Viktor had not initially intended to come to this meeting. He was lazy and would have preferred to read about alchemy. However, his conversation with Snape had changed his mind. The Head of House was concerned about the growing chaos and had told Viktor directly that such antics could harm their house's reputation. For Snape, this meant a loss of control. For Viktor, it was a new motivation. He perfectly understood that the puppet incident, while not creating problems for him personally, had done so for the entire house. And since he was now part of Slytherin, he didn't want his home to be seen as a breeding ground for madmen. His house had to be the best, and he would see to it.
Seated on the throne, Viktor surveyed the assembled group with an indifferent half-smile and asked, "So, what are we going to talk about?"
Gemma, sitting opposite him, tried to appear unfazed, but her eyes betrayed her tension. "Viktor, we both got off on the wrong foot," she said quietly but firmly. "We showed our teeth, and I'm afraid no one liked it."
Viktor laughed, leaning back in his throne. His laugh was dry and short. "I'm perfectly fine with it. I didn't even feel your little teeth. On the contrary, I had a great time."
One of the trio, a tall seventh-year named Arthur, looked at Viktor with a condescending, arrogant expression. "Wipe that stupid Muggle smile off your face. If we wanted to, your teeth would have been broken on the very first day."
The smile vanished from Viktor's face, replaced by an icy, predatory mask. He simply looked at the older student, and Arthur suddenly grabbed the table as if trying to hold on, but an invisible force pushed him down. He slammed his face into the table with a dull, wet crunch. The impact was so loud that its echo resonated from the room and spread throughout the common room. Students who were there flinched at the sudden and horrible sound. Frightened, they quickly got up and went to their dorms, not knowing what had happened but not wanting to know, as they were well aware of who was in there. Arthur froze, unable to move, blood flowing from his nose, his head ringing. Raising a trembling hand to his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with tooth fragments. When the shock wore off, he felt a sharp pain and began to scream.
Viktor took out his wand, and the scream was cut short—he had cast a Silencing Charm. Arthur fell silent, but his eyes blazed with fury. He tried to get up and reached for his wand. But Viktor didn't give him the chance, waving his wand once more. Arthur, as if pinned by an invisible force, was sent flying back to the wall, where he froze in an unnatural position.
Viktor placed his wand on the table, indicating that the fight was over. He looked at Gemma, who sat motionless and pale. "I suppose he was supposed to intimidate me?" he asked. "Any other ideas, or can I go?"
Gemma exchanged glances with the others; their eyes were filled with fear and confusion. They had indeed tried to use their authority to pressure Viktor, but he had just demonstrated that their "authority" was worth nothing. She had specifically called this senior student—he was one of the strongest seventh-year students—but she hadn't expected him to be put in his place so easily. Calming herself, she continued, her voice trembling, though she tried not to show it: "You'd better let him go. Don't forget, you recently used the Imperius Curse on a student. Do you realize the consequences if we tell on you?"
"I didn't use any forbidden magic. It wasn't the Imperius Curse. Any other ideas?" Viktor replied, tilting his head slightly, clearly bored.
The girl sitting next to Gemma stood up. Her voice was full of cold determination, though it trembled. "You do realize that our families won't let you get away with this? You're just a Muggle-born, and they are ancient pure-blood lines. You're done for."
Viktor looked at her with a sneer, then shifted his gaze to Daphne. "I've heard that somewhere before." At which Daphne lowered her head. Looking straight into the speaker's eyes, he added, "The year has just started. Are you sure you'll survive my next antic before your families get to me?" At that, she flinched and lowered her head, realizing that she was facing the most dangerous student in the entire school.
Gemma sighed, understanding that their strategy had failed, and she gave up. "Viktor, what do you need to stop this war?"
Viktor smiled. "I don't need anything from you. Don't cause me any trouble, and I'll try not to bother you."
Gemma clarified, "What do you mean by 'I'll try'?"
Viktor smiled and stood up, taking his wand. "You see, Gemma, sometimes I just get very bored." He walked over to Arthur and ran his wand along his cheek, making him tremble and tears well up in his eyes. He continued to speak, his voice filled with dark amusement: "And when I'm bored, I feel like tormenting bad guys. And since pure-bloods, with all their arrogance and pride, annoy me the most, I'll let off some steam on you."
Gemma thought for a moment and replied, her voice becoming more firm: "You don't have to worry about that. There are many pure-blood fools in Slytherin who disagree with your presence. I think you'll let off your steam on them."
Viktor, who had been intently watching Arthur cry, froze. Then he looked at Gemma in surprise and suddenly burst into a loud laugh. His laughter echoed through the emptying common room. Calming down, he looked at Daphne, who shrugged, also clearly not understanding what was happening. He looked at the wand in his hand, examined it, and then laughed even harder, which scared everyone in the room, including Daphne. Viktor finally calmed down and began to approach the table, stepped onto the chair, and then climbed onto the table. Coming right up to Gemma, he squatted down in front of her. The others, scared, jumped up from their chairs and moved away from the table. Gemma, though afraid, tried not to show it and remained seated calmly.
Viktor began to stare at her. "You know, I consider myself very smart, but the fact that you're betraying your own people—I don't understand it, and it annoys me. And if you don't start explaining yourself, I'll start beating the information out of you."
Gemma, gathering her courage, sighed and began to speak: "I also consider myself quite smart. And judging by the fact that you haven't been punished yet, even though you've already injured many students, I think Dumbledore has approved of your actions. That means you are under his protection. And I'm not from a family that says Dumbledore is old and has no influence. Even though he's not young, he still remains the strongest wizard of the twentieth century, and his authority extends beyond just England. And judging by your potential, if you're not stopped now, then when you finish school, you'll have the power to handle everything on your own."
Viktor smiled, sat cross-legged on the table, and asked, "And what potential did you see in me?"
Gemma replied, "Your silent and wandless magic. Not every adult can do that, and in such a scale, only a select few can."
Viktor: "Oh, you mean my telekinesis? Thank you, I've been training since I was seven. I'm glad you appreciate it."
Silence fell over the room. Even the children of pure-blood families, who spend their whole lives surrounded by magic, only show magical abilities at nine or ten years old. Daphne stared at him and thought, "A monster..." But now it was clear why he was so good at controlling objects. While everyone else was getting their wands and learning basic spells, he, a normal Muggle child, was learning to control mana without a wand. But she didn't know that not only was he learning to apply magic, but, having mistaken it for some form of chakra, he was constantly channeling it into his body. Wizards already have strong bodies due to the influence of mana, which is why they can take a hard hit and not get injured. But Viktor, who had been deliberately channeling mana into his body and training it since childhood, had become a real combat machine.
Viktor summed it up: "So, because everyone speaks ill of him but is still afraid of Dumbledore, you've decided not to pick a fight with me?"
Gemma replied, "Yes, that's it."
Viktor said, "I don't know, I really think Dumbledore shouldn't be feared. He really is very old. Soon he'll just have a cough or a fart, and then he'll be gone."
Gemma looked at him strangely: "I don't think you should underestimate him. The more powerful a wizard is, the longer he lives. He might live for another fifty years."
Viktor thought for a moment, then suddenly jumped off the table. "Alright, I'm tired. I think we've reached a common compromise. Daphne, let's go!" Daphne stood up, and they left together with Viktor. When the door closed behind them, Arthur finally slid to the floor. Gemma looked at him. Holding his nose, he hissed, "Can I go?" Gemma sighed and leaned back in her chair, lost in thought.