The morning of the first school day at Hogwarts began with me simply waking up, looking over my sleeping roommates, and just lying there, processing the previous day and life in general. The dark green bed canopies, the muted light — everything hinted that I should just close my eyes and go back to sleep. There was still a whole hour until the alarm, and everything was so quiet and peaceful… I just wanted to lie there and think.
I know what the first thought was — the alarm clock!? Yes, a convenient thing, though not electronic, but mechanical. Electronics don't work at Hogwarts, or in any place with a high concentration of magic. By the way, it's the same at Malfoy Manor.
You know that feeling when you wake up not in your own bed, and there's absolute silence around? It's a miracle of a situation. I don't know why, but I started to love this immensely.
Running through yesterday's events in my head, I felt like I was inside one of Madam Rowling's books, but it was all real. Only now, lying in bed, thoughts about the future kept creeping in. What do I want in general? Obviously, only good things, but… I need to set clear goals. From school, I need knowledge and connections — the latter even more so, because the former is always available to me.
Childhood acquaintances are the strongest bonds. So far, my acquaintances are Avery and Warrington. Both seem to regard me well, and I don't sense any slipperiness in them. Marcus is actually extremely pleasant to talk to; the guy is really smart. Cassius also seems decent and, moreover, reliable. I can't even explain why. Intuition, I guess, and it's clear from his demeanor that he's a solid guy, and he looks sturdy too. And considering his family is known for famous duelists and Aurors, he's extremely useful.
Of course, no matter how much I try to fool myself, I'll probably get attached to them too. After all, the part of my personality that's an ordinary Muggle-born doesn't let me sink into complete cynicism. Which I consider more of a plus; measuring friendship solely by a person's usefulness isn't the best idea.
I need to gather the other first-years around me, as a kind of leader, and then I can start gathering guys from other years. In the magical world, human resources are even more important than in the Muggle one. If Voldemort hadn't gathered the core of his Death Eaters and supporters at school, he wouldn't have been able to rally so many pure-bloods to his cause later.
And in general, I need to start thinking about how to subtly complicate the Dark Lord's life. According to my foreknowledge, nothing good awaits my family — neither if the Dark Lord wins, nor if he loses. And I wish only the best for my lineage and my family in particular, and the Malfoys losing power, wealth, and influence is definitely not part of my plans. Hah, I'm talking as if I'm already making decisions.
Voldemort rallied everyone with speeches about pure-blood power, but in the end, he was only seeking absolute dictatorship. I don't want the era of the Sacred Twenty-Eight to end in my lifetime.
If I were a Muggle-born, of course I would fight for equality, but now I will do everything possible to ensure the noble families become influential again, like before this whole civil war they call the First Wizarding War of Britain. But no matter how you look at it, it is a civil war.
I soberly assess my chances, and even in ten years, I doubt I'll be able to fight the strongest Dark Lord Britain has seen in centuries on equal footing.
And I doubt the 'Chosen One' can defeat him either. After all, we're not in a fairy tale, and you can't defeat such a powerful wizard with a simple Expelliarmus.
So, the only option is to make life difficult for the half-blood who became the master of so many pure-bloods. Funny, I think few of his followers knew he was a half-blood, and that his father was a Muggle…
Some of the Horcruxes would be easy to get if they're in the same places and with the same protections. The problem is, I have nothing to destroy them with. So, the Horcruxes are a problem for later. Another bit of mischief I could do is sabotage the future resurrection during the Triwizard Tournament. One of the key ingredients is the 'bone of the father.' It wouldn't be hard to find the Muggle grave and replace the bones with someone else's. I think such a significant change in the ritual would at least delay his resurrection.
Lying in bed and thinking about the distant future… I mustn't forget to use my head. For now, the primary goal is to study, practice magic, and make friends. While lost in thought, my eyes kept trying to close.
To make sure I didn't fall back asleep, I got out of bed, got into a plank position, and started doing push-ups. One… two.
It's a good thing to do, and it would chase away the sleep, and then I could start the day.
"Phew…" I exhaled quietly, pausing for a moment with my arms straight. Ten. Let's do one more… eleven. A couple more and that's it.
In that other world, I used to do push-ups almost to failure every night before bed; here, let it be the same habit, only in the morning.
"Twelve…" I whispered quietly and just sprawled out on the floor. My arms felt like jelly — maybe this was a bad idea… I started to hear rustling from my roommates' beds, so it wouldn't do to have a new acquaintance see me looking like a spineless worm.
Getting up, I finally left our room and went to wash up. Of course, there were separate bathrooms and showers for males and females.
After a quick morning shower and a brief moment of longing for the warm Manor, I returned to the room where my roommates were still fast asleep. Okay, I'll wake them up a bit later. I don't want to ruin this quiet atmosphere, and they certainly won't thank me for interrupting their sleep — especially Avery.
I really do love solitude. All my life I've wondered… who am I!? An introvert or an extrovert? With these thoughts, I wandered through the still-empty common room, heading towards the main area.
Along the way, I examined the tapestries depicting famous wizards, which almost always listed their dates, names, and when they studied here.
About the personality type, I'm serious. I can seemingly make acquaintances easily, talk anyone into anything, hold a conversation on any topic, and even be the life of the party if no one more charismatic is around, but at the same time, I prefer to relax alone, with no one bothering me or messaging me.
It's a peculiarity, though I suppose what's stranger is that this painting is giggling while looking at me. Well… I have my wand with me.
A slight movement and a word. A small flame sparked to life at the tip of my wand, and the painting abruptly stopped giggling.
"That'll teach you to interrupt my brooding." I've really sunk low… threatening paintings. Well, serves it right for giggling. So what if I stroke a non-existent beard during profound thought processes!?
Soon, however, my mood shifted to an even more inspired one. There were only a couple of people in the common room, and no one was making much noise. One guy was reading, two girls were just sitting by the fireplace, a couple of guys were heading back to their rooms, and so I settled onto a comfortable sofa near a bookshelf, from which I took the first book I saw.
"1001 Questions and Answers." Hah! — It immediately reminded me of how I loved leafing through an encyclopedia with the same title as a child. Except here there were no beautiful color pictures or nice, new paper.
Let's skip the introduction and prologue… after all, we're not reading a fanfic, right? But the first chapter…
"It's a good book for leisure. Light and interesting, though not very useful, but it's good for entertainment." Turning towards the voice, I saw the girl who had given us the speech about our house just last night.
"Emilia Greenwood, if I'm not mistaken. I just decided to read a bit while everyone is still asleep."
"Oh, interestingly, I know you too. You're the Malfoy heir. Arcturus Malfoy, right?"
"Arcturus-Corvus Armand Malfoy. You can just call me Arcturus." I must always give my full name; that's what I was taught. "Oh, this popularity… my name precedes me. Hah."
"In that case, just Emilia for you. I think few of our little snakes are unaware of who you are." The corners of her lips did curl up slightly at the joke, which was good.
"By the way, a splendid speech, Emilia."
"Thank you, but it's just the standard one, memorized and slightly modified."
"I meant it sincerely," — it's one thing to know the words, another to be convincing.
"Flattery is a good tool, but it's too early for you to start weaving webs. It was a pleasure to meet you, and yes, enjoy your reading, Arcturus."
"Thank you." And we smile… phew… alright, now I can read a couple of interesting facts; I think I have about fifteen minutes.
Gradually, the quiet common room filled with people. However, the more people there were, the harder it was to read.
I can't concentrate when it's noisy. It's like I'm reading something, but I have to start over because I lost the thread. And my bad habit — I subconsciously eavesdrop, making it hard not to hear all the conversations and focus on reading.
Closing the book, I headed back towards the dormitory, to our room, intending to wake the guys if they were still asleep and gather my things. I still hadn't found out the schedule, though. According to a third-year guy, the schedules are handed out before breakfast, and they are static, usually not changing throughout the year.
"Good morning, Marcus, Cassius." I nodded to the guys, who had already finished their washing up and were now pulling on their robes.
I was pleased with the classic Slytherin uniform. Though it only differed from the others in its emblem and colors. I liked the uniform. The robe draped over a snow-white shirt, a dark green tie with silver stripes, black trousers, and a dark green waistcoat that, by the way, fit perfectly. The uniform suited me, and that couldn't help but please me. Of course, my robe was adorned with the serpent badge.
My robe seemed to be standard issue, but some details on mine were different, as they were on others'. The difference was in the material and tailoring. For example, my robe was made of Acromantula silk and stood out slightly in texture from the ordinary robes. As for its properties, I won't even start… although, perhaps I will tell you now! I love showing off, in retaliation for that other life, so to speak.
In short, besides its pleasant texture and durability, Acromantula silk was like Kevlar, only it had similar protective properties against magic as well. Though because of this, it's difficult to enchant, but I'm at school, not at war. And the school's magic worked just fine even on my robe.
Before leading us to the Great Hall for breakfast, the prefects waited for Snape's arrival.
"I am Severus Snape, your Head of House and Professor of Potions." His sharp words and tone seared every syllable into our minds. "Understand this immediately: there is no place here for the weak, the lazy, or the spineless. If you think you can deceive me or break the rules — you are profoundly mistaken. I see everything. And you will not like the consequences."
"Slytherin is the house of the ambitious, the clever, and the determined. But ambition without discipline is meaningless. I tolerate effort, even if it is not always perfect. But I will not tolerate irresponsibility and improper conduct."
"Your schedules will be distributed before breakfast. Do not be late for lessons. Do not run in the corridors. Arrive on time for your classes. Behave appropriately. The prefects will accompany you initially to ensure you do not get lost."
"Endeavor to meet my expectations. Now, if there are no questions…" His gaze swept over us, lingering on me for a moment before he turned sharply on his heel. "Miss Greenwood, Mister Rowle, escort the first-years."
He delivered this last command already striding towards the entrance of the Slytherin common room. We all filed out together. The Great Hall in the morning was a hub of activity: students from all houses swapped places, discussing news, greeting friends and acquaintances. We took our seats at the Slytherin table. I noticed a few familiar faces from the Sorting last night, but a certain tension still hung over us first-years. Everyone was talking, at most, to the people immediately next to them, but that was bound to change soon. After all, everyone at this table had been raised from the cradle to understand the value of connections, and I intended to be a leader — which meant I needed to start building my circle.
During breakfast on that very first morning, I realized the Hogwarts schedule was a special kind of torture. New combinations of houses every day, new classrooms, new professors. And between the moving hordes of students — breakfast, lunch, dinner, sometimes double lessons, sometimes free periods.
Breakfast, by the way, was magnificent: scrambled eggs with bacon, toast, jams, fruits, and juice… just the sight of it… and not tea. Just Pumpkin Juice. Okay, once at the feast was fine, but again… where is the tea!? It was all so tempting — the books told the truth. MORDRED'S PUMPKIN JUICE!
Alright, let's just pretend there are no drinks! It's not that it's undrinkable, but let's just say there's nothing pleasant about it; I'd rather have plain water.
Gradually, more students filled the table. We exchanged nods of mutual respect with many and introduced ourselves to others. After Snape's speech, there were decidedly fewer smiles. No wonder they call him the "Terror of the Dungeons" — I overheard that from a conversation between two Gryffindors yesterday.
Though he might be the Terror of the Dungeons to others, to me, personally, he's just my father's friend, a Potions Master, and generally a decent bloke. Maybe a bit cold towards people, but we all have our flaws.
And that's roughly how the first day at Hogwarts began. Lesson by lesson, we were to get acquainted with the professors, the subjects, and each other. Oh, and I forgot to subscribe to the Daily Prophet before school. Good thing Avery was a clever chap and not as forgetful as I'd been lately. I'm no expert, but the post-ritual merger clearly hasn't done my memory any favors.
Overall, I liked the teaching staff, though the prospect of digging in the dirt in Herbology was off-putting. Not because I'm squeamish about getting my hands dirty — that other me used to help his parents at their dacha every summer…
My complaint was more about the prospect of being bitten by some plant, or stunned, or… insert any unpleasant outcome, and you'll generally find a magical plant that can provide it.
Speaking of effects, I was glad I remembered the scene where McGonagall met Harry and Ron on their first lesson in the form of a cat. You should have seen the faces of some of the kids… I barely held back my laughter. Even Avery was so gobsmacked that he promised to look up information on Animagi in the library after classes. And that's lazy Avery!
"Transfiguration is a precise and complex branch of magic, which will require your utmost attention and concentration. But those of you who master it will be able to rightfully bear the title of wizard. If you master this subject, little will be able to take you by surprise," Professor McGonagall began, seeming as though it was far from the first time she'd started her speech with these likely memorized words. Yet, I wouldn't dare question their truth.
Standing before the front rows of desks, the somewhat elderly witch looked so prim that it was impossible not to recognize her as British. McGonagall was clearly one of those people you don't argue with, especially in a subject she hadn't just 'eaten the dog' in, but the whole elephant. And that was truly the case. But beyond her strictness, I couldn't help but note the passion with which she spoke about her subject. The stern, yet solemn tone with which the professor spoke about her craft was captivating, and I didn't even notice how drawn in I became by the lesson and the atmosphere.
"I expect and demand maximum effort and diligence from each of you. And those of you who dare to disrupt my class or show disregard for my subject — will leave this classroom and will not return. You have been warned." Do I need to mention that this last phrase made everyone present feel deeply uncomfortable? But having finished her short introduction, the professor turned her back to the audience, thereby allowing us all to exhale with relief.
I looked at Marcus. He looked at me. We understood each other without words, and we didn't feel like talking unnecessarily after that little warning.
No one allowed themselves to be distracted by anything extraneous. I immediately prepared to take notes, and the others followed my example. The main thing was to do it conscientiously and without needing to be told.