(16) It’s Slytherin, After All.

After the song ended, Ian was left speechless.

Hogwarts' school song was truly... unique.

Once the feast concluded, Dumbledore spoke a few more words before instructing the prefects to escort the first-years to their dormitories.

During this time, Ian kept glancing toward Gryffindor's direction, but unfortunately, Hermione completely ignored him.

Harry, on the other hand, was entirely focused on Ian, but all he could do was watch helplessly as his brother disappeared with the Slytherin prefect into the distance.

The Slytherin prefect leading them was a pretty witch named Gemma Farley.

As for the male prefect, Montague, Ian conveniently paid no attention to him.

"Welcome! I'm Prefect Gemma Farley. I'm thrilled to see you join Slytherin House," Gemma said as she led the first-years out of the Great Hall and toward the Slytherin dormitory in the dungeons.

"I adore our house emblem, the serpent, which represents cunning, strength, and often being misunderstood."

"You might have heard rumors about Slytherin—that we all love studying dark magic or that only students from prestigious wizarding families are accepted here. Those are baseless accusations."

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear from rival houses," Gemma continued, her voice briefly pausing. "Especially Gryffindor, yes, they often slander us Slytherins."

"Of course, I won't deny that our house has produced some dark wizards, but so have the other three houses—they just don't want to admit it."

"While we do have a preference for accepting students from notable wizarding families, you'll find that many Slytherins also have at least one Muggle parent."

Hearing this, Ian instinctively nodded. To be fair, the pretty prefect wasn't wrong.

Gryffindors often labeled Slytherin as a den of dark wizards, but someone like Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor, wasn't he?

If there were any house that hadn't produced a single dark wizard, it would likely be Hufflepuff.

During the final battle against Voldemort, Slytherin opted out for obvious reasons. Half of Ravenclaw joined the fight, and nearly all of Hufflepuff stayed, matching Gryffindor in numbers.

Gryffindors stayed partly out of bravery and partly because of their love of glory.

Hufflepuffs, on the other hand, stayed for entirely different reasons. They weren't show-offs, nor did they act recklessly.

Hufflepuff students knew full well the danger they were facing but chose to stay anyway.

Because Hufflepuff, more than any other house, embodied justice. Their house values were integrity, loyalty, honesty, and resilience.

They were tough and deserved respect.

Ian was lost in thought when he suddenly felt someone poke him in the back.

Turning around, he found himself looking into Cassandra's pale green eyes.

"What is it?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If I didn't remind you, you were about to get left behind," Cassandra said, gesturing ahead. Ian realized then that the first-year group had moved far ahead of him.

He quickly gave Cassandra a grateful smile. "Thanks, Miss Vole."

"You're welcome," Cassandra replied coolly, casting a glance at Ian. "Next time, pay attention while walking instead of daydreaming."

Ian: "..."

This girl really has that haughty little princess vibe.

Gemma led the group around a corner and continued speaking. "I also need to tell you something that the other three houses won't mention: the great Merlin was a Slytherin."

"Yes, Merlin himself—the most famous wizard in history!"

"All of his knowledge came from Slytherin House! Do you want to follow in Merlin's footsteps? Or would you rather emulate a former Hufflepuff who invented a self-cleaning mop? I think the answer is obvious."

Ian raised an eyebrow. Do all dark wizards have a knack for sales pitches?

He recalled a certain expelled Durmstrang student who was notoriously good at recruitment schemes.

Looking at Gemma's animated speech, Ian half-expected her to shout "Long live Slytherin!" in the next breath.

Then again... wasn't this starting to sound like some kind of brainwashing propaganda for joining Slytherin?

While musing on this, Ian followed the group toward the damp underground Slytherin common room.

"Pureblood," Gemma said as the password to the stone wall at the entrance.

Ian couldn't help but roll his eyes. Of course that's the password. No surprises there.

As soon as Gemma uttered the word, a door materialized on the stone wall and slowly slid aside, revealing the common room inside.

"The password to the common room changes every two weeks. Be sure to check the notice board," Gemma reminded them.

"You are not allowed to bring students from other houses into our common room or share the password with them. For seven hundred years, no outsider has stepped foot in our common room."

The Slytherin common room was located beneath the lake. Facing the stone entrance was a massive pane of glass, giving a view of the murky depths of the Black Lake.

As Gemma spoke, she led the first-years inside.

Ian looked around curiously. The Slytherin common room truly embodied the essence of Slytherin.

The walls were constructed from black Gothic marble, adorned with green tapestries embroidered with silver serpents. The ceiling was a translucent crystal dome, allowing rippling light from the lake above to dance overhead.

Ian silently marveled at the sight. Living under the lake might risk a bit of rheumatism, but there's no denying Slytherin has excellent taste!

"The boys' dormitories are to the left, and the girls' dormitories to the right. Your belongings have already been placed in your respective rooms," Gemma said, gesturing toward the corridors on either side of the common room. "Make sure you don't go the wrong way."

"Of course, there have been boys in the past who wandered into the wrong dormitory and were promptly flung out by the enchantments on the door. They spent a month in the hospital wing." Gemma's smile lingered as she looked at the boys.

Ian's mouth twitched. Is this supposed to be a warning? It feels more like a blatant threat!

"That's all I have to say. I hope you all enjoy your seven years in Slytherin." Gemma clapped her hands. "And now, it's time for the first-years to take center stage."

With that, she turned and left.

First-years' stage? What does that mean? Ian wondered, confused, until a low voice spoke next to his ear.

"I am your Head of House, Severus Snape, and I will also be your Potions professor."

Ian turned his head toward the voice.

The speaker had greasy black hair and wore a long black robe so oversized it nearly dragged on the floor, giving the impression of a giant bat standing upright.

"Hogwarts has a total of 24 prefects, with one male and one female prefect for each house in fifth through seventh years."

"But Slytherin has its own rules. Each year in Slytherin has one male and one female prefect responsible for managing the students in their year."

Snape walked slowly to the center of the common room, his piercing gaze sweeping over the faces of the first-years. When his eyes lingered briefly on Ian, Ian felt a chill.

"Your task now," Snape continued, "is to select the two prefects for your year—one male and one female."

"Those who wish to compete for the role will step into the center of the room one at a time and duel the others. The final victors will become the year's prefects."

Ian pressed his lips together. This method of choosing prefects is as straightforward and brutal as it gets.

He glanced around the room and noticed that the other first-year Slytherins looked eager, excited, and ready to jump into action. Even Cassandra's eyes flickered with a fiery glint.

Ian: "..."

Well, it's Slytherin, after all.