(18) Blushing Miss Vole

It was getting late, and everyone gradually made their way to their dormitories.

Unlike Gryffindor's five-person rooms, Slytherin dormitories were two-person rooms.

Ian's roommate was none other than Draco.

"Ian… Potter!" Draco suddenly called out just as Ian was about to settle in for the night.

"What is it?" Ian turned to look at Draco.

Draco hesitated for a moment before asking softly, "We… we're friends now, right?"

"Draco, I thought my attitude was clear enough already," Ian replied with a smile.

This platinum-haired boy was truly a bit tsundere—quite amusing, really.

"Then… let's officially introduce ourselves." Draco took a deep breath, then extended his hand. "Hello, Ian. I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy. You can call me Draco..."

"Hello, Draco. I'm Ian, Ian Potter. Please call me Ian."

Ian extended his hand as well, and the two shook hands.

They exchanged a smile before letting go.

"Goodnight, Draco."

"Goodnight, Ian."

After bidding each other goodnight, the two climbed into their respective beds, ready to rest.

Ian lay on his bed, staring at the green silk canopy above him, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

In this unpredictable and dangerous world, strength was the only true reliance.

He had to become stronger!

Only then could he protect the people he wanted to protect and achieve the things and women he desired.

With this in mind, Ian's heart swelled with determination and resolve.

He turned onto his side and looked out the window at the moon.

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silver glow over everything. Under its light, the Hogwarts castle appeared even more mysterious and majestic.

The next morning, Ian was woken up by Draco.

"Ian, get up! It's time for class!"

Ian groggily opened his eyes and saw the impeccably dressed platinum-haired boy in front of him. Stifling a yawn, he muttered, "Draco, what time is it...?"

"Did you forget you're a prefect? You're supposed to lead everyone to the classrooms!" Draco said in exasperation. "Hurry up and take us to the Great Hall for breakfast. The girls have already left."

Hearing Draco's words, Ian suddenly remembered—he had responsibilities now.

He quickly scrambled out of bed and started getting dressed.

Under Draco's relentless prodding, Ian soon finished dressing and grabbed his wand from the table.

"Alright, let's go," Ian said to Draco, opening the dormitory door.

Behind him, Draco smirked smugly. "Don't worry, I've already woken everyone up. We were just waiting on you, our leader."

"Good work, mate." Ian patted Draco on the shoulder. "As of now, I'm appointing you as the first year boys' deputy prefect."

Having a little helper to handle the work would give him more time to... charm young witches.

Cough! That is, focus on more important matters.

"Wait... is that even allowed? Slytherin's never had anything like a deputy prefect..." Draco said, surprised but clearly pleased.

"If I say it's allowed, then it's allowed," Ian declared with a wave of his hand. "Come on, Deputy Prefect Malfoy, let's lead our classmates to the Great Hall for breakfast."

Ian and Draco made their way to the Slytherin common room. By the time they arrived, only the first-year boys were left, standing around in small groups and chatting.

As soon as Ian and Draco appeared, the conversations stopped, and all eyes turned to Ian.

"Good morning, Prefect Potter!"

"Good morning, Prefect!"

"Good morning, everyone," Ian replied with a bright smile. "Now, please line up, and follow me and Deputy Prefect Malfoy to the Great Hall for breakfast."

At Ian's words, the boys quickly formed a neat line and began following Ian and Draco out of the common room.

The two led their classmates out of the common room, through the cold and dim dungeons, and up to the first floor of the castle.

On the way, Ian whispered to Draco, "Hey, what's going on? I'm just a hidden first year prefect, but they're so enthusiastic."

"A hidden prefect is still a prefect," Draco said, rolling his eyes with a hint of jealousy. "And don't forget, you, Slytherin's 'Savior,' made quite the impression yesterday. Of course, they're going to cozy up to you."

"Hah, they didn't seem this eager yesterday during the duels," Ian said with a chuckle.

"Well, they care about appearances," Draco grumbled.

"Yeah.. Nobody wants to look like a sycophant right away."

"Hmph, they're still hypocrites if you ask me," Draco muttered.

The two continued their quiet conversation as they led the students into the Great Hall.

Inside, the Ravenclaw table was already full, while Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables had only a scattering of students.

When Ian entered with the first-year Slytherins, curious and evaluating gazes turned toward them from the other houses.

Among those gazes was one particularly intense and distinct: Hermione Granger, sitting at the Gryffindor table, was glaring at Ian with clear displeasure.

Hmph! I've been thinking about him all night and didn't even sleep well, yet here he is, looking completely carefree! Hermione thought.

Ian, of course, felt that piercingly annoyed gaze. He quickly flashed Hermione a bright smile before leading the "little snakes" to sit at the Slytherin table.

I'll calm her down later. First things first—can't argue on an empty stomach.

"Potter, you boys sure are slow," Cassandra said as she sat down to Ian's right with her plate.

Ian gave an awkward smile. "Apologies for keeping Miss Vole waiting. Next time, Draco and I will make sure to organize the boys earlier."

"I'm not blaming you," Cassandra huffed before turning to Draco, who was seated on Ian's left. "Draco? Why is he responsible for organizing the boys?"

"Vole, I'm the deputy prefect for the boys now," Draco said smugly.

"Oh? Deputy prefect?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow and then looked at Ian. "You appointed him?"

"That's right," Ian nodded. "I think Draco is well-suited for the role."

"Well, since you're the deputy prefect, you'd better assist Potter properly," Cassandra said, fixing Draco with a stern gaze. "If you dare drag him down, I won't let you off so easily."

Draco, intimidated by Cassandra's sharp look, quickly promised, "D-Don't worry, I'll do my best to assist Ian!"

Hearing Draco's assurance, Cassandra finally nodded in satisfaction before turning back to Ian. "Potter, do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

"Afternoon, huh..." Ian thought for a moment before replying, "I plan to find my brother Harry. I was sorted into Slytherin, so he's probably still worried about me."

"You're going to Gryffindor to see Harry Potter?" Cassandra frowned. "Will those lions welcome a Slytherin like you?"

Ian chuckled. "Why wouldn't they welcome me?"

"In their eyes, you might be a traitor," Cassandra said bluntly.

"I don't care how others see me; I only care about my brother and my friends," Ian said with a cheerful smile at Cassandra. "But thank you, Miss Vole, for being so concerned about me~"

"Who's concerned about you? I just don't want you embarrassing Slytherin," Cassandra retorted with a cold huff, though the faint blush on her ears was almost imperceptible.

Seeing this, Draco's eyes widened in shock.

Merlin's oversized socks! What did I just witness?

Miss Vole, blushing?