"Harry Potter and the Shadows of Merlin"

"Freedom…"

Dyna carefully cut a piece of steak and placed it in front of himself.

"Indeed, freedom is more important than anything else."

"Right? Right? That's what we all think!"

Dyna wasn't a real kid, and soon the twins, Fred and George Weasley, came to sit beside him—even ignoring Harry Potter. They hadn't come to talk about Azkaban; it was clear they were there simply because they saw Dyna sitting alone at the table. Though they had quizzed him about Azkaban, he'd revealed nothing, so they'd dropped the subject. Their goal was obvious: they didn't want him to feel isolated.

"Thank you," Dyna said.

Fred shrugged with a smile. "What for? It's your first day at Hogwarts. How about some after-dinner entertainment tonight?"

"What is it?"

George leaned in and whispered, "Nighttime strolls, of course!"

Dyna raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Where do you wander at night?"

"Where? Everywhere we can in the castle!" the twins boasted. Aside from the headmaster, they were undoubtedly the most familiar with Hogwarts.

Dyna grinned, savored a bite of steak, then asked, "Have you guys been to the Slytherin common room?"

Fred and George froze. Fred glanced at George, then back at Dyna. "We've been in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff common rooms, sure. But Slytherin? Like our Gryffindor common room, it's password-protected. And Slytherins and Gryffindors aren't exactly friendly. No Slytherin student's going to whisper their password to us."

Dyna nodded. "I'm going to the Slytherin common room tonight. Want to come?"

"What? You can get in? Really?" Fred's excitement was obvious.

George started coughing mid-sip of pumpkin juice.

Dyna smirked. "Of course I can, but I don't know if you two dare to go."

"Let's go!" the twins cried, eyes gleaming. They'd merely come to be friendly, never expecting to meet someone as daring as Dyna—someone even more reckless than themselves. Sneaking into Slytherin? That was the kind of challenge many Gryffindor students would fail daring. It wasn't even about whether he could do it—his attitude alone was enough to light them up.

"Then it's settled! We'll meet in the common room later tonight!" they chirped before darting off to talk to Harry. After all, he was the hottest topic at Hogwarts right now. They'd met him on the train—naturally, they couldn't resist following up.

Harry especially thought well of them for standing by Dyna. It spoke volumes.

The rest of dinner passed with the usual spectacle of first-years interacting with ghosts—nothing that piqued Dyna's interest. He noticed Harry's scar twinge whenever Professor Quirrell spoke, and overheard Dumbledore warning students to avoid the right-hand corridor on the fourth floor. During the Hogwarts song, Dyna quietly hummed the tune to "A Man Should Stand Tall," but so softly that no one heard.

When dinner ended everyone made their way to Gryffindor Tower. They encountered Peeves—Percy Weasley quickly put him off with help from the Bloody Baron. Dyna, however, wasn't impressed. So far, Hogwarts felt more like a stage set, and he felt like a detached observer—disconnected and numb. Only the word revenge echoed in his mind, especially after seeing Dunant Avery. He didn't like how it felt, but he couldn't stop it.

At the portrait of the Fat Lady:

"Password?" she intoned.

"Dragon dung," Percy replied, and the portrait swung inward.

Inside, the boys and girls were shepherded to their respective dormitories. Dyna noted the warm, cozy warmth of the Gryffindor common room—soft armchairs, walls the color of tomatoes and scrambled eggs.

Percy led the first-year boys upstairs. They reached a circular dormitory with six four-poster beds decked in red and gold. Ron frowned. "Six people in one dormitory? Fred's year had four!"

Percy nodded. "Some years have more students. This year we've six, so they all share one dorm."

Dean Thomas spoke up sharply. "No. I won't live with a criminal. My father died resisting criminals."

Ron muttered to himself, "Actually, I don't want to live with Dyna either," but so softly that only he heard.

Percy looked at the remaining four: "What do you two think?"

Harry spoke first. "Dyna's my friend. I don't want him kicked out."

Neville stammered in indecision: "I… I don't have any opinion. I'm okay with whatever."

Seamus Finnigan backed Dean. "For safety's sake, I think it's best if Dyna—Emrys—finds another room."

That gave two against, one in favor, and one neutral. Percy turned to Ron.

Ron shot Harry a glance. He wanted to side with Harry but feared losing face, so he quietly said, "I'm with Neville."

Majority ruled. Percy sighed and turned to Dyna.

"Emrys, I'm sorry. You can't stay here. I'll arrange another place. A house-elf will tidy it up soon. Until then, please wait in the common room."

Dyna nodded absentmindedly and left the room. Percy offered to show him the new room. They climbed higher in the tower.

He opened the door to a small, dusty chamber—clearly a former storage closet.

"I'm sorry, Emrys. This used to be a storage room. It'll be cleaned up soon. I thought, at least here you won't be bullied." His tone was gentle but firm.

Percy had good intentions. He understood particularly well Gryffindor's impulsive zeal for "fighting evil." That enthusiasm often tipped into recklessness—sometimes cruelty. If Dyna had been any normal wizard, Percy wouldn't have worried. Perhaps some pranks or a few scraps. But Dyna was different. He'd come from Azkaban—he wasn't like any other first-year. Percy couldn't risk that.

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