"Alex, I didn't expect you to be so good at throwing insults! Did you see Travers' face? He was red with rage!" Vivian chuckled, covering her mouth with a grin.
"But seriously, you're a Slytherin. Won't this make things tougher for you at the academy? I feel like I've caused you trouble."
Alex glanced at her and then turned to Charles, who seemed a little guilty for the situation as well.
"You don't need to apologize for anything," Alex said calmly. "Backing down only makes people push harder. The only way to get stronger is to learn to fight back. Weakness is the original sin. And while I'm not one to seek out trouble, I'm not afraid of it either. Plus, I'm a Muggle-born in Slytherin—I was already prepared for this."
Charles nodded, appreciating Alex's firm stance.
Vivian, still a little worried, added, "But what if they start causing you more trouble? I mean, I've got Senior Vanessa watching out for me, and I'm the third heir of the Bulstrode family, so they probably won't mess with me too much."
Alex raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed. He hadn't realized that Vivian held such an important position in her family.
'Third heir, huh? No wonder they value her, even with her Muggle-born parentage.'
"Well," Alex replied, turning to Vivian with a small smile, "If anyone gives you trouble, just let me know. I'll figure something out."
The three chatted a bit more before heading into the Quidditch stadium. Inside, they found seats in the stands where Senior Vanessa had already saved spots for them. As soon as they sat down, Vanessa turned to Alex and Vivian with a concerned expression.
"I heard you two had a bit of a fight with Travers at the entrance. Look, we need to stay united in Slytherin. Our academy's reputation isn't great right now, and with the House Cup still far off, we can't afford more division."
Alex tried not to roll his eyes. He understood Vanessa's obsession with unity and the House Cup, but in his opinion, her approach was too soft.
'Warn them all you like, but without some real discipline, those troublemakers won't listen,' he thought.
Still, he and Vivian nodded along politely as Vanessa continued, not wanting to argue.
Vanessa, as a prefect, was deeply committed to improving Slytherin's standing, but the constant conflicts with Gryffindor had taken their toll on the house's performance in the House Cup. Ever since she entered Hogwarts, Slytherin had yet to win, often losing out to Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, who quietly benefited from the chaos between Slytherin and Gryffindor.
The weather mirrored the tension inside the stadium, with black clouds looming over. It was as if the skies themselves were signaling that today's game would be anything but bright and cheerful.
Soon after the players from both sides entered the field, Mrs. Rolanda Hooch blew her whistle, signaling the start of the year's first Quidditch match. What followed left Alex in disbelief.
From the very start, the match was more of a brawl than a game. Players on both sides collided aggressively, even the Seekers, who were usually more focused on finding the Snitch, got involved in the chaos. The Chasers didn't even bother trying to score at first, choosing to ram into each other instead. To Alex, it almost seemed like they were passing the Quaffle to their opponents on purpose just to set up another collision.
The Beaters were just as wild, swinging their bats at each other when the Bludgers weren't nearby, and occasionally aiming for the opposing players rather than the balls. Gryffindor set up a ring formation, trying to surround Slytherin, while Slytherin countered with a triangle charge straight through their defense.
Alex, much to his own surprise, was actually enjoying the spectacle. Though he had little interest in the sport itself, the sheer brutality of the tactics and the almost absurd level of aggression were entertaining. Unfortunately, Mrs. Hooch wasn't as amused. She called for a timeout after just ten minutes when no goals had been scored, but several players were already having bruises and bloody noses.
'A shame, I was enjoying the chaos more than the game itself.'
During the timeout, both Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Hooch stepped onto the field to warn the players, urging them to focus on the game. For a brief moment, things calmed down, but as soon as the whistle blew to resume, the aggressive play started up again.
Elbows, kicks, and even spitting became common tactics. Alex shook his head, finding it all too similar to a violent video game he used to play in his previous life. Mrs. Hooch was practically blowing her whistle nonstop, calling out fouls, awarding free throws, only for the players to commit even more fouls right afterward.
More than an hour into the game, things had taken a clear turn for the worse. Slytherin was down one player, sent off after a particularly brutal foul, and another was injured. Gryffindor's Seeker had fallen off his broom, breaking a leg, leaving them without anyone to catch the Snitch. The current score was 70-130, with Gryffindor in the lead.
Despite the chaos, the game showed no signs of ending.
In Alex's eyes, the Quidditch game had devolved into a bizarre farce. The Slytherin Seeker, instead of searching for the Golden Snitch, was darting around the field trying to interfere with the Gryffindor players. At the same time, the Gryffindor team, fearful that catching the Snitch would trigger a premature end, huddled defensively in front of their goals.
As the game dragged on, it became increasingly absurd. Another hour passed, and the score had ballooned to 110-280 in Gryffindor's favor. The Slytherin players were doing their best to hold on, but with only five players left—one of them being the Seeker, who wasn't even trying to find the Snitch—it was essentially a 4-on-6 match. Their chances of mounting a comeback were slim at best.
Alex watched, a mixture of amusement and disbelief on his face.
'This won't end anytime soon...'