"Quidditch team? If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have thought you'd forgotten. You haven't brought it up all night." William's eyes lit up again at the mention of the sport.
"The main reason is that I pay very little attention to this area and need some professional advice. After all, Quidditch results play an important role in winning the House Cup. How is our team looking this year?" Alan knew that since the seventh-year Quidditch Captain had graduated last year, William had taken over the captain's duties.
"It's not bad. As long as we maintain a steady training schedule, our competitiveness is still very strong. Last year, I implemented your training methods in the team. Although I didn't learn everything, at least our physical fitness is much better than before," William said with confidence, reflecting on the current roster.
"Are there any other problems with the team—equipment, venue, players? Oh, Vivian seems to be on the team too. How is she performing?" Alan suddenly thought of her. He was curious; just how much weight had she gained? Could she still fly?
"In terms of equipment, our team is considered one of the best at Hogwarts. Last year, Louis sold several of his family's Comet Two-Nineties to the team at a low price to secure a spot in the selection. Even with the captain giving him extra coaching, he still couldn't make the cut." William shook his head, finding the memory amusing.
"As for the players, there are no issues at the moment, but we need to train a new Seeker, as I will be graduating next year."
"And as for Vivian, I have to praise her as a genius. Her performance was already very good, but because her broom is very flexible and she always likes to perform extreme maneuvers in the air, she used to lose control and get thrown off. To increase her stability, she actually ate herself into a young, chubby girl. Now her flying skills are among the best in the team." William couldn't help but laugh when talking about her.
Alan glanced at Vivian in the distance with some surprise. Could it be that she was so resistant to losing weight for this reason? She had sacrificed her figure for the sake of Quidditch?
"So, according to you, there shouldn't be any problems with Quidditch this year, right? I heard our House did well last year."
"Yes, we barely secured second place, but that was mainly because we only encountered the Gryffindor team in the second match. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to achieve such a result." William shook his head, recalling the season.
"Why do you say that? Our House seemed to have won against Gryffindor last year."
"Indeed, but after that match, three people on our team were injured. It made it impossible to train for the following month. In the end, we lost to Ravenclaw," William sighed, shaking his head helplessly.
"In other words, the main reason hindering our Quidditch score is still the grudge with Gryffindor?" Alan muttered, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Exactly. In fact, the tension has eased a lot in the past two years, but as long as they are on the pitch, everyone loses their temper. It often escalates into a full-blown brawl. Even if we win, the casualties make us fail in subsequent matches due to injuries and missed training." William was clearly troubled by this cycle. Even when they were the superior team, it always devolved into a mutual struggle.
"I understand." Alan nodded. "Here is the plan: for the upcoming Quidditch matches, we will make two preparations."
"First, I will speak with Gryffindor. Charles has also become a Prefect this year, so we can try to communicate and control the situation to prevent the matches from spiraling out of control. After all, a brawl is just as detrimental to their season as it is to ours."
"Second, if I can't reach an agreement with them, then I will personally guide your aerial tactics. If we have to fight, we will crush them directly. At the same time, I will prepare enough healing potions to ensure you recover quickly after any encounter," Alan commanded calmly.
"Really? That's great." William's confidence doubled knowing Alan had accounted for every variable. "If that's the case, I'm confident I can lead the House to win the Quidditch Cup!"
"Confidence is good. Now, get to work. I have preparations of my own to make."
Alan finished his conversation with William, then withdrew chairs from his spatial ring and directed everyone to rearrange the room. In no time, the common room was completely transformed.
Looking into the stone hall from the entrance, more than a dozen long, narrow tables were arranged in an island-like distribution. They were covered with silver and green tablecloths, the symbols of Slytherin. Each table could comfortably seat eight to ten people, providing enough space for every student in the House to engage in self-study or meetings.
After arranging the furniture, Alan informed all the grade group leaders that they would be inspecting the dormitories with him the following morning.
The next morning at 7:30 AM.
Alan and the group of Prefects knocked on every dormitory door early. The group leaders urged all students to stand in front of their doors once they were dressed.
Slytherin's dungeons were quite unique. After entering the stone chamber, the two passages on the left and right led to the male and female dormitories respectively, with rooms symmetrically distributed along both sides.
At this moment, the young wizards were rubbing their sleepy eyes, standing at attention with a hint of panic as they nervously awaited the inspection.
"Stand up straight! It is broad daylight; why are you so listless?" Alan's clear voice echoed through the corridor, dispelling any lingering sleepiness.
"Hold out your hands. Look at you—your fingernails aren't even clean. There is still dirt under them."
"Where is your uniform button? Why isn't it fastened?"
"Your boots aren't shiny enough. Remember to polish them after breakfast."
"Why are your clothes so wrinkled? Use a household spell to tidy them up later. If you don't know how, ask your classmates."
"What is wrong with your hair? You are not a Gryffindor lion; you don't need to look so wild. And the sleep in your eyes—clean it up immediately."
"What is going on in this dormitory? It is one thing to have your belongings scattered, but why are there stains on the floor? Are you truly comfortable living like this?"
Alan led the group leaders, patrolling the corridors and meticulously checking each student's attire and appearance, right down to their hair and fingertips. Whenever he found an issue, he pointed it out immediately, ordered the student to adjust, and used it as a lesson for the grade leaders following him.
After checking their grooming, Alan entered the dormitories to point out deficiencies in housekeeping. At first, he even personally used spells to clean the rooms, setting a standard and explaining the process to the others.