"My lord," Cyril hummed in reply. Theo always preferred this title.
Theo asked, referring to the future they all would be witnessing, "Are you okay with what tomorrow brings? It's like privacy being snatched away, and secrets won't be secrets anymo...
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Lucien roused from sleep as the first light of dawn seeped through the drapes, greeted by the distant whispers of the Black Lake.
Mindful of his morning routine, Lucien headed to the bathroom for a bracing cold-water bath, a tradition he had adopted to kickstart the day with heightened awareness.
"He is barking mad, isn't he?
"Is he off his rocker? Taking a dip in icy water, is he?"
"That can make you sick." A soft, timid female voice emerged from a group huddled together a little distance away from Cyril's group. It was that Hufflepuff again.
"You get used to it," he shrugged.
Enduring nights on those cold, pitch-black, damp streets in shabby threads as a wee lad, Cyril had weathered harsher situations than a chilly bath.
Although the constraints of the first day meant he couldn't indulge in his usual morning workout routine, Lucien resolved to address this challenge promptly.
Draping himself in his robes, Lucien laced up his boots and left for the Great Hall.
Lucien walked into the Great Hall, the click-clack of his shoes blending with the soft swish of his Slytherin robes. The magical ceiling painted like the morning sky greeted him as he strolled towards the Slytherin table. The hall wasn't too crowded, giving him a moment of calm before the day kicked in.
Taking a seat at the Slytherin table, Lucien eyed the breakfast spread. The smell of freshly baked pastries, the sizzle of bacon, and the rich scent of brewed coffee filled the air.
His plate boasted a mix of fruits - crisp apples and juicy grapes. Alongside that, he scooped up some perfectly seasoned scrambled eggs and a couple of crispy bacon strips. To go with it, he poured a hot cup of black coffee, the bitter aroma waking him up.
Lucien sensed a presence and looked up to find Blaise and Theodore taking seats opposite him. They exchanged nods in acknowledgment.
"Look at them. I've never seen them so nervous before anyone, except parents, of course," Burke laughed.
"Look at Theo."
"From the beginning, Theo?" Nott just nodded in answer, not wanting to take his eyes off the screen, although he could feel Lucien's stare on him.
They were cautious around him, avoiding any rudeness. Despite the murmurs circulating about him possibly being muggleborn, Lucien's intimidating aura and towering presence over powdered every first year, making them keen not to land on his bad side.
