Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

As the golden desserts vanished into thin air, Dumbledore stood up again and announced some rules, including a ban on entering the Forbidden Forest and that class schedules would be distributed by the heads of the houses.

Then, Dumbledore cheerfully announced the start of the school song singing session—and encouraged everyone to use their favorite tune.

The scene was chaotic yet joyful. Henry chose to hum the lyrics quickly and quietly to the tune of "God Save the Queen," while Draco and several upperclassmen of Slytherin used a slow, somber, elegiac tune.

As the song played, Henry noticed that the fifth-grade girl named Gemma Farley did not join in the laughter and merriment. She simply stood quietly, her chin slightly raised, her posture as upright as a young poplar tree.

The silver-green rank badge on her chest was spotless, reflecting the candlelight of the auditorium.

Even though she was very good at restraining herself, Henry still saw a burgeoning ambition in Miss Farley, just as he had seen in those ambitious young officials.

"Slytherin's new students! Over here!"

The authoritative female voice rang out precisely on time, down to the second.

Farley was already standing at the end of the long table. Her gaze swept over the newborns quickly and accurately, not as if she were looking at a group of children, but as if she were counting assets that were about to be put into storage.

After checking and confirming the items, she turned around deftly, flicking the hem of her robe with a dashing air.

"Keep up, stay quiet, and watch your step."

Henry wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he heard an older student from a certain college whispering, "Sister stepped on me."

You little rascal, how come you're trying to freeload?

Miss Farley led them through the foyer, down the stone steps, and into the dimly lit underground corridor.

Footsteps echoed between the stone walls, and the air became cool and damp, carrying the mixed scent of earth and stone.

"The password will change from time to time, so please check the bulletin board. The current password is 'Pureblood'."

Standing before a bare stone wall, she clearly uttered the command, and a stone door slid open, revealing Slytherin's common room to Henry.

His first impression of the common room was that it was dark and cold, even the flames burning in the fireplace were green.

Outside the several huge arched windows lies the eternal darkness of the Black Lake. Light penetrates the thick lake water, turning into a blurry, shimmering dark green, as if you were at the bottom of a giant aquarium.

Occasionally, a few strangely shaped black shadows would slowly glide by, making it difficult to determine whether they were giant squid or some other strange creature.

The furniture in the lounge is intricately carved with snakes and vines. The sofas and armchairs are upholstered in heavy velvet in silver-grey and dark green, perfectly matching the Slytherin school theme.

Many students were already seated in the common room, sitting on sofas, reading or talking quietly. The arrival of the new students only attracted their attention for a moment before they looked away.

"The boys' dorms are on the left, and the girls' are on the right. The names and roommate assignments are on the doors. Most rooms are double or triple rooms," Ms. Farley explained succinctly. "If you want to change rooms, you need your new roommate's permission, and then you need to apply through me."

After she finished speaking, she walked towards a group of older students.

Draco immediately became the center of attention among the new students. He straightened his robes and said to Crabbe and Goyle in a matter-of-fact tone, "Let's go."

Then he turned to Henry, his face adopting that friendly expression: "Good night, perhaps we can have a good talk tomorrow."

"Of course," Henry replied gently.

He noticed that Draco never mentioned their dinner conversation in public, a caution that contradicted his instinctive desire to show off, further confirming Sir Arnold's assessment of his family's conduct.

They walked down the corridor. The dormitory assignments were soon revealed, perfectly in accordance with the unspoken hierarchy and kinship rules within Slytherin.

The names of Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Gore are listed side by side on a door.

Draco glanced at it, seemingly both taking the arrangement for granted and feeling a subtle, unspoken boredom, while Crabbe and Goyle awkwardly pushed the door open and went inside.

Bresz Zabini has a double room to himself, and his roommate's name field is empty.

He was not surprised at all and slowly walked into the room.

Henry's name was listed alongside Theodore Nott's on a door further inside.

The boy who had been unusually silent in the auditorium was now standing quietly by the door, his gray-blue eyes calmly looking at his new roommate, without any intention of exchanging pleasantries.

This arrangement made Draco's brow furrow. Zabini's solitary position was due to his unique family background, but Nott, that taciturn, unyielding man...

Henry was placed with Nott, as if it were a deliberate separation.

He is neither part of the inner circle nor isolated like Zabini; rather, he is in a position to be observed.

"Looks like everything's arranged," Draco said to Henry, his tone still warm. "Get some rest."

Henry nodded and turned to his roommate.

Theodore Nott nodded very slightly before pushing open the heavy wooden door.

The interior of the room embodies Slytherin's aesthetic even more thoroughly. Although it is not large, the ceiling is high enough to avoid the oppressive feeling of darkness that can be experienced in the basement.

Two four-poster beds stand on either side, with bedposts made of black hardwood and carved with coiled snake patterns, the craftsmanship exquisite but not ostentatious.

The dark green velvet curtains were heavy and draped smoothly, with simple scrollwork embroidery in silver thread, and they all looked brand new.

Hogwarts—no, or at least Slytherin—would not allow new students to use bedding or curtains that others had used.

Henry's seat was by the window, and outside the window was the dark lake that swallowed up all the light. His suitcase had been neatly placed on a specially made low stool at the foot of the bed by the house-elf.

Nott's bed was by the door, and he had already begun tidying up his few belongings—a few books with neatly trimmed edges, a simple crystal bottle—his movements were quiet and efficient, without making a sound.

Henry placed Mercury's cage on the brass perch by the window, and the snowy owl blinked in the dim light.

He didn't start talking immediately, but instead began tidying up his own books and stationery, giving each other space to adjust to the silence.

He could sense that Nott wasn't unfriendly or hostile; he was just a bit introverted.

Living with such a roommate meant no noisy chatter, which made Henry very happy.

As for being observed?

When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Are those being observed also the observers?

Before drawing the curtains, he heard Draco lower his voice in the corridor, but his tone was clearly giving orders rather than discussing them.

"...Go early tomorrow, don't dawdle..."

The object is clearly Crabbe or Gore.