As soon as we left the classroom, the discussion began. By the way, Potions was shared with Ravenclaw, just like Transfiguration, while Herbology was with Hufflepuff, so we still had to see what Gryffindors were like.
Soon, Emilia Greenwood arrived; this time she was escorting us. Before that, it had been Rowle.
"So, what's next?" I asked.
"You have your schedule, just look at it," Avery replied lazily. "But there's no class right now."
"Lunch is next!" Cassius said cheerfully, raising his fists slightly.
"Thank goodness I was wrong and it's lunch… honestly, I'm a bit tired already."
"Agreed, my hand even hurts from all the note-taking. Arcturus, can I copy your notes later? I didn't get everything down in Potions."
"Can you believe it, Cassius, this guy was just pretending to write during the 'Terror of the Dungeons' lesson. I saw everything, Marcus! Admit it, you were just lazy."
"You're a brave one, Avery… they should have put you in Gryffindor for that courage."
"And for the stupidity too. Of course I'll give you the notes…" Avery's face instantly shifted from a pleading pup's to his usual lazy expression. "...I will give them, but aren't you too lazy to copy everything?" And that's when Marcus realized where the dog was buried and why I was smirking so mockingly.
"That's where I miscalculated. Listen, maybe you could even write the notes for me… I'm begging you, Arcturus, be a friend!"
"Yeah, right — now I'll write two sets of notes instead of one! What a joy, just what I needed, your generous offer, Marcus."
"Sigh… too bad, I thought you were serious for a moment. I was even ready to offer you to write my notes too, and you're just joking," Cassius said with feigned sadness. Then we all just laughed; after all, among friends, you don't always have to maintain decorum, you can joke around a bit.
"Seriously though, it's easier and quicker to copy someone's notes than to write them yourself in class."
"We'll never understand you, Marcus… never," I sighed.
"By the way, you have to agree, the Head of House's lessons are clearly going to be tough."
"Yep, we definitely figured that out. Good thing he's our Head of House," Cassius replied to Avery's comment.
"Well, that last part isn't necessarily a fact. What if he demands more from his own than from others?"
"You really have a talent, Malfoy, for turning any plus into a minus…" Cassius sighed sadly.
"I try. Now, let's speed up, we're lagging in the middle."
Sitting at the table and eating lunch, I tried to figure out how to unite the Slytherin first-years around me. First of all, I needed to meet everyone, and I already had one idea for that. In reality, the task only seemed simple in my head — after all, Slytherin mostly attracted those who wanted to command, not to obey. Cunning and intelligent people don't particularly like someone standing over them. Even if they're just children for now.
However, the fact that I was a Malfoy greatly simplified the task, and the partial memories of an adult were supposed to help in difficult situations.
Ideally, we would have been introduced yesterday and everything would have been wonderful, but we're in Slytherin, not Hufflepuff. So we'll have to manage on our own — or rather, I will have to manage.
This was even good for me — another way to show that you should stick with him and try to be friends. Why all this in a closed, childhood collective? Because I'm studying at the only school of magic in Britain. That means most of the elite of Magical Britain will grow up right here, and childhood relationships can later be turned into an extremely solid foundation of friendship.
After a tasty lunch, we were practically led by the hand to the next classroom. The last lesson was History. I remembered from my foreknowledge that History had been taught by a ghost for many years, and unlike other ghosts, he was extremely limited, but that wasn't certain.
Ghosts like the Bloody Baron were very much 'alive'. Hah, they were full-fledged personalities, and that was extremely surprising.
"I wish you luck, first-years!" Rowle said with a nasty grin. "You're about to experience the most interesting lesson at Hogwarts. But remember, whatever happens, leaving the lesson is punishable by house point deductions and other penalties."
"So we sit through to the end."
"Correct, Malfoy. You sit through to the end."
Well, after the lesson, I could leave my feedback about Binns. After the lesson with the Hogwarts ghost, there was only one impression — deadly boredom. He wasn't even close to being as 'alive' as, for example, our Bloody Baron, or even Peeves, whom I'd only seen once, and then just out of the corner of my eye. But I know one thing: people only said bad things about Peeves.
As for History itself — I can't describe how much I regret that Magical History became the scapegoat and everyone considered it the most boring subject. An extremely important subject through which we can learn about our history and ourselves, a history full of details unknown to ordinary people. And for me, from that other world, it's pure lore, and lore must be known.
"What a disappointment…"
"Don't take it so hard, Arctur… ah-ah–oo..." Avery said, yawning with sleepy eyes. "At least you can sleep."
"Which you did," remarked Cassius, who had spent the whole lesson playing with a piece of parchment and Levicorpus, a spell the Muggle-borns wouldn't learn for a while yet.
"Well, it's easy for you, Mark. Cassius has a point. I can't just fall asleep at any time of day."
"The atmosphere was just so sleep-inducing," Avery said dreamily, while we sighed heavily. We had to listen to that monotonous drone, and for the first half-hour I even tried to follow and understand. "Professor Binns tells things very… drowsysleeply."
"That's not a word," Cassius said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Avery, who seemed not to care about anything at all. It was almost enviable.
"It is now." And another yawn from Avery, which, like a contagion, made me yawn too.
"Alright then — it's a funny word, I think it'll catch on after a couple of Binns' lessons. Cassius, aren't you jealous that he slept so well while we suffered?"
"Maybe we should disturb his sleep tonight?" Warrington said with a smirk, immediately catching the hint.
"Jeer silently."
"Then we won't sleep either. I propose that from this day forth, we wake him up during Binns' lessons." We shook hands on it, while Marcus, who was trudging alongside and wasn't fully awake yet, only processed the information a couple of seconds later.
"Hey! Can't a guy get some sleep!?" We quickened our pace a bit. "What's with you!? Slow down, we need to discuss the absurdity of your agreement!"
"Wa-ha-ha-ha," a villainous laugh accompanied Avery all the way to the Slytherin common room, while the indignant shouts went unnoticed by his two partners — namely, me and Cassius.
"Seriously, you should have just read the chapter Binns was talking about, like I did. It's written quite well in the textbook, and it's more fun overall," I tried to convey to my friends, but they were still discussing the topic of Avery's nap and fooling around a bit. "Did you hear what I said!?"
"Something about textbooks and history, but before that you said we need to gather all the Slytherin first-years. Care to explain why?" replied Avery. See, even though he's lazy, he's clearly smart and his thoughts are generally well-formed.
"First, help me gather everyone."
"Alright, we'll help. You must have thought of something interesting," said Cassius. I had already warned a few others not to wander off too far; all that was left was to gather everyone.
The three of us quickly rounded everyone up. As a result, about ten minutes later, all 19 Slytherin first-years were assembled and looking at me attentively.
Well, at least my friends are nearby. Cassius on my right, Avery on my left, and the rest of our classmates stood in a semicircle, some a bit further away. But they were all looking at me attentively, waiting for me to explain why I'd gathered them all. No patience, honestly. They're children, even if well-bred…
I looked at my gathered classmates. All faces were full of curiosity and mild annoyance at being distracted from their affairs, though I was sure they didn't have any pressing matters right now. Slytherins are a difficult bunch, but it was time to act. I stood confidently with a slight smile on my face, with only the window looking into the Black Lake behind me — and it's called black for a reason. Behind me was like an abyss.
"So, good evening, everyone! My apologies for taking up your precious time after lessons, but…" I began, trying to make my voice confident and convincing. I mechanically smoothed my hair and, gesturing actively, continued. "I've gathered you all for a reason. I've noticed that in the time that's passed, we haven't actually gotten to know each other. Everyone, including myself, found a few people to talk to and stopped there." Drawing out my speech slightly, I looked at everyone, making it clear with this gesture that this applied to all.
"I agree," unexpectedly began a dark-haired boy with a prominent, aquiline nose and grey eyes that were watching me intently, maintaining eye contact. "After all, we are cultivated wizards, which means we should at least know each other's names; the house is one family. Isn't that right, Malfoy?"
I even remembered his surname; I'd noted it at the Sorting. I think it's Yaxley, so his name must be Alistair. He was among those my father had mentioned in the context of — 'good family, noble, but you need to be careful with them.'
"Alistair Yaxley, if I'm not mistaken?" He nodded, still looking at me with a slight smirk. "You're quite right. We need to get acquainted to understand who is who in our house. Otherwise, some might misunderstand their place in this new society, and that can lead to consequences."
Some of my classmates had already started whispering amongst themselves, and I felt the tension beginning to rise. A good sign. I also put the upstart in his place; I needed to show that there is only one leader here, not two, not three. And the surest way to do that is not to allow anyone to interrupt your moment, take your place, or your words.
"I suggest we introduce ourselves in turn and tell a bit about ourselves. Perhaps share your goals and interests, maybe even why you ended up in Slytherin. This will help us understand each other better and, perhaps, identify those who can help us!" I said, looking appealingly at the crowd.
"Yes, but why should anyone know my entire biography? I think that's too revealing at this stage," gloomily interjected a boy standing next to Alistair, who was clearly not thrilled with the idea.
"Malfoy, in my opinion, that's a bit much for a first meeting," exclaimed one of the girls with short, light hair, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "I have no desire whatsoever to recount my life story!"
"Well, I, for example, think it's a great idea," objected another girl with a cheerful glint in her eyes. This was Amanda Rosier. "We are here, after all, to learn and meet other worthy people. Were you Sorted into Slytherin by accident?"
The atmosphere was heating up. I understood I needed to act to avoid conflict. I had expected a slightly more favorable reaction.
"Let's do it like this," I proposed, raising a hand to get attention. "Each of us will say only what they want to say about themselves. This isn't an exam, after all, but merely a show of respect for one another."
Cassius and Avery, for better or worse, tried to support me, nodding and smiling in encouragement. If this continued, I might soon be able to call these guys not just acquaintances, but friends.
"I think if someone doesn't want to talk, they don't have to," Cassius remarked sternly. "It's not mandatory, right?"
"Yes, my friend, no one is forcing anyone," I agreed, quickly correcting the situation. "But it's an excellent opportunity to create the first bonds and find interesting people. However, if someone refuses to introduce themselves and get to know who they are studying with, that is their choice." — And now, a venomous smirk and the finishing move — "I won't dwell on the discourtesy and foolishness of such a choice, and instead, as the initiator, I will take the lead."
There. Now no one will leave. They should subconsciously be drawn to the confidence and the fact that I'm not just anybody, but the heir of one of the wealthiest families in Magical Britain, which means my opinion carries sense and weight. Though I'm not so sure of that myself yet.
"I am Arcturus-Corvus Armand Malfoy, but let's skip the formalities — my school friends can call me simply Arcturus. You all know my family. I am the heir of the noble and ancient House of Malfoy, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families of Great Britain." A slight pause, and I continue. "My family has been in Slytherin for generations, and I am no exception. Apparently, the blood of the Blacks and the Malfoys doesn't allow one to be born without the traits inherent only to true Slytherins."
"My goals are too vast to voice them all, but I will share my joy with you, for only sensible people have gathered here, since no one has left yet. I hope that in the coming years we will stick together, for it is easier to master the magical sciences and overcome difficulties together. Here, in Slytherin, I intend to gather around me like-minded individuals capable of appreciating the true possibilities and the prospects opening before us." After the speech, I sat down in a white leather armchair. Behind me was only the window into the Black Lake.
I am sitting, and they are standing in a semicircle. Well, alright, there are a couple of guys who have already taken seats on the nearest chairs, but that doesn't cancel my regal position. All I need now is a cat named Mr. Bigglesworth, but I already have Dart. Now all that's left is to smile wider and remember everyone.
Overall, everyone was clearly impressed by my speech, so all that remained was to enjoy the domino effect. I needed to subconsciously establish myself in their minds as a leader and an authoritative voice. Maybe not immediately, but the first step had been taken.