Victor glanced at the clock:
— Wow, looks like I've stayed too long.
Dumbledore checked the time as well and smiled gently:
— When spending time with a friend, hours always slip away unnoticed.
Victor nodded, standing up from his chair:
— Lilith, sunshine, up you get. We both know you've been awake for a while now.
Lilith opened her eyes, looked from Victor to the smiling Dumbledore, and let out a tired sigh as she stood up. Her expression remained impassively cold: no matter how terrified she was, she had no intention of showing her fear.
— Victor, I certainly don't mind the students misbehaving a little now and then, but everything ought to remain within reasonable limits, — Dumbledore remarked softly.
Victor paused right at the exit and frowned:
— Much more than usual?
— Three times as much as last year, — Dumbledore said.
Victor's eyes widened slightly. His faction's start-of-term party was supposed to begin right about now, and Dumbledore was clearly hinting at alcohol.
— Don't worry, I'll take care of it, — a terrifying, icy sneer twisted Victor's face, baring his teeth.
Three times as much alcohol was no joking matter. Usually, things were limited to a couple of goblets per person. Victor didn't stop the older students from drinking and even happily joined them himself, but he strictly disapproved of drinking among those who weren't fourteen yet. Though... there was one distinct clown — George. No matter how closely Victor kept an eye on him, the guy still managed to get completely plastered. It was as if he had a superpower: one second he was stone-cold sober, but the moment Victor turned his back, he was barely able to stand on his feet.
— I think my little imps have gotten a bit too relaxed, — Victor muttered. — Seems I was a little too soft on them last year.
Catching that bared sneer, Lilith flinched instinctively. She shifted her gaze to Dumbledore and stood stunned: the Headmaster simply gave an approving nod after him.
"Hey! You're the Headmaster! A student is openly threatening other students right in front of you — aren't you supposed to do something?!" — the thought raced through her mind in horror.
Lilith walked behind Victor, who still wore that eerie smile on his face. As they began descending deep into the dungeons, the girl frowned: Hogwarts was a massive castle, so why did they have to live so far underground?
First, they passed through the cool Slytherin common room — Lilith glanced briefly at the elegant furniture, sofas, and fireplace — before following Victor toward a set of massive double doors. As they approached, the doors swung open on their own, revealing a spacious hall. In terms of size, it was nearly on par with the Great Hall where she had recently been sorted into Slytherin. Lilith noticed a long table laden with food, as well as party balloons and banners. However, the atmosphere in the room felt distinctly strange. The girl looked up at Victor and watched as his expectant sneer vanished instantly.
Victor had spent the entire walk down thinking about how he would lay into his impudent "snakes," but upon stepping inside and sensing the lingering gloom, he merely knit his brows in confusion:
— Daphne, what happened?
Daphne raised her gaze to him:
— Nothing special. Just that some Slytherins are completely losing their heads. Here, take a look, — she pointed to a sizable pile of bags stacked nearby.
Victor walked over, unzipped one of them, and confirmed his suspicions: neatly lined up inside were bottles of wine. Noticing not a shred of surprise on his face, Daphne asked:
— You already knew?
Victor nodded and uttered words that sent a cold sweat through half the room:
— Yeah, the Headmaster already filled me in. So, what's your excuse?
One of the upperclassmen stood up from the table and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly:
— Victor, it's just that you host this party every year, and we come and eat and drink on your dime... So some of us decided to bring a little something of our own. To make a contribution, so to speak. The house-elves handle the food, so we decided to take care of the booze. There are a lot of people, so it turned out to be this much...
The rest of the Slytherins hung their heads guiltily, silently standing by the speaker.
Victor, who had originally intended to stage a harsh disciplinary show, merely broke into laughter and shook his head:
— Ah, how can I even stay mad at such sweethearts? Fine, fill everyone's goblets, keep a couple of bottles, and get rid of the rest tomorrow.
A collective sigh of relief echoed through the hall. The students instantly carried out the order, and everything was finally ready for the celebration to begin.
Following tradition, the festivity opened with a speech from Victor:
— Well, congratulations to everyone on the start of the new school year! As you may have noticed, our numbers have grown. A warm welcome to those who have joined us from the Prefect's faction — I hope you settle in quickly. And please welcome the newest member of our big family, — Victor gestured toward the frozen Lilith. — This is Lilith... Uh, what's your last name again?
— Dorn, — the girl replied in a quiet yet steady voice. — Lilith Dorn.
— Dorn? Are you from Germany?
Lilith gave a short nod: her family indeed lived in Germany.
— Unexpected. Anyway, please make her feel welcome! And be careful around her: unlike most of you, she, much like myself, is a true Slytherin. Cunning, ambitious, and exceedingly sly.
The students stared at the newcomer with newfound respect: none of them even entertained the thought of doubting Victor's words. Lilith's eyes widened in shock — she never expected him to expose her to everyone right off the bat and openly warn them against interacting with her.
— And now... LET'S PARTY!
— HOORAY!
— YEAH!
That very second, music blasted from a magical speaker, and the party officially kicked off.
— Daphne, show her to her room, — Victor said, shifting his gaze to Lilith. — I'm giving you until Christmas to seize power over your peers and convince them to join my faction.
Lilith frowned:
— That's easy. But why complicate things? With your power and influence in Slytherin, you could simply force them to side with you.
— There's an agreement between the factions: we give first-years the freedom to choose whom to join, — Daphne explained. — Though, truth be told, we don't give a damn about that agreement, nor do we care if all the first-years join us or not. Victor simply wants to see what you're capable of. Try not to disappoint him.
Victor smiled and nodded:
— And to make it harder for you: you are forbidden from forcefully breaking their minds. Only direct persuasion and personal charisma.
Lilith scoffed dismissively:
— While they're just a bunch of kids, that will be easy.
Victor burst into hearty laughter. From the surge of pleasure, his Sharingan instinctively manifested in his eyes. Smiling warmly, he patted Lilith on the hair, making the girl shudder. He was definitely starting to take a liking to this kid.
Daphne, who had spent the entire summer with him, clenched her fists under the table and scowled. Only truly intense emotions — genuine happiness, wild rage, or excitement — could trigger Victor's Sharingan. Previously, whenever she or Hermione managed to drive him to reveal those crimson eyes, they would proudly brag about it to each other.
Daphne cast a cold, evaluating gaze at Lilith. This little brat was dangerous, and something needed to be done about her: Daphne didn't like Victor giving this kind of attention to another girl. However, a second later, an icy sneer played on her lips.
"So, she caught your eye, huh? Hmm... Let's see how you sing tomorrow once I tell Adele about everything."
Daphne had hoped that over time Victor's sister would get used to things and grow more restrained, but no — with each passing day, Adele was turning into even more of a possessive creature. And after Victor had trained her all summer, it had become downright dangerous for the other girls surrounding him. While Daphne used to be able to comfortably flirt with Victor just to tease the girl, that was no longer the case. Daphne wasn't at all sure that even teaming up with Hermione would be enough to handle the upgraded Adele. And with that thought, Daphne's smile grew even wider; she was already picturing Adele sending this Lilith straight to the hospital wing tomorrow.
It was around midnight when the party finally wrapped up. With a twitching eye, Victor watched as George's friends forcefully dragged his dead-drunk body out of the hall while he feebly resisted with his remaining strength.
— How does he do it?! — Victor was genuinely baffled. — I was keeping an eye on him the whole time! Does he manage to chug drinks in the split seconds I blink?
Daphne merely shrugged:
— Beats me. I haven't seen him touch a goblet once either.
Victor sighed heavily:
— Whatever, doesn't matter. I'm going to get some rest.
Daphne nodded and silently followed behind him. Victor looked at her in confusion as the girl stepped into his private room right after him.
— Need something?
Daphne crossed her arms over her chest and asked in all seriousness:
— Do you like that girl, Lilith?
Victor tilted his head slightly to the side, thought for a second, and answered:
— I wouldn't say "like", more like she piques my interest. Because of her unique trait.
— And what's so special about her?
Victor stepped close, wrapped an arm around Daphne's waist authoritatively, and pulled her in:
— You'll find out for yourself one day, — he smiled softly and kissed her forehead. — Stop being jealous. You know very well I'm not the type to fall in love easily.
Daphne wrapped her arms around him in return, burying her face into his chest, and scoffed dismissively:
— And that's coming from a hound who already has five girlfriends?
— Five? — Victor raised an eyebrow in surprise. — Where did five come from? Isn't it just two — you and Hermione?
Daphne looked up at him skeptically:
— What about Adele and Luna?
— Ew, ew, ew, what kind of wild thoughts are those! — Victor waved his hands dismissively. — One is my little sister with an obvious brother complex, and the second... well, Luna can practically be considered my little sister too. A sweet, slightly clumsy little sister type.
— And that bitch Abigail?
— Well-l-l... I won't argue there, — Victor confessed honestly. — She attracts me, but purely on a physical level. I just want her. But that's definitely not love.
Daphne let out a heavy sigh, not even knowing how to react. Victor had completely stopped filtering his thoughts and was now blurting out absolutely everything in his head — except for the things he made a point of keeping secret (and about those, he would straight-up tell her he wouldn't say). What was a normal girl supposed to do when her boyfriend openly declared he desired another woman? Throw a fit? Break up? And what did she do? Merely forbade him from touching Abigail until they grew up, placing the condition that she and Hermione would still be his first.
— Damn it... Victor, just listen to what you've done to me! — Daphne groaned. — Where's my pride? Not only am I sharing you with Hermione, but I'm even letting you check out other girls!
Victor laughed heartily, lifted her chin, and kissed her passionately on the lips.
— Not just check out... You know, I've already copped a feel of her all over. And honestly, Abigail's body is pure perfection.
Daphne frowned indignantly and tried to push him away, but Victor only held her tighter in his embrace, deftly turned her around, pinned her onto the bed, and climbed on top.
— You jerk... — A kiss. — Don't kiss me! — A kiss. — Hey, where are you putting your filthy hands?! — A kiss. — Mmm, idiot... — A kiss.
The next morning, Daphne cautiously poked her head out of Victor's room, carefully scanned the empty corridor to make sure no one was around, and darted back to her own room.
As soon as his door closed, Victor opened his eyes and grinned in satisfaction.
— Hmm, she's growing up fast... Makes sense though: girls always blossom earlier than guys, — he muttered.
Stretching on the bed, he looked down and noticed a distinct "pitch tent" beneath the blanket.
— Hah, I wish sixteen would hurry up... I'm getting tired of just touching without ever getting a taste, — Victor sighed heavily, though a second later that smirk played on his face once more.
He deftly reached under the bed, pulled out a hidden box, set it on the mattress, and paused for a second to pick out one of the glossy magazines. Then, a pack of tissues and hand lotion migrated over from the nightstand.
— Alright, who's going to feast my eyes today?.. — he whispered, turning to the desired page.
However, his idyll was rudely interrupted by a loud knock on the door.
— I'm busy! — he shouted with a frown. — Now, where was I...
Another knock rattled the door. Victor's eye twitched nervously.
— Looks like this school year is going to start with someone's agonizing death, — he gritted out, quickly getting out of bed, pulling on his pants, and throwing the door open in a fury. — What kind of idiot doesn't get... Oh, Professor Snape! Good morning! To what do I owe such an early visit?
Snape swept a dark, measuring gaze over him:
— Sorry for waking you.
— No, no, it's fine, you didn't wake me, I was actually just about to... Mmm, anyway, doesn't matter. So, what happened?
Snape didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point:
— The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher — Lupin. Make sure his teaching becomes unbearable. I want him to regret ever taking this job during every single class with the Slytherins. Any points he deducts from our house, I will personally reimburse in Potions.
Without waiting for Victor's response, Snape turned around and swept briskly down the corridor.
Victor watched him walk away in silence before closing the door:
— Couldn't ask later, had to be first thing in the morning... — He cast a gloomy look at the bed, where the magazine still lay open. — Damn it, completely ruined the mood!
Shaking his head, Victor threw on a tank top and stepped out into the corridor. Placing his wand against his throat, he bellowed across the entire house:
— LITTLE IMPS! YOU HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES TO LINE UP IN THE COMMON ROOM! ANYONE WHO DOESN'T SHOW UP — I WILL PERSONALLY APPARATE YOU INTO ARAGOG'S LAIR!
The students who were still snoozing in their beds scrambled up instantly and began dressing in a panic.
— Who's Aragog?! — one of the Slytherins asked.
— Beats me, but hardly anyone friendly if Victor's using him as a threat!