The Argument

"I'm your Prefect, Vanessa Greengrass. The password to enter the Common Room changes every two weeks. The current password is 'Ouroboros.' The new password will be posted on the noticeboard." Once all the students had come inside, Vanessa explained the Slytherin rules to the first-years.

She stood on the steps leading to the Common Room, looking over all the Underage Wizards from every year.

"At Hogwarts, we're Slytherin. We don't reject ambition, but we always remain calm and composed, uphold our dignity, and value honor. I hope you'll all defend Slytherin's honor. Our House hasn't won the House Cup in several years. I hope you won't spend every day arguing with those Gryffindor fools, and instead devote more time to your studies and our House's honor." Vanessa looked calmly at the students in the Common Room and spoke in an even tone.

The little Slytherin snakes stood quietly at the foot of the steps, listening to Vanessa. Their expressions varied, and it was hard to tell how many of them were really taking her words to heart. Just then, a discordant voice rang out.

"That still doesn't mean we should let those Gryffindor idiots walk all over us. Now's the perfect time for us to rise. Just look at the Magical World today—the times are about to change." A blond upper-year student stood on the steps too, loudly protesting to Vanessa.

"That's Rory Yaxley, the fifth-year Prefect. He was just made Prefect this year," Vivian whispered to Anduin, sharing what she'd learned.

"Enough. Don't bring what's happening outside school into the House. You came to Hogwarts to study, not to choose sides." Vanessa reprimanded Rory sharply, not giving him the chance to finish.

"All right, everyone, off you go. Your luggage is in your rooms, and your timetables have already been placed on your desks. Your names are on your doors. Go back to your rooms now." Vanessa turned and dismissed everyone, then gave the first-years further instructions, leaving Rory no more time to speak.

"Hmph! We're born noble. Slytherin has a duty to preserve the purity of the Magical World. I hear there are even Muggle-born wizards in the House now. Just look—under your leadership, what's left of Slytherin's nobility?" Rory shouted furiously at Vanessa, venting his anger.

The young wizards didn't dare interrupt. In small groups, they began to disperse.

Anduin heard Rory making veiled accusations and had no interest in listening to him rant, so he left along the corridor beside the Common Room.

It seemed there were differing opinions even within Slytherin. One side was more or less neutral, unwilling to get involved in the Dark Lord's affairs, while the other was the Pure-blood faction, convinced the Dark Lord would win.

As Anduin walked, he pondered this, and finally found his room.

Since the Slytherin dormitory had been converted from dungeons, each cell had become a dorm room. That meant every Slytherin got a room to themselves. In that respect, Anduin was quite satisfied with being sorted into Slytherin.

Inside, he was greeted by a lavish four-poster bed. The walls were made of polished stone, and two windows offered a direct view of the lakebed. The room was decorated with emerald-green and silver fabrics. Candles and oil lamps on the desk and bedside table provided light, while a medieval tapestry on the wall depicted famous adventures undertaken by Slytherin's heirs.

"There's even a carpet. The room's got nothing to complain about, at least in terms of decor." Although his experiences since entering Slytherin hadn't given him any particularly strong sense of belonging, Anduin had no complaints about being placed in the House when it came to his room.

As Anduin unpacked, he thought about his plans for the future. After considering things briefly, he made up his mind.

"I'll have to keep a low profile from now on. I need to keep training and exercising. Slytherins are good at protecting themselves, so I can't rely on anyone else. And I can't count on those Pure-blood supremacists to leave me alone. Everything in the Magical World is fascinating, but for now, I have to focus on staying safe. I need to arm myself and build up my firepower advantage." His soldier's mindset made him define every unknown as a danger. Gradually, the mildness faded from Anduin's eyes, replaced by a steady, keen resolve.

The next day, at six in the morning, Anduin stretched.

At Hogwarts, two classes were scheduled back to back from nine to eleven in the morning, with a break between them when the bell rang, followed by lunch. After lunch, classes resumed at one in the afternoon, again with two classes back to back.

Dinner was still served in the Great Hall. Afterward, students returned to their respective Common Rooms to do homework or socialize. Upper-year students had a later curfew of nine in the evening.

It was Tuesday. According to the timetable, Anduin had two Charms classes in the morning and History of Magic in the afternoon.

Anduin dressed and prepared to explore the castle early, hoping to learn the layout and find the classrooms. After checking that he had his wand, he opened the door and headed out.

The Common Room was empty in the early hours. Through the ceiling, he could see a giant squid swimming in the lake. Only now did Anduin have time to quietly take in the whole Common Room.

He had to admit, whoever had built the Common Room was both powerful and artistic. The view from the lakebed was even more breathtaking.

After admiring it for a while, Anduin followed the corridor he'd come in through and left the Slytherin dormitory.

Anduin spent more than two hours walking every route through the castle. The randomly moving staircases nearly left him dizzy, so he eventually used the Obstacle Charm to shape magic into stairs and jumped directly to each floor.

Hogwarts Castle had a huge main tower with eight floors, connected by Moving Staircases. The Headmaster's Office was on the top floor. A building resembling a Courtyard Building connected the other towers. Most of the main tower and Courtyard Building was taken up by classrooms for different years and subjects. Two of the other towers connected to the main tower housed the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Common Rooms. A drawbridge in the Courtyard Building led to the area beneath the Astronomy Tower.

The other nearby towers were the Central Tower, the Black Tower, and the Bell Tower. Another tall Courtyard Building connected the towers. A corridor through the building led to the library, with the Central Courtyard in the middle. Following the corridor past the library and the Central Courtyard, Anduin came to a large gate on the floor below. It led to several vast greenhouses. He went around the greenhouses and followed the corridor to the base of the Central Tower, where two bridges stood: one Stone Bridge connected to the Courtyard Building beside the main tower, while the other led toward the Entrance Hall.