Ino didn't know that shortly after he left, the Slytherin common room plunged into an intense silence.
The prefect who had been present earlier returned, now standing obediently to one side, showing none of his previous demeanor.
Behind the prefect stood a middle-aged wizard with greasy hair.
"Professor!"
"Professor Snape!"
"Head of House!"
The students who had been chatting just moments ago now seemed as if they had seen a predator, rising to greet him.
Snape ignored the greetings, only nodding slightly to one or two students as he passed by.
With a blank expression, Snape walked over to Malfoy and began silently examining him from head to toe.
"Professor!" Malfoy stood up, a stark contrast to his earlier confidence.
"Are you enjoying this honor?" Snape's gaze swept around the room. "And you lot! Do you feel accomplished listening to gossip together?"
"Sorry, Professor."
"I'll leave right away."
"I have an essay to write..."
With Snape's reprimand, the common room emptied quickly. Even those who were genuinely working on essays chose to return to their dormitories.
At this moment, only Malfoy remained, feeling as though he was sitting on pins and needles. Unlike the others, he couldn't just leave, having been singled out by the professor.
A few minutes later, the vast Slytherin common room was almost empty, except for three people.
"Lucius wrote to me, asking me to take care of his excellent son..."
Seeing the flustered Malfoy in front of him, Snape felt reluctant to say much. However, due to Lucius' past favor, he couldn't ignore it.
"In the future, you can do whatever you want, but don't let me hear you gossiping again."
"Yes, Professor, I understand." Malfoy nodded quickly and, with Snape's permission, practically fled to his dormitory.
"Bang!"
With Malfoy's figure disappearing behind the door, only Snape and the Slytherin prefect remained.
"Monde, keep things quiet for a while. As for your usual activities, you can carry on, but be mindful of your methods."
Monde Acris, the prefect, came from the Sacred Twenty-Eight's Acris family and easily understood Snape's meaning.
'Keep quiet' meant Slytherin couldn't be as rowdy as in previous years, and 'be mindful of your methods' almost explicitly instructed them to stop their traditional antics.
Although somewhat reluctant, Monde knew that he had no choice given the circumstances.
"I understand what to do, Professor Snape!"
As Monde's figure gradually disappeared, Snape stood silently for a long time.
He raised his arm, carefully examining it for a moment before gently lowering it.
The sorting ceremony today had reminded him of someone he admired during his school years. The sight of those amber eyes at the banquet filled him with an unsettling sense of déjà vu, as if they concealed untold secrets beneath a façade of purity.
During his time at Hogwarts, Snape had once seen someone similar—black hair, graceful demeanor, and a gentle smile. When these two images overlapped in his mind, he felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart.
This was why he had come to the common room after the banquet. As the head of Slytherin, Snape needed to ensure his students' safety. This year, everything at Hogwarts felt strange to him, from new students to professors to the headmaster.
Therefore, he had to nip any potential problems in the bud, even if it meant forfeiting the House Cup for six consecutive years.
---
Thursday, September 2, 1991.
In the early morning, Ino reluctantly opened his eyes to a call.
"Thank you, Draco! I'm awake now."
"Good, there's half an hour left before class starts. You still have time for breakfast. I've put your schedule on the table."
After saying this, Malfoy rushed out.
"Bang!"
With the sound of the door closing, Ino couldn't help but smile wryly.
Seeing Malfoy's urgency, he could guess that Malfoy was eager to get to the Great Hall and 'accidentally' bump into Harry.
"Such favoritism… but I really need to get an alarm clock!"
Ino looked at his bedside watch; it was exactly 8:30 AM, just as Malfoy had said, with half an hour before class. However, he knew that this time included not only getting dressed and washing up but also navigating the moving staircases, leaving little time for breakfast.
Ten minutes later, Ino had washed up, put on his new robe, and picked up the schedule Malfoy left.
"Charms class… not Transfiguration."
Although different from his expectations, it was not unusual. The first class in the movies was Transfiguration with Slytherin and Gryffindor, but this was not a one-hour film. In a real world, there were many variables.
"No matter what, I can't be late."
Upon seeing the schedule, Ino made up his mind. He would rather skip breakfast than be late for the first Charms class.
Charms was a class he valued most, so making a good first impression on Professor Flitwick was crucial. As a Slytherin, it was already difficult to get a Ravenclaw head of house to give him extra attention. Being late on the first day would ruin any chance.
With this in mind, Ino grabbed some cheese from his luggage and hurried out.
---
8:50 AM.
"Phew! I made it, and Professor Flitwick isn't here yet," Ino muttered to himself.
After a struggle with the staircases, he finally reached the Charms classroom.
Entering the room, he saw many students had already arrived, especially the Ravenclaws.
"Mr. Swinburne! Please sit in the front row."
Just as Ino was about to choose a seat, a voice came from behind the desk.
"I heard that last night outside the castle, you successfully cast the Fire-Making Charm, making it hover calmly at the tip of your wand for illumination."
Professor Flitwick, who was less than two feet tall, was stepping onto a special stool to stand behind the desk.
"Thank you for your compliment, Professor Flitwick," Ino said with a smile. "My love for magic led me to practice a lot during the summer."
"While I encourage talented students to study on their own, I must say, don't practice blindly by yourself." Flitwick spoke with approval but also caution.
He then addressed the entire class with a more serious tone:
"I hope you all remember this: do not practice magic blindly on your own. I encourage self-study but prefer you practice under my guidance."
___