Matthew woke up early in the morning, earlier than usual. Jerry and Geralt were still fast asleep.
He woke them both before changing clothes and heading to the washroom to freshen up.
When he returned, he found that Jerry and Geralt had already climbed back into bed.
Taking out a Muggle alarm clock he had bought, he checked the time—7:50 a.m. Hogwarts breakfast ran from 8:00 to 9:00, and the first class of the day began at 9:00.
He set the alarm for 8:30, placed it down, and left the dormitory.
...
As he passed through the Slytherin common room, someone greeted him.
"Good morning, Senior Matthew."
The speaker was Griffin Everett, a second-year Slytherin.
Griffin was a half-blood wizard. There were relatively few half-bloods in his year, and they were often bullied by Slytherin students who supported pure-blood ideology.
Last semester, Matthew had encountered several incidents where half-blood students were bullied. Being a half-blood himself, he hadn't chosen to ignore it. Griffin was one of the students he had helped.
"Good morning, Griffin," Matthew replied gently.
Griffin lowered his voice.
"Senior Matthew… I heard that during the summer, Will Crabbe told a lot of upper-year students that you're 'Slytherin's new king.'"
"Oh?" Matthew became interested.
He had previously heard this nickname from the Weasley twins on the Hogwarts Express. So it had originated from Will Crabbe.
Will Crabbe was also one of Griffin's bullies. On one occasion, he had insulted half-bloods in front of Griffin, only to be overheard by Matthew—who had promptly taught him a harsh lesson.
"He's probably trying to get upper-year students to deal with you," Griffin continued. "You should be careful."
Matthew lightly patted Griffin's shoulder and smiled.
"Thanks for the information. I'll be careful."
Matthew didn't pay much attention to Will's petty schemes. After everything he had experienced, these schoolyard conflicts were nothing more than seasoning in school life.
"Want to grab breakfast together?" Matthew asked.
Griffin looked apologetic.
"I promised my girlfriend we'd have breakfast together."
He had specifically waited in the Slytherin common room for Matthew. After their conversation, he still had to head to Ravenclaw Tower to meet his girlfriend.
Matthew's smile froze for a moment.
"…Alright."
Matthew headed to the Great Hall alone.
Kids grow up fast these days, he thought wryly. Second year and already dating. No wonder you can't beat Will Crabbe.
---
By the time Matthew reached the Great Hall, many students were already there.
He glanced at the house tables. Many first-years hadn't arrived yet, but Hufflepuff students were the earliest.
Among the Gryffindor first-years, only Hermione had arrived this early. She was eating breakfast alone.
"Good morning, Matthew."
Near the entrance, Matthew ran into Cedric Diggory, his Hufflepuff classmate—last year's second-place student.
"Good morning, Cedric. Didn't come with your roommates?"
Their Charms class this year was shared between Slytherin and Hufflepuff, and Cedric had asked Matthew for spellcasting advice before. They were fairly familiar with each other.
"They couldn't wake up," Cedric said with a smile. "I'm bringing breakfast back for them."
Matthew felt slightly envious.
"Can I switch dorms with your roommates?"
Cedric laughed.
"Professor Sprout would be thrilled. Maybe this year's House Cup would finally belong to Hufflepuff."
Ever since Matthew began studying Potions with Professor Snape, he was frequently called upon to answer questions in class.
Matthew suspected Snape was deliberately giving Slytherin chances to earn points.
After saying goodbye, they headed to their respective house tables.
...
After breakfast, there was still time before class, so Matthew went to the library.
The Hogwarts library, located on the second floor, contained thousands of shelves filled with centuries of accumulated knowledge.
Madam Pince, the librarian, was already at work. She was a thin, elderly woman who resembled an underfed vulture.
She glanced at Matthew. Seeing that he wasn't a first-year, she said nothing.
"Good morning, Madam Pince," Matthew greeted politely.
She merely nodded expressionlessly. She disliked unnecessary conversation in the library.
Matthew went to the section containing historical manuscripts, organized by era. After searching the shelves, he failed to find any manuscripts by Salazar Slytherin.
He approached Madam Pince.
"Madam Pince, do you happen to know if the library has manuscripts left by Salazar Slytherin?"
She looked at him sternly.
"Materials left by the four founders are stored in the Restricted Section. You'll need a professor's signature to access them."
"Thank you."
Since he couldn't enter the Restricted Section now, Matthew planned to ask Professor Snape for permission after Potions class.
With time to spare, he picked up an interesting book and began reading.
---
Later in the Potions Classroom...
"Matthew, answer this."
Professor Snape spoke slowly.
"How do you extract the liquid from a Fire Salamander horn?"
Matthew replied immediately:
"Place the Fire Salamander horn in wormwood infusion for ten minutes. Remove it, then combine with feldspar powder, crushed scarab beetles, and armadillo bile. Simmer over low heat for fifteen minutes, then filter out the residue."
Snape nodded expressionlessly.
"Correct. Two points to Slytherin."
Similar exchanges had already occurred three times during this lesson.
Snape seemed unusually active today. Normally, he would only call on Matthew once or twice per class.
Returning to the front, Snape spoke calmly.
"Next is practical work. I hope you did not waste your summer."
His deep, hollow gaze swept across the classroom. Many students lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact.
"This practical will be in groups of three. Matthew, distribute the ingredients."
At Snape's command, Slytherin and Gryffindor students began forming groups.
Matthew retrieved Fire Salamander horns, feldspar, scarab beetles, and other ingredients from the cabinet and distributed them.
Matthew grouped with his two roommates:
Geralt crushed the scarab beetles
Jerry ground the feldspar into powder
They looked relaxed — after all, their teammate was Matthew.
The Gryffindor table next to them, however, was not so fortunate. Snape frequently patrolled around them.
When Snape reached George and Fred's table, he stopped.
Snape stared expressionlessly at Fred.
"Perhaps you should clear the dung from your mind, Fred Weasley. I distinctly remember saying that feldspar powder and scarab beetles must be processed separately."