Chapter 33: (33) He is not a saint!
"Prefect, you wouldn't go easy on Gryffindor's Harry Potter, would you?" A sudden voice broke out from the crowd.
Ian raised an eyebrow and looked at the speaker. "What did you say?"
"Prefect, we're aiming for seven consecutive wins. You better not hold back during the match out of brotherly feelings for Harry Potter," the boy continued.
"Rosk Selwyn! Are you questioning Prefect Potter?" Cassandra snapped, glaring at the boy with the surname Selwyn, defending Ian more passionately than Ian himself.
Ian glanced at Cassandra. Huh! This girl's pretty protective of me.
Draco also snorted coldly. "Selwyn, has your brain been stepped on by a troll?"
Ian didn't speak immediately, just looked at Rosk with a calm expression.
Rosk shifted uncomfortably under Ian's gaze but still mustered the courage to say, "But... Prefect Potter and that Potter are brothers—"
"So what?" Ian interrupted him sharply. "Selwyn, are you suggesting that I would let my personal feelings cause me to go easy on Gryffindor?"
Rosk opened his mouth, trying to say something, but ultimately couldn't.
"On the Quidditch pitch, when we're teammates, I'll give my all to fight alongside him. But if we're opponents, I won't let personal feelings compromise my principles," Ian said, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. "I'll give my all to compete against my opponent until the very last moment, because I'm a Slytherin student, not a Gryffindor."
"Well said!" Draco was the first to applaud.
"As expected of our Slytherin prefect!"
The others quickly joined in, clapping and looking at Ian with admiration in their eyes.
Ian simply smiled and didn't say anything.
Though his words were meant to placate the unruly Slytherin snakes, they were also his genuine thoughts.
Once he stepped onto the field, he represented Slytherin, and there was no way he would ever go easy on an opponent.
Forget that Harry was just his brother—even if his own parents were on the field, he wouldn't go easy on them!
The Chosen One? Ian had no problem going up against the Chosen One.
After exchanging a few more words with the crowd, Ian pulled Draco along and returned to the dormitory.
"That Selwyn! How dare he question you!" Draco fumed, still seething. "Who does he think he is, daring to doubt a friend of me, a Malfoy!"
"Alright, calm down," Ian said with a helpless smile. "Let him question me if he wants. It's not like I'm actually going to go easy on Harry."
"Hmph! Even if you wanted to go easy on Harry, I wouldn't allow it!" Draco huffed. "I'm counting on winning the Quidditch Cup with you!"
Ian patted Draco's shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't. I'm a Slytherin after all. When have you ever seen one of us go easy on someone?"
"Who says so? If the opponent is Hermione, you'd definitely go easy on her," Draco said without hesitation.
"..."
Ian froze for a moment, speechless. "Oi! That's… that's different…"
"How is it different?" Draco pressed, "Isn't Hermione also a Gryffindor?"
"She..." Ian opened his mouth, but to his frustration, he couldn't come up with a response.
Alright, if the opponent really were Hermione, he wasn't sure he'd be able to go all out against her...
Seeing Ian at a loss, Draco instantly looked smug. "Ha! I knew it. You'd totally go easy on Hermione!"
"Alright, alright, stop talking." Ian sighed, exasperated. "Why are you gossiping like a woman?"
"Who are you calling a woman?!" Draco snapped, enraged. "Ian Potter! I'm challenging you to a duel!"
"Stupefy. Wingardium Leviosa." Without hesitation, Ian hit Draco with a Stunning Spell followed by a Levitation Charm, then casually walked over to his bed and lay down. "Goodnight."
Unfortunately for Draco, he didn't hear the "goodnight." Ian's spells had already sent him straight to dreamland.
...
The next morning, Ian woke up early and, together with Draco, led the young Slytherins to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Throughout the meal, several Slytherin students came up to Ian, all with the same message: "Make sure you don't go easy on Harry in the Quidditch match next month."
Ian: "…"
Do I look like some kind of saint? Ian thought to himself, exasperated. Why did everyone think he would go easy on Harry? He wasn't "Saint Potter"!
This confusion was soon answered for him.
Cassandra gave Ian a once-over and said, "Maybe it's because you're a nice person. Everyone thinks you might go easy on Harry Potter out of brotherly love?"
Ian: "..."
Thanks, at least this proves my carefully constructed good-guy persona is working.
"But I know you wouldn't," Cassandra added with a smile.
Ian turned to look at her. "You're that confident in me?"
"Because you're Ian," Cassandra said, her expression serious.
Ian froze for a moment.
This was the first time Cassandra had called him by his first name.
He had to ask what was on his mind: "Cassandra, you usually call me 'Potter.' Why the change today?"
"What, only you're allowed to call me by my first name, but I can't do the same?" Cassandra tilted her chin up arrogantly. "Besides, doesn't Granger call you that too?"
Hearing this, Ian couldn't help but laugh. "Of course, you can call me that, Cassandra. You can call me whatever you like."
"Hmph, I don't need you to tell me that," Cassandra huffed, but the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth was impossible to hide.
Draco, watching this interaction, couldn't help but feel annoyed. "You two, enough already! It's so early in the morning, and you're being all lovey-dovey. Can't people just have their breakfast in peace?"
"Draco, can't eating at least keep you quiet?" Cassandra shot him a glare. "If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll have Ian cast a few more spells on you to teach you a lesson."
Draco immediately shut his mouth, remembering all too well how Ian's "combo spell" had hit him yesterday. He wasn't about to risk provoking Ian again.
...
The morning class was dull: History of Magic, taught by Hogwarts' ghost professor, Cuthbert Binns.
After breakfast, the Slytherin first-years made their way to the classroom together.
Professor Binns droned on in a monotonous, emotionless voice, reading straight from his notes. His slow, unchanging tone was so hypnotic that Ian felt as if he'd been hit with a sleep-inducing charm.
Struggling to keep his eyes open, Ian glanced around.
Aside from Hermione, everyone else had already dozed off, heads resting on their desks.
Looking over at Hermione, Ian saw her sitting perfectly upright, completely focused on Professor Binns's lecture, occasionally jotting notes into her notebook.
Ian: "..."
So this is the world of a top student? Truly awe-inspiring.
He really couldn't pretend anymore, and he felt really sorry for Professor Binns. He could no longer be a good student who respected his teacher.
He, Ian Potter, goes to bed first as a sign of respect!