Chapter 7.

  After returning from Diagon Alley, there was still a month until school started.

  Soren had already memorized a vast amount of knowledge about spells and potions. Now that he had a wand and a cauldron, he could begin practig spellcasting and potion-making. All he needed was to tinuously practice to transform the knowledge in his mind into practical skills.

  Every day, Soren practiced every spell he knew until he could wield eatation with the skill and ease of a sed nature.

  Mr. Ollivander was right; this wand was indeed a perfect match for him. When held in his hand, his magical power seemed to blend seamlessly with the wand, making any spellcasting feel effortless and natural.

  Notably, he even discovered that this wand seemed to amplify the power of dark magic; the spells he had learnt from the family books were casted often more potent than other spells.

  Two weeks ter, Soren happily received the wizard robe sent by Madam Malkin. He exami with great delight before pag it into his luggage fwarts.

  Time quickly passed by and arrived September 1st.

  The Malfoy family arrived at King's Cross Station.

  Passing through Ptform 9?, Soren was surprised to see a deep red steam lootive parked at the ptform, with a sign reading: Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clobsp;

  The thick smoke from the steam engine swirled above the noisy crowd, and various colored cats weaved through people's feet, while owls hooted loudly.

  There were so many people here; some were saying goodbye to their children, while others were sharing their holiday experiences.

  "Father, Mother, you depart now; we'll get orain by ourselves," Soren said.

  Narcissa's eyes were wet as she hugged her two children and kissed them on the cheeks.

  "Alright," Lucius's face also showed reluce, but he tried hard to keep his tone calm, "Study hard in magic, take care of yourselves, and remember to write home often."

  "Draco, you'll have to do much more than just fooling around all day; or should I say learn from your brother, uand?" Draco responded with a bitter "oh."

  "Soren, keep an eye on your brother. If anything happens, go find Uncle Snape; he will take care of both of you." Soren replied, "Got it," and then pulled Draco to turn and find the train's b door.

  Ohey ehe reserved partment, the two brothers waved goodbye to their relut parents out the window before Lucius took Narcissa's hand a.

  After watg their parents leave, Soren curiously examihe interior decor of the partment. Soren and Draco shared a partment, which Lucius had arranged in advahrough his es at the Department of Magical Transportation; it was located in the middle of the train, where it would be least bumpy, making it the most fortable partment oire train.

  In fact, Lucius's aim was to prevent the two brothers from fag the embarrassment of not being able to find ay partment, and having to share partments with those muggle-born childs.

  "this is really a third rate," Draco began to pin the moment his bum touched the fy seat, "Why do we have to take a ride in such a backward thing? 't they arrange something like a carriage which we have, that way it would be a pretty good ride to Hogwarts."

  Soren on the hand just smiled and said, "brother, those creatures that pull our family carriage are not that easy to tame, moreover do you really think just anyone could afford them?"

  "Haha." Draco ughed, "you're right, there's no way those poor chums could afford such luxury."

  seeing his brh on others ck of wealth, Soren took out the daily prophet and began to read it with i, but just then Crabbe and Goyle ran in, "Draco, Soren do you know Harry, Harry Potter is also in this train." The two of them looked too much excited as if they had found some kind of treasure map.

  "Why are you that excited? I khat he was ing to Hogwarts a month ago." Drauttered calmly, maintaining his haughty image, "Soren and i met him in the diagon alley a month ago, but anyway since you're that excited I'll introduce the two of you to him. Let's go, Soren."

  With that four children walked in the somewhat shaky aisle, followed by Crabbe and Goyle like two bulky bodyguards. seeing this se Soren couldn't help but shake his head.

  As the group approached a certain partment, "He's ihis partment." Goyle said all of a sudden.

  Draco stopping in his tracks turoward the partment and theending his hand forward he opehe door. Just like the two bodyguards had said Harry was sitting there, and opposite him sat a red haired boy with a slight stain on the er of his nose.

  "Hey harry, how was your summer?" Draco asked loudly, as if Harry was his old friend.

  "It was alright." Harry said, lost in his own thoughts, after having that versation with hagrid his opinion on the Malfoy family had ged very much. But Draco didn't notice Harry's abnormality at all and tialking to himself, "This is Crabbe, this is Goyle."

  Finally, Draoticed the red-haired boy o him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I guess you must be a Weasley. My dad said your family all has red hair, and there are so many kids—"

  Soren coughed lightly, and Draco suddenly stopped talking. Soren looked at Ron, whose face was turning red, and said, "Hello, I'm Soren Malfoy, this is my brother Draco. What he just said was not iional, and I apologise on his behalf. We are all from pure-blood families, so I hope you won't take it too seriously. We might even bee house mate!"

  Unfortunately, the bad impression had already been pnted, and both Harry and Ron looked displeased at the moment.

  Just then, a little girl walked up to the door of the partment, followed by a round-faced little boy who seemed a bit timid. "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville lost his toad."

  The little girl had thick, long brown hair and a pair of big froh. She spoke loudly, aone sounded somewhat demanding. With such distinctive hair and way of speaking, Soren naturally reized her as Hermione Granger, one of the three main characters.

  Seeing Hermione, Draco frowned. From the girl's attire and demeanor, he suspected that this girl was the "mudblood" he despised the most, a derogatory term used in their pure-blood circles for those whose parents were both Muggles gle-born wizards.

  But at that moment, he couldn't be sure, and knowing that his brenerally didn't like him speaking ill of "mudbloods," he ultimately restrained his desire to speak and said nothing.

  Soren looked at the round-faced boy whose robe was embroidered with a coat of arms featuring two lioing their front paws on a throne and calmly said, "Neville, you are from the Longbottom family i, right?"

  Before the boy could respond, Soren tinued, "I suppose so. I guess you are Frank Longbottom's son? I've met yrandmother, Mrs. Augusta Longbottom. She mentioned having a grandson, that must be you?"

  The boy, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly straightened up upon hearing his grandmother's and father's names, looking a bit proud as he faced the young man, "Yes, that's me. You call me Neville. You know my grandmother and my father?"

  "Let me reintroduce myself, I'm Soren Malfoy from the Malfoy family, and this is my brother Draco. We've heard of your parents; they are both remarkable Aurors."

  "Really?" Neville's eyes sparkled with a different light. It was the first time he had heard a positive remark, even if it was just about his parents.

  Soren tinued, "Though I haven't seen your toad, I think I help you find it."

  Hermione showed a curious expression, "How do you pn to find it?"

  Soren smiled fidently, pulling out a round device that resembled a pass from his pocket, then quietly asked it, "Where is Neville's toad?"

  The pass vibrated noticeably, and after a moment, the needle pointed in a dire.

  Seeing Hermione's surprised expression, Soren expined with a smile, "This is a log needle; it find items that were lost not long ago, but the time sihey were lost 't exceed five hours."

  "I know about this thing," Hermione said quickly. "I've seen it in 'The Encyclopaedia of Household Magic,' but this is the first time I've seen a real os principle is..."

  "Stop!" Seeing Hermione about to unto a long-winded expnation, Soren hurriedly interrupted her.

  Soren first looked at Neville, "Acc to the log needle, your toad should be to the south. You o tinue searg towards the back of the train. Based on the color ges on the needle, I believe, uh..." Soren calcuted in his mind, "It should be a small distance from here, which would be partment thirty-eight. You should go ask there."

  "Okay, thank you. Really, thank you," Neville said sincerely. Before this, he had sought help from others, but every student in the partments had coldly told him that the toad wasn't in their partment. Hermione was the first to voluo apany him in searg for the toad, and Soren was the first to actively help him find it.

  "You're wele. I hope we bee friends iure," Soren said.

  "Um," Neville seemed tain the ce he had lost upon hearing his parents' names. He said, "Then I'll go find Trevor now, so I won't disturb you from tinuing your versation. See you at school!"

  After Neville turo leave, Hermione did not follow him but instead scrutinized Soren with a thoughtful gaze.

  "Why didn't you let me tinue just now?" Hermione asked, a little displeased. "I was about to say that the principle of the..."

  Sazed at Hermione's face with his gray pupils, remaining silent. Hermione seemed to feel something and suddenly blushed, falling silent as well.

  She stubbornly looked back at Soren, suddenly feeling inexplicably that this boy was staring at her too much, and his gaze was too intense. Her character had always been strong, but at this moment, uhe boy's stare, she couldn't help but feel a bit flustered, uo maintain eye tad looked away.

  Soren spoke gently, "You don't have to be like this, really."

  "What?" Hermione was fused. "What do you mean?"

  "From your clothing and behavior, it's clear that your parents are not wizards, right?" Soren's gaze ierg, but his tone was undeniably fident. "This is your first enter with the wizarding world, and you're feeling anxious, right? That's why you want to arm yourself with all your knowledge and learning, so you won't appear ignorant or make a fool of yourself in front of cssmates from wizarding families."

  "I-I didn't... You're talking nonsense..." Hermioammered in denial.

  "Don't mind it, I mean no harm," Soren smiled gently. "I just want to tell you that your worry is unnecessary. Most students from wizarding families, just like you, were not allowed to access magic before enrolling. I am even willing to say that on this train, among our cssmates, there isn't anyone who knows more than you do. At least, not everyone reise this Summoning Charm at a gnce."

  "You are excellent; show your fidence. You don't o prove yourself like this," Soren teased, "because it only hides your strengths and makes you seem verbose."

  "You!" Hermione widened her eyes, uo believe that this boy could be so sharp-tongued when he spoke.

  "I'm not teasing you," Soren said, gently nodding in a noble manner, politely asking, "So, may I have the honor of knowing the name of this kind, intelligent, and knowledgeable dy?"

  The girl's face truly turned red this time. "Hermione Granger. You just call me Hermione," she replied.

  "A very nid special suits you well. I will remember your name," Soren said, notig Draco, Harry, and Ron were not having a good time, and added, "Alright, my brother and I are going back to our partment. Let's meet at school, and I hope we be cssmates in the same house. e on, Draco."

  With that, he pulled Drad his two followers away.

  Active Draco, unwilling to feel lonely with his studious brother, ran to the partment of Goyle, Crabbe, and others to meet some other first-year students. Soreuro the partment aloook out a sandwid a neer, and leisurely started eating and reading.

  Suddenly, the partment door opened again, and two tall blonde girls walked in. The girl in front quickly sed Soren with a scrutinizing gaze before stepping into the partment, followed closely by the irl.

  Soren did nhem, but since most of the people iraihat Malfoy twins were ihe partment, anyone daring to open this door obviously would not be an ordinary person.

  Soren raised his head slightly, his gaze quickly sing the family crests embroidered on the robes of the two girls, reizing their backgrounds. The girl who entered first was from the Greengrass family, while the girl who followed was from the Shafiq family. Both beloo the same Sacred 28 pure-blood families as himself.

  In the inal story, these two families were mentioned very little. The Greengrass family is most notably remembered for being the family of Draco's future wife, Astreengrass. Most of the women from this family had short life spans due to a hereditary blood curse. In the inal story, Astoria passed away at the age of 37.

  The blood curse is a very profound and rare type of curse magic that target the bloodline of a family, with all desdants having a certain ce of activating the curse.

  There are many kinds of curses; some shorten a person's lifespan, some brireme misfortune, and some ultimately turn a person into a beast. Uhe bloodline is severed or a ter-curse is found to break the curse, it will be passed down through geions forever.

  Apart from the Greengrass family, the only known host of a blood curse (Maledictus) in the current wizarding world is Nagini, the giant shat surrounds Voldemort after his return. The blood curse borne by Nagini is different from that of the Greengrass family; although it does not lead to an early death due to loss of lifespan, it irreversibly mutates into a giant snake.

  Soren searched his memory; there were no records of the Shafiq family in the inal books, but his extensive reading of the Malfoy and Bck families' rich colles had long surpassed the uanding he had acquired from reading the inal books in his past life.

  In the book "Born he Wizarding Genealogy," it was mentiohat the Shafiq family is a branch desded from Man le Fay, the dark witd half-sister of King Arthur, who was Merlin's aremy. Historically, there owerful figure in the Shafiq family known as the "Dark Lady," and it is said that the vilin Malefit from the Muggle fairy tale "Sleepiy" was modeled after this Shafiq family dark witch.

  Soren took the initiative to speak, "Hello, beautiful dies, I am Soren Malfoy, and it's a pleasure to meet you. How may I help you?"

  The girl who ehe partment first responded gracefully, "Hello, Mr. Malfoy, I am Daphne Greengrass, and this is my friend Meredith Shafiq. We just met your brother in another partment, but… um..." At this point, her face turned red, and she suddenly didn't know how to tinue.

  In trast to Daphne's friendly attitude, Meredith appeared somewhat aloof. She snorted disdainfully and said in a slightly mog tone, "Your brother and Pansy Parkinsoo have a lot in on, huh?"

  Soren could now firm that the two had definitely had an unpleasant enter with his brroup of friends, which led them to decide to ge partments, not knowing they would end up here. From Meredith's to seemed she almost said the insulting word "Bitch." No wonder; Soren knew very well Pansy's character—sharp-tongued, self-tered, and likely to offend many with her words.

  Soren dispyed a friendly smile, "I guess my thoughtless brother must have actally offended you dies, and I apologize on his behalf. Please accept these two small gifts as an apology!"

  After saying this, Soren took out his wand and lightly tapped the cups oable. The cups split into two, transf into a golden osmanthus flower and a purple delicate silk flower. "Please accept these beautiful flowers as my apology."

  Although Soren's aight seem like fttery to impress the dies, his superb Transfiguration skills genuinely astonished both women. Throughout the jourhe way they looked at him began to ge, and their versation became more lively as the three of them shared their family backgrounds and aspirations fwarts.

  The two dies eagerly asked Soren various questions about magily to discover that he had siderable expertise in Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions, which added admiration and respect to their gazes towards him.

  By the time the train reached its destination, it was already evening. The ptform where the first-year students disembarked was small and dark, giving it a somewhat eerie feeling. The cold wind rustled through the robes, making a whistling sound.

  The school did not make the udents wait long. A mp swung silently above the students' heads, followed by a rough voice shouting, "First-year students! First-year students, e over here!"

  Hagrid, t at nearly three times the height of the first years, held a magical mp in his right hand and smiled with his bearded face. "e on, follow me. Are there any more first-year students? Watch your step! Alright, first-year students, follow me!"

  The udents followed Hagrid along a rugged mountain path, and suddenly, sounds of admiration came from ahead.

  At the end of the path, a bck ke suddenly unfolded, shimmering with rippling waves. On the opposite shore, a t castle loomed on a steep hillside, shrouded in unfathomable darkness. The castle was adorned with numerous spires, and its windows twinkled uhe starry sky. Small boats were docked along the ke's edge, gently swaying with the ripples.

  Hagrid shouted, "Get on the boat! No more than four people per boat!"

  Dozens of small boats glided across the calm ke towards the opposite side. Everyone was silent, gazing at the enormous castle that reached into the clouds.

  Upon reag the castle's main gate, Professonagall led the udents into the Great Hall, where the S Ceremony would take pce.

  As expected, the ambitious and scheming pureblood, Soren, was sorted into Slytherin by the S Hat before he could even say anything.

  After dihe students returo their respective on rooms uhe guidance of the prefects.

  Slytherin's on room was located in the castle's dungeons, filled with green light. The spacious room was structed of bck Gothic marble, and looking out the windows revealed the bottom of the bck ke, occasionally showing glimpses of the water monster Grindylow and others.

  Uher houses, the noble Slytherins each had their own rooms and bathrooms, avoiding the o share with roommates, thus enjoying more personal space. Soren was quite pleased with this; it was truly a fitting house for him, as he had many schemes in Hogwarts, and the fewer people who khe better.

  Soren chose a secluded and quiet room, locked the door, and snapped his fingers. With a pop, a dirty house-elf named Dobby appeared in the room.

  House-elves practiced a pletely different magical system from wizards. They could freely Apparate within Hogwarts, and as one of Dobby's masters, Soren had the ability to summon Dobby at any time through a bond in their souls.

  'What a wonderful ability this is.' Soren thought; as Dobby would bee indispensable… his errand ruhis year.