18. Fight against Montague

Dante and Charlie walked side by side as they headed out into the corridor after class. It wasn't often that Slytherin and Gryffindor students were seen so close together.

As their footsteps echoed through the long, cold stone corridors of the school, the students around them gave them brief but curious glances. Some whispered, others made no attempt to hide their outright surprise.

Dante ignored the looks. He was used to it. For years he had heard people talk about him and thought twice before looking at him. But this time it wasn't about his past, it was about the person next to him. Charlie Weasley. One of the bravest and warmest members of Gryffindor.

Charlie turned his head slightly towards him. "I know that Gryffindor and Slytherin are often seen as enemies at Hogwarts, but I don't really care about such things," he said with a sincere smile.

Dante looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "An open-minded point of view," he replied, his voice as calm as ever. "But most people don't think like us."

Charlie shrugged. "It's their problem that they don't. Besides, not all Gryffindors are hostile. I'm sure you'll find that out if you spend some time with them." Then he smiled at a sudden idea. "How would you like to join us for dinner at the Gryffindor table tonight?"

Dante pondered Charlie's confident demeanor for a moment. Normally he wouldn't be welcome at the Gryffindor table, especially as a Slytherin. But Charlie was serious and he had no reason to refuse his invitation. He nodded slightly. "Maybe," he said calmly.

Charlie nodded happily and together they walked to the Great Hall.

When they entered the Great Hall, it was as vibrant as ever. Thousands of candles floated in the air, illuminating the dining tables, the crests of the four great houses rippling in the magical reflection of the ceiling. Students chatted and ate in groups at their tables. But when Dante walked over to the Gryffindor table with Charlie, there was a slight hush.

The Gryffindors couldn't hide their surprise when they saw a Slytherin walking towards their table. Some interrupted their conversations, while others looked directly at Charlie inquiringly. Charlie nonchalantly took a seat at the table and nodded for Dante to sit down.

Dante sat quietly, ignoring the reactions. A few Gryffindor students frowned and looked at each other. Some of them began to talk in whispers. "What's Rosier doing here?" and "Why did Charlie bring him here?" were clearly audible.

Dante remained silent. He was used to people judging him, even prejudging him. But thanks to Charlie's comfort, it didn't last long. As he continued to talk and laugh normally, the other Gryffindors noticed that the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

One of the people at the table, Charlie's older brother Bill Weasley, looked at Dante carefully. Then he nodded with a slight smile. "Charlie has a new friend?" he asked, his voice friendly.

Charlie nodded, laughing. "Apparently so," he said. "Dante, my brother Bill. Bill, this is Dante Rosier."

Dante bowed his head slightly to Bill in greeting. Bill extended a friendly hand. "Nice to meet you, Dante," he said.

Dante shook his hand. "You too, Bill."

The initial coldness between the Gryffindors began to fade. Seeing that Dante was neither arrogant nor hostile, the students at least began to treat him with distance but respect. Dante chatted with Charlie and Bill throughout the meal, noticing that the tension around the table was slowly dissipating.

Two people were watching these moments from the professors' table at the head of the Great Hall: Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. Dumbledore smiled slightly, his blue eyes sparkling with joy.

McGonagall raised her eyebrows at Dumbledore's expression and spoke in a low voice. "This boy should be in Gryffindor, Albus. I think the Sorting Hat is getting old."

Dumbledore smiled and bowed his head slightly. "The Sorting Hat rarely makes mistakes, Minerva. But young Mr. Rosier certainly has a talent for finding his own way."

McGonagall sighed slightly. "Still, Gryffindor would suit him better."

Just then, another person at the professors' table, Severus Snape, fixed his cold gaze on the Gryffindor table. When he saw Dante sitting at that table, his face remained expressionless, but there was a distinct look of displeasure in his eyes.

Dante continued to chat with Charlie and Bill throughout the meal. At first, the other Gryffindors at the table gave him suspicious looks, but as time passed, the tension dissipated. Underneath his Slytherin aloofness, Dante didn't come across as harsh and arrogant, just distant and observant. Charlie's natural warmth allowed the conversation to drift from magic lessons to Quidditch matches.

However, sitting at the Gryffindor table could have long-term consequences. Dante was well aware of this. A group of Gryffindors at the other end of the table were still whispering and giving him suspicious looks. On the other hand, some of the students sitting at the Slytherin table were also glaring at him. Especially the purebloods like Cassius Warrington and Adrian Pucey... Their looks made it clear that sitting at the same table with Gryffindors was considered treason.

Dante didn't care. He didn't care what people thought. He made his own choices, no matter what they thought.

When the meal was over, Charlie gave him a warm smile.

"Not bad, was it?" he said cheerfully.

Dante nodded slightly. "Yes. It was an interesting experience."

Bill looked at him with a small smile. "If you ever get bored, you're always welcome at our table," he said.

Dante didn't react directly to this offer, but bowed his head slightly. He didn't have to say anything more. Then he turned to Charlie and said, "See you, Weasley."

Charlie winked, "See you, Rosier."

Dante got up from the Gryffindor table and joined the Slytherin students. A few students, including Pucey and Warrington, stared at him in silence, but none of them said a word. Slytherins were as hard on themselves as they were on their enemies. And Dante knew that what he had done tonight would not go unpunished.

As he walked down the corridor, the silence between them grew more intense with each passing second. No one said a word. Dante's presence made the tense atmosphere around him even more pronounced. But in that silence, Dante felt comfortable. Silence was better than words.

When they reached the Slytherin common room, the large stone door opened and they entered. The room was lit with emerald green lights. The marble fireplace burned with a low flame, and the snakes on the walls danced with the shadows. The other students were already inside; the chatter died down as they noticed the return of Dante and his companions.

Just then, someone stepped forward from a corner of the hall. Slytherin Prefect Lucian Montague. A tall, tough student, always with a stern expression on his face. He was one of the staunchest defenders of Slytherin traditions, and he was clearly uncomfortable with Dante sitting at the Gryffindor table.

Montague stood in the middle of the room and addressed Dante with a cold voice.

"What do you think you're doing, Rosier?"

Dante looked at him indifferently. "Eating."

Montague's face tightened. "At the wrong table."

Dante laughed easily. "Oh my God, am I going to get kicked out of Slytherin?" he said sarcastically.

Montague's eyes narrowed in anger. "You will not betray the values of Slytherin," he said sternly. "You will not consort with our enemies."

Dante narrowed his eyes. Then he shrugged. "Enemies? It's silly to think of Gryffindors as enemies."

The other Slytherin students in the room held their breath. No one would challenge Montague like that.

Montague drew his wand slowly. "Traitors like you have no place in Slytherin."

Dante saw the anger in his eyes, but he smiled wryly. "Are you trying to frighten me, Montague?"

Without blinking, Montague pointed his wand at Dante and quickly whispered a spell. "Expelliarmus!"

The red light shot towards Dante. But Dante moved so quickly that he had his wand in his hand in an instant and cast the counter spell. "Protego!"

The shield spell blocked Montague's attack and reflected the spell back. Montague lost his balance and stumbled back a few steps.

There was a moment of silence. Then another student, Marcus Flint, raised his wand. "Stupefy!"

Dante quickly cast a defensive spell, blocking the spell and sending it back. The spell on Flint hit him, and he stumbled backward.

Just then, the door to the common room swung open. A shadow in a black cloak appeared in the doorway. A tall, menacing figure, his dark eyes bringing silence to the Slytherin common room: Severus Snape.

His eyes scanned the chaotic scene in the hall. He noticed Dante clutching his wand tightly, Montague and Flint staggering from the effects of the spells. The silence that echoed through the hall was made heavier by his presence.

Snape entered slowly.

Everyone in the room held their breath.

And when Dante lowered his wand, still like a shield, he met Snape's expressionless but sharp gaze.

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