Slytherin

Unlike Gryffindor cubs, the proper Slytherin snakes of this era wouldn't explode at the slightest provocation. Plenty of them cast malicious looks at Ezio, but the vast majority merely watched, some even wearing expressions of anticipation as they waited for the show.

Sitting back and watching the tigers fight had always been something these Slytherin snakes enjoyed. They preferred using their heads to scheme rather than getting involved themselves.

That wasn't very Slytherin at all, actually, because Salazar Slytherin himself hadn't been that kind of person. He'd been more inclined to kill anyone he didn't like or who crossed him, then put them to use as experimental material, making the most of the trash. If he hadn't been that sort of person, he wouldn't have befriended Gryffindor, who loved dueling and was prone to getting carried away. In a way, both of them had been born killers back then; they'd simply had different methods. Gryffindor liked to provoke people into duels, giving them time to prepare before they died, while Slytherin usually killed them right there and then—a bit lacking in sportsmanship for that era.

But after he left Slytherin, that culture gradually changed. Cunning and deceit were only one side of Slytherin, but later wizards amplified them many times over, to the point that they became Slytherin's most defining traits.

And those who wanted to watch the excitement got their wish. No one understood better than they did what their own House was like these days.

Pure-bloods did have a slight advantage over Half-bloods and Muggle-borns when it came to the proportion of talented wizards. Otherwise, Pure-blood wizarding families wouldn't be so obsessed with maintaining the purity of their bloodlines. Some wizards might be complete idiots, but wizarding families couldn't have generations of idiots. At the very least, the founders of those families wouldn't have been.

But their obsession with blood purity also meant that, by now, the descendants of Pure-blood families were often mixed with plenty of substandard trash. And Slytherin had, unfortunately, become the trash bin.

These idiots made up almost a quarter, if not a third, of Slytherin's total numbers. For the truly sharp Slytherin snakes, watching the fools make monkeys of themselves was a way to pass the time.

"Some things don't need to be spelled out." A boy in the upper years, seated diagonally in front of Ezio, smiled as he offered a warning. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Labas Foley, a Slytherin Prefect. Someone already wants to see you make a fool of yourself. Some people don't think much, and it only takes a word or two to goad them into action."

"You mean that thing over there that looks like an ape?" Ezio raised his head calmly. About six or seven meters to his front left, a burly, rough-looking boy had heard the people beside him and turned to stare in Ezio's direction. From his expression, it looked as though he wanted to tear Ezio limb from limb.

"Ah, if I'm not mistaken, you mean Marcus." Labas didn't even need to turn around. He had already guessed which fool the other onlookers would try to goad into putting on a show. "I agree with your description of him, but provoking a beast with considerable brute strength isn't a wise move."

"If Slytherin relied on nothing but schemes, how could he have stood alongside the other three great wizards, all renowned throughout the world?"

Ezio picked up a meat pie and ate it with relish. "People who only play at scheming are clowns. If you want to become a great ambitious wizard like Slytherin, strength and ability are essential. I chose Slytherin because, in my heart, he's the most proper kind of wizard."

"It looks like Slytherin is going to welcome an extraordinary new student this year." Labas gave him an appreciative look. "After you've dealt with this little problem, I hope you'll become a true member of Slytherin."

"Prove you're true Slytherins first."

Ezio replied without much interest. Labas's face stiffened slightly at his words. He said nothing more and picked up his knife and fork to tackle his dinner.

The sumptuous feast filled everyone's stomachs. Hogwarts' house-elves were excellent cooks. Even the simplest smoked fish had far more flavor than anything sold outside, without a trace of the dreadful food England was known for.

When the last piece of pudding vanished from the plates, Dumbledore stood up again, and the Great Hall fell quiet.

"Oh, now that everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, I have a few more words to say. At the start of the term, I'd like to remind you of a few things."

"First-years, please note that students are forbidden from entering the woods on the school grounds."

Dumbledore's gaze swept across the room, but Ezio noticed that it lingered a little longer on the Slytherin table. Dumbledore was probably still wondering how Harry had ended up in Slytherin.

"Also, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you not to use magic in the corridors between classes."

"Quidditch tryouts will be held during the second week of term. Anyone interested should contact Madam Hooch."

"Finally, I must tell you that anyone who does not wish to suffer an accidental and painful death should stay out of the corridor on the right-hand side of the fourth floor."

"What does that mean?" Harry nudged Ezio's elbow.

"It means you should definitely go check out the fourth-floor corridor."

"Oh." Harry nodded in sudden understanding. "If he hadn't said that, nobody would have gone there on their own, right?"

Ezio nodded. "Exactly. I imagine they've set up some kind of prank in that corridor. A pretty scary one, too."

Harry stuck out his tongue. He suddenly had the feeling that if you cut open this kind-faced old man with a white beard, he'd be black inside. He was old enough to know better, yet still enjoyed teasing children.

"And now, before you all go to bed, let's sing the school song together!" Dumbledore called out cheerfully, a smile on his face. The teachers behind him froze, their smiles stiffening. Snape was the only exception. All evening, he'd looked like someone who'd won the lottery but couldn't tell anyone, working very hard to keep his expression under control.

As golden lyrics sprayed from Dumbledore's wand, a chaotic chorus rang out in the Great Hall. But Dumbledore, the conductor, listened with rapture. When the singing ended, he spread his arms wide.

"Music! It has more charm than anything else we do here. Now it's time for bed. Everyone, off to your dormitories."

The older students left first, while the Prefects of each House began leading the first-years.

"Follow me!" Labas and another female Prefect said to the first-year Slytherins. "Our Common Room is in the underground area beneath the Astronomy Tower. It's a little way from the Great Hall, but we're the closest after Hufflepuff."

They followed a spiral staircase down to the lower floor. The first-years, lined up in a row, walked along a torch-lit corridor. After turning two corners, they came to a bare wall.

"This is the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Remember this wall. On the other side are staircases leading to the Astronomy Tower and the Dragon Statue Courtyard."

Labas stopped in front of the wall and gestured for the first-years to look around and memorize the landmarks. Then he said, "Speak the password, and the Common Room door will open. We change the password at the end of every month. You can find it on the noticeboard in the Common Room. This month's password is—Glory."

As soon as he finished speaking, two giant serpents appeared on the previously bare wall, slithering across it. Then they coiled up, revealing a stone archway. A black door appeared in the arch, and Labas reached out and pulled it open.

"You can see the view beneath the Black Lake from the Common Room, but don't get your hopes up about the Merfolk. The Black Lake Merfolk are ugly and liable to put you off your food."

"All right, come inside."