Chapter 17: Slytherin
The current, orthodox little snakes of Slytherin were not like the little lions of Gryffindor, who would explode at the slightest verbal provocation. While many hostile glances were directed at Ezio, the vast majority of them were merely watching, some even revealing a look of anticipation for a good show.
Sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight has always been a favorite pastime of this group of little Slytherin snakes. Compared to participating directly, they preferred to use their minds to scheme.
This was, in fact, very un-Slytherin-like, because Salazar Slytherin himself was not this type of person. He was more inclined to eliminate anyone who displeased him or provoked him, and then put them to good use as experimental materials.
If he weren't this type of person, he would never have become friends with the duel-loving, hot-headed Gryffindor. To some extent, both of them were natural-born killers back in the day. They just had different methods of killing people. Gryffindor liked to provoke duels, allowing his opponents to prepare before they died, while Slytherin generally just slaughtered them on the spot, which was considered not very honorable in that era.
But this ethos gradually changed after a long time. Cunning and deceit were only one facet of Slytherin, but they were magnified tenfold by later wizards, even becoming the most prominent characteristic of the house.
And those who were waiting for a show successfully achieved their goal. No one knew better than them what their own house had become.
The proportion of talented wizards among pure-bloods did have a slight advantage compared to half-bloods and Muggle-borns. Otherwise, pure-blood wizarding families would not be so obsessed with maintaining the purity of their bloodline. While some individual wizards might be great fools, it was impossible for wizarding families to be fools for generations, at least not the ancestors who founded the families.
But because of this obsession with blood purity, the descendants of pure-blood wizards now often included a lot of sub-par trash. And Slytherin had unfortunately become this trash can.
These idiots made up nearly a quarter, or even a third, of Slytherin's total population. For the truly astute little Slytherin snakes, watching the monkey shows put on by these fools was a form of entertainment to relieve their boredom.
"Some things are better left unsaid," a high-year boy sitting diagonally in front of Ezio reminded him with a smile. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Rabastan Foley, a Slytherin prefect. Someone already wants to see you make a fool of yourself. Some people who don't like to use their brains are always easily goaded by a sentence or two."
"Are you referring to that ape-like thing over there?" Ezio raised his head calmly. About six or seven meters to his front-left, a brutish-looking hulk of a boy, after hearing something from the person next to him, was now staring in his direction. From his expression, It looked as if he wanted to tear Ezio apart.
"Ah, if I'm not mistaken, you must be referring to Marcus." Rabastan didn't even need to turn his head; he had already guessed which fool the others would incite to perform. "I quite agree with your metaphor for him, but provoking a beast of considerable brute force is not a wise move."
"If Slytherin was only about schemes and plots, how could he have stood alongside the other three great and famous wizards?" Ezio took a meat pie and began to eat it with relish. "Someone who only plays with schemes can only be a clown. To become a great ambitionist like Slytherin, both strength and methods are Indispensable. I chose Slytherin because, in my heart, he is the most orthodox wizard."
"It seems Slytherin is welcoming a remarkable new student this year." Rabastan cast an appreciative gaze. "After you've dealt with this little trouble, I hope you can become a member of the true Slytherin."
"First prove that you are," Ezio said dismissively. The words made Rabastan's face stiffen slightly. He said no more, picked up his knife and fork, and began to tackle his own dinner.
The sumptuous banquet filled everyone's stomachs. The house-elves of Hogwarts had excellent skills; even the simplest smoked fish had far more flavor than what was sold outside, with no trace of England's native "dark cuisine."
When the last piece of pudding disappeared from the plates, Dumbledore stood up again, and the Great Hall fell silent.
"Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you."
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students." Dumbledore's eyes scanned the hall, but Ezio noticed that his gaze lingered a little longer on the Slytherin side. He was probably still wondering how Harry had ended up in Slytherin.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to suffer a very painful death."
"What does that mean?" Harry nudged Ezio's elbow.
"It means he's telling you that you absolutely must go and check out the third-floor corridor."
"Oh." Harry nodded in sudden realization. "If he hadn't said anything, no one would have gone there on their own, right?"
Ezio nodded. "That's the logic. I think there's probably a prank set up in that corridor, a very scary one at that."
Harry stuck out his tongue. He suddenly felt that this kind-faced, white-bearded old man was definitely black-bellied on the inside, still enjoying teasing children at his age.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore exclaimed, a smile on his face. Behind him, the teachers' smiles froze. Except for Snape, who all evening had looked like he had won the lottery but didn't dare tell anyone, constantly trying his best to control his expression.
After lyrics shot out from Dumbledore's wand, a cacophony of singing filled the hall. But Dumbledore, the conductor, listened with rapturous enjoyment. When the song ended, he opened his arms.
"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The older students left first, while the prefects of each house began to guide the first-years.
"Follow me!" Rabastan and another female prefect said to the Slytherin first-years. "Our common room is in the dungeon area, a bit of a distance from the Great Hall. But apart from Hufflepuff, we have the shortest walk."
Following a spiral staircase down to the dungeon level, the queuing first-years walked along a torch-lit corridor. After two turns, they arrived in front of a bare stone wall.
"This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Remember this wall."
Rabastan stood before the wall, gesturing for the first-years to look around and memorize the landmarks. Then he said, "Speak the password, and the common room door will open. We change the password at the end of every month. You can see the new one on the notice board in the common room. This month's password is—Glory."
As he spoke, two giant stone serpents suddenly slithered across the bare wall. They then coiled up, revealing a stone archway. A large black door appeared in the arch, which Rabastan pulled open.
"You can see the underwater scenery of the Black Lake from the common room. But don't expect mermaids. The Black Lake merpeople are very ugly and liable to make you lose your appetite."
"Alright, follow me in now."
******
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