Chapter 32: All of You Are Trash

Chapter 32: All of You Are Trash

"George, long time no see!"

As soon as George reached the first floor, he heard a voice calling from above. Turning around, he saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron descending the marble staircase.

"Good morning, Harry, Hermione, and...?"

"Hi, I'm Ron. Harry told me you helped him escape from Knockturn Alley. That's so cool!"

Ron's voice was filled with excitement.

After all, Knockturn Alley was a famous and dangerous place, one that even his twin brothers dreamed of exploring.

"Not as cool as you and Harry, flying a magical car all the way from London to the school, making the *Daily Prophet*, and crashing into the Whomping Willow."

Hermione's tone was laced with sarcasm.

Ron's face immediately stiffened:

"Can you stop lecturing us? We didn't want that to happen either."

He realized that Hermione sometimes acted like a mini-McGonagall, always preaching to them, even though she could be just as reckless as they were.

Harry stepped forward, avoiding the argument between Ron and Hermione, and asked George:

"We missed the Sorting Ceremony yesterday. Which house did you get sorted into?"

"Slytherin."

George pulled out the Slytherin badge he had been given the day before but hadn't yet pinned to his chest.

Harry's face immediately showed disappointment.

"It would've been great if you'd been sorted into Gryffindor."

Deep down, Harry still held some prejudice against Slytherin, especially since it was home to Draco Malfoy and his gang, as well as Snape, whom he disliked the most.

George smiled:

"Any house is fine. As long as I'm studying at Hogwarts, I'm happy."

"Good morning, George!"

Another voice called from above. This time, it was Ginny, Colin, and Luna coming down the marble staircase.

"You know each other?"

Harry and Ron were surprised to see Ginny greeting George.

"We shared a compartment on the train yesterday. George took good care of us."

Ginny's voice softened noticeably when she saw Harry, and her demeanor became more ladylike.

"Thanks for looking after Ginny."

Ron, whose attitude toward George had shifted slightly upon hearing he was in Slytherin, now reverted to his earlier friendliness and even expressed his gratitude.

Compared to Harry, Ron had an even deeper prejudice against Slytherin. Before coming to Hogwarts, he had believed that all dark wizards came from Slytherin.

"Um... could you take a photo of me and Harry Potter, please?"

Colin handed his camera to Ron, his eyes shining as he looked at Harry:

"I'm Colin. I want to send a photo to my dad to prove I met you. He's a milkman, and no one in my family except me..."

Ron reluctantly took the camera. He remembered that when he first met Harry, he hadn't been much better, so he could relate.

After taking the photo, the group chatted as they made their way to the Great Hall.

By now, the Great Hall was already filled with students eating breakfast. The four long tables were laden with food prepared by the house-elves: pumpkin porridge, pickled herring, bread, eggs, fresh meat, and more.

Students from different houses rarely sat together for meals, so George headed to the Slytherin table, Luna to Ravenclaw, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Colin to Gryffindor.

"First-year, it seems you know Harry Potter and his friends?"

As soon as George sat down, Draco Malfoy, with his two lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle, took a seat across from him.

Draco had noticed George yesterday because of Pansy's teasing. Seeing George chatting so happily with Harry, whom he despised, made him instantly annoyed.

"We're friends."

George casually replied as he helped himself to a bowl of pumpkin porridge and a plate of fresh meat.

He knew that befriending Harry would inevitably upset Draco. In fact, even if he didn't befriend Harry, he would still clash with Draco.

After all, George intended to become the top student at Hogwarts and even join the Quidditch team, which would surely steal Draco's spotlight.

But it didn't matter. Draco was just a kid, not his father Lucius, and posed no real threat.

"Friends? Slytherin and Gryffindor are enemies. They can never be friends. You'd better stay away from them, or I'll teach you how to be a proper Slytherin!"

Draco was clearly unhappy with George's attitude and issued a warning.

George replied calmly:

"Who I befriend is my business. You should worry about yourself.

I heard that last year's top student in the final exams was Hermione from Gryffindor, and Slytherin lost the House Cup to Gryffindor after six years of winning it. You're all pretty useless, aren't you?"

He deliberately raised his voice at the end, drawing the attention of students from other tables.

"What did you say? You're calling me useless? A half-blood like you has no right to call me useless!"

Draco was furious and slammed his hand on the table, causing the stack of bread to topple over.

George put down his spoon and looked at Draco:

"From what I know, our Head of House is also a half-blood. Are you discriminating against him?"

"The Head of House is... is different from you. I was only talking about you."

Draco's tone immediately softened.

While pure-bloods often looked down on half-bloods, such sentiments couldn't be openly expressed, especially since many older Slytherins were half-bloods, and so was their Head of House.

He had let his anger get the better of him.

"A first-year with a big mouth. In Slytherin, we value strength, not words."

Pansy Parkinson, sitting at the second-year table, walked over.

Although she had teased Draco yesterday, it didn't mean she wasn't on his side. The Malfoy family was one of the most prominent pure-blood families, and she might one day marry Draco to elevate her own family's status.

So, seeing Draco embarrassed, she naturally stepped in to help.

"This young lady is right. In Slytherin, excellence is proven through strength. So, I'm not just talking about him. I'm saying that all of you second-years are useless!"

George elegantly wiped his mouth and stood up, speaking in a tone that left the entire hall in stunned silence.

"If you weren't useless, how could the House Cup, which we'd won for six years, be lost under your watch?

Let me make this clear: with me here, first place will always belong to Slytherin, and I'll win the House Cup back from Gryffindor.

But unlike you useless lot, I won't let this healthy competition turn into hostility toward students from other houses.

Competition is competition, and friendship is friendship. Whether it's Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff, I'll make friends with whoever I want.

I'll earn honor for Slytherin through sheer strength and integrity. That's the true spirit of Slytherin."

(End of Chapter)