Chapter 16: Slytherin's Night

Well done, Draco!

You didn't let all the effort I put into you go to waste!

Argus could hardly contain his laughter this time.

Dumbledore had racked his brain to bring him here, and yet he had unwittingly been dragged into guilt for half the day.

And in the end, it was all for nothing!

"Headmaster, it's getting late. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back now."

"There are so many Slytherin students waiting for me. It wouldn't be right to keep them waiting."

"Don't you agree?"

Argus suppressed the grin threatening to spread across his face and politely bowed.

Receiving Dumbledore's reluctant nod, he followed Snape back to the Slytherin common room.

As soon as they entered, he saw Draco, Pansy, Daphne, and several dozen pure-blood first-year students holding their wands, cautiously eyeing the other new students and the older Slytherin students across the room.

Before getting involved with the British pure-blood families, Argus already understood.

Even among the pure-blood families, there were several factions. Besides the Sacred Twenty-Eight, there were many other powerful pure-blood families.

The group of pure-bloods that Argus had drawn in, led by the Malfoys, only made up a portion of them.

He knew that it was impossible to bring all the pure-blood families under his banner.

The correct approach was to ally with some, suppress others, and eliminate the rest!

Now was the time to establish his authority!

"Argus, you're finally back!"

"Well done, Draco."

Argus stepped forward, standing before everyone, and looked at Draco with a gaze full of admiration.

Then, he turned to face the other Slytherin students.

"Senior students, weren't we going to hold the election for the Head?"

"Let's begin!"

Prefect Carrow spoke coldly, "All the first-years are present."

"The election for the First-Year Head begins now."

"Are there any challengers?"

A boy, thin as a skeleton, immediately stepped forward.

His eyes darted cautiously toward Argus.

"Klein Shafiq!"

The Shafiq family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

They were involved in the potion business but were suppressed during Voldemort's rise to power, leading to their decline.

A potential ally.

Information about this person immediately surfaced in Argus's mind.

Before entering Hogwarts, he had instructed Vinda to gather information on the younger members of Britain's pure-blood families, so he could make targeted moves while at school.

He raised his wand, crossing it over his chest, performing the standard wizard's dueling salute.

"Argus Grindelwald!"

After both sides officially entered the ring, Carrow used magic to clear the surrounding area of any debris.

"The duel begins!"

"Bombarda!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Klein Shafiq couldn't wait to unleash his most practiced spell.

Unfortunately, he was only eleven years old, just starting his first year at Hogwarts.

Even though he had learned magic in advance at home, due to age and talent limitations, Klein's "Bombarda" was equivalent to only a level 1 spell in the system.

In the past, Argus had converted all his achievement points into talent, but during the process of earning these points, he had also learned a considerable amount of magic and knowledge. He simply hadn't had time to fully practice them.

Despite this, most of his magic levels were around level 2, with some even reaching level 3.

The number of spells he had mastered far exceeded that of an ordinary student!

"Incendio!"

Argus pointed his wand at the birds in midair, and the raging flames quickly engulfed them.

The fire did not lose momentum and continued to surge toward Klein!

Klein was petrified.

The spell he had practiced for so long was so easily overpowered!

In his terror, he even forgot to dodge!

"Fool! Move aside!"

Snape scolded him as he reached for his wand, ready to intervene.

Just as the flames were about to touch Shafiq, they suddenly disappeared.

Only the intense heat remained, leaving his face flushed.

"Are you alright?"

Shafiq, his eyes tightly shut in fear, had thought he was done for. Suddenly, he heard a gentle voice next to him.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he had fallen to the ground, and a slender hand was reaching out to him.

"I... I'm fine."

"Good, that's a relief. The true purpose of magic is to protect, not to harm. If my mistake had caused you injury, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight from guilt!"

His words echoed throughout the common room, causing a stir among the students.

Could these really be the words of the Dark Lord's son?

A few students repeated Argus's words about the purpose of magic, finding more meaning in them the more they thought about it.

Shafiq looked up and met Argus's gentle gaze.

In Argus's eyes, there was no trace of mockery toward a defeated opponent.

There was only genuine concern!

It seemed like he truly cared about him!

Before this, Shafiq's impression of Argus was simply that of the Dark Lord's son—a wicked wizard!

When he had stepped forward, he had already resigned himself to the idea that he might end up in St. Mungo's Hospital.

Yet, not only did he emerge unscathed, but he also received genuine concern from Argus!

The thought of how he had been upset just moments ago because Argus was late filled Shafiq with a deep sense of guilt.

He stammered a few words in response, his mind constantly replaying the powerful aura Argus exuded when using magic and the gentle comfort he offered after the duel.

After gazing at Argus for a long time, Shafiq scrambled to his feet and bowed deeply.

"Honorable Mr. Grindelwald, you are a powerful wizard and a noble worthy of respect."

"Thank you for your guidance. It has been the honor of my life to duel with you!"

The entire battle had lasted just a few seconds, with no bloodshed at all.

This astonished the older students and even Snape.

Shafiq returned to the group of new students, his head held high with pride.

In his mind, Argus was not only a great wizard but also a person of high moral character.

Even in defeat, there were no complaints!

"Next challenger, please step forward."

"Is there any other challenger?"

Prefect Carrow repeated the call several times.

The only response was silence.

These new students wanted to make a name for themselves, but they weren't fools.

It only took one move to see that Argus's power was on a completely different level from theirs.

Duel with him? That would be suicidal!

"Is there really no one else who wants to challenge? Then I declare that the first-year Slytherin top student is Argus Grindelwald!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the common room erupted in applause.

[Congratulations to the host for becoming the Slytherin top student, earning the achievement: Top Student/Head (First Year)]

[Achievement Point Reward: 100]

'A little bit of points, but not bad.'

'By the time I reach second year, there should be another round of rewards.'

'Seven years add up to seven hundred achievement points. Fortunately, Draco and the others stepped up to wait for me, otherwise, my losses would have been significant!'

After calming down the excited Draco and others, Argus heard Carrow speak again.

"Since the head of the freshmen has been determined, let's start the head ranking battle."

"Is there anyone who wants to challenge?"

"Head ranking battle?"

Agus was a little confused.

He knew that Slytherin had a head, and one was selected from the freshmen every year.

What is this ranking battle?

Draco explained: "Slytherin's hierarchy is very strict, so strict that there are standards for where to sit during meals and activities."

"Even for those of us in lower grades with lower rankings, if certain activities have too many people, we can be ordered not to participate."

"The ranking battle is to determine the ranking of your grade through a duel between the heads."

After hearing Draco's explanation, Argus finally understood what the system meant by "first-year."

It turns out that this first grade does not mean that you are in the first grade, but that you are just the head of the first grade!

Since that's the case, there's no need to be polite!

Achievement points are something that should be earned as soon as possible, and quickly improving strength is the right path!

Without enough strength, any amount of power under one's command would just be a castle in the air!

"Argus, you're not thinking of…" 

Draco noticed the change in Argus's expression and almost exclaimed.

Considering Argus's strength, a look of delight appeared on his face.

"Yeah, with your strength, while you might not be able to defeat upperclassmen, taking on a second-year should be a piece of cake!"

"Go on, show them what you've got. Just before you returned, it was the second-year Deidre Aglis who was the loudest!"

Argus smiled slightly and stepped out from the crowd.

"First-year Head Argus Grindelwald challenges second-year Head student Deidre Aglis!"

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