Kasenhis raised an eyebrow. He recognized the young wizard who had just arrived. He was a very rare case in Slytherin, a true Muggle-born. As for his quality of life in Slytherin… well, those who knew, knew.
The boy sat down across from him.
"Hello, Professor."
"Hello, Biles. How have you been lately?"
Biles shrugged. "Just getting by."
Kasenhis quietly straightened his posture. "I don't think the current Sorting Hat truly places students based on their qualities anymore. Most of the time, it looks at their family bloodlines."
"For example… the Weasleys go to Gryffindor, the Malfoys to Slytherin, the Abbott family are die-hard Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaw never lacks members from families like the Hawkes."
"As long as a student isn't too outrageous, like Sirius Black from the Black family, the sorting result usually doesn't go wrong."
"And yet, you, a Muggle-born wizard, entered Slytherin. I can only say that the Slytherin traits within you surpass those bloodline-dependent Slytherins by several streets."
"And now you're telling me… you plan to just drift along?"
"I don't believe it." Kasenhis shook his head.
"Then what kind of answer do you want to hear, Professor?" Biles gave an awkward smile.
"That's up to you," Kasenhis said. "But right now, I'd prefer to hear about your plans for the future."
"My plans for the future definitely don't lie in the magical world. It's backward, ignorant, and lacks even the slightest sense of vitality. A Muggle-born wizard with no pure-blood connections either ends up rotting away in some corner growing mushrooms, or gets crushed into the dirt by those powerful pure-blood families." Biles shook his head as he spoke.
"No wonder you're in Slytherin. I had a Gryffindor student before whose idea was to climb to the top of the Ministry of Magic and fight for the rights of Muggle-borns." Kasenhis began flipping through the career guide in his hands.
"That's the difference in Slytherin traits. I don't plan to hack my way through a path filled with overwhelming resistance. Compared to that, I prefer another route." Biles leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, thinking for a moment before speaking.
"Oh? What kind of idea?" Kasenhis raised an eyebrow.
"My father once gathered some information in the Muggle world. Around the Prime Minister, there's a group of… um…" Biles suddenly leaned closer to Kasenhis and spoke cautiously, only to be sprayed in the face by the brooch on Kasenhis's chest.
"Ah—oh…" Biles froze for a second, then wiped his face, looking confused.
Kasenhis found his expression amusing and raised a brow. "I noticed your eyes drifting toward this brooch ever since you sat down. What, did you give it to me?"
"Uh… hehe." Biles replied awkwardly.
"Not bad craftsmanship. Just a bit timid. You didn't even dare put your name on the gift?" Kasenhis said, arching a brow.
"Actually, this wasn't the gift I originally planned to give. The real gift was this." Biles took out an exquisite, platinum-colored dagger from his robes and placed it in front of Kasenhis.
"As for that, it was just a small bet between me and my roommate. He wagered that, with your… impressive example of wiping out an entire Slytherin family ahead of time, I wouldn't dare give you something like a prank item. The stakes were a book on Dark Magic," Biles explained.
"That's quite a profitable bet." Kasenhis picked up the dagger, then with a casual wave of his hand created a small pedestal and placed the dagger on it. Almost instantly, it began to float above the base.
"Anyway, thanks for the gifts. I like both of them. Honestly, when I realized the brooch was from you, I thought you were being bullied internally by Slytherin," Kasenhis said.
Biles revealed a rather strange smile. "For the past five years, they've been forcing me to improve. I'm not like those useless ones who lie on their family achievements. What I lack now is just resources."
"I see." Kasenhis nodded. "Earlier, you mentioned your father looked into those people around the Prime Minister that you weren't sure about. They're wizards, and like you and me, they're Muggle-born."
As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two business cards. "Two cards. One belongs to the Prime Minister, the other to a senior student of yours. He's currently working by the Prime Minister's side."
Then he extended his hand. "Your report card."
Biles handed it over. Kasenhis circled several subjects: Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Alchemy, Divination, and Herbology.
"Focus more on these subjects. If you want that position, you need to be a pragmatist."
Biles took the report card and nodded. After thinking for a moment, he bent slightly at the waist. "Thank you, Professor."
"Mhm… go call the next one in for me," Kasenhis replied.
"No problem."
Kasenhis lowered his gaze to the career guidance in his hands, casually guessing who would be next. When he looked up…
"Draco, how are your parents?" Kasenhis asked.
"I contacted them this morning through the two-way mirror, Professor. Here's my report card." Draco handed it over, then asked with some confusion, "Professor, didn't you receive my gift?"
"The brooch? I have too many of those, I can't wear them all. Compared to the others, this one is more… special. And more fun." Kasenhis flicked the brooch on his chest with a finger, and a stream of water shot straight at Draco.
"Uh… did you make this yourself?" Draco took the tissue Kasenhis handed him and wiped his face as he asked.
"One of your Slytherin classmates gave it to me," Kasenhis explained.
"He must be really bored," Draco said helplessly.
"It's actually a pretty good idea." As Kasenhis spoke, he looked over Draco's report card. To be fair, among this year's Slytherins, Draco was definitely top-tier. The report card was filled with O's, far better than most of those idle heirs who relied on their family backgrounds.
"Go on, tell me your dream." This time, Kasenhis didn't ask about a career. With Draco's background, he could live very well even without working, so Kasenhis chose a much more abstract question instead.
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