The Academy Is Destined to Be Great Because of Me

The prefects' arrival put an end to the commotion. To maintain order, they didn't have time to fully understand what had happened, shoving all students back into their own compartments and forbidding them from wandering out again.

But the atmosphere inside the compartments remained far from calm, growing even more heated instead.

Almost everyone was whispering about the incident that had just occurred.

"That first-year actually used a Disarming Charm? And with such incredible power! It's unbelievable!"

"Yeah! And he didn't look scared at all, not like a new student at all. That aura—he's a born Slytherin, way too strong! The House Cup's going to be even harder for us to win now!"

"To hell with Slytherin! Didn't you see his smile? How warm and confident! He's a natural leader, he belongs in Gryffindor!"

"I think Ravenclaw's possible too, since all the best people come from there."

"He's so handsome! Why aren't I in the same compartment as him?"

In several compartments, arguments broke out one after another about which house Damon would join, along with the squeals of lovestruck girls swooning.

Meanwhile, back in Damon's compartment.

The petrified Malfoy trio had been dragged away. Damon calmly returned to his seat, while the other three wore varied expressions, all with flushed faces as if they were about to burst.

Neville stared at Damon excitedly, his hands flapping up and down uncontrollably, as if he wanted to say something. But every time the thought formed in his mind, his face grew redder, and his voice got stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

Harry felt his own throat itch too—he almost wanted to cheer and scream!

Before even officially enrolling, he'd witnessed a brilliant wizard's duel! Damon! It was unimaginable that he was a first-year the same age as him!

How could he be so powerful? Wasn't he an orphan like me? No one should have taught him magic, right?

He exchanged a glance with Hermione, both seeing the curiosity and desire to probe in each other's eyes.

In the end, Hermione spoke first.

"Damon, I have to say, I never thought we first-years could pull off something like this."

Her voice carried a hint of barely concealed admiration, along with a trace of confusion. "How did you do it? What did you learn before Hogwarts?"

Harry leaned in too, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Yeah, Damon, you don't seem like someone who just learned magic. You're the same age as us, so why is your magic so strong?"

Damon had just stuffed a Chocolate Frog into his mouth and was chewing. Looking at the three "kids" with their worshipful gazes, he shook his head and said, "I taught myself. I guess I have some talent in Charms Mastery."

"Just some?" Hermione interrupted him. Once her initial surprise faded, a competitive spirit stirred in her heart. "Your talent in Charms Mastery is terrifyingly good!"

"You know what, Damon?" Harry said. "I never thought you'd be this strong. You never made me feel pressured before, but the way you cast that spell—you didn't look like a new student at all!"

He couldn't help asking excitedly, "Those advanced spells—can anyone learn them? If I want to be as strong as you, where should I start?"

Can anyone learn them? Expelliarmus is your signature finishing move.

Damon smiled and patted Harry on the shoulder. "You'll learn it gradually once you're enrolled."

"Great!"

Harry's eyes lit up as he sat back down excitedly. Neville's face was still beet red, but he still couldn't get a word out.

Harry didn't notice Neville's state. His mind was replaying the image of Damon casting a spell to defeat the older students, and he couldn't help continuing, "I heard them talking earlier about you going to Slytherin? What does that mean? Hermione, do you know?"

"Oh, of course I do. Hold on." Hermione turned and pulled a book titled "Hogwarts: A Guide for New Students" from her bag, flipping to a page. "Actually, I read about the houses in here. Slytherin is one of the four houses, mainly known for its strong magical bloodlines. The students there value intelligence, resourcefulness, and magical ability, especially those with great ambition."

She paused, then continued, "But I also read that Slytherin students can sometimes come off as a bit too arrogant. Legend has it they don't always get along with students from other houses."

"Right, like that Draco Malfoy just now—a total Slytherin."

Harry frowned at that. "So... are you saying that if Damon goes to Slytherin, he'd fit in? That's weird—we haven't even been sorted yet."

Deep down, Harry didn't want Damon to end up in a house represented by someone like Malfoy.

Hermione went on, "Even though Slytherin students can be a bit arrogant and cold sometimes, not all of them are like Malfoy. Actually, Slytherin has a lot of very smart, ambitious students. Some of them have even achieved great things in the wizarding world."

She glanced at Damon, her tone softening slightly. "I think if Damon goes to Slytherin, he might fit in better there, especially since they value strategy and cunning."

Harry's frown deepened. "So you're saying if Damon goes to Slytherin, he'd get along with the students there?"

"Maybe," Hermione said, sounding uncertain herself.

"Don't worry," Damon said. "I'm not going to Slytherin. Definitely not."

Seeing the three of them looking so distressed, as if going to Slytherin was a necessary but regrettable choice, Damon couldn't help but smile.

Their eyes lit up again, and Neville finally mustered the courage to speak his first words of the day:

"Damon, if it were you, which house would you want to be in?"

Harry pricked up his ears. He had a feeling—he and Damon would become good friends at school. If that wasn't his intuition, he'd still try his best to befriend this guy. He was just too cool, wasn't he?

And if they ended up in the same house, that would make things much easier.

Hermione also blurted out the characteristics of the remaining three houses in one breath, then looked at Damon.

Damon gave a light smile:

"Honestly, I don't really care which house I end up in."

He gazed out the window at the gradually setting red glow and said calmly:

"I only know that no matter which house I go to, that house will become great because of me."

Even Neville felt that Damon was a bit arrogant at that moment.

But somehow, all three in the compartment felt a vague yet firm conviction—he was right.