A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 6 Goodnight, Hogwarts

The Slytherin freshmen followed their prefect, Gemma Farley, out of the Great Hall and down the marble staircase deeper and deeper into the castle's underground.

The further down the corridor went, the dimmer the lights seemed to become, and the air grew damp and chilly, causing Owen to involuntarily hunch his shoulders. He disliked dampness and cold.

After the young wizards had eaten and drunk their fill, they were too yawning to chat. Only a few whispered conversations echoed down the corridor.

Harry, looking equally tired, finally free from the crowd, approached Owen and, forcing himself to stay awake, asked, "Owen, can you tell me why Hagrid and the others reacted like that?"

He looked at Owen with sincere eyes. It was his first time at Hogwarts, and he was actually quite at a loss and sensitive. The cold treatment he had suffered at his aunt's house since childhood made him crave family and friendship. He especially did not want to do anything inappropriate or disappoint others.

Seeing Harry's somewhat pitiful look, Owen sighed and said, "It's not a big problem. You're the boy who survived, because you defeated the Dark Lord..."

"That incident... I don't remember it at all." Harry's face flushed slightly.

"Whether you remember it or not, it's an undeniable fact." Owen smiled, his expression serene and gentle in the dim light. "Therefore, the vast majority of wizards believe that you were born extraordinary, possessing innate and powerful talents."

Harry's face turned even redder.

"Wizards generally believe you possess an innate, great talent, making you the nemesis of the Dark Lord, and they are even more convinced that you will inevitably become the one who leads the future of the wizarding world." Owen glanced at him. "Of course, there's always a small minority who believe that the reason you were able to defeat the Dark Lord is because you were born with powerful dark magic, which is why the Dark Lord suffered a setback against you. They think you might become an even more terrifying dark wizard..."

"But...but I'm just an ordinary person, and I haven't even learned a single spell!" Harry's voice had unknowingly become a little loud, causing many people around him to turn their heads to look at him.

"Perhaps, but the problem is that some people don't think that way." Owen nodded. "And with you being sorted into Slytherin today, I believe the second view will be rampant for some time."

Why?

"Because the Dark Lord you defeated graduated from this house, and even most of his core followers are from Slytherin." Owen shrugged. "I have to say, this will make many people see more of the similarities between you and the Dark Lord."

"I'm nothing like him!" Harry woke up abruptly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Yes, but it's undeniable that Slytherin is indeed the house with the most dark wizards," Owen said casually. "Although other houses have also produced their share of dark wizards, people's preconceived notions are hard to change, as if other houses have never produced any dark wizards at all..."

"Nobody told me this before!" Harry's eyes widened.

"Ah, what's the point?" Owen said casually. "Whether one falls into darkness depends on the individual, on their own will and choices, not on where they come from or which college they graduated from. Although there are always some foolish fellows who can't tell the difference..."

He looked at Harry and said very seriously, "If anyone you know distances themselves from you just because you came to this house, I sincerely advise you to stay away from that person. They are not worth your sincerity, and at the very least, they are arrogant fools."

"There's no need to care too much about what other people think, or rather, if you really care," Irving paused, "then why not use your actions to slap those people in the face?"

"Slytherin is a house that respects the strong. As long as you work hard and become outstanding, you can earn the respect and even the following of others." Owen smiled with amusement. "And for you, this house has a very important advantage."

"What?"

"Unity!" Owen blinked. "While many Slytherin students may have an inexplicable arrogance and seem unapproachable to outsiders, we are actually much more united than the other three houses, at least when it comes to protecting our own."

"If you want, you can make a lot of genuine friends here, or even gather a group of followers like the Dark Lord," Owen said meaningfully.

"I don't want any followers!" Harry shouted, drawing everyone's attention again, and many people gave him friendly smiles.

"Whatever," Irving replied nonchalantly.

As the group descended deeper underground, the surrounding walls began to glow with a deep green hue. If it weren't for the large group traveling together, it would likely have been quite eerie.

"By the way, why do you call Voldemort the Dark Lord?" Harry suddenly realized the key point.

"Oh dear, I just chose the one from all his nicknames that wouldn't offend him the most," Owen chuckled and shrugged. "Of course, I could call him Voldemort like you, but what if he ever decides to come back one day? Wouldn't that put me in a lot of danger?"

"I'm afraid he might be secretly eavesdropping in that corner. It's wise to protect yourself, and there's nothing shameful about that when you're still young and immature."

"Uh, you're really... honest." Harry choked for a long time before finally managing to utter this sentence. He really didn't know how to evaluate it.

For the next short distance, the two remained silent. The group continued descending, eventually stopping before an empty stone wall at the back of the underground city.

"Glory," Gemma commanded the stone wall.

Everyone watched as a stone door hidden behind the stone wall slowly opened, while Gemma gave them instructions: "The password to the common room changes every two weeks, so keep an eye on the notice board. Also, you're not allowed to bring students from other colleges into our common room, and don't tell them our password. Our common room hasn't been entered by outsiders for seven hundred years..."

The young wizards yawned and nodded repeatedly, seemingly oblivious to what they were hearing. Once the stone door was fully open, everyone rushed into the lounge.

This is a long, narrow, and low-ceilinged lounge, resembling a basement, with walls made of black Gothic marble. The ceiling is a transparent semicircle carved from crystal, offering a view of the shimmering waters of Black Lake above, and is adorned with lights that glow green.

Outside the window lay the dark waters of a lake, occasionally catching glimpses of enormous shadows. Opposite the lounge stood an exquisitely carved fireplace, surrounded by ornate chairs.

Irving glanced around and couldn't help but sigh inwardly; the gloomy, cold color scheme made him feel inexplicably cold. Although the fireplace warmed the lounge cozy, he still preferred to curl up in a chair by the window during his free time, basking in the bright, warm sunlight.

As Irving expected, the dormitory room was predominantly black and green. Outside the window was the deep lake bottom, and silver lanterns hung from the ceiling. The circular room was surrounded by four four-poster beds draped with green curtains and silver embroidery on the bedspreads, giving it an understated luxury.

Harry, Malfoy, and the seemingly quiet and reserved Theodore Nott, who shared a dorm room with Owen, had already climbed into bed. Owen could even hear Malfoy's drawn-out complaint: "Why isn't it a single room? I absolutely have to write a letter to my dad..."

Owen didn't rush to bed. He had already taken a nap on the train and wasn't particularly sleepy. He quietly took out some rabbit food to feed Muse, put away the messy magic props on his body, changed into a dark blue long nightgown, and carefully washed himself with a cleansing spell before slowly climbing into bed.

"Goodnight, Muse," Owen said softly to the rabbit lying on the table, looking out at the deep lake and listening to the gentle lapping of the waves against the window.

Goodnight, Hogwarts.

(End of this chapter)