As the Slytherin first-years began to trail after the younger prefects, the Head Girl, accompanied by a seventh-year male prefect, walked directly towards Sean. She motioned for the fifth and sixth-year prefects to continue leading the main group of Slytherin students towards their common room, then turned her sharp, intelligent gaze upon Sean.
"One hundred and ten points deducted right at the start of the school year," she began, her voice crisp and authoritative. "This is an unprecedented situation for Slytherin, and a significant portion of that responsibility rests squarely on your shoulders. Therefore, you need to bear these responsibilities."
She paused, her expression unyielding. "Slytherin has won the House Cup for six consecutive years, corresponding to the entirety of my time here, from first year to my current seventh. Therefore, both personally and for the pride of our House, I fully intend for Slytherin to win the House Cup for the seventh time, achieving seven consecutive victories. You, Mr. Bulstrode, must take responsibility for the points lost due to your actions and make amends by earning them back!"
Sean met her gaze, then nodded slightly. "My responsibility? Then naturally, I will bear it. However, I will only bear the responsibility that is truly mine. Fifty of those one hundred and ten points are attributed to me. And while I believe those fifty points should have originally been twenty, since our esteemed Head of House decreed them to be fifty, then fifty points I shall bear. Before the end of this semester, I will make up for those fifty points."
The Head Girl scrutinised Sean, assessing his words, then gave a curt nod, apparently satisfied he wasn't merely boasting. "I expect you to keep your word. In return for your commitment to rectify this fifty-point deficit, I will ensure the older students refrain from causing you undue trouble regarding this matter. But make no mistake, if you have not achieved this by the end of the semester, even if I have graduated by then, please believe that I still possess the means and the influence to make your second year, your third year, and indeed, all your future years at Hogwarts exceptionally difficult."
"There's no need to threaten me," Sean replied, a faint smile playing on his lips. "When the points were deducted, I had already resolved that no matter which House I was sorted into, I would eventually earn those points back. While being sorted into Slytherin was… unexpected, now that I am a Slytherin, I will make up for those fifty points. Even if those fifty points were, in fact, levied by our own Head of House."
The corner of the Head Girl's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. This was the second time Sean had subtly, yet unmistakably, criticised their formidable Head of House. It was common knowledge within Slytherin that the "Snake King," as Snape was often called, could single-handedly command the respect—and fear—of every pure-blood scion in their ranks. Slytherins might dare to openly defy professors they disliked and even grumble about Dumbledore behind his back, but absolutely no one dared to speak ill of their own Head of House, especially not in such a direct manner. Sean had now done so twice. A flicker of apprehension crossed the Head Girl's face. After merely stating that she expected him to make good on his promise, she abruptly turned and rejoined the front of the Slytherin line, her composure slightly ruffled.
The Hogwarts dungeons were situated on the first floor underground, a subterranean labyrinth beneath the castle proper.
The Slytherin Common Room was located deep within this network of stone corridors.
Sean and Blaise found themselves at the rear of the first-year contingent, gazing at a damp, seemingly unremarkable stretch of bare stone wall. This, they knew, was the concealed entrance to their new home.
"Everyone, pay attention," the seventh-year male prefect announced, his voice echoing slightly in the stone passage. "This is the entrance to our Slytherin Common Room. The password will change every two weeks. Please make sure to check the notice board in the Common Room; the updated password will always be posted there. Currently, the password to enter the Slytherin Common Room is 'Snake Fang'!"
As the prefect finished speaking, a rounded stone archway shimmered into existence on the previously blank wall, the stones rearranging themselves silently before swinging inward. The prefects led the group of first-years through the opening and into a long, somewhat narrow, and low-ceilinged common room. It was constructed from large, rough-hewn stones, giving it an overall Gothic feel. Numerous strange, intricately carved statues adorned the walls, their shadowed forms greeting the new arrivals.
Four tall, massive windows dominated one wall of the Common Room. An ethereal, lake-green light streamed through these windows, casting shifting patterns across the stone floor. Peering through the thick glass, one could even discern the murky shapes of creatures gliding through the depths of the Black Lake outside.
Sean stepped into the Common Room. Surprisingly, it didn't feel overly damp, as one might expect from a room situated beneath a lake. Instead, the air was quite dry and cool. Clearly, Magic was remarkably effective at dehumidification. While direct sunlight was undeniably absent, the environment was dry, and the imposing, somewhat ancient style was not without its own charm. Sean decided he could definitely accept this.
The Slytherin Common Room was very large. Many of its students were, after all, descendants of prominent pure-blood families, accustomed to a certain standard of living. Therefore, the Slytherin dormitories had been designed from their inception to provide each student with their own individual room. Though perhaps slightly smaller than the shared rooms for two or three students found in Houses like Gryffindor, they offered the invaluable commodity of personal privacy. The Slytherin students, including Sean himself, seemed very satisfied with this arrangement.
"Blaise, where's your room?" Sean asked, pausing at the doorway of his assigned chamber and turning to his new acquaintance.
Blaise scanned the corridor, quickly located his own door, and replied, "Mine isn't far from yours, it's the second room on your left. Feel free to come find me."
"Same to you," Sean returned. "If my door's open, just come on in. Well then, I'm going to get my things sorted and then try to get some rest."
"Alright. Goodnight, Sean."
"Goodnight, Blaise."
Sean hadn't brought an excessive amount of luggage, but it was certainly not a meagre collection either. It took him a fair while to unpack and arrange everything to his satisfaction. Finally, he sat down at the stone desk situated by the window, watching the shadowy forms of aquatic creatures swimming in the eerie green luminescence of the lake outside. He reached into the inner pocket of his robes, gently drew out Kulkan, and placed the white serpent on the cool stone of the desk, allowing her to begin acclimating to the environment that would be her home for the next seven years.
When Sean awoke, bright sunlight – or rather, the magical equivalent that illuminated the windowless dungeons – indicated it was the next morning. He had slept remarkably well.
Gathering the books he needed for the morning's classes, Sean found Blaise, and the two of them made their way together to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Upon their arrival, Malfoy and his usual cronies were already seated at the Slytherin table. Ignoring Malfoy, who was radiating an air of smug self-importance now that he was on home turf, Sean and Blaise quickly ate a simple breakfast of milk, toast, and bacon. Afterward, they followed the guidance of an older Slytherin prefect to their first class.
The first class on their schedule was Transfiguration. The classroom, like the Great Hall, was located on the ground floor of the castle, so it wasn't particularly difficult to find.
Sean and Blaise arrived at the Transfiguration classroom just as the bell was about to ring. As they took their seats, Harry and Ron hurried in, looking slightly flustered at being late. The two Gryffindors sat directly behind Sean and Blaise and immediately began peppering Sean with eager questions.
"Sean! How were you yesterday? Did anyone give you any trouble? Nobody bullied you, did they?" Harry asked, his concern evident.
Shaking his head, Sean offered Harry and Ron a grateful smile. "No one bullied me, you can rest assured. Thanks for asking. What about you two? How is Gryffindor treating you?"
At Sean's question, Harry and Ron launched into an enthusiastic, chattering account of all the wonderful things about Gryffindor. They also, predictably, expressed their sincere regret that Sean hadn't been sorted into their house, opining that Sean clearly possessed all the necessary qualities to be a Gryffindor and shouldn't have ended up in Slytherin, which they seemed to believe was populated almost exclusively by Dark Wizards.
Perhaps it was a general disapproval of Harry and Ron's rather unsubtle attempts to poach Sean – the walking minus-fifty-points – for Gryffindor, or perhaps she had simply grown tired of their chatter. Whatever the reason, Professor McGonagall, who had apparently intended to observe the new students' behavior for a moment longer from her position on the teacher's desk, couldn't help but intervene. With a graceful leap, she transformed mid-air from her tabby cat Animagus form back into her stern, human self. She quickly strode over to Harry and Ron's desk and, with a gentle but firm tap on its surface, effectively silenced their incessant chatter.
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