Conflict

The feast was in full swing. At every table except Slytherin's, the young witches and wizards chatted eagerly and got to know one another.

At the Slytherin table, most introduced themselves by boasting of their distinguished families. It felt almost like a gathering of high society.

Will had barely exchanged names with the people beside him when a nuisance appeared.

"Well, well, well. Berens? I don't believe I've heard of that family. Am I simply uninformed?" A boy with a protruding belly spoke with a sneer.

Will remembered the boy introducing himself as Ivan Selwyn. If he recalled correctly, the Selwyn family ranked near the bottom of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

So he wants to use me to make himself look good?

"I'm from the Muggle World," Will said lightly, as though he had no idea what Slytherin stood for.

"Then you should be honored to be in Slytherin. Maybe you could make a living polishing shoes in the common room. That ought to help you get by at Hogwarts! Hahaha!" Ivan Selwyn laughed like a brainless villain from an online novel.

"Selwyn, shut up," Sylvia said sharply.

"Oh? Since when did anyone from the Lestrange family stand up for a Muggle boy? Did someone pour a bottle of Love Potion down your throat?" chimed in another young Slytherin beside Ivan. He was Auburn Nott, a member of the Nott Family.

Will rubbed his forehead. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to come to Slytherin. He had no desire to waste time on its idiots.

"If running your mouths is all you can do, I'd be happy to hit you both with Langlock. If you have a problem with me, come find me after the feast instead of spitting into other people's food like two squawking ducks in heat." The students around the pair edged away.

"What did you say?"

"If your hearing's that bad, go to St. Mungo's. I can't be bothered to repeat myself." Will turned his full attention to the veal steak in front of him.

Ivan's pudgy face flushed red, making him look a little like an American redneck. He glanced toward the professors' table, snorted, and turned away without another word.

The other students also kept their distance from Will. Clearly, they didn't want to offend Ivan Selwyn.

Only Sylvia leaned closer, her brows slightly furrowed. "Slytherin clearly wasn't the right choice for you," she whispered.

"I didn't want to come here either. That lousy hat decided for me. I wanted Hufflepuff."

"All right. If anything happens, you can come to me."

"Come to you?" Will was puzzled. The girl from the Lestrange family seemed a little too eager to help him. Something was off.

As if she saw his confusion, Sylvia blinked. "You remind me of someone. I'll tell you more about it another time."

Will was taken aback. Apparently, people who spoke in riddles were everywhere.

When the feast ended, the Prefects led the first-years back to their respective common rooms.

The Slytherin students followed their Prefect down a long spiral staircase. Will was already wondering whether living in Slytherin's dormitories would give him rheumatism.

After what felt like an endless descent, they finally reached a stone wall. The Prefect announced loudly, "The password is 'Glory'! Remember it, or you'll be spending the night outside. Of course, anyone who forgets the glory of Slytherin will be thrown out."

A snake-patterned design beneath their feet slid upward, forming an arched doorway of intertwined serpents. The stone wall parted on its own, and the students continued down a staircase lined with carvings of giant snakes.

The Slytherin Common Room finally came into view, lit by numerous hanging lamps. Flames roared in a huge, beautifully carved fireplace. The room was warm and dry rather than damp, and Will breathed a sigh of relief.

Black Gothic marble lined the walls, while a transparent crystal half-dome formed the ceiling, beyond which everything was pitch-black. Lamps suspended from chains cast a greenish light, giving the common room a distinctly wizardly gloom.

Standing in that shadowy room deep underground, Will felt helpless.

Damn Sorting Hat!

If there was one advantage, it was that Slytherin students shared rooms in pairs. Perhaps there was plenty of space underground, or perhaps Slytherin simply had fewer students.

The Slytherin dormitories were spacious, and Will's trunk had already been delivered to his room.

The beds were excellent. Emerald-green flannel hangings draped the tall four-poster beds, threaded with silver for a lavish touch. Magic made it easy for wizards to enjoy a standard of living Muggles could scarcely afford.

And though the dormitory lay deep underground, the air was neither stale nor stifling. It circulated well, feeling little different from the rest of the castle.

None of that cheered Will up, because his roommate was Auburn Nott. Nott was glaring at him now. "You're finished, kid!"

It was as if those words had cast a "Summon Idiotic Thugs" spell. Two people Will considered idiots pushed open the dormitory door and came in. One was Ivan Selwyn. Will didn't know the other, but he was clearly with Ivan.

"Hey, Muggle boy. You'd better apologize to Ivan right now, or you might spend your first night at Hogwarts in the hospital wing." Auburn drew his wand. He had evidently learned a few spells and wanted to show them off.

Then he noticed the wand already in Will's hand and laughed. "What, kid? Planning to beat us with your wand like it's a stick? Or does a Mudblood like you think he's already learned Avada Kedavra?"

"Why bother talking to this Mudblood, Auburn? Give him a good beating. Teach him how to treat his betters." Ivan hadn't even brought his wand. He cracked his knuckles, looking ready to charge Will and fight him barehanded. After all, fights between first-years mostly came down to physical strength, and Ivan, who was nearly spherical, clearly intended to win with his weight.

The other first-year Ivan had brought cracked his knuckles too. "If the Mudblood doesn't know his place, perhaps I could put him to work with my family's House-elves for a while. He'd learn how to serve his betters."

They looked like stock bullies from a school drama, cornering a scrawny bookworm. But this was the Wizarding World, where knowledge was power.

Despite all their threats, Will showed no fear. Only cold mockery filled his silver-gray eyes. Their faces darkened, and Ivan Selwyn, unable to hold back any longer, charged first.

A hint of malice flashed through Will's silver-gray eyes.

Light burst from the wand already in his hand. "Stupefy!"

The spell struck Ivan square in the forehead. He dropped unconscious like a slaughtered pig, his momentum carrying him to Will's feet.

"You used a spell?!" Auburn blurted out, then belatedly remembered to point his wand at Will.

"What else? Were you expecting wizards to settle this with their fists? Idiot! Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus!" Auburn's wand flew from his hand, and he froze in place in the ridiculous pose he'd struck when it was knocked away.

The last first-year lost his nerve and bolted. Will's Petrificus Totalus caught up with him at once, stopping his heroic escape in its tracks.

"I hate idiots." Will's silver-gray eyes swept over the three of them. "Especially idiots this stupid."

A few minutes later, Will's dormitory was quiet, and he was alone. He cast Colloportus on the door, then lay down comfortably on his bed.

The air really does feel fresher without those idiots around.

While Will drifted peacefully off to sleep, three rigid first-years hung from the wall lamps in the Slytherin Common Room. They would surely remember their unusual first night for the rest of their lives.

Will didn't care whether what he'd done made enemies. What he needed was time and knowledge. In a world where one person's power could overwhelm everyone else, strength was the foundation of everything.

If Will became as powerful as Dumbledore, who would dare say a word against him?

What he needed to do now was practice his skills and learn magic, not play childish games with those idiots.