Getting Along

His gaze paused for a moment as it swept over Breeze in the far corner... then, with an expressionless face and a long, drawn-out tone, he said slowly, "You should all understand the meaning of Slytherin. Perhaps you come from wealth, glory, and prestige, but upon arriving here, everything is determined by strength. Of course, one cannot deny that family background is also a form of strength, but this is not a place for you to flaunt the splendor of your ancestors... You must remember this: do not make mistakes."

"If you find yourselves in need of assistance... provided it is not because your brains have seized up or are stuffed with gillyweed, and you come asking about some utterly useless matter, I shall open my doors to welcome you..."

Breeze stood there feeling a bit dizzy; this Snape could certainly talk.

"Good!"

"Then, please retire for the night... There are no duels for the position of Prefect in the first year. You should be thankful; Slytherin leaves a shred of warmth for its little snakes, granting you time to grow. Though it is not much, it is precious. One cannot expect you to grapple like trolls, treating your wands like clubs."

"Prefects, get them settled."

Once Snape finished speaking, the fifth-year prefects, one boy and one girl, stepped forward. The girl was Jennifer Carrow; she led the first-year girls away through the passage on the right, while the boy said, "I am Bennett Wilder. Please, follow me."

This boy did not say much more, nor was he overly hostile toward Breeze, though the roommate Breeze was to share a room with did not seem particularly friendly.

Slytherin rooms were doubles. Perhaps because of the wealth Slytherin had possessed from the beginning, the house named after its founder was not overcrowded, and was even somewhat luxurious. The unlucky fellow sharing the room with him was named Blaise Zabini—the refined, dark-skinned boy who had been trailing after Malfoy.

The bedroom door opened, and Zabini walked straight in, paying no mind to Breeze's presence.

Of course, this was for the best; Breeze had no energy left to worry about his roommate's attitude. The day's events had left him so exhausted he didn't want to speak, wishing only to wash up and rest. Cursed Tuesday, and tomorrow was Wednesday—Breeze had classes to attend.

The entire Slytherin common room was dominated by green with silver accents, and the bedrooms were the same; the green curtains with silver embroidery and the beds were quite comfortable... In truth, Breeze liked green and silver and hated red and white. Silver and white were different; they could not be lumped together.

But Breeze did not particularly like it here, because the Slytherin common room was on the basement level, which made him feel stifled. The windows were separated by a massive pane of glass, through which one could see the deep lake outside, along with the fish and shrimp swimming within. Sometimes, one could even see a giant squid, though generally, the magical creatures living at the bottom of the lake rarely approached this window; the place was protected by magic.

He still preferred the high towers of Ravenclaw. Back at the orphanage, he had loved to go to the top floor to catch the breeze, even in the coldest of winters, rather than being wrapped up in a quilt like a snake, motionless.

He only hoped tomorrow would be a good day.

Breeze tidied up his luggage, which had already been placed in the room by a house-elf, took off the satchel he had been wearing, and after washing up, lay down on the bed. His roommate was already at his own desk writing a letter, presumably to his family.

Breeze did not write to Emmeline; they were finished, and it was enough to maintain a basic level of civility. He did not take out his diary or textbooks to preview, either; he simply pulled out the class schedule from his nightstand.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, there was a Herbology class starting at 9:00 AM. The instructor was Professor Pomona Sprout, and the class would be held in the greenhouses outside the castle. Furthermore, to better observe the growth and changes of the plants, there was another session in the afternoon...

Well, Breeze quite liked Herbology; it was his strong suit. In any case, he had already memorized most of what was in the books, so he could rest with a clear conscience.

As Breeze drifted into sleep, Zabini, nearby, set down his envelope. He silently glanced at Breeze, let out a cold, soft chuckle, and then slowly went to the washroom to clean up, preparing to rest as well.

The next morning, Breeze stretched and rolled over, intending to continue sleeping, when suddenly he thought of something.

"Yes, I have already started school, but I think..."

Breeze's muttering in bed disturbed Zabini, who was a light sleeper in the early morning. He rose silently to wash up, and soon left the room with his Herbology textbook and an envelope.

In the Slytherin common room, there were quite a few early risers, including the fifth-year prefects from last night, Jennifer Carrow and Bennett Wilder. The fifth year had an important exam—the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.)—which concerned the students' futures, so every fifth-year class was busy. The seventh year also had an exam—the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.)—so the seventh years were even busier. Generally, students in these two years rarely participated in extracurricular activities, most of them burying their heads in their studies or cramming.

Jennifer Carrow frowned as she watched Blaise Zabini walk out, but her expression quickly softened. Beside her, Bennett Wilder remarked with amusement, "It seems your judgment is flawed as well."

Bennett Wilder's gaze was mocking as he added, "I don't know why you would help that Muggle-born. Could it be you have a taste for that? He's only eleven!"

Jennifer Carrow rolled her eyes at him, brushed her hair slightly, and did not answer the question.

Bennett Wilder clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, let's hope this brat can manage to stay."

Zabini heard the two of them, but he paid no mind. After greeting Parkinson, who was on a sofa nearby, he walked straight out the door.

Inside the room, Breeze slowly crawled out from under his quilt to wake himself up before getting up to wash. He had no excessive expectations for his roommate; he only hoped he wouldn't be a hindrance, and that Slytherin might be a bit more tolerant.

Of course, Breeze was disappointed. Just as he finished washing and was heading to the Great Hall with his textbooks, he ran into some trouble before he could even leave the common room.

"A Muggle-born can get into Slytherin? We should hurry up and kick him out. He even has the nerve to carry that raggedy satchel; even the house-elves would find it repulsive, hmph."

Two second-year boys blocked Breeze's path. These two had been shooting daggers at him since the banquet last night, and now they couldn't resist taking action themselves.

Breeze simply looked at the two of them, feeling a surge of irritation; he just wanted to get some food as quickly as possible.

"Ockham, Gus, school has only just begun." A senior girl glanced coldly at Breeze before looking at the two boys. Of course, this wasn't to help Breeze, but to signal them not to be so direct.

However, the two boys clearly had no patience to play cat and mouse with Breeze. They exchanged a look, and one of them said, "Oh, senior, I think you should be worried about your N.E.W.T.s, not us."

"Hmph." The witch smiled and ignored the situation further.

Jennifer Carrow, standing nearby, frowned.

The others also remained silent, observing the situation, but none had any intention of intervening.

Breeze kept his head down, his eyes flickering with a faint red light, when he saw Draco Malfoy emerge from the dormitory passage. Pansy, who had been waiting on the sofa, put down her beauty book and, with undisguised disgust and contempt, said to Breeze, "Get lost, you insidious Muggle-born!"

Malfoy's two hulking cronies also stepped out, and upon hearing Pansy's words, they both stepped forward and shoved Breeze.

Pansy looked at Malfoy, her face beaming. "Draco, I've been waiting for you for so long. Let's go enjoy breakfast. I hope your mood hasn't been ruined by some people."

Malfoy nodded and curled his lips into a smile.

"My mood is excellent."

Malfoy glanced at Breeze with a look of schadenfreude, snorted, and held his head high. "We are pure-blood wizards of noble lineage, Pansy. You must mind your etiquette; don't be like some half-bloods or Muggles."

He grabbed Breeze by the shoulder and said coldly, "You watch yourself, too. No one here will help you, freak... Slytherin will devour you until there's nothing left."

Then he looked at Ockham and Gus and said, "I hope you two aren't planning on doing anything stupid as well."

Hearing Malfoy's words, the two who had been blocking Breeze's path immediately stepped away from the door, their expressions unreadable; they were annoyed but dared not retort, forced to let Malfoy and his group walk out of the common room.

Leaves are eaten by bugs, and bugs are eaten by birds—that is Slytherin for you. Tsk, a proud peacock?

The red light in Breeze's lowered eyes had already faded... He was not yet familiar with this place; he had to wait a little longer... Was there something wrong with these eyes of his? Was Malfoy trying to warn him?

An anomaly?

"Alright, that's enough, stop the commotion." At this moment, Jennifer Carrow stood up. As a prefect, if she didn't step in now, it wouldn't look good if this matter reached the Head of House, and she certainly didn't want to lose her position over such a trivial affair.

Bennett Wilder also teased, "Keep this up a little longer and the kid is going to cry, haha—cough, cough."

Seeing that no one responded to him, he coughed awkwardly twice.

Jennifer Carrow glared at him, then looked at Breeze and said with some disappointment, "This is my final piece of advice. I don't believe the Sorting Hat would place a spineless waste without any drive into Slytherin. This isn't Hufflepuff, where people are content to be bullied and lack any spirit."

Bennett Wilder, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow and said, "Jennifer, are you his mother? You certainly care about him."

"Shut up, Bennett. Don't forget that you are a prefect too; he is a Slytherin, after all."

Bennett Wilder shrugged helplessly, though inwardly he was enjoying the show Jennifer was putting on. However, he looked coldly at Breeze and said, "Fine, of course. Then, would you two gentlemen, Ockham and Gus, please step aside and let this little Muggle-born gentleman pass?"

"Hmph, of course."

Hearing the prefect's arrangement, Ockham and Gus stepped aside resentfully, and Breeze cast a slight glance at the two of them.

Ockham and Gus suddenly felt a stinging pain in their eyes as a surge of magic obscured their vision.

"Ah!"

Ockham and Gus were kicked hard in the stomach. They viciously reached for their wands, but the common room door had already been shut.

The other little snakes in the common room watched this scene, none of them moving to help Ockham and Gus.

Jennifer didn't care about their well-being either. She said coldly, "He is currently under the protection period. He can make a move on you, but if you strike at him, it is a provocation against the rules of Slytherin!"

"I imagine Professor Snape would love to have a nice long talk with you both."