying to understand what he was conveying to them.
"When their ambitions and beliefs collide with our traditions. When they make efforts to reform our world in the image of the Muggle world. The Muggle-borns who think they understand magic better than us, the Muggle-borns who think that our ancestors were fools, the Muggle-borns who think our old laws are foolish are the ones I dislike." His voice turned a little cold. "And yet, I don't hate them."
"Why?" someone subconsciously asked.
"I would be ashamed of myself the day some lesser magical succeeds in making me hate them. It would mean that they now hold power over me. The power to influence my mood. The power to corrupt me. The power to make my life restless. Only someone worthy of being considered my equal or someone very powerful should have the honour of earning my hatred. Muggle-borns? They are insignificant in my eyes until they try to harm me and my traditions. When they do that they become pests, but never my equal. Never your equals."
"What should we do when they become such pests?" Aurelia coldly asked.
"Don't make them martyrs of their cause. It will give them power." He smiled. "Systematically destroy them. Don't ever let them have enough power to abolish or harm our traditions. Don't let them ever come into the rule. Do not let them outperform you and become better witches and wizards than you. Do not be complacent."
It was not the answer they were expecting, but it was the answer that made them fall into deep thought.
"As long as I am here and you are with me, you will have to abide by certain rules. In the following years, you will pass down these rules to the newcomers."
Altair now had their attention again.
"Honour and pride. Do not, and I repeat, do not insult another Slytherin student in front of an outsider. Leave your differences aside the moment you leave this dormitory. Stick together. Act honourably and respectfully towards each other. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Secondly, treat everyone including the Muggle-borns with respect. They are magical, not Muggles, so they are to be respected. Some of them are very talented, you will be able to gain good friends in them for the future." He meaningfully said. "Ignore them if you don't wish to engage with them and feel that you have no need for them, but do not go out of your way and insult them. Just don't." He coldly said.
They all again felt an invisible pressure on their hearts that made it difficult for them to breathe.
"Do not give anyone the power to get on your nerves. Do not engage in petty fights and insults. You are better than them, all of them, and their words behind your back should not bother you."
"And if they say things to our faces?" someone uncomfortably asked.
A lot of them wanted to know what he expected them to do in such a case.
Their eyes were curious and expectant, and their hearts were restless.
"Ignore it if it is something petty and silly, but the moment someone crosses the line, teach them a lesson. Even if you are one against five or a hundred, do not turn your back and leave. Do not bring that shame to our House. Fight as long as you can. Hurt them like they have hurt you. Hurt them even more. Embarrass them as they have embarrassed you. Embarrass them even more. And if you fail, just remember that you are not alone. They will pay, and they will bear more pain than they inflicted upon you."
His words sent goosebumps all over their bodies.
"Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Thirdly, adhere to the nobles' etiquette at all times. Even if your blood is not noble, you are now a representative of House Slytherin. It's nothing less than a title of nobility. So, behave yourselves and do not act like goons and bullies like those in Gryffindor. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Fourthly, I don't ever want to hear that someone from this House has insulted a teacher of this school out of prejudice. I promise you, if something like this reaches my ears, you will regret you were ever born. Understood?"
"Yes..."
"Fifthly, I don't want to see anyone looking like a House Elf or acting promiscuously like those Lesser Ones. Dress well, dress elegantly, dress gracefully. Behave yourself when people are looking. If you don't have money to buy something expensive, let me know, and I will make arrangements for you. If you don't have the money to pursue the studies you want to pursue, let me know. Arrangements will be made for that as well. Do not stifle your ambitions and goals just because you are not financially strong enough. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Lastly, do not make us lose points in the House Cup. If you break the rules, do not get caught. If you make us lose points, then you'd better recover them on your own by the end of the term. Understood?"
"Yes!"
Cho watched in awe as he commanded the entire House as its leader. He was only eleven, but every single one of them feared and revered him already.
How long had he been preparing for this? Or was it Lady Black behind these arrangements?
She quietly followed him towards the hallway that led to the suites.
Their residence had already been prepared, and they had adjoining bedrooms, a private bath, and a dressing room all to themselves in the suite.
The rooms were spacious with study tables and windows where you could look at fish and other creatures in the lake. Soft green lights, couches, rugs to sit on, and very comfortable king-size beds.
She and Aurelia were going to share the bedroom, and Altair had the other one all to himself.
After the two girls freshened up with a warm bath, they sat down at their study tables and opened the books to prepare for the first lessons, which would start from Monday.
As they studied, it was Sidious who had the entire bed to himself, and he slept soundly on its softness.
Meanwhile, Andromeda Tonks, who had eavesdropped on Altair's speech, found her way to the Headmaster's office with a very troubled heart.
His words echoed in her ears and made her feel more ashamed than any of the rebukes her mother had hurled her way on the shame she brought to the Black family.
At the same time, she was relieved too... Altair had taken after his mother. He was not crazed or fanatic like Bellatrix. Not someone who would ever side with Voldemort or even consider being a Death Eater.
However, the Headmaster had asked her to report to him on every important thing related to Altair, and what happened in the common room tonight was very significant. The changes in Slytherin were already too glaring during the Sorting Ceremony.
Even Ravenclaw seemed to have changed overnight...