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Aiden walked out of the Slytherin common room, and Snape, who had been lurking in the shadows the whole time, finally stepped out.
"Should I thank you for not dealing a fatal blow, Mr Prewett, the great genius of Ravenclaw?" Snape said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Why is this man always so sarcastic? Aiden wondered to himself.
[Ding, it's not like you just met him today.]
"What are you talking about, Professor? We're all one big family here. Just making friends in the evening, that's all. How could there be a fatal blow?" Aiden replied with a bright, innocent smile.
"Then may I ask our great genius, what are your plans now that you've ascended the throne of Slytherin? Are you planning to gather the pure-blood families, attack the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot, and seize Dumbledore's seat?"
Slander! He's slandering me! Aiden thought, feeling wronged.
"How could that be, Professor? Slytherin has always respected the strong. I just happened to win against a few people," Aiden said modestly.
"I will be watching you, Mr Prewett. And for your little nighttime adventure, you will serve detention with me on Wednesday night."
Snape turned and swept away, his robes billowing behind him like a giant bat.
"I didn't even get any points deducted," Aiden muttered to himself.
"Ravenclaw loses ten points." Snape's voice echoed down the corridor.
[Ding, ask and you shall receive.]
"Shut up," Aiden grumbled.
*****
The next day, news of Aiden's challenge to Slytherin spread like wildfire, drawing everyone's attention.
"Aiden, you challenged the entire Slytherin last night?!" Edmund exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief.
"The entire house?" Ethan echoed, eyes wide.
"And you didn't bring us with you?" Oliver accused, pretending to be offended.
"I think you three should just start a comedy act, like those cross-talk performers from the East. If you do well, you could make a lot of money. I think you three have the talent for it," Aiden said, rolling his eyes.
"And besides, the news got out the very next day. Looks like Slytherin aren't as united as they pretend to be. Edmund, you're well-informed, let me ask you something."
"What's up?"
"In previous years, did Slytherin ever admit students from Muggle families?" Aiden asked.
"Of course they did. Even though those idiots go on about bloodlines all the time, everyone knows getting into Slytherin isn't just about blood," Edmund said, gesturing energetically.
"Is that how you talk about your 'friends'?" Aiden asked, sipping his tea and giving the three of them a knowing look.
"Calling them idiots doesn't stop me being friends with them," Edmund replied, grinning.
"I feel like you should have been sorted into Slytherin," Ethan teased.
"Who can blame me for being so clever?" Edmund said, feigning arrogance.
"Ugh," Oliver said, pulling a face.
"Wait, weren't we supposed to be blocking Aiden?" Edmund suddenly remembered, noticing everyone had turned on him.
But by then, Aiden had already used a subtle suggestion and slipped away, leaving the three of them looking at each other in confusion.
****
As Aiden made his way through the castle, every young wizard he passed stopped to ask about last night. The constant attention was exhausting.
In the end, Aiden could only cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and hurry to the Hogwarts Library for some peace.
The library was as quiet as ever, a welcome relief from the noise and gossip. Aiden found an empty seat, settled down, and pulled out "Runes, From Introduction to Burial" to read.
He was just getting absorbed in the book when the chair beside him scraped back and someone sat down. He looked up and saw Hermione. Instantly, his ability told him exactly what she wanted to ask.
Aiden raised his finger to his lips, signalling her to be quiet. He took out his wand and cast a silent spell, surrounding them with magic that blocked all sound from escaping.
"Alright, you can talk now," Aiden said.
"Aiden, can you tell me about...?" Hermione began, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"Alright, miss, I know your question. I've been asked so many times already that I can recite every detail of last night by heart." Aiden interrupted, his face expressionless.
"I didn't challenge the entire house, I didn't eat any Slytherin students, and I did teach Malfoy a lesson," he summarised, picking out the key points to satisfy Hermione's curiosity.
Hermione's expression changed. "Oh, Aiden, you shouldn't have done that. Sneaking out at night and duelling will get you expelled," she said, worry creasing her brow.
"And I saw a Slytherin student being taken to St Mungo's this morning. You were too harsh."
"Well, miss, even though the Prewett family has fallen so far that I'm the only one left, they still don't dare expel me. And that guy, do you know he was about to use the Killing Curse on me?"
Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief, her voice trembling. "The Killing Curse? That's... that's unforgivable! It's the most dangerous spell there is. How could anyone even think of using it?"
"See, if you hadn't broken the rules, none of this would have happened," she added, her tone a mix of worry and sternness.
"Exactly. But because he tried something so serious, no one is going to blame me for what happened to him. I won't go asking questions about his attempted curse either. That's the dirty understanding among adults. They quietly agree not to look too closely when things get out of hand."
"But he didn't even have time to use the Killing Curse on you," Hermione said, her voice trembling with worry, though she pressed on. She looked at Aiden, eyes wide with fear and disbelief.
"How do you know... Never mind, I get it. Besides, so many students saw what happened last night. Even if they can't testify, as a Legilimens, it's easy for me to extract a memory to prove my innocence."
Aiden realised Hermione had already heard the story from Slytherin students and had come to check on him, so he explained everything honestly.
"I didn't realise you had such a wide network," Aiden said, raising his eyebrows.
"That's right," Hermione replied, doing her best to look proud.
"Since our last conversation, I've tried lots of different ways to talk to people and practised a lot. Slytherin isn't united at all. If you divide them, stir up conflicts, and play to their preferences, you can control them easily."
Hermione seemed eager to show off her new social skills.
Wait, are you following the Dark Lord's script? Aiden thought, surprised, but he only nodded and said, "Impressive, really impressive."
*****
After leaving the library, Aiden and Hermione walked to the Great Hall. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out, "Aiden, so you are here."
Aiden looked up to see Harry and Ron approaching, both looking excited as if they had something important to share.
"What are you two doing here?" Aiden asked.
"We heard some interesting rumours about your exploits in Slytherin last night," Harry said with a grin.
"Yeah, it's all over the school! Everyone's talking about how you defeated Slytherin. You're a celebrity now!" Ron added, his voice full of excitement.
"Anyway, it's brilliant that you taught Malfoy a lesson," Harry and Ron said together.
"But Snape caught me, took points, and gave me detention," Aiden replied, worried that these two would get too carried away.
"I'm willing to take detention if it means teaching Malfoy a lesson," Harry said, clenching his fists.
Aiden used his ability to calm them both and thought, It really does seem like you and Draco are destined for each other.
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