Harry Potter: House Magus

[POV SWITCH: Thomas Linhome – First-Year Ravenclaw]

I've had many interactions with Richard Magus all year, and I still don't know what to make of them.

You know how most first-years either try to make friends with everyone or stick to their own house like glue? Not him. He doesn't go around chasing people, but somehow they come to him. Even the older students make an effort to talk with him. Most are curious, while some are just wary.

I remember the first time I talked to him, back on our first day in Charms class. I was struggling with the levitation charm; my feather just sat there while everyone else's was at least twitching. He nudged me and gave me some small tips. Then went on his way. I tried it his way, and the feather floated, just like that.

Richard's different. He's not loud like a Gryffindor or smug like half the Slytherins. He's… calm. Always calm. Like nothing can rock him, he just moves through life unfazed by any challenge.

During the year, I'd catch him watching things, be it people, matches, professors, like he was memorising every detail.

Even Ravenclaws, who pride themselves on knowing everything, started asking him questions. And he never acted like he was above us. He'd help, then move on.

On the train ride home, I saw him pass by our carriage. He stopped to talk to me. Out of all people, we had barely spoken to one another throughout the year. But he made some time to talk to me.

When I first got the letter, I thought it made sense of the strange things I had experienced in the past. Coming into this world was shocking for me, but Richard has made it bearable with his help and encouragement.

I'm not sure what's to come. All I know is this: I'm glad that Richard is at school at the same time as me. I don't know what it would be like without him.

[POV SWITCH: Clara Barkley – Fourth-Year Gryffindor]

Richard Magus.

I've been at Hogwarts long enough to see first-years come and grow. Most of them spend their first year tripping over their own robes, starry-eyed, trying not to get lost. But not him. He walks the halls like he's always known them, like the castle itself guides him through it, making a way for him.

The first time we spoke was outside the greenhouses. I was talking to Lena, who came to Hogwarts at the same time as me, and we have been friends since then. When Richard came by, calm as anything walked straight up to us, slick as anything. At first, I thought he was just being polite, but as we talked, I realised he was listening, really listening. He asked questions that drew you in, absorbing you into the conversation.

I'm a Gryffindor. Since I first joined, every other Gryffindor has taught the younger students to be cautious around Slytherins. But Richard doesn't fit the mould. He's clever, yes, and ambitious, you can see it in his eyes, but he doesn't shove it in your face. He's not pretentious, he doesn't come off as a dick, just a charismatic boy who can charm his way out of anything.

Some of my housemates think he's dangerous. Maybe he is. There's an edge to him, like a blade under silk. But he's also fair. I've seen him help students who weren't in his house, students he had nothing to gain from helping.

I heard about what happened with Caroline Davis. Everyone did; nothing really stays a secret between students at Hogwarts. Gossip spreads fast. Most people would've looked away. He didn't. That says more about him than any rumour.

On the train ride home, I caught him moving from carriage to carriage, stopping to check on people. He even said hello to me, asked about my summer plans, like he actually cared.

He's a Slytherin through and through, no doubt about that. But he's also something more.

Next year, I'm curious to see just how far Richard Magus will go, and I'm looking forward to what the next years have in store.

[POV SWITCH: Lena Bazzle – Fourth-Year Gryffindor]

Richard Magus, a name I've grown to like hearing.

I'll admit, I didn't pay much attention to the new first-years at the start of the year. Why would I? Most of them are too busy trying to stay out of trouble to make an impression. 

My first impression of him was when he joined me and Clara the day after the sorting ceremony. He came up flirting his way around, right cheeky he is.

But by winter, his name was everywhere, whispered in corridors, mentioned in the library, even tossed around by the prefects.

The first time I really noticed him was during the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch match. He wasn't playing, but he was there, sitting in the stands like he was analysing every move. He sat with Arjun, one of his Slytherin dormmates, who was close with the captain. And when Slytherin beat us that day, I couldn't help but wonder how much of their strategy came from Richard's quiet suggestions.

Throughout the year, I had a couple of different conversations with him. He asked me about my classes, my favourite subject, and when I mentioned Care of Magical Creatures, he asked questions no first-year should even think to ask. It was like he really wanted to know about me.

There's something about him that makes you feel seen, even if you're not sure you want to be. It's unsettling and fascinating at the same time.

I've always felt off about the whole Wizard World, but Clara and the rest of Gryffindor have made me feel welcome. Only Richard made me feel seen, like someone really wanted to get to know me. Not just about the magical world we live in.

People say he's ambitious, that he's got hundreds of ideas whirling around his head. I believe it. He has this way of moving through Hogwarts that makes it feel like he knows everything about everything.

Some of the older Gryffindors say to keep him at arm's length and that he's no different from any other Slytherin.

I can't wait to see how next year plays out.

[POV SWITCH: Abraxas Malfoy – Second-Year Slytherin]

Muggle-borns.

Filthy lot. Know nothing about our culture or lifestyle. They get sent a letter and flood these halls with their stench. The 28 pure-blooded families have perfectly ruled the Wizarding World for centuries. We don't need an influx of rot in the form of Muggle-borns. 

But Magus.

The name alone irritates me. Too clean. Too deliberate. Like something someone chose rather than inherited. Bloodlines matter in Slytherin; they define who you are, where you stand. Yet this boy appears out of nowhere, claiming to be a Muggle-born, and suddenly the professors are praising him, the students whispering his name.

I still have no clue what his background is, but it's definitely not a Muggle-born.

At first, I thought it was luck. A few well-brewed potions, a clever wand movement here or there. But no, the halls echoed with praise. He moves like someone who's already mapped out the path ahead. That's strategy.

I've tried to catch him off guard, to see what's beneath that calm mask. He never flinches. Never shows more than he wants you to see. That's unnerving. Even Orion watches him closely, and Orion doesn't waste his attention on just anyone.

I'll admit, he's useful. The other first-years flock to him, and even some from other houses gravitate toward his orbit. He builds connections quietly, weaving threads where most wouldn't bother. It's almost… Slytherin of him.

Do I trust him? No.

Do I respect him? I might start too soon.

Magus is an enigma that is waiting to be unravelled.

[POV SWITCH: Septimus Weasley – Fourth-Year Gryffindor]

Richard Magus is a different boy.

I've seen plenty of Slytherins with ambition; most wear it like a badge. Loud, arrogant, constantly shoving it in your face. Magus isn't like that. He's quiet. Calculated. Maybe that is what being a true Slytherin is about.

At first, I didn't think much of him. Just another Muggle-born trying to survive in Slytherin, right? But then word started spreading, about how he aced Transfiguration without ever raising his hand to brag, how Slughorn practically beams whenever he walks into Potions, how even Dumbledore seems to watch him a little closer than the rest of us.

I spoke to him a few times, briefly, after classes or passing in the library. He's… unsettling, not in a bad way, just a little odd. He listens more than he speaks, and when he does speak, it's with this quiet confidence that makes you feel you need to listen to every word.

Clara and Lena like him, I can tell. They say he's respectful, not like most Slytherins. Maybe they're right. He helped a Ravenclaw first-year once when some older kids were giving her trouble. Word got around fast after that.

I keep wondering what his game is. Because he is playing one, anyone with half a brain can see that.

I respect him, though. Not many first-years command the kind of attention he does without ever asking for it.

Still, I'll be watching him. Because if Richard Magus is climbing a ladder, I want to know where it leads before he's standing at the top looking down at the rest of us.

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