After everyone had introduced themselves in turn, some even shared a few words about themselves, though rarely — not enough for a full understanding of the personality of yet another juvenile schemer.
Although not everyone in Slytherin was universally an aristocrat or an intriguer. After all, being pure-blood didn't necessarily mean noble, and the so-called elite made up, by Merlin, about half.
Most, of course, mentioned their family to dispel any doubts about their pure-blood status; Slytherins were rather particular about that.
There were half-bloods too, as I'd mentioned, but you couldn't tell by looking. It's important to understand that the ephemeral concept of "pure-blood" is merely the fact of having wizards in one's lineage for three generations.
That is, all your grandparents must be magical, regardless of their blood status. In this case, your parents are second-generation wizards but not yet pure-blood, and you are a first-generation pure-blood, i.e., a third-generation wizard.
However, if one of your parents is Muggle-born and the other is a noble wizard from the Sacred Twenty-Eight in the n-th generation, you would still be a half-blood. So, a second-generation wizard could be a half-blood, or might not be.
In short, it's all relative and quite convoluted, but in the end, it's simple. There's only one official requirement — to be a third-generation wizard, meaning no Muggles in the last three generations. I hope that's clear.
Meanwhile, another first-year began to introduce himself. After this boy, a girl stepped forward.
She had been sitting in the far corner all this time. One could make out her long black hair, large, deep, dark pools for eyes, thin eyebrows, and an oval, slightly elongated face with delicate features that harmonized well with her slight thinness. The girl was quite pretty for her age, and her light gait and kind smile made one forget that she wasn't a sweet child but a serpent like the rest of us.
"I am Isabella Nox, pure-blood. I like everything about Slytherin, from the emblem to the atmosphere, and my mother studied here too. I'm already acquainted with some of the girls from our year, and thanks to Arcturus's idea — I hope I can address you so?" — she looked at me, the corners of her lips lifting slightly; I nodded with a reciprocal smile — "I know even more of my classmates now. I'll be happy to make new friends. Perhaps many haven't heard my surname — my father is from Romania, and the Nox family settled in Britain only recently."
Besides Nox, there were other cunning representatives of the opposite sex. For example, Vivienne Crawford, the picture of a proper young lady, but in reality, she was that very bitchy girl who complained about not wanting to talk about herself. As far as I recall from my father's words, the Crawfords always hold high positions in the Ministry, replacing each other generation after generation. You could say they have a dynasty. At least, several high-ranking posts are still occupied by Crawfords. After school, Vivienne will definitely go to build a career at the Ministry and will later miraculously rise to a position held by one of her relatives. I should generally establish contact with her; she will be extremely useful if the pattern with high positions continues.
But I knew one of the girls even before Hogwarts — Amanda Rosier. I've known her since childhood. We met several times at receptions and once at the annual ball organized by the Ministry. I even managed to dance with her once on my parents' advice; we looked ridiculous, of course, but that's how children are taught to behave in such places. All this was before the ritual and, consequently, the merger.
The Rosier family was influential, I'd even say very influential. Before the Dark Lord's defeat, whose supporters the Rosiers were, they could rival the Greengrass family in influence and wealth. And that, mind you, is the third richest family in Britain, and currently a contender for second place, given that the Blacks are nearly extinct and their assets and businesses continue to be absorbed by other families.
Furthermore, the Rosiers are renowned for their Potions masters and combat mages, and the temperament of the women of the Rosier family is second only to the Blacks. In the first few minutes of meeting her, I didn't expect her to be such a manipulator and a bitch, but that was before the ritual, so my experience in analyzing people wasn't as extensive then.
Now it's immediately apparent... you know the type, those haughty ice queens from second-rate American high school movies. Well, I guarantee she's exactly like that, only more cunning and restrained. Although at the ball, she briefly revealed her true face.
After all, training children from childhood in aristocratic families often led not only to positive qualities but also to some serious screws loose.
Amanda Rosier stood out in everything, from her gait to her confident gaze, and her long, fair hair that fell freely onto her shoulders. She knew who she was and what place she occupied in the food chain.
She confidently approached the center of the room. Her bright green eyes, sparkling with curiosity, carefully examined those present before she began to speak. A slight movement of her hand emphasized every thought, and her thin, slightly pointed chin gave her face an expression of confidence.
"I am Amanda Rosier. I am a daughter of the House of Rosier, of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. I believe true strength lies not only in mastering magic but also in the ability to see people for who they are," she said, her gaze becoming more penetrating. "I do not care for hypocrites and will be glad to acquaint myself with interesting people, whom, unfortunately, are hard to find. People who are willing to learn and stick together."
That's the difference between an ordinary person and the elite. Only eleven years old, and every word had been thought out since the moment I proposed this idea — or rather, forced them to accept my idea.
After her speech, Amanda approached me. I had to get up from my seat and greet her. After all, all this time I had only nodded to her when we crossed paths, which was, to put it mildly, uncivil. We are acquainted, and I should have at least spoken a little with her yesterday.
And she "doesn't care for hypocrites," apparently because she doesn't need competitors. Just like me. As for her true character... during the Ministry ball, she showed her true face. I, on the other hand, did not and will not. It might seem that I have no mental issues, but from the perspective of a 21st-century person, which I partly am deep inside...
I myself try to restrain the narcissism and diligently push away... the most terrible impulses. In the first days after the merger, I even had a nervous tic… and a couple of other unpleasant things that I'm now trying to nip in the bud before they turn into a mental disorder.
Ideally, I'd practice Occlumency, but it's not recommended to influence the mind before the age of 17. Otherwise, instead of an extremely expensive and dangerous ritual, which is also banned in most magical countries, my father would have simply hired a teacher of mental magic, or my mother would have taught me. Unlike my father, she wasn't busy managing a dozen family businesses, problems of the board of trustees, and participating in Wizengamot sessions.
Damn… I got distracted again. Regarding Amanda — I'm sure she will quickly gather the Slytherin first-year girls around herself. Perhaps she'll do it without even trying, but she definitely will. The others were taken in by her speech, but I know she's not such a goody-goody.
So, chatting idly about nothing and everything, not without mutual jabs, of course, we watched the next students. It wasn't like the first-years were giving speeches on a stage, but most at least took a step forward and introduced themselves.
"I'm Dexter Blackmore. My goal is to become a famous duelist and achieve mastery in some branch of magic. I don't like it when people try to weasel around me."
"Look, Arcturus, Blackmore is quite the stern fellow," she said melodiously, raising an eyebrow, then immediately returning her expression to its previous state.
In moments like this, I just want to grab a steel rebar and…
"But it's concise. Immediately clear that you shouldn't mess with him."
"What, afraid of getting burned? You're so… boring today," she said with an innocent voice, looking up at me from under her brows and batting her eyelashes. Just imagine an 11-year-old child, with a cute appearance but already a bitchy character, who picks and annoys…
"I have nothing to fear — I don't mess around. I was rather warning you." Only one thing was on my mind… to find out what's going on in that little skull of hers. I have a feeling she'll be a major thorn in my side during our studies.
"Is that so? Alright then. I think I'll go — you're not very talkative today."
"Have a good day, Amanda. It was a pleasure talking."
At least I managed to annoy her back. I have the right — she's the one constantly annoying me. I thought, maybe I'm biased against her? Although… no, it can't be.
"My name is Kaiden Fletcher, I'd like to make the Quidditch team in my second year…" The guy was simpler than, say, Blackmore and a few other boys before him, but he spoke about himself confidently. He didn't say a word about his blood status, though, unlike those whose surnames weren't among the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
"I'm Simon Tolman, pure-blood…" And so, gradually, everyone introduced themselves, nothing over the top. Only a few individuals, like me, gave small speeches. I'll admit, there was a bit of cringe in all this, or in human terms — secondhand embarrassment, but let me remind you, I'm in a closed children's collective and am a child myself.
If you don't count the huge chunk of an adult's personality and memories. But in this short time, I've realized that the body determines being, and being determines consciousness. I mean realized, not just learned. I knew it before.
"I'm Marcus Avery, pure-blood. It was nice to meet everyone who spoke before me. I think we can all agree it was a decent idea. Thank you, Arctur. If anyone wants to play chess, I'd be happy to play a couple of games."
This whole affair took us about 15 minutes. In the end, everyone now knows each other and will be thinking about what to do with this information. As for me, I'll go play chess with Avery now. Honestly, before Avery, it was Alistair Yaxley, but he limited himself to his name and blood status, and then went over to Kaiden Fletcher.
But Avery pleased me. I don't know if he deliberately spoke last, but the first and last speeches are remembered best. That's why, after Avery finished, I didn't say anything more. After all, he mentioned again who was responsible for this wonderful idea, so I'll just go play chess.
"Let's go faster! Don't you want to explore the castle!?" Cassius loomed over our game, but say what you will, I know how to play chess. I didn't study to be a programmer for nothing, what with all the math. I don't want to boast, but in that other world, I had an online rating comparable to a second adult category, and there were some divisions there, and I was in the last one. So…
"Rook to H7. Checkmate, Marcus." The king fell, and the game was over. Magical chess really is a wonderful thing. You don't have to touch anything with your hands, though the main thing is not to mix up the notations.
As a self-taught player, I of course didn't know any notations, except for the names of a couple of openings. I just liked the game itself and had played since childhood, getting better intuitively. And thanks to my math teacher, who encouraged me, I participated in local school tournaments. Later, I participated in chess tournaments at university myself.
I even considered taking up chessboxing. Given my modest successes in both. But as I said — modest, so I dropped the idea.
"You play well…" Mark said thoughtfully, peering intently at the chessboard.
"Just got lucky, that's all."
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Now, can we go for a walk?" Cassius could no longer contain himself.
"No, now we're going to do our homework for Potions and Transfiguration."
"But we don't have either of those tomorrow," Mark said, recalling the schedule as he recovered from his defeat.
"Are you serious? I waited for you guys for so long, and it's just to go do homework!?" Warrington sighed in despair.
"Let's do it today so we don't have to later." In that other world, when I was in school, I never did that, even though I was a straight-A student through 9th grade. But I know some top students studied that way.
"I'm lazy. Better give me a chance for a rematch. I won't be able to sleep — I hate losing."
"If you do it now, you'll be lazy and thank me the day before those lessons. Grab your notebooks and textbooks and off to the library. We'll help each other and finish faster." If they come with me, it's a plus for my relationship with them. Even if I'm going to be almost sincere in my friendship, it will only be with those willing to do a little more than the rest.
"Alright… let's go."
"Sigh… what did I do to deserve this… alright, I hope we go explore the castle afterwards. Right?"
"If we finish before evening, then unquestionably," I replied, putting a hand on Cassius's shoulder. Physical contact always brings people closer. Oh, those Telegram psychology channel subscriptions… although in my experience, it really did help a little.
"Will you give me some rest? It feels like I was the only one who sat through four lessons."
"You're just lazy, Avery. That's all," Cassius replied, and we finally headed to the library. This is workable; if even Cassius is willing, we can move forward side by side without stragglers.
I'm also already noticing that we communicate almost without quirks, like normal, ordinary kids. And we've known each other for practically no time at all. Although I still have to maintain some boundaries, which is even good.
Sitting in the library, we tried to finish the homework, but the decision to do the extra credit on the very first day turned out not to be the best idea.
"I told you, it's better to choose Archibald Menitos last… he, unlike your option, is known precisely for his discoveries in Transfiguration," I tried to get my point across to Avery, but he was set in his ways. It was further hindered by the need to keep our voices down, as Madam Pince was extremely particular about silence in the library.
"Arctur is right, and it's also easier to find information about him than about your… what's his name, I've already forgotten."
"If I took him too, the professor would think we're copying," Avery grumbled, his muttering unforgettable, as were his attempts to defend his position. "And anyway, it was your idea to start on the essay that isn't even mandatory."
"Seriously, why do we need this?" Warrington sighed. "We should be out exploring Hogwarts…"
"Silence in the library!" hissed the aforementioned librarian through her teeth.
And believe me, it was better not to anger this woman. Literally half an hour ago, a normal, I'd even say handsome guy dropped a book — retribution came instantly in the form of a blow to the back of the head with a huge volume. I will never forget that pain and humiliation… I even regretted deciding to do homework… and all because of these guys' whining.
"To show interest," I whispered quietly, praying we wouldn't get hit again, "and anyway, I wrote a different name. A single mention of the most important 12th-century Transfiguration master will look normal." Honestly, Avery should have been too lazy to spend so much time on another name, considering the option was just to copy with some changes. But it turned out he had an interesting character trait — he was very stubborn.
"Speak louder, I missed half of that," Cassius whispered, sitting on the other side of Marcus.
"Alright, you've convinced me." Finally… we had finished long ago and were just waiting for Marcus, helping him find information.
"Finally!" Cassius rejoiced. "Oh…"
He didn't rejoice for long... we quickly retreated from the library, and Marcus finished writing in the Slytherin common room. The prefects were supposed to take us to dinner; good thing we managed to finish everything. Just in the nick of time, by the way. Though, if not for the stubbornness of one lazybones… I know, the concepts contradict, but we would have finished half an hour earlier.
During dinner, things were a bit livelier; when you at least know the name of the person you're talking to, it's easier to start a conversation. I also noticed that some of the guys tried to sit closer to me.
After a hearty dinner, Rowle disappointed us. For this first week, while they were escorting us, they decided not to let us out after dinner. Just in case, because over in Gryffindor, a boy had already gone missing after classes. The Gryffindor prefects searched for almost an hour.
They found him on the third floor. It turned out the boy had fallen victim to the moving staircases. In short, the prefects figured it would reduce their headaches and the risk of losing a first-year, and then having to waste time searching.
The remaining time before curfew we simply spent playing chess and discussing the lessons. Overall, I liked the day. Even though I was tired, it was just from being unaccustomed to it. I played a bit with Dart and fed him. I should take him to the Owlery; they'll feed him regularly there, like the other owls. But only I, as his owner, can send messages with him. After all, he's not a Hogwarts owl; he's my own, dear one.
"Yes, Dart?" Dart was currently sitting in his cage next to my bed. The clever bird immediately peeped in response; magical owls are truly amazing creatures. I don't know who bred them, but they were clearly a genius. Although last night he did disturb my sleep a bit. I'll take him to the Owlery tomorrow; I don't have that much feed, but I do have a supply of owl treats to reward the little postmen and my Dart.
"Tomorrow, we go exploring first, and then lessons," Cassius stated firmly. I don't know why, but we had been chatting for a long time, lying in our beds.
"I have a feeling I forgot something, but alright. Good night, everyone."
"Good night."
"Sweet dreams."
Finally, the long-awaited bed carried me off to the realm of Morpheus. I was sleeping peacefully, you see, when I remembered what I had forgotten… Mum asked me to write a letter upon arrival. Let's consider the first day as 'just didn't have time,' but now the second day has passed, and still no letter. It's not good to anger a Black, and Mum is a Black by birth. Even Father is afraid of angering Narcissa Black.
I quickly jumped out of bed and ran my hand over the magical lamp — a simple way to light it. I had brought many useful things in my briefcase. Quickly, I got out the ink, quill, parchment, and started writing. Honestly, because I was half-asleep, my writing was illegible and full of mistakes, but who cares. The main thing is for the letter to arrive before Mum decides to write an angry one.
Just as I was attaching the letter to Dart, Cassius woke up.
"Ah… what are you doing... Arctur…" A half-limp, half-asleep Warrington tried to figure out if this was a dream or not. I stood up from my crouch, the owl in my arms.
"Everything's fine, friend — it's just a dream, hah. I wouldn't be sending a letter at midnight… just a crazy dream. Now close your eyes and go back to sleep." Cassius closed his eyes and relaxed.
"Of course, a dream… we're in the dungeons… shhh… nowhere for an owl…" And he fell asleep...
It was on the third day that the Indian – Sharp Eye, noticed there was no fourth wall in the prison. Well, that's it… I'm done for, how could I be so stupid! We don't live in a tower… Mordred's Gryffs have beaten us here too…
Putting the owl back in its place and securely hiding the letter, I prayed to the Great Merlin that there would be no letter from Mum in the morning. And so ended my first, very long, but interesting school day at Hogwarts.