The moment Marius Cloud appeared, the Slytherin students who had been laughing and joking instantly restrained themselves.
Their casual, lazy postures snapped into order as if on command, and they stood lined up neatly, gazing at him.
Marius raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled.
"What are you doing? Lining up for sweets?"
Finally, Pansy couldn't hold back any longer. She huffed, rolling her eyes.
"This is us showing respect to you! And don't forget—you are our First-Year Shadow Prefect. Try acting like it, will you?"
Marius clicked his tongue in annoyance. And this is exactly why I didn't want to run for Shadow Prefect in the first place. What a hassle.
To the Slytherins, this was a serious show of respect, but to Marius it was nothing but extra trouble.
From the other side, the Gryffindor first-years looked on with wide, starry eyes.
What an awe-inspiring sight! So cool, so glorious—it was the very definition of a child's ultimate fantasy, the stuff of dreams born from too much imagination.
Never before had they seen Slytherins so disciplined and orderly—it had startled them quite a bit.
"All right, all right," Marius waved his hand impatiently. "Go do whatever you were doing. The professors aren't even here yet."
Hearing Marius's words, the Slytherin first-years visibly relaxed. Truth be told, many of them still felt nervous when facing him—the boy who had already bested every Prefect from Second through Seventh Year.
It was like being face-to-face with a celebrity.
And of course, the Nimbus 2000 in Marius's hands quickly became the hottest topic.
This time, the new students finally had a chance to see it up close. The last time had been on the boats, where they could only glimpse it from afar.
Not to mention, the cover of night had hidden its details then. Now, in the bright daylight, they could truly admire it with the same enthusiasm people reserved for luxury cars.
"Wow… it really is the Nimbus 2000! Gorgeous!"
"Look at that perfect, streamlined body… oh, I'd give anything just to touch it!"
"It's so amazing, so amazing…" Voices of envy rose from the crowd.
Most of these envious voices came from the Gryffindors, whose families generally weren't as wealthy as those in Slytherin. By comparison, the Slytherins didn't seem quite as dazzled.
Watching his classmates fawn over the broom, Ron bit back the urge to join them.
But when he looked down at the school-issued, battered broom at his feet, then back at the sleek Nimbus 2000—and at Marius casually shooing people away—his heart burned with jealousy.
"Damn it! He only has that because of his parents!"
The more Ron thought, the more his frustration grew. Bitterness gnawed at his insides.
"We're both first-years! So why does he get to own a famous, expensive broomstick while I'm stuck with this rubbish?"
His jaw clenched until his teeth ached. "Why is the gap between us decided the moment we're born?"
It wasn't fair. It was his parents' fault—they were too poor, too powerless.
If only they weren't so useless! If only they were rich like Marius's parents…
Hatred festered, spreading to all of Slytherin. In Ron's eyes, nearly every Slytherin came from a family wealthier than his.
And to make matters worse, his fellow Gryffindors looked pathetic in comparison. Ron felt nothing but shame.
When he snapped back to himself, he realized Harry had gone ahead to join the crowd.
His one source of comfort—gone. A hollow emptiness opened up inside him, leaving him standing stiffly, alone.
Harry, meanwhile, was enthralled. To finally see the legendary Nimbus 2000 up close was a dream come true. For some reason, he felt a natural pull toward broomsticks.
"Mr. Cloud!" Harry squeezed his way through the crowd, his voice filled with eagerness. "I heard that Professor Snape invited you to join Slytherin's Quidditch team. Is that true?"
At once, the noisy chatter faltered. Even the Slytherins turned to look.
What?
Snape invited Marius to join the team? Why didn't any of them know about this?
Still, since the claim came from a Gryffindor, it wasn't necessarily true. Whispering among themselves, the Slytherins glanced curiously at Marius.
Marius only smiled, dodging the question.
"Do you want to join Gryffindor's Quidditch team?"
"Me?" Harry froze. "How could I? No way… I could never…"
Marius clapped him on the shoulder.
"Don't say that. I can see it—you have real talent."
Talent?
Everyone turned to Harry, surprised. Could Marius really tell someone's potential just by looking?
The weight of their gazes made Harry's chest tighten. He waved his hands desperately.
"No, no… I've never even ridden a broom before, let alone played Quidditch!"
Marius chuckled.
"You can do it. Trust me."
The words sent a jolt through Harry.
His heart surged with an inexplicable rush of joy, like soaring straight into the sky.
Only then did Harry realize it—this was the boy he admired most, Marius Cloud, telling him he believed in him. That he had talent. That he could succeed.
How could he possibly not believe those words?
This was Marius Cloud! If he said it, it had to be true.
"B-but," Harry stammered, his confidence wobbling again. "I'm only a first-year. There's no way Gryffindor would let me on the team."
Marius leaned closer, his voice smooth, tempting, almost devilish.
"We knew each other before school even started. That makes us friends, doesn't it? If you really want it, I can help you."
Mr. Cloud thinks of me as a friend…
The words exploded in Harry's mind like fireworks. Overwhelmed by joy, he barely even processed their deeper meaning.
Marius's smile only deepened as he watched him.
Snape, you didn't want to accept my terms? Fine. Then I'll force you to.
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T/N:
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