The Start of School

After returning from Diagon Alley, there were still two months until term began.

Skylar had already committed an immense amount of Charms and Potions knowledge to memory. Now that he had a wand and a cauldron, he could begin practising spellcasting and potion-brewing. All he needed was constant, repeated practice to turn the knowledge in his head into skills he could actually use.

Every day, Skylar tirelessly practised every spell he knew until he could cast each one as naturally as moving his own arm, with complete ease and mastery.

Mr Ollivander had been right. This wand truly suited Skylar perfectly. Whenever he held it, the magic within him seemed to meld seamlessly with the wand, as though they were one and the same. No matter what magic he cast, it felt effortless and natural.

It was worth mentioning that Skylar had secretly discovered that this wand seemed to amplify Dark Arts. The Dark magic he cast was often noticeably more powerful than his other spells.

Two weeks later, Skylar happily received the wizarding robes Madam Malkin had sent him. He examined them fondly several times before packing them away with the luggage he would bring to Hogwarts.

September 1st arrived in the blink of an eye.

The Malfoy family arrived at King's Cross Station.

Passing through Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Skylar immediately saw a deep red steam locomotive waiting beside the platform. The sign hanging from the train read: Hogwarts Express, Eleven O'Clock.

Thick smoke from the locomotive curled and swirled above the noisy crowd. Cats of every colour weaved between people's feet, while owls screeched harshly overhead.

There were so many people here. Some were saying goodbye to their children, while others were exchanging stories about their holidays.

The two brothers bade farewell to their reluctant parents and boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Skylar shared a compartment with Draco. He took out that day's Daily Prophet and was just about to read it carefully when Crabbe and Goyle rushed in as well. "Draco, Skylar, did you hear?" they said excitedly. "Potter—Harry Potter—he's on this train too! Everyone on the train is talking about it."

"Hmph, I knew that a month ago." Draco felt he had to maintain the air of an elder brother. "I met him in Diagon Alley a month ago. Since you two mentioned it, I'll take you to meet him. Coming, Skylar?"

The four children walked along the corridor, with Crabbe and Goyle following behind like two bodyguards. Seeing Draco strutting beside him, Skylar felt as though Draco were leading his lackeys off to pick a fight.

When they reached a compartment door, "This is it," Goyle said. Draco took the lead and pulled it open. Harry Potter was sitting inside, and across from him sat a red-haired boy with freckles all over his face. He was tall and thin, with a smudge on his nose. Skylar recognised him as Ron.

"Hey, Harry, did you have a good summer?" Draco asked loudly. "Everyone on the train says you're sitting here."

"Um, it was all right," Harry stammered. Hagrid had already told him a few things, and Harry believed the Malfoy family to be sly, treacherous villains. It would be better to have as little to do with them as possible.

But Draco did not notice Harry's discomfort at all and continued talking to himself. "This is Crabbe, and this is Goyle. They wanted to meet you too." At last, Draco noticed the red-haired boy beside Harry. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "I suppose you must be one of the Weasley children. My father said your whole family has red hair, and that you have so many children it's practically—"

Skylar cleared his throat softly, and Draco abruptly fell silent. Looking at Ron, whose face had flushed bright red, Skylar said, "Hello, I'm Skylar Malfoy, and this is my brother Draco. He didn't mean what he just said. I apologise on his behalf."

Unfortunately, the bad first impression had already been made. Neither Harry nor Ron looked pleased.

Just then, a little girl arrived at the compartment door, followed by a round-faced boy who looked rather timid. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost his toad." The girl had thick brown hair and two large front teeth. Her voice was loud, and her manner somewhat overbearing. Skylar recognised her as Hermione.

Skylar spoke up. "I've heard of you, Neville. You're from the Longbottom family, aren't you? Your parents are both remarkable Aurors. I'm Skylar Malfoy, and this is my brother Draco."

"Really?" Neville, who had kept his head lowered the whole time, suddenly looked up. A different light blossomed in his eyes. It was the first time he had heard anyone say anything positive about him, even if it was only about his parents.

Skylar continued, "I haven't seen your toad, but I think I can help you bring it back."

Hermione looked curious. "How are you going to find it?"

Skylar gave a confident smile, drew his wand, and murmured, "Accio Neville's Toad."

Before long, a toad actually flew in through the window.

"Trevor!" Neville threw out his hands to catch and protect the flying toad, crying out in wild delight.

Hermione's eyes widened. "That was a Summoning Charm? Why did the toad fly in through the window?"

"It merely flew over from another compartment," Skylar said, turning to Neville. "If you don't want to lose it again, you'd better keep it in a cage."

With that, Skylar saw that Draco, Harry, and Ron had all become rather unhappy, so he pulled Draco away.

Unable to sit still, Draco soon ran off to Crabbe and Goyle's compartment to meet some other first-year students. Skylar returned to his compartment alone, took out a sandwich and his newspaper, and leisurely ate while reading.

Suddenly, the compartment door opened again, and two tall blonde girls entered. The girl in front quickly swept Skylar with an appraising gaze before walking inside, while the girl behind promptly followed.

Skylar did not know them, but his keen eye recognised their origins from the crests on their robes. The girl who had entered first was from the Greengrass Family, while the girl who followed was from the Shafiq Family. Like him, both came from the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families.

These two families received little mention in the original story. The Greengrass Family was best known for Astoria Greengrass, Draco's future wife. The women of that family were afflicted by an inherited Blood Curse passed down through the generations, and most did not live long. In the original story, Astoria had already died at the age of thirty-seven.

A Blood Curse was an exceedingly profound and rare type of curse magic. It could be planted within a family's bloodline, giving every descendant a certain chance of activating the curse.

The varieties of such curses were endless. Some shortened a person's life, some brought them endless misfortune, and some eventually turned them into beasts. Unless the bloodline died out or the curse was broken with a countercurse, it would be inherited by future generations forever.

Aside from the Greengrass Family, the only known Maledictus in the present wizarding world was Nagini, the giant snake that remained at Voldemort's side after his return. Nagini's Blood Curse differed from that of the Greengrass Family. Though it did not cause her to die young through a shortened lifespan, it irreversibly transformed her into a giant snake.

Skylar searched his memories. The Shafiq Family had left no record in the original story, but having read extensively through the rich collections of the Malfoy and Black families, his understanding of the wizarding world had long surpassed that of an original-story reader from his previous life.

Born Noble: Wizard Genealogy mentioned that the Shafiq Family was a branch descended from Morgan le Fay, the Dark Witch who was Merlin's mortal enemy and King Arthur's half-sister through their mother. Historically, the Shafiq Family had produced a formidable figure known to the world as the "Dark Queen." It was said that Maleficent, the villainous dark witch from the Muggle fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, had been based on that Shafiq dark witch.

Skylar took the initiative to speak. "Two beautiful ladies, I'm Skylar Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you. Is there anything I can do for you?"

The girl who had entered the compartment first answered gracefully, "Hello, Mr Malfoy. I'm Daphne Greengrass, and this is my friend Meredith Shafiq. We just met your brother in another compartment, but... um..." Her face reddened as she spoke, and she suddenly did not know how to continue.

Compared with Daphne's friendly attitude, Meredith appeared rather aloof. She gave a disdainful snort and said in a faintly mocking tone, "Your brother and Pansy Parkinson seem to be... quite like-minded..."

Skylar could now be certain that the two had just parted with his brother's group on bad terms and had decided to switch compartments, only to end up here. Judging from Meredith's tone, she had nearly used an insulting word like "bitch." It was no wonder. Skylar knew Pansy's character well: sharp-tongued, cutting, and extremely self-centred. She had surely offended plenty of people with her words.

Skylar offered a friendly smile. "I suppose my thoughtless brother must have accidentally offended you two ladies. Please allow me to apologise on his behalf. I hope you will graciously accept these two small gifts as compensation."

With that, Skylar lightly tapped the cup on the table with his wand. The cup split in two, transforming into a golden Daphne Flower and a purple Jiaoqinsha. "This Daphne Flower suits Miss Daphne's name perfectly—both flower and lady are equally lovely. And this Jiaoqinsha is for the beautiful and noble Miss Meredith; it perfectly reflects your splendid and elegant temperament."

Although Skylar's affected speech inevitably made it seem as if he were trying to flatter and approach beautiful girls, his exquisite Transfiguration had truly stunned the two girls. During the rest of the journey, the way they looked at him began to change, and their conversation grew much warmer. The three spoke of their family backgrounds and their hopes for Hogwarts.

The two girls also eagerly asked Skylar all sorts of questions about magic. Only then did they discover that he had no shallow attainments in Charms, Transfiguration, or Potions, and their gazes gained a measure of admiration and respect.

By the time the train reached its destination, it was already night. The platform where the new students disembarked was small, dark, and somewhat eerie. Cold wind swept through their robes with a soft whooshing sound.

The school did not keep the new students waiting long. A lamp swayed silently above their heads, followed by a booming voice shouting, "First-years! First-years, this way!"

Hagrid, nearly three times as tall as the freshmen, held a magical lamp in his right hand, a smile on his bearded face. "Come on, follow me. Any more first-years? Watch your step! All right, first-years, follow me!"

The freshmen followed Hagrid along a rugged mountain path when exclamations of awe suddenly rose from ahead.

At the end of the path, a black lake suddenly stretched out before them, its surface shimmering with ripples. On the high slope across the lake stood a majestic castle, shrouded in unfathomable darkness. Spires rose from the castle, and windows glittered beneath the starry sky. Little boats were moored along the shore, gently rocking with the waves.

Hagrid shouted at the top of his lungs, "Get in the boats! No more than four people per boat!"

More than a dozen little boats glided across the calm lake toward the opposite shore. Everyone remained silent, gazing at the enormous castle towering into the clouds.

Upon arriving at the castle gates, Professor McGonagall led the freshmen into the Great Hall, followed by the Sorting Ceremony.

As expected, Skylar, a pure-blood with ambition and schemes aplenty, was sorted into Slytherin by the Sorting Hat.

After dinner, the students returned to their respective house common rooms under the prefects' guidance.

The Slytherin common room was located in the castle's dungeons. The spacious chamber was filled with green light, its walls and ceiling built from black Gothic marble. Through the windows lay the depths of the Black Lake, where Grindylows and the Giant Squid occasionally swam past.

Unlike the other houses, the high-born young snakes each had their own bedroom and bathroom. They did not need to share with any roommates and had far more private space. Skylar was secretly delighted by this. It really was the perfect house for him. He had quite a few plans in Hogwarts, and the fewer people who knew about them, the better.

Skylar chose a quiet room in a secluded location. After locking the door, he snapped his fingers. With a pop, a filthy House Elf Apparated in the room—it was Dobby.

House Elves and wizards cultivated entirely different systems of magic. They could Apparate freely within Hogwarts, and as one of Dobby's masters, the contract in Skylar's soul allowed him to summon Dobby with a thought at any time. What a useful ability, Skylar could not help but marvel. Over the coming year, Dobby would become his indispensable... errand runner.