"Harry, I'm done."
"Your turn..."
"Neville, hurry..."
Near the fourth-floor washroom, Ron and Seamus rushed out of the men's bathroom, pulled out their wands, and scanned the area. Alert. Tense.
"Be careful..."
Harry and Neville exchanged a glance, tucked their wands away, then quickly entered.
In just one week, the competition between Gryffindor and Slytherin had escalated. Tactics got creative. Brutal.
Even bathing and using the toilet required taking turns standing guard to prevent ambushes.
The horrific scene of dung beetles exploding in toilets—nobody wanted to see that twice.
Including the Slytherins themselves...
(??)(??)(?_?)
The Great Hall atmosphere was tense.
The usual lively chatter had vanished completely.
In its place: eerie silence hiding turbulent undercurrents.
Cutlery clinked against plates. Each house table echoed with soft sounds.
The Hufflepuff students hadn't shown up. The Ravenclaw students hurriedly chewed their food, wanting only to escape...
As Ravenclaw prefects, Hepzibah Willock and Penelope Clearwater's faces were black as pot bottoms.
Honestly, they didn't want to be here.
But while Hufflepuff could hit the kitchens for extra meals, where could they go? The Astronomy Tower to drink wind?
Ever since Gryffindor had donned other houses' robes to ambush Slytherin students, disaster had fallen on their heads too.
More students caught in crossfire every day.
They'd reported to professors. The gem hourglasses for lion and snake houses had nearly emptied.
That wasn't worth celebrating. Nobody wanted to walk along and suddenly get hit by Stupefy.
Post-class Hogwarts was completely shrouded in tension and suspicion.
To prove innocence, upper-year badgers and eagles didn't even dare cast Shield Charms on themselves, or more spells would rain down...
"Timaeus, look at Oliver."
At the Slytherin table, Adrian nudged Timaeus. His tone dripped mockery.
"Looks like he really wants to buy you a drink."
"Oliver?"
Timaeus looked up.
At the Gryffindor table, Quidditch captain Oliver Wood glared at him through gritted teeth. Even bent his dinner knife to ninety degrees.
As a victim of "Underworld Geyser," Oliver Wood wanted nothing more than to drown Timaeus in a toilet.
"Listen, Adrian, that's not a 'buy you a drink' look."
Timaeus rubbed his temples.
"Oliver looks more like he wants to fuck me."
"Pfft!!!"
Adrian spat out his pumpkin juice.
"Hahaha..."
Hearing Draco's gleeful retelling, Tiger slapped the table and laughed.
Had to admit—Timaeus's exotic appearance was alluring, regardless of gender...
Just then, a sharp eagle cry came from outside. Timaeus's goshawk Amon flew in carrying a package, landing steadily before him.
The package wriggled. Something alive inside.
Under curious gazes, Timaeus didn't open it. Instead, he picked it up and walked to Tiger's side, whispering...
Then Tiger followed him out.
Gemma Farley watched Timaeus's retreating figure with shadowy eyes. Her fork gradually bent in her hand.
Riley Shafiq sighed, covering her face: "Listen, Farley. This really isn't necessary..."
"Nile tapir?"
In the Slytherin common room, Tiger raised an eyebrow, casually grabbing the creature from the package.
Sensing it was being picked up, the Nile tapir curled into a ball. Only its long, thin nose exposed.
Like a meatball with a straw stuck in it.
Dark gray skin covered with rough, sharp scales and wrinkles. Thick, short limbs. Looked completely different from ordinary tapirs.
"It has another name. Desert Tapir Witch. Egypt's magical protected creature. Nearly extinct a thousand years ago. Even now it's hard to find."
Timaeus's tone carried helplessness. "It quietly merges into priests' shadows, sneaks into pharaohs' tombs, steals scarab beetles and corpse ants, damaging protective magic."
"When my grandfather was young, he went to Djoser's pyramid for ritual ceremonies and nearly got sent to the soul altar because of this greedy little monster."
"For funeral priests, it's truly terrifying."
Timaeus's tone suddenly changed. Eyes full of anticipation and fervor as he looked at Tiger.
"But most importantly—its nose can absorb sound waves and biological toxins, converting them into life energy."
"I think with it, Mr. Venom might completely eliminate his weaknesses!"
The Nile tapir in Tiger's hand struggled frantically.
"Shame to kill it..."
Tiger nodded slightly.
He didn't throw it into Venom's mouth as usual. Placed it back on the table instead.
Then Venom's symbiote tissue flowed from his fingertips, covering the tapir's body.
Amid agonized screams, the black, twisted semi-solid liquid gradually penetrated its body. The screaming stopped abruptly.
"Damn... I hate entering other bodies."
Venom's grumbling voice came from the tapir's mouth.
"Father!?"
Timaeus looked at Tiger with surprised eyes.
"Venom has more than one way to record genetic codes. It's eaten plenty these past few days. No need to eat this one."
Besides, Tiger could see the Nile tapir was valuable. Though he didn't know what price Timaeus had paid, he'd never exploit his subordinates' assets. He was a godfather, not a capitalist.
Gangs relied on violence and mutual benefit—human nature, not organizational rules.
He had to follow it.
Moments later, Tiger reached toward the tapir. The black symbiote tissue flowed back up his arm. A satisfied grunt echoed in his mind.
[Very interesting creature. Bastard, I'm sure this will work, but I need more biological samples.]
Hearing Venom's response, Tiger's lips curved as he handed the tapir back to Timaeus.
"Before I bring you profit, you need only offer your loyalty and life. That's Shelby's command."
"As you wish!"
Timaeus solemnly took the tapir, then prostrated deeply. The words he murmured were like a priest's chanting before an altar.
Regarding this obsessive religious fervor, Tiger felt somewhat helpless.
It always reminded him of that dead woman.
Especially lately, Gemma Farley's pathologically intense stare made his spine cold.
"Get ready. Tonight you're coming with me to the centaur tribe. Venom's weakness can be eliminated tonight..."
With that, he shook his head and walked back to his dormitory.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!