Vanessa shot a sharp look at Yaxley, her expression stern.
"Enough. You are here to learn, not to bring outside agendas into this school. Focus on your studies."
Yaxley scowled but remained silent after Vanessa's clear warning. She turned back to the group, dismissing them with a wave of her hand.
"You will find your class schedules on the desks in your rooms. Your names are on the doors. Now, off to your dorms."
As the students began to disperse, Yaxley, clearly still frustrated, muttered under his breath, "Slytherin is supposed to preserve the purity of the magical world. Now we're letting Muggle-borns into our house. Where's the honor in that?"
Though Yaxley didn't name names, Alex knew the comment was aimed at him. The other students had already caught on, and several pairs of eyes turned toward him. He ignored their stares and walked toward the dormitories, his face impassive.
'Slytherin really is divided,' Alex thought. 'Some, like Vanessa, seem neutral, just focused on their studies. But others, like Yaxley, are clearly caught up in pure-blood ideals.' He noted the information, knowing it would be important later.
The Slytherin dormitories, unlike the others at Hogwarts, were located deep underground in the dungeons. Each student had their own private room, a luxury compared to the other houses. Alex was pleased to see his room—a lavishly decorated space with a four-poster bed, emerald green and silver fabrics, polished stone walls, and two windows that offered a mesmerizing view of the lake's depths. The furniture was old but well-maintained, with carved desks and tables lit by candles and oil lamps. Tapestries depicting legendary Slytherin wizards hung on the walls.
"There's even a carpet. As far as comfort goes, I have no complaints about being placed in Slytherin," Alex muttered to himself.
After unpacking his belongings and arranging his things, he began to plan for the future. 'First things first—stay low, out of trouble. Training and study will be my priority. I can't rely on anyone else to protect me, especially in Slytherin. I'll need to build my skills quickly if I want to survive this new world.'
The next day, Alex woke at six in the morning, his military habits kicking in. He stretched and glanced over at his class schedule: two spells classes in the morning, followed by a history of magic class in the afternoon. Hogwarts had a clear structure—morning classes from 9 to 11 with a break, lunch in the Great Hall, then afternoon classes, and finally, dinner. After that, students were free to do homework or socialize, with a curfew for first-years set at 9 p.m.
Dressed neatly and with his wand checked and ready, Alex decided to explore the castle early. He wanted to familiarize himself with the layout before the day truly began.
The Slytherin common room was empty at that early hour, the dim green light from the lake casting strange shadows across the room. Through the windows, Alex saw the giant squid drifting lazily through the water, its massive limbs swirling. The peacefulness of the scene contrasted sharply with the dark, dungeon-like feel of the common room.
'Slytherin may have a cold reputation, but the view is incredible,' Alex thought as he made his way out.
For the next two hours, Alex explored the vast Hogwarts castle. The moving staircases were both fascinating and frustrating—he quickly learned that the stairs would shift at random, making it nearly impossible to memorize a clear path. Eventually, Alex resorted to using spells to jump across floors when the stairs moved in inconvenient directions.
The castle was huge. The main tower had eight floors, and at the very top was the headmaster's office. The various classrooms were scattered throughout the tower and its adjoining courtyard buildings. The towers connected to the main structure included Ravenclaw and Gryffindor's common rooms, and a drawbridge linked the astronomy tower. Beyond that, the central tower, black tower, and bell tower were connected by another courtyard, with the library accessible through one of the corridors.
The central courtyard led to greenhouses, and a series of stone bridges connected the different wings of the castle.
'This place is practically a fortress.'
Alex had made his way around the entire castle and returned to the Great Hall, where a few students were already having breakfast. Realizing that he was hungry as well, he sat down and helped himself to the food, piling eggs, toast, and sausages onto his plate.
Just as he began eating, Vivian stormed in, looking a little upset.
"Alex! I thought you hadn't woken up yet, so I waited for you in the common room this morning," she huffed, walking over to him.
Alex offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, Vivian. I got up early and decided to take a walk around the castle. You don't need to wait for me in the mornings—I'm used to getting up early."
Vivian sat down with a resigned sigh. "I won't wait next time. But seriously, this castle is huge. What if you'd gotten lost? It's a good thing the path from our common room to the Great Hall is straightforward. Otherwise, I'd still be wandering around trying to find my way!"
Alex chuckled softly. "Don't worry, I already walked through most of the castle. I even found our classrooms, so you can just follow me when we head to class later."
The two chatted for a bit, enjoying their breakfast.
Suddenly, a flurry of owls flew into the Great Hall, delivering letters to the students. Alex received a few letters of his own, including one from Lily, another from Sirius, and one from Tom.
Each letter was filled with congratulations on his acceptance into Hogwarts, but Sirius's letter was full of excitement, asking which house Alex had been sorted into—surely, it had to be Gryffindor, right?
'Sorry to disappoint, Sirius. You're not going to like the answer.'
After finishing his breakfast and tucking the letters into his robe, Alex and Vivian headed to their first class: Charms.