New chapter! Thanks for all the support!
x
A Slytherin student with a cold expression stood up from the other end of the long table and spoke quietly to the first-years.
There was unquestionable authority in his tone.
Dudley heard other young wizards mentioning he was the current Slytherin prefect.
At Hogwarts, the heads of the four houses select one boy and one girl from the fifth year onward, both with outstanding performance, to serve as prefects until they graduate.
They are responsible for guiding new students and managing those in their house.
They can also deduct points from their own house.
Basically a mix of a counselor and a class leader.
And this one was a fifth-year prefect.
With their house prefect giving orders, the first-years naturally didn't dare disobey.
Even Malfoy, who was always bragging about his father, obediently followed behind him.
On the way, a small incident occurred.
A Slytherin student deliberately rammed his shoulder into Dudley as he passed by.
But that pathetic amount of force didn't affect Dudley at all.
On the contrary.
Because force works both ways, the student himself was knocked to the ground instead.
"Are you okay?"
Dudley lifted him up with one hand and brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Watch where you're going."
After that, he followed the group without looking back.
This was his first time at Hogwarts.
And also his first time heading to the Slytherin common room.
He needed to memorize the route.
Getting lost would be embarrassing.
"Fabian, that was embarrassing."
"Why did you hold back? He just offended a Malfoy."
As soon as Dudley walked away, the other Slytherin students gathered around and began whispering among themselves.
They had asked Fabian to give Dudley a lesson.
After all, among the third-years, he was the strongest physically — aside from Dudley.
But instead of intimidating him, he ended up being knocked down.
Everyone thought Fabian had held back.
Fabian said nothing.
He only looked in the direction Dudley had gone.
Rubbing his still aching shoulder.
Only he knew he hadn't held back at all.
He had used his full strength.
And that was exactly why it still hurt so much.
'It felt like I hit a steel wall.'
'If he played Quidditch, he'd be perfect…'
Fabian shook his head and pushed the thought away.
Too bad he'd offended a Malfoy.
The Malfoy family held great influence in the wizarding world.
They belonged to the elite.
His father, Lucius Malfoy, held influence in the Ministry of Magic.
If he wanted, he could easily step into an official position.
On top of that, he was a member of Hogwarts' Board of Governors.
And most importantly:
He was rich.
Very rich.
At one point in time, he was even considered the richest Malfoy.
Offending him was the same as offending the elite.
And in Slytherin, a common student offending the elite was the same as offending everyone.
Exactly as the Sorting Hat had said.
Slytherin's atmosphere was completely rotten.
The Slytherin common room was located beneath Hogwarts Castle.
Essentially, in the basement.
And honestly, that location was terrible.
Cold.
Damp.
That was the place in a nutshell.
The constant humidity wasn't good for the body.
It damaged the skin.
Could cause eczema.
And in severe cases, even rheumatism.
For someone like Dudley, who scored full marks in nearly every subject, medicine was also within his knowledge.
Though it wasn't his main focus.
He had only grasped the basics.
Of course, all of that was from a scientific perspective.
This was Hogwarts.
Maybe it wasn't scientific.
But it was magical.
Madam Pomfrey would probably have ways to deal with those issues.
According to the prefect, they just needed to pass through one more spiral corridor to reach the Slytherin common room.
Dudley carefully memorized everything around him.
Since the Sorting Ceremony, he hadn't had the chance to speak with Harry or Hermione.
That left him slightly regretful.
If he had known, he would have arranged a time beforehand.
Maybe he could have Hedwig send them a letter later.
The relationship between the four houses was far worse than he had imagined.
Especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
They were practically mortal enemies.
Even though the students themselves didn't really have any conflicts.
It was the atmosphere of the houses that created that opposition.
Were Gryffindor and Slytherin always enemies?
Dudley didn't know when that idea had started.
But every book he had read said so.
Including the famous A History of Hogwarts.
Everyone remembered that Gryffindor and Slytherin split due to differences.
But no one mentioned that before that, they had been close friends.
The kind who would fight side by side to the death.
"Password!"
The stone wall spoke in a mechanical, emotionless voice.
The prefect answered in the same cold tone:
"Pure-blood."
The wall slowly opened.
Revealing the spacious common room inside.
"Remember the password. If you forget it, you won't be able to get in."
The prefect spoke coldly before stepping inside.
The first-years followed him.
The temperature was about two degrees lower than in the Great Hall.
That was Dudley's first impression.
Then he saw the fireplace in the center.
Without it, the difference would be at least ten degrees.
Dudley then began observing the surroundings.
The Slytherin common room had a distinctly Gothic style.
Dominated by dark green tones.
It gave off a mysterious atmosphere.
But the lighting wasn't good for the eyes.
If he wanted to read, he'd need to find another place.
The walls had large arched windows.
Through them, fish could occasionally be seen swimming outside.
That was the Black Lake.
The windows couldn't be opened.
And they were sealed with a permanent charm.
In fact, the Slytherin common room had originally been a dungeon, later converted.
That was why it was also called the Slytherin Dungeon.
And like any dungeon, it felt dark and silent.
In truth, all four common rooms had been repurposed.
Hufflepuff's was near the kitchens, as it had once been used by the castle staff.
Ravenclaw's was converted from a watchtower.
As for Gryffindor…
It had originally been a storage room.
"Boys this way, girls that way."
The prefect gave a few simple instructions and pointed out the dormitories.
After that, he quickly left.
As if he didn't want to stay there even a second longer.
It was worth noting that the older Slytherin students hadn't followed the prefect back at all.
Only those in third year and below were that obedient.
As soon as the prefect left the common room, Dudley felt dozens of hostile gazes fall on him.
What they intended to do…
Was obvious.
x
x
x
If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to add it to your library and drop some Power Stones.
Your support really helps the novel grow!