"Well done, Draco."
Lucien genuinely nearly laughed this time.
Dumbledore had schemed so carefully to pull him away from Slytherin.
Only to end up trapped listening to emotional damage for half an hour while the entire first-year class united behind him anyway.
Completely pointless.
Lucien politely bowed toward Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, if there's nothing else, I should probably return."
He smiled pleasantly.
"My fellow Slytherins are waiting for me."
"It would be rude to keep them waiting too long."
The corner of Dumbledore's mouth twitched faintly.
"…Of course."
Lucien immediately followed Snape back toward the Slytherin common room.
The moment they entered, the atmosphere inside felt incredibly tense.
Dozens of first-year pure-blood students stood gathered behind Draco, Daphne, Pansy, Theodore, and several others.
Most already had their wands drawn.
Facing them stood older Slytherin students led by several second-years.
Lucien understood the situation instantly.
Even among pure-bloods, unity did not truly exist.
The Sacred Twenty-Eight themselves constantly split into factions, alliances, rivalries, and political camps.
The students currently surrounding Lucien represented only one portion of Britain's pure-blood elite.
And Lucien never intended to control all of them anyway.
Some families could be recruited.
Some needed suppressing.
Others—
Eliminating.
Tonight marked the beginning of that hierarchy.
"Lucien!"
Draco looked genuinely relieved upon seeing him return.
"You're finally back!"
Lucien stepped forward calmly.
"Well done, Draco."
Just those three words nearly made Draco glow with pride.
Lucien then turned toward the gathered Slytherins.
"Dear upper-years."
He smiled politely.
"I heard we were selecting a representative?"
Standing near the centre of the room, Prefect Emery Carrow folded his arms coldly.
"All first-years are present."
"Then the freshman representative selection officially begins."
His sharp gaze swept across the room.
"Any challengers?"
Almost immediately, a painfully thin boy stepped forward.
"Klein Shafiq."
Lucien instantly recognised the surname.
The Shafiq family.
One of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
Traditionally involved in potion commerce before declining heavily after Voldemort's rise.
Useful.
Potentially recruitable.
Vinda's intelligence reports flashed through Lucien's mind instantly.
Klein raised his wand formally across his chest.
"Lucien Grindelwald."
Lucien returned the proper duelling salute without hesitation.
Emery waved his wand, clearing furniture aside automatically.
"The duel begins."
The moment he finished speaking—
"Oppugno!"
Several objects immediately shot toward Lucien at high speed.
Unfortunately for Klein—
He was still only eleven.
Even with private tutoring before Hogwarts, his magic remained fundamentally limited.
Meanwhile, Lucien's accumulated experience and maxed magical talent already placed him absurdly beyond ordinary first-years.
"Incendio."
Flames erupted instantly.
The rushing objects were swallowed completely by fire before continuing straight toward Klein.
Klein's face went white.
He froze completely.
Even Snape frowned sharply.
"Move, idiot!"
Snape already had his wand half-raised.
But just before the flames reached Klein—
They vanished instantly.
Only lingering heat remained.
Klein collapsed backward onto the floor shaking.
Then he heard a calm voice beside him.
"Are you alright?"
Klein slowly looked up.
Lucien stood before him with one hand extended politely.
No mockery.
No arrogance.
Only genuine concern.
"I…"
Klein swallowed hard.
"I'm fine."
Lucien helped him back to his feet smoothly.
"That's good."
Then Lucien's expression softened slightly.
"The purpose of magic is protection, not harming others recklessly."
"If my mistake had injured you tonight, I would have struggled to sleep afterward."
Silence filled the common room.
Every student stared at him in shock.
Those words…
Coming from Grindelwald's heir?
Several older students unconsciously repeated the sentence internally.
"The purpose of magic is protection…"
The more they thought about it, the more strangely profound it sounded.
Meanwhile, Klein remained completely stunned.
Before tonight, he viewed Lucien exactly like most people did—
The Dark Lord's son.
Dangerous.
Cruel.
Terrifying.
When Klein stepped forward earlier, he genuinely expected to end up in the hospital wing.
Instead—
Lucien not only spared him effortlessly, but treated him with sincere concern afterward.
The contrast struck Klein brutally hard.
After several seconds, Klein suddenly bowed deeply.
"Mr. Grindelwald."
His voice sounded full of genuine respect.
"You are both a powerful wizard… and a true noble."
"Dueling you is my honour."
The duel had lasted barely more than ten seconds.
No blood.
No humiliation.
No cruelty.
Even Snape looked slightly surprised.
Klein returned proudly toward the first-year group.
In his eyes now, Lucien was no longer merely powerful.
He was admirable.
"Any further challengers?"
Emery repeated the question several times.
Silence answered him.
The first-years might be ambitious—
But they were not suicidal.
One spell alone already proved Lucien existed on an entirely different level.
Challenge him?
Absolutely not.
After waiting another moment, Emery finally announced loudly—
"Lucien Grindelwald is hereby declared First-Year Representative of Slytherin."
Thunderous applause erupted immediately.
Another system notification appeared instantly.
[Congratulations to the host for becoming Slytherin First-Year Representative.]
[Achievement Unlocked: First-Year Representative.]
[Achievement Points Awarded: 100.]
Lucien's eyes brightened slightly.
"One hundred points…"
Excellent reward.
Especially considering future yearly achievements likely worked similarly.
Thankfully Draco caused enough trouble earlier—
Otherwise Lucien would genuinely have lost a valuable opportunity.
After calming the overexcited first-years, Emery spoke again.
"Now that the freshman representative has been chosen…"
His expression sharpened slightly.
"The ranking duels begin."
"Any challengers?"
Lucien paused briefly.
"Ranking duels?"
Draco immediately leaned closer excitedly.
"Slytherin hierarchy is strict," he explained quickly.
"Everything depends on rank."
"Seating arrangements. Activity privileges. Access to resources."
"Even upper-year social circles."
Lucien immediately understood.
So the "first-year" title from the system achievement literally referred only to his grade ranking.
Which meant—
Higher rankings probably offered even greater rewards.
In that case…
Lucien smiled faintly.
Then he stepped forward again.
Draco's eyes widened instantly.
"…Lucien."
His voice trembled slightly.
"You're not planning to—"
Then excitement exploded across his face.
"With your strength, second-years definitely aren't impossible!"
He immediately pointed across the room.
"That one!"
"Dieter Rosier was the loudest before you returned!"
Lucien calmly stepped into the cleared duelling space once more.
Every Slytherin student immediately turned silent.
Then Lucien raised his wand gracefully.
"First-Year Representative Lucien Grindelwald."
His calm voice echoed throughout the common room.
"I challenge Second-Year Representative Dieter Rosier."
....
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