When the last of the golden desserts vanished into thin air, Dumbledore stood up once again and announced a few reminders, including a ban on entering the Forbidden Forest and the fact that class schedules would be distributed by the heads of each house.
Then Dumbledore cheerfully announced that it was time to sing the school song—and encouraged everyone to use whatever tune they liked.
What followed could only be described as chaotic and hilarious.
Henry chose to quickly and discreetly hum through the lyrics to the tune of “God Save the Queen,” while Draco and several older Slytherins sang theirs to the tune of a slow, gloomy funeral dirge.
Amid the singing, Henry noticed that the fifth-year girl named Gemma Farley was not laughing along with everyone else.
She simply stood there quietly, chin slightly raised, her posture straight as a young poplar.
The silver-and-green prefect badge on her chest was polished immaculately, reflecting the candlelight of the Great Hall.
Even though she kept her emotions well under control, Henry could still sense a vigorous ambition radiating from Miss Farley, exactly like what he had seen in ambitious young government officials.
“Slytherin first-years! This way!”
The commanding female voice rang out precisely on time, without a second’s delay.
Farley was already standing at the end of the long table.
Her gaze swept across the first-years quickly and precisely.
She did not look at them like a group of children, but more like someone taking inventory of assets about to enter a warehouse.
After confirming that everyone was present, she turned around crisply, her robes sweeping behind her with a stylish flourish.
“Follow me. Stay quiet, and watch your step on the stairs.”
Perhaps it was Henry’s imagination, but he seemed to hear an older student from one of the houses mutter under his breath:
“Step on me, big sister.”
You little punk.
How are you getting away with freeloading like this?
Farley led them through the entrance hall, down a flight of stone steps, and into the dim corridors beneath the castle.
Their footsteps echoed against the stone walls.
The air grew cool and damp, carrying the mixed scent of earth and stone.
“The password changes from time to time, so pay attention to the notice board. The current password is ‘Pure-blood.'”
Standing before a bare stone wall, she clearly spoke the password.
The wall slid open, revealing a stone doorway, and the Slytherin common room appeared before Henry.
Henry’s first impression was that it was deep and cold.
Even the flames burning in the fireplace were green.
Beyond several enormous arched windows lay the eternal darkness of the Black Lake.
Light filtering through the thick water became a murky, shifting dark green, making the room feel like the bottom of a gigantic aquarium.
Occasionally, several grotesque shadows drifted slowly past.
It was difficult to tell whether they belonged to the giant squid or some other strange creature.
The furniture throughout the common room featured elaborate and exquisite carvings, primarily depicting snakes and vines. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The sofas and armchairs were upholstered in heavy velvet of alternating silver-gray and dark green, perfectly matching Slytherin’s aesthetic.
Quite a few students were already sitting in the common room.
Some were reading, while others spoke quietly.
The arrival of the first-years attracted their attention for only a moment before they returned to what they had been doing.
“Boys’ dormitories are on the left, girls’ on the right. Each door has the names and roommate arrangements posted on it. Most rooms are doubles or triples.” Farley gave them a concise explanation.
“If you want to change rooms, you need your new roommate’s consent before applying to me.”
With that, she walked over to a group of older students.
Draco immediately became the center of attention among the first-years.
He straightened his robes and said to Crabbe and Goyle in a matter-of-fact tone:
“Let’s go.”
Then he turned toward Henry, replacing his expression with a friendly smile.
“Good night. Perhaps we can have a proper chat tomorrow.”
“Of course,” Henry replied warmly.
He noticed that Draco did not mention their conversation during dinner in public at all.
That caution, which went against his instinctive desire to show off, once again confirmed Sir Arnold’s assessment of the Malfoy family’s style.
They walked down the corridor.
The dormitory arrangements were revealed soon enough, perfectly reflecting the unspoken hierarchy and degrees of closeness within Slytherin.
Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle’s names were listed together on one door.
Draco glanced at them.
He seemed to regard the arrangement as completely natural, yet there was also a faint trace of boredom that nobody else noticed.
Crabbe and Goyle had already awkwardly pushed the door open and gone inside.
Blaise Zabini had a double room all to himself, with the space for his roommate’s name left blank.
He was not surprised in the slightest and simply sauntered into the room.
Henry’s name, meanwhile, was listed beside Theodore Nott’s on a door farther inside.
The boy who had been unusually silent during the feast now stood quietly beside the door, his gray-blue eyes calmly studying his new roommate without any intention of making small talk.
The arrangement made Draco’s eyebrows twitch.
Zabini’s solitude was due to his unusual family background, but Nott?
That boy was so quiet you could probably fire three cannonballs at him and still not get a sentence out.
Henry being paired with Nott felt almost like deliberate isolation.
Neither part of the inner circle nor completely separated from it like Zabini, he had been placed somewhere in between—a position from which he could be observed. This chapter is updated first at novelping(.)com.
“Looks like everyone’s been assigned,” Draco said to Henry, his tone still friendly.
“Get some good rest.”
Henry nodded and turned toward his roommate.
Theodore Nott gave the slightest nod before pushing open the heavy wooden door.
The interior followed Slytherin’s aesthetic even more thoroughly.
The room was not large, but the ceiling was high enough to prevent the oppressive feeling of being buried underground.
Two four-poster beds stood on opposite sides.
The posts were made of black hardwood and carved with winding snake patterns.
The craftsmanship was intricate without being ostentatious.
Dark green velvet curtains hung heavily from the beds, their edges embroidered with simple silver vines.
Everything looked brand new.
Hogwarts—or at least Slytherin—clearly wasn’t going to make first-years sleep on someone else’s old bedding and curtains.
Henry’s bed was beside the window.
Outside was naturally the light-swallowing darkness of the Black Lake.
His trunk had already been neatly placed at the foot of the bed by a house-elf.
Nott’s bed was closer to the door.
He had already begun arranging his few belongings—a handful of books with perfectly neat corners and a simple crystal vial.
His movements were quiet and efficient, without producing any unnecessary sound.
Henry placed Mercury’s cage on the brass perch beside the window.
The snowy owl blinked in the dim light.
He did not immediately start a conversation.
Instead, he likewise began arranging his books and stationery, giving both of them some space to become accustomed to the silence.
He could sense that Nott was neither unfriendly nor hostile.
He simply seemed somewhat introverted.
Living with such a roommate meant no incessant chatter, which Henry found quite satisfying.
As for being observed?
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.
And the person being observed can just as easily be the observer.
Just before he drew the curtains, he heard Draco’s lowered voice coming from the corridor.
His tone was clearly giving orders rather than making a suggestion.
“…Early tomorrow. Don’t drag your feet…”
The person he was addressing was obviously either Crabbe or Goyle.