The other three looked at him, confused. "What?" Louis and Wendy exchanged baffled glances. Why was the new prefect, a fifth-year, suddenly taking charge like this?
"Didn’t you hear me?" Alex’s sharp gaze swept over them. "I said, come here."
Wendy, the sixth-year prefect, finally snapped out of her surprise. "Are you talking to us?" she asked, her confidence kicking in. Unlike Louis, she wasn’t intimidated by Alex. "We don’t even know you, and you’re just a junior who got promoted this year. Don’t let your reputation as a 'hero' get to your head."
Alex raised an eyebrow, unbothered. Without missing a beat, he looked down at his clipboard and read aloud. "Wendy Dart, sixth year. Half-blood. Mother: half-blood witch. Father: pure-blood wizard, currently working as the head of the Goblin Liaison Office at the Ministry of Magic. Best subject: Herbology. Second-best: Charms and Potions. Those were the only three OWL exams you passed last year. Hobbies: studying beauty potions. Currently in a relationship with Nolde Veron from Ravenclaw. Am I wrong?"
Wendy froze, her face paling. "You—how do you know all that?" she stammered, her voice rising. Having her personal life aired so publicly felt like a slap in the face, especially since she had kept her relationship under wraps.
Alex ignored her question and turned to Louis. "Louis Ollerton, sixth year. Pure-blood. Your family descends from the three Ollerton brothers who founded the Sweeping Broom Company. Your parents, as direct descendants of Barnaby Ollerton, own shares in the company. Best subjects: Astronomy and Transfiguration. Second-best: Charms, Arithmancy, and Divination. Passed all these OWLs. Hobbies: Quidditch, though you weren’t good enough to make the house team."
Alex glanced at Louis, his tone casual. "For a sixth-year, your academics aren’t bad."
Louis looked mortified, his face flushing as Alex turned to Jane. "Jane Moria, fifth year. Half-blood. Your mother’s a Muggle, and your father works for the Ministry’s Muggle Liason Office. Best subject: Charms, with strong marks in Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes, Potions, and Transfiguration—all subjects you’re likely to excel in for your OWLs. You’re an avid reader, which probably explains your interest in Muggle culture." Alex’s tone softened slightly as he added, "Professor Flitwick has mentioned you’re one of the most promising students in your year. He’s considering inviting you to join the Charms Club this term."
Jane blushed, her head ducking shyly. Whether it was the praise or the mention of the Charms Club, her reaction was miles apart from Wendy’s and Louis’s. "What’s the point of digging up all this information about us?" Louis demanded, trying to mask his unease.
Alex shrugged. "This is just basic information. I haven’t had the chance to conduct detailed tests on your magical strength, physical fitness, or stress resilience." He gave an exasperated sigh. "I didn’t have enough time to gather more, but even this much tells me a lot."
The three prefects stared at him, their discomfort evident. "We’re asking what you want." Unknowingly, Wendy had already aligned herself with Louis, challenging Alex together.
"You don’t need to worry about what I want to do. Just know this—starting now, you follow my instructions and stick to my plans. I care about execution and efficiency above all else." Alex’s sharp gaze swept over the three of them, taking in their reactions.
"Why should we listen to you? Just because you were some so-called Wizard hero? That was a year ago! And don’t you think it’s crossing the line to dig into someone’s private life?" Wendy snapped, her voice cold and cutting. Her anger was palpable, fueled by Alex revealing her secret relationship earlier.
"Exactly. We’re all prefects, and we’re a year ahead of you. What gives you the right to boss us around?" Louis chimed in, his tone just as defiant.
Jane, on the other hand, kept her head down, fiddling nervously with her fingers. As someone who preferred her books over social confrontations, she stayed out of the brewing argument. "Do you even remember that you’re prefects?" Alex’s cold stare hardened. "Tell me, what have you actually done to fulfill those responsibilities? Wendy, all you do is parade around with your little group, gossiping and experimenting with beauty potions. When you’re not doing that, you’re sneaking off with Nord Veron, using your student council duties as an excuse to meet during night patrols. As if that wasn’t enough, your supposed ‘secret’ crush on Jewel is practically public knowledge in Slytherin."
Wendy stiffened, her face paling as Alex continued mercilessly. "Do you want to know who leaked your love life? It was your owl—your own owl! Every time you sent a love letter, it managed to deliver it to the wrong dorm. Your next-door neighbors, too embarrassed to confront you, would sneak it back. But by the time you got it, half the girls in the courtyard had already read it."
Wendy stood frozen, her mind reeling. Alex had exposed her private life in such brutal detail that she felt as though she’d been struck down in public. She realized, with horror, that she had been the last to know. "And you, Louis." Alex turned to him, his tone no less sharp. "When you’re not fiddling with astronomical models in the Astronomy Tower, you’re busy trying to show off your family’s fancy experimental broom to the Quidditch team. But let’s face it—you’re such a terrible flyer that even when the captain bent over backwards to give you a chance, you couldn’t even make it as a substitute. Then there’s your night patrols. You don’t even bother. Instead, you sneak off to the tower to stargaze. Wendy might ignore her duties for ‘love,’ but what’s your excuse? Laziness?"
Louis flushed a deep red, stammering defensively, "You don’t understand! Do you even know what it’s like in Slytherin House? Do you think I want things to be like this?"
Alex raised an eyebrow but said nothing, letting Louis continue his outburst. "Slytherin’s a mess! Last year, even the senior prefects did nothing. And don’t get me started on the head of house—they’re hardly ever around. We’re just newly promoted prefects! What power do we have? The students don’t care, they don’t listen to us, and everyone just looks out for themselves. Even if we tried, nothing would change. So why waste our time?"
Louis’s voice cracked slightly, his frustration evident. His words reflected a harsh truth about the selfish culture within Slytherin—a sentiment many students shared. The belief that “it’s every person for themselves” had become deeply ingrained. "That’s your justification? Being lazy and irresponsible because your teammates don’t care? That’s nothing but an excuse." Alex’s voice was ice-cold. "You’ve given up. You’ve surrendered before even trying. That makes you no better than deserters."
Louis flinched, Alex’s words hitting him harder than he expected. "From this moment on, you are no longer in charge. I’ll take over Slytherin House. Everyone follows my lead. No arguments." Alex’s voice was steady, unyielding.
"You think you can single-handedly fix this house?" Louis sneered, though his confidence wavered. "Don’t be naive. I wanted to change things too when I first became prefect. But even senior students like Vanessa couldn’t do it. The scars left by You-Know-Who run deep. Slytherin is full of resentment and division. You can’t fix that."