Looking at the beautiful Alice, Shawn thought of old Fawley, who had spoken up for him in the Headmaster's Office. They shared the same elegance-it clearly ran in the family.
He kicked Draco under the table as the boy busily wolfed down his food. Draco looked up blankly.
"What is it, Shawn?"
"Go eat somewhere else. I have something to discuss with Alice."
Draco glanced between Shawn and Alice, gave them an understanding look, and scooted over toward Goyle, remembering to take his enormous plate along.
Alice sat down gracefully and glanced at the exotic dishes on the table. Though their aroma was enticing, she paid them no further attention. She knew how to restrain her desires, and she lowered her voice to get down to business.
"My grandfather just told me through the Two-Way Mirror what those pure-blood families are doing. Want to know?"
Shawn stopped eating too, taking a napkin to wipe his mouth before answering.
"No. Just some petty scheming. Nothing worth mentioning."
Alice thought Shawn was talking big, but she also found him confident. After a moment's thought, she continued.
"All right. Those pure-blood families only have a few tricks anyway-threats, framing people, suppression, that sort of thing. As long as you stay at Hogwarts, you'll be perfectly safe. Have you heard of the Pure-blood Association, then?"
Shawn paused.
"The Pure-blood Association? An alliance formed by all the pure-blood families?"
Alice nodded, then shook her head.
"It may once have been an alliance of all the pure-blood families. Its main goals were preserving their bloodlines and controlling power. But when the Dark Lord tried to take over the organization, the Pure-blood Association split. All the neutral, law-abiding pure-bloods withdrew. Now the association is controlled by families that advocate pure-blood supremacy."
"They control more than half the power in the Ministry of Magic, as well as half the businesses in the British wizarding world. That gives them enormous power and influence. It's also the main reason so many Death Eaters escaped legal punishment back then."
Shawn was a little surprised, though it made sense.
"Oh. And?"
Alice shot the still-unruffled Shawn an annoyed look, unsure whether he was genuinely stupid or merely pretending.
"It means you aren't strong enough yet to go looking for trouble with those families. Grandfather asked me to tell you that putting up with a little injustice for now is nothing. Becoming stronger is what matters most. He'll negotiate on your behalf and make sure they don't..."
Shawn waved a hand and chuckled.
"Thank your grandfather for me, but I have my own plans."
Alice clenched her fists. She really wanted to punch the arrogant Shawn. Had she made a mistake by backing him so quickly?
Shawn found it rather amusing to see Alice lose her composure.
"You think I'm arrogant and conceited, don't you?"
"What do you think?"
"Then you guessed right. Nothing wrong with your intelligence."
"You!"
Seeing that he had teased her enough, Shawn gestured for Alice to calm down.
"I have my reasons for being arrogant. Let me tell you a little secret: I've only been studying magic for a month."
Sure enough, Alice was deeply shaken.
If Shawn really had only studied magic for a month, he was already stronger than an average adult wizard, even comparable to an ordinary Auror.
Then how powerful would he become if he could study undisturbed for two or three years?
When it came down to it, strength still ruled the wizarding world.
Alice had decisively backed Shawn because of his magical talent, but her greatest hope had been to invest early in a wizard with the potential to become a legendary mage.
Even then, she had only thought Shawn had potential. Becoming a legendary mage was hardly easy.
Only three had appeared in the past century: two Dark Lords and one White Wizard.
Now, however, Alice felt that Shawn's talent was unprecedented, greater even than the likes of Voldemort and Dumbledore.
Her family would have to increase its investment in him without limit. Perhaps the chance to restore their glory was right before their eyes.
Alice stood up in a fluster and hurried away. She had to inform her grandfather at once.
Draco scooted back over and asked curiously.
"Shawn, what's wrong with Alice? Did you turn down her confession?"
Shawn stuffed a chicken drumstick into Draco's mouth.
"What would a little brat like you know? Can't all this good food keep your mouth shut?"
At the High Table, Quirrell ate dinner with his head lowered, but his eyes occasionally flicked toward Harry, then Shawn.
Voldemort's voice sounded in his mind.
"That Shawn is the son of my most loyal servant, Regulus? Quite impressive. Find an opportunity for me to meet him."
Quirrell spoke in a whisper.
"Master, the Daily Prophet has already reported that Regulus was a spy Dumbledore planted at your side."
Voldemort replied contemptuously.
"Hmph. What do you know? Regulus would never betray me. Dumbledore is as hypocritical as ever, always deceiving the world with his talk of redemption through love. He must have noticed Shawn's extraordinary magical talent too. That's why he cleared Regulus's name, just as he vouched for Snape because he valued his talent for potions."
Quirrell choked on his words and dared say no more.
After the feast ended, Dumbledore reverted to his eccentric headmaster persona and rose to have everyone sing the school song.
He even acted as conductor himself, waving his wand to conjure lines of colorful lyrics in the air.
Soon, versions of the school song in all sorts of tunes filled the hall. Though chaotic, it had a childlike charm.
The Weasley Twins, in particular, stole the show by using a funeral march, leading many of the young wizards astray.
Afterward, the prefects from each house came over to organize the first-years and lead them to their respective common rooms.
Slytherin's prefect was Alice, who had returned. After all, the other prefects looked rather less than presentable at the moment.
Along the way, most of the first-years crowded around Shawn and Draco. Only one or two pure-bloods trailed behind on their own.
It made sense. Even if every family in the Sacred Twenty-Eight sent a student each year, there would only be around twenty-eight at the very most, without even accounting for the many families whose lines had died out, such as the Gaunt family.
With some going to other houses, fewer than half would end up in Slytherin.
Thus, more than half of Slytherin's students were half-blood wizards, while a smaller portion were pure-bloods outside the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
So the people truly targeting Shawn actually numbered no more than ten. It only seemed like there were so many because these people had power and influence, drawing followers to their side.
But once Shawn displayed his strength, he was actually better suited to Slytherin, a house that revered the strong above all.
Compared with Gryffindor's impulsive, reckless students, Ravenclaw's little eagles absorbed in their own worlds, and Hufflepuff's loyal, honest little badgers,
an elite house like Slytherin, which respected strength, was still better suited to gathering supporters.
It was also the easiest source of level 2 or even level 3 faith value.
That was why Shawn had insisted on coming to Slytherin. He intended to replicate Voldemort's old approach.
As for the few troublemakers, he could simply beat them if they disobeyed. If they still refused to listen, he could beat them a few more times.
Alice talked about Slytherin's glory all along the way, without mentioning any theories of pure-blood supremacy. It seemed the Fawley family's values were quite decent.
The Slytherin Common Room was in the dungeons of Hogwarts, beneath the Black Lake, so it was somewhat damp.
The group followed the winding spiral stone steps to a wall, where Alice spoke the password.
"Glory."
The stone wall slowly opened, revealing a brightly lit common room. Flames blazed in the fireplace, and torches burned along the surrounding walls.
The common room's windows were large, and half its domed ceiling was transparent. Through it, they could see the rippling scenery at the bottom of the Black Lake, while many small, unfamiliar fish swam past the windows.
As Alice led the young wizards inside, she explained.
"This is the Slytherin Common Room. You must say the correct password to pass through the entrance. The password will be posted on the noticeboard every Monday. Sharing it with outsiders is strictly forbidden."
Upon entering the common room, they saw their great bat-like Head of House, Snape, emerge from a corner.
He cast a cold, hawklike glance at Shawn, then spoke indifferently.
"According to Slytherin tradition, the first-years must choose an unofficial prefect. The victor rules. Begin."
The older students who had not yet gone to bed took an interest too, gathering around to watch the show.