Time slipped by unnoticed in the midst of the discussion. It wasn’t until Professor Flitwick reminded everyone of the curfew that the group relutly began to disperse. As Orianna turo approach Alex, hoping for a word with him, she realized he had already vanished into the crowd. “Rude as ever,” she muttered, her lips curving into a pout. Feeling like an outsider again, she stomped off, frustrated.

  When Alex returo the Slytherin dormitory that night, he sat at his desk, flipping through his notes, preparing to tackle some homework. The quiet was soon shattered by a loud, insistent knock at his door.

  Bang! Bang! Bang! “Open up! Hurry!”

  Alex’s lips curled into a faint smirk. ‘Getting bold already, huh? Or is someone in a rush to get themselves humiliated?’

  With a wave of his hand, the door’s lock clicked open. The door smmed inward with a resounding boom, and Wilkes swaggered into the room, his expression smug and arrogant. He gnced around with exaggerated pt before his gaze settled on Alex, who was still seated, casually flipping through his book. Alex didn’t even spare him a gnce, whily fueled Wilkes’ irritation.

  “Why are you so slow? Today’s the first iion by the Purity ittee, a here you are ag like you’re above it all! Hand over any Muggle junk you’ve got in this room, or else—”

  “Or else you’ll pick a fight with me?” Alex cut him off mid-sentence, finally looking up. His tone was sharp, his eyes gleaming with disdain.

  Wilkes froze, his face paling slightly as the memory of st year resurfaced. Alex had humiliated him thhly back then, and Wilkes hadn’t fottehis wasn’t the pce for a brawl—not in the dormitory where Professor Snape could easily intervene. And deep down, Wilkes wasn’t fident he could win.

  Swallowing his anger, Wilkes straightened his posture and said stiffly, “This is an official iion by the Slytherin Purity ittee. If you cooperate, we won’t have any problems. But if you resist, any traband we find will nd you in serious trouble.”

  “Body search? That’s bold,” Alex replied coolly. “But tell me, who gave your little ittee the authority to impose your nonsense on me?”

  Travers, standing beside Wilkes, stepped forward, his face twisted with disdain. “We represent the will of Slytherin House! You’re just an outsider trying to defy what we’ve all agreed on.”

  Wilkes nodded vigorously. “Exactly! In Slytherin, we follow the rules. You ’t just—”

  “Rules?” Alex stood up, his movement slow but deliberate. A faint smile tugged at his lips, though his eyes were cold. “If Slytherin’s rules are made by trash like you, then maybe they aren’t worth following.”

  Wilkes and Travers flinched as Alex stepped closer. Instinctively, they took a step back but stopped themselves, puffing out their chests as if tain their fidence.

  “Watouth, Alex,” Travers barked, his voice shakie his bravado. “As pure-blood nobles, we make the rules in Slytherin. If you challenge us, you’ll regret it.”

  “Pure-blood nobles?” Alex chuckled darkly, stopping just inches from Travers. “Do you even hear yourselves? You’re not nobles—you’re just bullies hiding behind an imaginary title. And you expect me to take you seriously?” Alex cpped a hand on Wilkes’ shoulder, making him flinch. Though Wilkes tried to stand his ground, his shoulders stiffened as goosebumps crept down his spine.

  Travers, growing more frustrated, snarled, “Take your filthy hand off him! If you keep defying us, we’ll—”

  “You’ll what?” Alex cut him off again, his tone icy. “Throw aantrum? Cry to Snape?”

  Wilkes finally broke free of Alex’s grip, his face flushed with anger. “Enough! Stop wasting time and stand aside for the iion. If you don’t, you’ll regret it!”

  Alex’s smile disappeared, repced by a hard, calg expression. “Regret? I don’t mind rules, but weaklings like you don’t get to make them. If you wao follow your rules, prove you’re strong enough to enforce them.”

  With a flick of his wrist, the door behind them smmed shut and locked with a sharp click.Travers and Wilkes spun around, their bravado faltering.

  “What—what are you doing?!” Travers stammered, his voice high-pitched.

  Alex took a slow step forward, his shadow stretg over the two of them. “You barged into my room, tried to search me, and now you want to leave? No, no, boys. If you came here looking for trouble, you’ll have to see it through.”

  “Stay back! You ’t attack us—we’re in the same House!” Travers shouted, his voice shaking. “If you use magi us here, you’ll be expelled!”

  "You’re not injured, and you’re not bleeding. So how anyone say I attacked you? And now I o cast spells to deal with you?" Alex smirked, his eyes glinting with mischief as he faced the two boys.

  Travers tensed immediately. He knew he’d walked into a tiger’s den, but he wasn’t about to give in without a fight. His wand shot into his hand as he prepared to strike first.But Alex was quicker. Before Travers could even process what was happening, his wand vanished from his grasp. A quice at Wilkes firmed he was in the same predit—both unarmed in the blink of an eye.

  Before they could react, Alex grabbed their wrists in a firm grip, twisted them backward, and used a sharp tug to unbahem. With a smooth grappling teique, he flipped them to the ground in one fluid motion.

  A sharp smack followed as Alex’s palms struck precisely on their ots. “Argh!” Both Travers and Wilkes screamed in pain, clutg their sides. A searing ache shot through their bodies, leaving them stunned and gasping for breath.

  Alex, however, wasn’t done. Using a calcuted teique, he dislocated their arms, pressed them bato pce, and then dislocated them agaiing the process several times until both boys were left writhing in agony on the floor. By the time he was firavers and Wilkes couldn’t even muster the strength to scream anymore.

  “You’re pathetiot even fun to fight,” Alex muttered disdainfully, shaking his head as if disappointed.

  Dragging them to the door, Alex unceremoniously dumped the two outside the dormitory. As they y groaning in the corridor, he looked down at them coldly. “Tell Yaxley that if he has a problem with me, he deal with me himself. And if you bother me again, it wohis easily.”

  Without waiting for a response, Alex smmed the door shut, leaving Travers and Wilkes in the hallway, barely able to move. It wasn’t long before a few other pure-blood students stumbled upon them and carried the two battered boys to Yaxley. When they finally arrived at Yaxley’s dormitory, he stared at their pitiful state with a mix of annoyand disbelief. “So, let me get this straight—he beat you up ihe dormitory?” Yaxley asked, clearly unimpressed.

  Wilkes, still panting heavily, nodded frantically. “Yes! That Mudbloed us into his dorm and attacked us for no reason! You have to do something about him!”

  Yaxley frowned and leaned closer, iing the two of them. “Where exactly did he hit you? I don’t see any injuries.”