Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Everyone sang as he wanted: quietly, loudly, cheerfully, sadly, slowly, quickly. And naturally, everyone finished singing at different times. And all this caused contradictory emotions in me, for some reason it made me feel ashamed.

- Oh, the music! - Dumbledore exclaimed when the last students had finished singing.

- Its magic outshines everything else we do here. Now to bed. Trot off!

The freshmen were quickly gathered into a pile and, led by the girl who appeared to be our Head Girl, walked past the senior students still chatting at their desks, out of the Great Hall, and down the marble staircase to the dungeon.

After making a few turns, we soon found ourselves near a dead end.

- Had she misdirected herself? - A few children whispered quietly.

- Pure blood! This is our password to enter our living room. It changes every two weeks and is posted on the board in the living room, so don't forget to check it. - The girl said, glancing at the astonished freshmen who were shocked to see a passage in the wall.

The girl silently went inside, and we hurried after her.

The common living room of the faculty looked tastefully furnished, tapestries depicting the exploits of famous Slytherins in the Middle Ages hung on the walls, for example, with a scene of killing a unicorn. Ancient dark wood sideboards stood against the walls. Despite the fireplaces, the room was cool and somewhat uncomfortable. The lighting also matched the ambiance - magical lamps illuminated the space with a cold, swampy light.

- Congratulations! I'm Head Girl Gemma Farley, and I'm pleased to welcome you to the Slytherin faculty. Now I'm going to tell you a little bit about our faculty. - The girl spoke at that moment, thus attracting everyone's attention.

- Our crest is a snake, the wisest of creatures. Our colors are emerald green and silver. The entrance to our drawing room is hidden in the Hogwarts dungeons. As you will see, its windows overlook the castle's underground lakes. We often see a giant squid rushing past us, and sometimes more interesting creatures. We like to think that our haven is shrouded in an atmosphere of mystery and underwater shipwrecks. Here are some things you should know about Slytherin, and some more to forget.

First of all, let's dispel some myths. Perhaps you've heard rumors about the Slytherin faculty - like we're all dark wizards and will only communicate with you if your great-grandfather was a great wizard, that sort of thing. Okay, you don't want to believe everything you hear from our rival faculties. I don't deny that we've produced our share of Dark Mages, but the other three faculties have also produced them - they just don't want to admit it. And yes, we have a tradition of accepting students who come from multiple generations of wizards and wizards, but nowadays you can find a large number of students in Slytherin who have at least one parent who is a first-generation mage.

Here's a little known fact that the other three faculties don't really consider: Merlin studied at Slytherin. Yes, Merlin himself, the world's most famous wizard! He learned everything he knew in our faculty! Do you want to follow in Merlin's footsteps? Or would you rather sit at the old desk of the illustrious Puffendu alumna, Eglantine Paffett, inventor of the self-washing dish rag? I don't think so. But enough about things that have nothing to do with us.

Let's talk about who we are. Our department is the coolest and most daring in the school. We play to win because we care about the honor and traditions of Slytherin. We also have the respect of our brother students. Yes, that respect may have some tinge of fear because of our Dark reputation, but you know what, it can be fun to have a reputation for being a follower of the dark side. Drop a few hints that you have access to an entire library of curses and see if anyone wants to steal your pencil case. But we're not bad people.

We're like our crest: sleek, strong, and often misunderstood. For example, we Slytherins look out for each other (look out for each other), which is something you can't say about a Claw. Not to mention the fact that the Claws are the biggest herd of bison you've ever seen, they go over each other's heads to get good grades, while we Slytherins are brothers. The corridors of Hogwarts can throw up surprises for the unprepared, and you'll be glad to have the snakes on your side as you move through the school. It is our belief that once you become a snake, you become one of us - one of the elite.

Do you know what Salazar Slytherin looked for in his students? The seeds of greatness. You were chosen for this faculty because you have the potential to become great in the truest sense of the word. Well, you might see a couple of people hanging around the common living room that you wouldn't think were destined for something special. Fine, keep your opinions to yourself. If the Allocating Hat sent them here, there's something special about them, and don't forget it. And speaking of people who aren't meant to be great, I didn't mention Gryffindors. A lot of people say that Slytherins and Gryffindors are two sides of the same coin. Personally, I think Gryffindors are nothing more than wannabe Slytherins. Note, some people say that Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor valued the same qualities in students, so perhaps we are more alike than we'd like to think. But that doesn't mean we're friendly with Gryffindors. They like beating us only slightly less than we like beating them. A few more things you might want to know: the resident ghost of our faculty is the Bloody Baron. If you get along with him, he will sometimes agree to intimidate people at your request. Just don't ask him how he got his bloodstains, he doesn't like that. Never bring anyone from another faculty into our living room or give them our password. No outsiders have entered our room in over seven centuries. Well, I think that's all for now. I'm sure you'll enjoy our bedrooms.

We sleep in ancient canopy beds with green silk draperies and silver threaded bedspreads. Medieval tapestries depicting the adventures of famous Slytherins cover the walls, and silver lamps hang from the ceiling. You will sleep well. The splash of the lake water coming from the window is soothing.

- Now take the maps from the table. They will help you navigate around the school by showing you your location at all times, and they will also provide you with a route to the right place if you need it. - She pointed to the table, where there were several dozen stacked maps.

All the freshmen quickly grabbed a copy, and then Gemma showed the girls the door to their dormitory, and we went to the other side of the dungeon.

Soon me and four other guys walked through the door the girl had pointed out.

There were five large beds with canopies on four posts, covered with silver-green velvet curtains. The beds had already been made. Everyone was too tired to talk about anything else, so they silently pulled on their pajamas and climbed into the beds.....