Welen, startled, instinctively shouted, “Here!” He had spent enough time around Alex to know better than to hesitate. With Welen setting an example, the rest of the students followed suit. There were occasional pauses as some struggled to keep up, but overall, the process went smoothly.
To an outsider, Alex’s actions might seem trivial. Queuing and roll call were hardly groundbreaking. Yet beneath the surface, these simple exercises served a greater purpose. They were laying the groundwork for discipline and order, instilling a sense of responsibility and obedience in the students. Alex from his experience in the military understood that habits formed in moments like these would influence how the students interacted with authority and each other in the future.
"Very well, all members of Slytherin House are here. Today's house meeting will now begin," Alex declared, his voice calm but firm. He tapped the recording board against the pen in his hand, then placed both behind his back. Standing straight, his sharp eyes scanned the gathered students with a commanding presence that made the room feel smaller.
"I know many of you are confused. You're wondering why I called this meeting, and you’re curious about my intentions. Please stay quiet, and I’ll address everything one step at a time." His words eased some of the tension among the students, their initial fear giving way to cautious curiosity. All eyes remained fixed on Alex as he stood on the steps, his expression composed but unyielding.
"First, since there are a lot of new faces here, let me introduce myself," Alex began, glancing briefly at the group of younger students clustered to the right. "I’m Alex Wilson, a fifth-year student and this year’s newly appointed prefect, chosen by the Headmaster and our Head of House, Professor Snape. Some of you may know me by a few... colorful nicknames: the Ghost of Slytherin, the Ministry Wizard Hero, and so on. But from now on, I expect to be addressed simply as Prefect Alex." He paused to let his words sink in before continuing. "I’m not familiar with most of you, and frankly, many of you aren’t familiar with me. Despite being in this house together for years, we’ve barely spoken, and some of you likely didn’t even know my full name until now. But none of that matters. What does matter is that starting today, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me, whether you like it or not."
Alex took a step forward, his gaze sweeping the room once more. "Now, let’s get to the main reason for this meeting. Do any of you know why I’ve called everyone here? Or why I was chosen to be Slytherin’s prefect this year?" The room buzzed with murmurs. Students exchanged confused looks, but no one dared to answer. Some thought to themselves, ‘He’s a wizard hero—of course, he’s qualified. But why drag us into this pointless meeting?’
Alex’s voice cut through their whispered speculations like a blade. "Because," he said, his tone icy, "you’re all pathetic." The room erupted into an uproar. Indignant shouts and murmured protests filled the air as students turned to one another in disbelief. Even the other prefects, like Louis, sat stunned, unsure of how to respond. Alex had just fired a verbal bombshell at the entire house, and no one knew what to make of it. "Silence!" Alex barked, his voice cold and commanding, laced with a faint magical edge that sent a chill through everyone present. The room fell silent immediately, the weight of his presence stifling further protests.
"Tell me I’m wrong," Alex challenged, his gaze piercing as he addressed the room. "Take a good look at yourselves. What makes you think you’re worthy of being in Slytherin House? Most of you are like walking corpses—barely alive, with no ambition, no cunning, and no achievements to your name." He let his words hang in the air before continuing, his voice dripping with disdain. "If it weren’t for your consistent ability to disappoint, why else would Professor Snape assign me the thankless task of dealing with you?"
A fourth-year boy with a fiery temper couldn’t hold back any longer. "You can’t say that! How are we not worthy of Slytherin?" he snapped.
Alex turned his cold gaze on him, flipping through the recording board as though searching for a name. "Joey Farley, fourth year. Ah, yes, I remember now. You’ve been sent to detention three times last year for fighting with Gryffindors, costing the house 55 points in total. On top of that, you failed four subjects in the final exams." Joey’s face turned red as Alex pressed on. "At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if you failed every single OWL next year. Honestly, I owe you an apology—calling you trash was unfair. You’re worse than trash."
The room remained silent, save for the awkward shuffling of feet. Joey opened his mouth to argue but found he had no defense. Seizing the opportunity, another student spoke up. "It’s not just Joey," said Jim Ferry, a fifth-year half-blood wizard, his voice sharp. "Those pure-blood snobs are the real problem. All they do is bully the rest of us. What about them, Alex? You’re a Muggle-born like me—don’t you hate them too?"
The pure-blood students nearby stiffened, their faces pale as Alex’s eyes flicked toward Jim. "Jim Ferry, fifth year," Alex said, his tone unreadable. "I see you haven’t forgotten how they treated you a few years ago."
"No, I haven’t!" Jim replied heatedly. "It’s about time someone put them in their place. Let’s clean house, Alex. We don’t need them dragging us down anymore."
A murmur of unease rippled through the pure-bloods as Jim’s words hung in the air. Alex, however, only laughed—a cold, mirthless sound that made everyone tense. "Clean them out? And replace them with what, exactly? Another so-called Purity Committee?" Alex shook his head, his voice dripping with contempt. "Jim, don’t delude yourself. You’re no better than them. You might not have lost us points, but you’re still worthless."
"What?" Jim spluttered, caught off guard.
Alex’s voice turned icy as he raised his gaze to meet Jim's eyes. "Although you didn’t lose points for the house, you didn’t make any effort to earn points, either. The only time points were added because of you was when Professor Snape showed favoritism on your behalf." A murmur rippled through the crowd, but Alex pressed on, his tone sharp. "If that was all, it would just mean you lack a sense of house pride. But you didn’t stop there. You actually went as far as plotting against your fellow students."