King of Lightning [HP FANFIC]

Anduin also cut off a piece of lamb chop and ate it slowly. In truth, he wasn't very hungry. He had eaten plenty of snacks in the car. He found that the level of cooking at Hogwarts was far better than outside. Although it was just as greasy as most British dishes, at least the seasoning was well done.

The banquet hadn't gone on for long when several ghosts began to appear one after another. Some fell from the ceiling, and others rose up from the tables, startling the new students, who let out repeated cries of surprise.

Anduin's eyes lit up as he watched the ghosts. It was the first time he had ever seen the dead appear before him. He even reached out and hugged one that floated nearby, his hand passing through the ghost's body without feeling a thing.

'If only I could get a ghost to study . . . this is rare stuff', Anduin thought mischievously. In fact, in some ways, he and Slytherin were quite a good match.

The other first-years around him were also getting to know each other while enjoying their food. However, Anduin quickly noticed that this was unmistakably Slytherin — the first questions were all about family background and lineage. He saw several students discover they were distant relatives after a bit of chatting, and they began recognizing one another. Many of them already knew each other, probably like Vivian, whose family likely visited others often.

Vivian herself seemed to know a few people too — probably ones she had met earlier that summer.

The wizarding world really was a small place. Watching the new Slytherin students trying to cozy up to familiar faces, Anduin felt like an invisible man, completely unaffected, quietly eating the lamb chop on his plate.

"Hi, friend, I'm Randel Rosier. Why are you sitting here eating all quiet and alone? You look unfamiliar. I heard your name's Anduin Wilson. Never heard of the Wilson surname. Are you a descendant of some foreign wizarding family?". A young boy suddenly sat next to him, also a first-year, with short, pale blond hair and a cheerful smile as he struck up a conversation.

'Descendant of the Dragon . . . if I said that out loud, I'd scare you to death', Anduin muttered inwardly, turning to look at him. He recognized the boy as the one who had been sitting next to Travers earlier. Anduin guessed he had probably been sent by Sampel Travers to dig into his background.

"No, I'm not the descendant of any foreign wizarding family. It's normal you haven't heard of me. I'm a wizard from a Muggle family. Is there a problem?" Anduin's tone was flat, devoid of emotion, as he stared at Randel with an unreadable expression.

Randel stiffened a bit under Anduin's cold gaze, and the smile on his face faltered.

When the nearby young wizards heard that Anduin was from a Muggle family, they all turned to look at him — then began whispering to one another, passing the news along.

You see, it was extremely rare for wizards from Muggle families to be sorted into Slytherin. Some of the students glanced at Anduin with curiosity, while others eyed him with suspicion or even open dislike.

Anduin felt that Travers and Rosier's antics were childish, and he didn't care at all about the odd looks from the other students. In his eyes, these new students were just a bunch of kids. He had no interest in joining their little family network. All he wanted was to study and do research in peace . . . and ideally, be left alone by anyone foolish enough to bother him.

Still, Anduin had learned from Vivian that some of the Slytherin students were half-bloods from well-known families, while others were pure-bloods. Trouble was inevitable for someone like him — a Muggle-born in Slytherin. So he made a quiet resolution to himself: power was everything. He had to prioritize learning how to protect himself in the shortest time possible. The magical world was still in turmoil, and it was likely that some students who admired the Dark Lord would see him as an easy target.

After Randel Rosier finished trying to pry, he backed off under Anduin's stare, returning to sit next to Travers. The two of them whispered together for a moment. When Travers heard what Randel had discovered, he gave a cold smirk.

He looked back at Anduin — and found Anduin looking directly at him. Those calm, deep eyes made a chill run down Travers's spine. With a scoff, he turned away and ignored him.

The room gradually quieted down. After all, it wasn't really appropriate to discuss family backgrounds so openly in a public setting. Prefect Vanessa also silenced the loudest students with a single look. Anduin gave her a faint smile in thanks, then happily returned to eating in silence.

Until he had a better grasp of the situation, Anduin planned to keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention.

Soon, the banquet drew to a close. Professor Dumbledore stepped onto the stage once again to remind the students of a few important rules. They were not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest, and they should avoid approaching the edges of the school grounds. The situation was sensitive, and many Aurors had been assigned to patrol the area around Hogwarts.

"Now comes my favorite part. Before we end the feast, let's all sing the school song together!" Dumbledore waved his wand, and golden ribbons unraveled into glowing lyrics suspended in mid-air.

All the teachers and students stood up and began singing the school song — each in their own tune. Anduin joined in, unable to find the rhythm, so he just followed along as best he could.

In Anduin's opinion, the entire thing was absurdly out of tune. All the teachers and students sang with awkward expressions, as if forcing their way through it. Only Dumbledore looked genuinely delighted, which made Anduin see the legendary wizard in a new, slightly odd light.

After enduring the bizarre performance, Professor McGonagall stepped in and directed the prefects to escort the students back to their dormitories.

The Slytherin common room and dormitories were located in the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle, directly beneath the Black Lake. The group left the Great Hall, turned corner after corner, climbed and descended staircases, and finally stopped in front of a blank stone wall.

"Serpens Caput." A fifth-year Slytherin prefect spoke the password, and a stone doorway appeared in the wall, leading into the common room.

Upon entering the Slytherin common room, the first thing one noticed was a long, narrow, low dungeon hallway. Round lamps glowing with eerie green light hung from the ceiling on chains.

At the far end, beneath a short flight of seven stairs, was an open lounge area. There were carved wooden chairs for students to relax in, and a few skulls had been placed as decorations. Part of the dungeon extended out beneath the lake itself — through the ceiling and windows, one could see the murky underwater world outside, casting the room in a greenish hue. The walls and ceiling were made of rough stone, and a fire crackled beneath an ornately carved mantelpiece. Still, the common room had a dark, somber atmosphere.

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