For over two months, this suffog tension simmered, and it was only a matter of time before it boiled over.

  Oernoon, Alex was in the middle of training with Charles, Welen, and the others he hut. But somethi off—Vivian hadn’t shown up. Weleioned she had gone back to the on room to put away some books, but it wasn’t like her to take so long.Alex wondered if the training had been too much for her. She often pined about the workload, calling it torturous. Her tendency to sck off whenever she could was well-known among the group. He had even beguing her as more of a morale booster than a serious trainee.

  Just as Alex was lost in thought, Vivian finally appeared, but she wasn’t alone. Beside her was David Gamper, a young first-year wizard. Tears streaked David’s face, and his expression was full of despair. Vivian, oher hand, was seething with rage. As they came closer, Alex noticed that one side of Vivian’s face was slightly swollen—she’d been spped.

  “What happened? Did someone hurt you?” Alex and the others rushed forward.Seeing them, David burst into fresh sobs, wailing untrolbly.

  “It’s those guys again,” Vivian said furiously. “They’re out of trol! They’re even pig on first-years now.”

  She expined what had happened. In the Slytherin on room, some of the ittee members found a photograph of David’s grandmother. When they discovered she was a Muggle, they fiscated the photo. Little David tried tue with them, but as a first-year, he owerless. To punish him, they burhe photograph in the firepce right in front of him. Hearing this, the group fell silent. Anger simmered in Alex’s chest. He ched his fists tightly and looked at the tear-streaked face of the boy in front of him.

  “They crossed the line,” Alex said coldly, his voice steady but ced with fury.

  Vivian had just returo the louo store her things when she saw the otion. Driven by a strong sense of justice, she immediately rushed forward to front Amelia Osbert, the sixth-grade female prefect. Amelia, a staunch supporter of pure-blood superiority, wasted no time iing Vivian for being a half-blood wizard. But when it came tuing, Amelia’s limited vocabury was no match for Vivian’s quick wit. Before long, Vivian's sharp retorts had Amelia stumbling over her words, visibly flustered.

  Uo win the verbal battle, Amelia resorted to physical aggression. What started as pushing and shovied into an ht fight. Sps were exged, hair ulled, and tempers fred. Despite Vivian’s ce, she was outmatched aually forced to retreat, dragging her little panion, David, along with her.

  When Vivian rejoined her friends, she was clearly worse for wear but refused to admit defeat. "Hmph! Don’t worry. I didn’t really lose," she boasted, her pride intact despite the scratches on her face. “That Amelia isn’t getting off easy either. I scratched her a few times myself. Though…” She hesitated, gingerly toug her scalp. “She did pull my hair pretty hard.”

  Charles, watg from the side, felt a pang of . He stepped forward to brush her hair aside, cheg the scratches on her face. His gentle gesture made Vivian’s cheeks flush crimson, and she quickly turned her head, mumbling awkwardly.

  Meanwhile, David was seated nearby, his face pale and his voice trembling as he asked Alex hesitantly, "Senior, did I… do something wrong? Is it really a crime to have Muggle blood? I don’t feel any different from them, except fic…"

  Alex felt a wave of disfort. It was clear these young half-blood wizards were starting to internalize the pure-bloanda. He ched his fists but softened his tone when he replied, "Don’t listen to them. They’re just trying to make themselves feel important. If they were really so great, they’d go bother the headmaster—he’s a half-blood too."

  Vivian, still tending to her injuries with Charles’s help, chimed in angrily. “Exactly! They’re just bullies looking for excuses. Even if Slytherin were filled with pure-blood wizards, they’d find something else to pi.”

  Alex nodded. “That’s right. People like that will always find a way to cause trouble. It’s not about blood; it’s about power.”

  Higgs, standing nearby, crossed his arms and added, “Alex, we ’t let this tinue. Slytherin is falling apart because of those idiots, and the headmaster isn’t stepping in. If we want ge, we’ll have to make it ourselves.”

  Alex turo Higgs, his expression serious. “How are the other half-bloods reag?”

  “What do you think?” Higgs replied with a bitter chuckle. “They’re angry, sure, but no one’s going to say it out loud. You know how Slytherins are. They grumble in private but cp the loudest when those pure-bloods trip up. For now, they’re just waiting for someoo take the lead.”

  Alex thought for a moment before turning to David. “St. You o learn to protect yourself. Starting tomorrow, you’re training with me, Vivian, and Higgs every day. Remember this: only the strong have the right to speak. If you’re weak, it won’t matter hht you are—you’ll still lose. Uand?”

  David wiped his tears and nodded, determination flickering in his eyes. Today’s events had clearly shaken him, but Alex’s words sparked something deeper. Though his eyes brimmed with tears again, he forced himself to hold them back.

  Alex pulled out a vial of Wiggenweld Potion and ha to Charles. “Take care of her injuries,” he instructed. Charles immediately went to work, carefully applying the potion to Vivian’s scratches. Meanwhile, Bill stood silently nearby, watg ily. He didn’t fully uand what Alex nning, but the weight of the versation made him too nervous to interrupt.

  As the group teo Vivian, Alex’s mind raced. This wasn’t just about petty school fights—this portunity. The chaos in Slytherin could be turo his advantage, especially with the Death Eaters looming outside the school. These troublemakers within the house could be a stepping stoo something much bigger.

  At that moment, in the headmaster’s office, S across from Dumbledore, his expression sharp despite the exhaustioched into his features. “Severus, any news about those fugitives?” Dumbledore asked, his tone calm but probing.

  Snape leaned back, rubbing his temples. “They’ve gone underground. I’ve checked several of their safe houses, but most were abandoned. I did, however, find traces of one.”

  “Who?” Dumbledore’s gaze sharpened.

  “Igor Karkaroff,” Snape replied, his voice dripping with disdain. “That coward is probably hiding in some hole, shaking like a leaf. And while we’re on the subject, why am I doing all this Auror work for you? It’s exhausting, bang this with my responsibilities here.”

  Dumbledore smiled faintly. “I know it’s a lot to ask, Severus, but if we don’t catch them, they’ll cause more chaos. Remember what happeo the Longbottoms. These Death Eater remnants will only grow bolder without the Dark Lord’s presence.”

  Snape sighed heavily. “Fine. I’ll follow the trail. But what about the problems ihe school? Yaxley and Wilkes are stirring up trouble in Slytherin, and you know it. Why did you approve Wilkes as a prefect? He’s practically a Death Eater in training.”

  Dumbledore adjusted his gsses, his expression unreadable. “I have my reason…”