Blood and magic wand

A ringing, oppressive silence hung in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, broken only by the occasional crackle of the flames in the enormous fireplace. The air was filled with the scents of old books, lemon drops, and something subtly magical. Professor Dumbledore, with his long silver beard and kind, yet perceptive eyes, sat behind his massive desk, cluttered with whimsical silver instruments that quietly puffed and made strange noises. Opposite him, at the other end of the table, stood Professor McGonagall; her usually stern features were even more tense than usual, expressing deep fatigue and bewilderment. Next to her, like a grim statue, Professor Snape stood motionless, his beady black eyes piercing Victor, and his lips pressed into a thin line. All three teachers, pillars of Hogwarts, stared intently at Victor Moss.

Victor, meanwhile, seemed completely oblivious to their strained attention. His gaze was fixed on the Headmaster's desk, which was piled high with all sorts of sweets: colorful lollipops, chocolate frogs, and a whole mountain of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans packets. With a completely serene expression, as if he had found himself in the best candy store, Victor reached out and began to sample various treats. He popped one candy after another into his mouth, savoring them with the air of a connoisseur. He picked up a bright blue lollipop, sucked on it with pleasure, then put it down. Then he reached for a chocolate frog, bit off its head, and nodded contentedly.

Finally, his gaze fell upon an unassuming packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. With curiosity, Victor pulled out one dark brown bean. Without hesitation, he popped it into his mouth. A moment later, his face contorted. He immediately grimaced, his eyes wide, and with a loud "Ugh!" he spat the candy back into its wrapper. Small, childish tears welled up in his eyes. Victor looked at Dumbledore with such genuine resentment and tear-filled eyes, as if accusing him of all the sins in the world, for the Headmaster intentionally mocking a child by offering him such disgusting things.

McGonagall, who had remained completely silent until this moment, not knowing where to begin such a difficult conversation, for she perfectly understood the gravity of the situation a small wizard, not from a wizarding family, had ended up in what seemed to be the most unsuitable, but perhaps most dangerous house for him, sighed deeply. It was a long, tired sigh, as if she was trying to exhale all the nervousness of that evening.

"Mr. Moss," she began, her voice softer than usual, but still strict. "I understand your situation and what you may have experienced as a child because of some wizards. We know that the wizarding world is not always fair and kind to those who are not pure-blood. But to hurt fellow students, especially in such a way, is unacceptable within the walls of Hogwarts. Such actions warrant a very serious punishment. I don't think the Headmaster would object if we transferred you to another house. I've noticed that you've become quite close with Miss Granger, and she seems very worried about you. How about a transfer to Gryffindor?"

Victor, who was still rubbing his tongue to get rid of the taste of black pepper, looked up at McGonagall with his wide, now tearless, but naive and stubborn childish eyes.

"No. Why transfer me?" he said, his voice absolutely sincere, without a hint of doubt. "Everything suits me fine. It's a great house and the kids are fun. I think we'll get along great with them." At the end of his sentence, he smiled brightly, a wide and disarming smile, like a happy child who had just met new friends on the first day of school, completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

Snape, who had been restraining himself until this moment, couldn't take it anymore. His usually cold, impenetrable nature cracked.

"I don't understand why you're smiling like that," he said, his voice low and sharp, like the scraping of metal. "Do you understand that for what you did today, you could be expelled from school? And I don't think my house suits you. Slytherins value discipline, pure-blood, and..."

Victor interrupted him, shrugging as if it were something completely insignificant.

"But the Hat sorted me into Slytherin," he said with the same childlike simplicity. "So, it's my destiny, and I don't mind. I have ways to deal with it."

Snape narrowed his eyes, his black eyes glinting. "And what might those be, if it's not a secret?" There was undisguised sarcasm in his voice.

Victor smiled even wider. He pulled out his wand, deftly placed his glasses on the tip of his nose, and, like a seasoned professor, began to explain, tracing glowing runes in the air as if drawing a diagram.

"Here's my plan," he solemnly declared, looking at the glowing symbols. "First: show how crazy I am. Done. Point two: find the biggest and most dangerous in the prison... ahem, that is, in Slytherin, and beat him up." Victor paused, thoughtfully scratching his chin. "Point three: become the most dangerous in Slytherin myself and earn everyone's respect. And the fourth, most important rule: don't drop the soap in the shower." He looked at his notes in the air and solemnly nodded to himself, as if it were simply brilliant, and he had just invented the wheel.

Snape simply stared at him in silence, his face completely inscrutable, but something resembling shock flickered deep in his eyes. Then he looked questioningly at Dumbledore, as if asking, "Did you hear that? What is this?!"

Dumbledore, who until this moment had been listening attentively and seemed to be barely suppressing a smile, calmly said, "Victor, I don't think you should beat up the strongest student. That could lead to... undesirable consequences."

Victor looked at him in surprise. "You think I can't handle it? Hmmm..." He thought again, rubbing his nose. "Well, then point two: gather those who don't like the current leader, and beat him up during a walk. Yes, we'll do that! Thank you, Headmaster! That's what experience means!" Victor beamed again with a happy smile.

Dumbledore didn't know whether to laugh or be angry. Two opposite emotions battled on his face. McGonagall, whose nerves had finally snapped by this point, said sternly, her voice trembling with suppressed irritation: "Enough! I think the rest of this conversation will be without you. Please leave."

Victor shrugged, as if not understanding the problem, and left the office, closing the massive door behind him. As soon as the door closed, McGonagall tiredly took off her glasses and began to massage the bridge of her nose, where her glasses had rested all day, as if trying to relieve the tension.

Snape looked at Dumbledore, his face full of bewilderment and alarm. "Headmaster, what was that just now? Who is this student? I got the impression he was dropped on his head, and not just once. He's insane!"

Dumbledore sighed, his smile gone. He took a parchment scroll – Victor's biography – from one of the many shelves in his office and handed it to Snape. Snape began to read, his eyes quickly scanning the lines, and his expression changing from surprise to shock.

"How... how could you invite him to the school?!" Snape finally looked up, his voice full of indignation. "He's dangerous!"

Dumbledore replied, his voice soft, but with deep sadness in it: "He's just a child, Severus. A child who was unlucky." Dumbledore sighed deeply, his gaze becoming thoughtful.

Snape did not continue the argument, but his distrust was evident.

"It's not so bad that he ended up in Slytherin," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about, Headmaster?!" McGonagall exclaimed, not believing her ears. "It's not just not bad, it's a disaster! You yourself know how they treat wizards like Victor! He's Muggle-born; the Slytherins will tear him apart!"

Dumbledore looked at them, his eyes gleaming. "I know, Minerva. That's why I don't think it's bad. I feel his magical power, and I can say that this boy is very strong for his age. None of the students in the entire school are his match. And this can perfectly show that pure blood is not the standard of strength and power. It can shake them up, Minerva. Show them that strength can be where they least expect it."

McGonagall and Snape pondered his words, understanding mixed with apprehension flickering in their eyes.

"The main thing is that he doesn't overdo it," Dumbledore said quietly, his voice almost inaudible.

Meanwhile, Victor, who was standing in the corridor, was very bored. The walls seemed monotonous to him, and the silence was irritating. Looking at one of the statues, depicting a medieval knight, he began to talk to it:

"Hey, can you talk? Can you hear me?" Victor tilted his head, listening. Silence. "Hmmm..." Victor thought and turned away, beginning to whistle some tune. Suddenly, he sharply turned back to the statue, extending his hands: "Booooo!" But the statue did not react, remaining motionless. "Haaa..." he sighed, feeling disappointed.

He began to look around, wondering how to entertain himself, when suddenly the Headmaster's office door opened, and McGonagall, slightly tired but more composed, said, "Come in, Mr. Moss."

Victor entered the office. Dumbledore and Snape were still sitting at the desk, and their gazes turned to him.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers and looked at Victor over his glasses. "Victor, we have made a decision. You will stay in Slytherin, but... don't exaggerate. You don't need to seriously hurt students." There was a hidden note of warning in his voice.

Victor raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So, you're giving me carte blanche?"

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Yes, but within reason."

Victor broke into his widest, brightest smile, which, this time, was full of mischief and anticipation. "So, carte blanche!" he repeated, as if it were official permission for any antics.

Dumbledore, seeing that smile, already began to doubt his choice; a slight shadow of regret flickered in his eyes. McGonagall shook her head, her tired expression speaking for itself. And Snape, looking at Victor, thought that this wizard would cause him far more trouble than he could have imagined.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

Hello! Here is the last chapter for now. I'm writing to say goodbye for a while, I hope.

I'm a soldier, and out of boredom on duty and a lack of internet, I started inventing various fanfics, like this one, because I missed them so much. But my two-week vacation ends today, and I'm heading back.

I hope I don't lose interest, and I have a lot of time on duty. I think on sleepless nights I'll plan out Victor's further actions, and during my next vacation, I'll continue writing.

Until my next vacation, my few, but best readers, goodbye for now!