29

At the lavish feast, the people of Slytherin House ate with great relish, because their House had just gained a very famous new member.

Lupo and Dandeni sat on either side of Sherlock, while Fimiya sat across from the three of them. Whenever Lupo teased Fimiya, she became shy while eating, completely unlike how she used to wolf down food.

He even teased Fimiya in front of Sherlock, saying that she used to eat like a python swallowing a rabbit.

"I... never did that... And Lupo... if Young Master Sherlock weren't here... you'd be dead... I'd rip out your intestines... and wrap them around your neck!"

Fimiya still looked very bashful, but her words were chilling enough to make one shudder. Lupo shrank his neck back and truly did not dare push his luck again.

"To be honest, Young Master Sherlock..." Dandeni suddenly interjected from beside him.

"Stop calling me Young Master! Our families are more or less the same. Even if Mephisto is older and has some ancient legends behind it, our fathers have always had a good relationship. Just call me by my name."

"Then... Mr. Sherlock."

"Whatever you prefer."

Holding a piece of fried chicken in his hand, Dandeni said, "Ever since you invented the Delicious Food Spell, I've always worried at home that all the food was made by house-elves using that spell. Every time I drink soup, I wonder whether it might be wastewater from the toilets that the house-elves transformed with that spell."

"When I eat long bread, I think it's wood!"

Dandeni's words made Sherlock unable to suppress a laugh.

"Not until I had all the house-elves whipped and they all promised they had never done anything like that could I keep eating with peace of mind!"

Sherlock shook his head. "If you don't treat them better, then maybe the next chicken leg you eat really will have been transformed from a filthy stone!"

Sherlock felt that the three children around him were all somewhat abnormal! Fimiya was a girl with severe violent tendencies. Dandeni had a somewhat wicked heart; although he appeared well-mannered, he had been influenced by those abnormal elders in his family and regarded punishment and torture as perfectly natural.

Of the three, only Lupo could be considered somewhat normal, but he was also someone steeped to the bone in pure academic theory.

After the feast... (During this time, Dumbledore had said a few things as well, but Sherlock ignored them all.) The Slytherin prefect led a group of students from Snake House toward the entrance to Slytherin House.

"Congratulations! I am Prefect Gemma Farley, and I am delighted to welcome you to Slytherin House.

"Our House symbol is a great serpent—the wisest kind of creature. Our House colors are emerald green and silver, and the entrance to our common room is hidden in the basement.

"As you can see, through the windows, we can directly view the bottom of Hogwarts Lake.

"We often see a giant octopus wandering past the windows, and sometimes we can even spot more interesting creatures.

"We enjoy the mysterious atmosphere of living aboard a vessel beneath the water."

The Slytherin prefect was tall. At the end of the basement, beside the passage leading to the dungeons, she faced a blank section of wall and spoke the password: "Blood is thicker than blood!"

A dark emerald-green door appeared in the stone wall.

Sherlock rolled his eyes. That sort of password really had the style of a Glory character. He wondered whether Slytherin's guards included a scythe-wielding brother-obsessed maniac!

But once inside, the Slytherin common room was genuinely quite nice. Just as the prefect had said, it had been built beneath Hogwarts Lake. The surrounding windows had been enchanted, allowing them to clearly see the beautiful scenery on the lakebed.

Was it because their House emblem was a snake that even their residence was so distinctive? Did that mean Ravenclaw's common room was at the top of the castle among the clouds, while Hufflepuff's was underground?

"All your luggage has been placed in your rooms. The House dormitories are shared by four people!"

Gemma Farley looked at Sherlock. "I hope you can understand, Young Master Sherlock. I had originally planned to apply for a private dormitory for you, but Head of House Professor Snape refused."

"It's fine. I like living with everyone else!" Sherlock smiled gently.

Then he left the common room and headed toward his dormitory. Lupo shouted from behind him, "Dandeni and I are definitely sharing a dorm with Mr. Sherlock!" When he noticed Fimiya nearby, hesitating and not going to find a dormitory, he could not help teasing, "Actually, the one who wants that most is probably Fimiya!"

The little snakes who had not yet left the common room burst into laughter, but they soon could not laugh anymore. Fimiya displayed the cruelty ingrained in pure-blood families and beat Lupo until he was black and blue all over.

This pretty girl was no less formidable when it came to beating people. Perhaps tearing at him with her hands had not been satisfying enough, because she pulled out her wand. Fortunately, several older girls stopped her and forcibly dragged her back to the girls' dormitory area.

Gemma did not even dare open her eyes to watch. She could only mutter softly, "Unity! We must be united!"

When classes began the next day, Lupo was still covered in bruises.

Sherlock asked in surprise what had happened. Although he, Dandeni, Lupo, and another Slytherin first-year shared a room, strangely enough, Lupo had spent the entire previous night in the school infirmary, and Sherlock had not seen him in the dining hall at breakfast either.

Lupo only slipped quietly into the classroom when class began.

"Dandeni... I want to sit here!" Fimiya came over, intending to switch seats with Dandeni. Dandeni tactfully moved to the other side without even saying a word of nonsense.

Lupo had originally wanted to complain, but when he saw Fimiya, he shuddered and shrank his neck back. In a low voice, he said, "It's nothing. I fell down by myself yesterday."

Sherlock drew his wand. "Scarless Healing!"

The small scars still left on Lupo's face immediately vanished, and it was impossible to tell that he had ever been injured.

Before Lupo could even thank him, the classroom doors were violently flung open. Sherlock even suspected that someone had kicked them from outside.

Snape strode in with swift, decisive steps. His entire body radiated a stern aura that left none of the students present daring to misbehave. First-year Slytherins attended class together with Gryffindor students.

This was also why the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor was so intense. In Slytherin's eyes, only Gryffindor was their enemy at Hogwarts.

The other two Houses were also excellent, but they did not count as threats.