Chapter 18: Make Slytherin Great Again
The common room was full of people; they had just finished dinner and needed some time to digest, but today there were exceptionally many. The normally spacious common room was packed with older students, two hundred people finding seats or standing, waiting for the after-dinner show to begin.
Slytherin rarely saw arrogant new students. Even if there were any before, they were certainly from Wizarding families, with elders who were either high-ranking Ministry of Magic officials or Hogwarts Professors, making them untouchable to most.
But Ezio was different. The surname Firenze was not a native England surname, and there were many intelligent people in Slytherin. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to win the Hogwarts House Cup for several consecutive years, even with a bunch of idiots dragging them down. Besides Snape's favoritism, it was mostly due to the clever Slytherin Little Wizards being able to earn points from other Professors.
The surname originated from Italy, and according to some Wizards with relatives in Italy, Ezio should not be from an Italian Wizarding family, as there was no Wizarding family named Firenze there.
A Muggle-born Wizard with no backing dared to speak so arrogantly in Slytherin. More people than before wanted to teach him a lesson.
As soon as the Little Wizards were led into the common room by Rabastan, several burly figures approached.
"Marcus, I'm busy right now."
Rabastan stared coldly at the rough, big man who was taller than him. Although both were pure-blood Wizards from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families, their relationship was quite ordinary. Rabastan never took a disgrace to Slytherin like Marcus seriously. In terms of family power, he had the upper hand over Marcus, so he naturally didn't need to give him much of a good look.
"It's none of your business," Marcus said gruffly, waving his thick arm. "I need to deal with that stinking mudblood right now. Get out of my way!"
When Marcus loudly uttered 'stinking mudblood,' the rough fellows behind him let out a burst of harsh laughter.
"Mudblood, are you talking about me?"
Just then, a clear voice rang out. Ezio, who was already at the front of the crowd, calmly stepped out and looked at the burly Giant from about two meters away.
Marcus looked quite wild, seemingly a hybrid of a Wizard and a Troll. His thick body and very unattractive face made one feel as if he had used all his brain-growing nutrients on muscle growth. More than a Wizard, he resembled some kind of unevolved gorilla.
"That saves time," Marcus's eyes lit up when he saw Ezio, and he immediately stepped forward.
This action startled the other new students. Draco, at the back of the line, even showed a flicker of excitement on his face. He was finally going to see Ezio get humiliated, but this thought was only fleeting.
He was more wondering if Ezio would pull out his wand and cast an Avada Kedavra at the guy in front of him. However, just scaring him would be enough, because although Ezio had embarrassed him before, only three people knew about it, and Ezio had also saved him some face by not letting him leave with wet pants. For some reason, Draco still felt a tiny bit of 'gratitude' towards this guy.
"I'll let you know that Slytherin is not a place for stinking mudbloods like you!"
The moment Marcus took a step and raised his hand to grab Ezio, his target suddenly vanished. Ezio's speed far surpassed Marcus's; in the blink of an eye, he was close to the rough Giant.
Ezio's right fist, held tightly, shot out like lightning, precisely hitting Marcus's liver area. It was seemingly a light blow, yet the Giant, already one meter ninety tall, instantly hunched over, his eyes bulging like a cooked shrimp. As he fell to the ground, he curled up, clutching his stomach, unable to even let out a scream.
He was In too much pain to make a sound, and this punch was also the least lethal attack point Ezio had discovered through practice.
If he were to spring his hidden blade when Marcus fell, he could smoothly slit his throat, and the massive arterial bleeding would render him unconscious within three seconds.
But the hidden blade had been replaced with a wand, and he had no intention of killing.
Marcus's fall was just the beginning. With swift and elegant steps, like a dancing butterfly, in one or two breaths, Ezio calmly advanced in people's eyes. The few guys behind Marcus didn't have time to react; as if rehearsed, they followed Marcus's lead, curling up and falling to the ground.
"You called me… mudblood?"
Ezio returned to his original spot with his hands at his sides, stepping on Marcus's face, and calmly, even coldly, said, "Then what kind of crap are you?"
A crisp crack sounded, whether it was a shattered jaw or a dislocation, and a heart-wrenching wail of pain pierced everyone's ears, tormenting their nerves and making the onlookers turn pale. They seemed to have provoked a very terrifying individual.
"I say you are the trash of Slytherin…"
Ezio raised his head, his gaze sweeping around. "Who has an objection?"
An empty space appeared around him, as the Little Wizards retreated. Only Harry and Rabastan remained unmoved.
"Perhaps you're still thinking…" Ezio's lips curled slightly. "Wizards should use wands, right—"
The moment the last two words were uttered, Ezio waved his hand, and a Shield Charm blocked two red lights shot from his side. His left hand moved slightly, and the Thunderbird wand quickly countered, causing two small wooden sticks to suddenly fly into the air, which he caught with one hand.
"Then let's use Wizarding methods."
'Crack~' The wand flying in mid-air was caught by his hand, then broken into two pieces.
"Go ahead and make your move."
The Elder Wand was waved, and two figures were dragged out of the crowd. With a downward flick of the wand, they crashed heavily onto the floor, writhing in pain.
"Duels, I happen to be very good at them."
Whether it was his reaction to precisely block a sneak attack without needing to see, or his silent Spellcasting, which was more skillful than many older students, when Ezio displayed a bit of his own strength with a small demonstration, no one regarded him as an ordinary first-year new student anymore.
His decisive methods, dual cultivation of physical and magical abilities, and resolute and ruthless actions—in a short moment, the onlookers had already labeled Ezio as someone not to be provoked in their minds.
"Enough!"
Rabastan, standing nearby, angrily spoke, "Williams, Jabbar! Is ambushing a new student what you should be doing?! Hopeless idiots!"
The two guys dragged out of the crowd gave Rabastan a headache. If it were just Marcus, a fistfight wouldn't be too serious, because even if a bone was broken, a Potion could heal it instantly. But ambushing with a Spell, and failing at it, was an act that made him quite angry in his eyes. Failing an ambush was simply a disgrace!
"You two idiots, what's the difference between you and Marcus?" Rabastan spat angrily, because these two were members of his Slytherin club, which made him lose a lot of face.
"I apologize for their stupidity." Rabastan straightened his expression.
"It wasn't you who attacked me, unless you ordered it." Ezio turned to look at Rabastan, his voice still calm, but it made Rabastan's expression stiffen. Ezio calmly shifted his gaze and asked, "Do you know why I chose Slytherin?"
Rabastan showed an expression of listening, and the eyes of the people who had originally come to watch the show, but had now finished, no longer held their previous relaxed demeanor. They all stared at Ezio, waiting for his speech.
"Slytherin, where the strong are respected."
"I came here for only one thing."
Ezio raised a single finger.
"To make Slytherin great again!"
"You must also be tired of living with these idiots, fools, and parasites, aren't you!"
Looking at the young but not childish, handsome yet domineering and confident face before him, some emotion seemed to be stirred at that moment.
"Fellow Slytherins!
Today we gather here, not only to celebrate the fresh blood flowing into Slytherin, but also to witness the rebirth of Slytherin!
In the past, we were misunderstood and misjudged, believed to be merely a group of scumbags who resorted to despicable means to achieve our goals. It Is true that we pursue ultimate success, but is there anything wrong with that?
No!
The pursuit of success is an innate instinct from the bottom of every person's heart. No one likes failure, no one likes the terrible outcome of gaining nothing after putting in effort!
Our pursuit is correct, but why is our correct pursuit, our great vision, misunderstood as the despicable state it is today?
I know, it's not your fault. I believe most of you are excellent, you are intelligent, just like me. Simple magic in school doesn't need to be repeated, monotonous Potions don't require painstaking effort and countless attempts like an idiot. You are clever people who understand with a single hint. But why are our feet ensnared by foul mud?
This is because many useless and trashy individuals who are unworthy of being one of us have infiltrated our ranks. Those simple-minded fools should be tied to stones and sunk into the Black Lake, to rot with the mud at the bottom of the lake.
The great revival of Slytherin is our awakening and rebirth beginning today. We will no longer be a fragmented, weak, scattered group full of internal contradictions, but a collective full of unity and strength, expelling impurity!
Salazar Slytherin was a great Wizard praised and revered a thousand years ago! Compared to the Giants of the other three Houses, Slytherin is what a true Wizard should be!
Discard unnecessary mercy, disregard the opinions of others. On the great path of pursuing success, we advance resolutely without hesitation. Our goals are consistent, our beliefs are consistent. We are to become the strong in everyone's eyes, and the pursuit of success is our unchanging goal!
Glory will become the ladder we ascend. Mediocre people will willingly raise their hands and offer it to us, because they must admit that the steps leading the world forward are first taken by us!
We are now in a great era. We are about to usher in the most glorious third millennium in human history! If we stand still, we will be trampled underfoot!
A thousand years ago, the Four Founders established the glorious Hogwarts that stands to this day. And a thousand years later, we will stand on the shoulders of the Giant named Hogwarts, to ascend the new ladder when the next millennium arrives!
Perhaps you were once lost, unable to see the path ahead. After graduation, you might become the lowest of the low in the Magic World, trampled like weeds, living aimlessly under the gaze of others' discrimination, running ragged for a few Galleons. Or perhaps you will repeat the old path walked by your parents, exhausting all your brilliance and talent in a dull life.
None of these are success, and none of these should be what a Slytherin should pursue!
Remember our responsibility, chase our dreams. The belief in aspiring to success will be our guiding light. The glorious path lies before us. Do not lower your head and be tripped by the mud. Shake it off and step onto this ladder!
How should we punish these stumbling blocks who have infiltrated among us?!"
Ezio's wand tip pointed at the group of guys still struggling in pain on the ground.
"I leave them to you."
"Let me see your determination, fellow Slytherins who want to bring about a great revival with me. You can challenge me at any time. I will defeat you, and then guide you towards the correct path."
"Make Slytherin great again!"
Ezio clenched his fist and raised it high. Responding voices rose intermittently, finally merging into a single cry that sent shivers down some people's spines and filled others with extreme excitement—
"MAKE SLYTHERIN GREAT AGAIN!!!"
Force can awe the courage of the intelligent, and words can stir the ambition of those people. Every student who enters Slytherin harbors a definite ambition deep down.
******
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