Chapter 75: Infiltration
The castle was draped in the suffocating silence of midnight.
Tamara Riddle pressed her slender frame against the cold, damp stonework of the corridor, moving with the fluid, noiseless grace of a hunting cat. She ascended the grand staircase, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the mangy nuisance belonging to Argus Filch. Madam Norris prowled the second-floor landing, her clouded, lamp-like eyes sweeping the shadows with paranoid intensity.
In her past life, a casual flick of the wrist and a flash of emerald light would have reduced this shedding beast to a lifeless rug.
Now, however, Tamara was forced to play the part of a fragile first-year. She used her diminutive stature to shrink into the pitch-black void cast by a towering suit of armor. She held her breath, her jaw locking in sheer irritation, until the feline finally flicked its tail and padded away.
Slipping out from behind the cold metal, a deep wave of humiliation washed over her. Having to rely on crude, physical stealth was an insult to her dignity.
'Damned restrictions...' she cursed inwardly, her fingernails biting into her palms.
If she had only unlocked the Disillusionment Charm, she wouldn't be scurrying through the halls like a common pickpocket.
The third-floor corridor finally loomed ahead. Just around the next corner sat the heavy wooden door leading to the forbidden wing.
But as she stepped forward, a pudgy silhouette threw itself out from an alcove, planting its feet firmly in her path.
"Ta... Tamara! You can't go there!"
Neville Longbottom stood trembling. He wore oversized pajamas plastered with a ridiculous pattern of dancing teddy bears. His arms were spread wide, resembling a brave but hopelessly terrified toad.
"Harry and the others have already gone in, and I couldn't stop them... but I can't let you risk it too! Professor McGonagall said it's a forbidden area! You'll die!"
Tamara stopped dead. A vein pulsed violently beneath her left eye.
Why did it have to be the Longbottom boy? Did this year's batch of Gryffindors share some genetic defect that compelled them to meddle in affairs far beyond their meager comprehension?
Pure instinct took over. Her wand snapped up, the polished wood aiming directly between Neville's round, quivering eyes. The most efficient solution was simply to silence him.
'Petrificus—' The incantation formed on her tongue.
[Ding! Warning!]
[Detected that classmate Neville Longbottom is in a state of extreme worry; he is risking point deductions and punishment just to prevent you from entering danger.]
[What pure, moving friendship!]
[System Mandatory Quest: A Gentle Response.]
[Do not use violent spells to harm this kind friend. Please move him with your sincerity and let him feel the warmth of Slytherin.]
[Reward: Love +1]
[Punishment: Singing "Auld Lang Syne" at the top of your lungs.]
Tamara's wand hand froze mid-air. The curse caught in her throat, choking her like a swallowed stone.
This infernal system.
If pure malice held physical weight, Neville Longbottom would have been instantly crushed into fine ash. But the threat of standing in the corridor belting out a muggle tavern song like a deranged lunatic forced her hand. She took a slow, agonizing breath. The murderous glare melted away, forcefully twisted into a kind, if slightly rigid, smile.
"Neville." She pitched her voice to a soft, gentle register, though the sheer effort made it sound vaguely like a funeral dirge. "You have misunderstood."
"Mis... misunderstood?" Neville stammered. His eyes darted to her lowered wand, and his rigid shoulders slumped in a massive sigh of relief.
"Yes." Tamara summoned every ounce of her theatrical prowess, adopting an aura of tragic righteousness. She took a deliberate step forward, her dark eyes shining with manufactured resolve. "I am not going there to cause trouble. I am going to save them."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle. "You know Potter's reckless nature. If left unsupervised, he will undoubtedly trigger a catastrophe. As his... friend, I cannot simply stand by and watch him march to his death, can I?"
Neville stared at her, utterly spellbound.
In his naive eyes, the Slytherin girl practically glowed with a saintly halo. He had never imagined a snake could possess such deep loyalty and courage.
"But... but it's incredibly dangerous in there..." he mumbled, his resolve wavering.
"It is precisely because of the danger that I must go." Internally, Tamara was rolling her eyes so hard they ached, but outwardly, she maintained her magnanimous, self-sacrificing smile. "So, will you please return to your dormitory now?"
"No!" Neville suddenly clenched his chubby fists, his face flushing with sudden, desperate bravery. "I'm going to help you!"
Tamara blinked, a sharp refusal already on her lips, when the boy rushed on.
"I can stand guard right here! If Filch or a Professor comes, I'll... I'll sing loudly! To give you a signal!" He puffed out his chest, his gaze as fierce as a knight defending the castle gates. "Go save them, Tamara. Leave this place to me!"
Tamara stared at the foolish boy. The silence stretched for a long second.
He was almost insultingly easy to manipulate. Still... having a gullible idiot act as a human tripwire at the entrance wasn't the worst tactical advantage.
"Then I shall leave it to you, brave warrior." She met his gaze, offered a dazzling, appreciative smile, and swiftly slipped past him into the shadowed corridor.
[Ding! Quest Complete: A Gentle Response.]
[System Evaluation: A perfect speech! So moving! You not only suppressed your murderous urge but also successfully used words to inspire the Courage deep within a Gryffindor's heart!]
[Look at his back as he stands guard for you in the dark; this is the power of trust! You have learned to leave your back to a teammate—even if in your eyes, he is just a troublesome tool.]
[But regardless of the original intention, the result is beautiful! Slytherin and Gryffindor have achieved a historic cooperation!]
[Reward: Love +1.]
[Current Attribute: Love 19.]
Tamara glanced at the floating, stagnant number. Her brow furrowed in genuine annoyance.
"Nineteen?" she whispered coldly into the empty air. "Did you fail to calculate the points for my interaction with that wretched cat in the dormitory? I even gave the beast a bath."
The corridor remained silent for a beat. Then, the cheerful, grating electronic voice chimed in her head once more.
[Host, please allow the system to correct you rigorously.]
[Throwing a pet back onto the bed like trash and then trying to drown it with a Scouring Charm is usually defined as 'abuse'in the Code of Love, not'gentle caressing.']
[Oh, speaking of which...]
The disembodied voice suddenly shifted, adopting a tone of bright realization tinged with sadistic anticipation.
[The system was so busy issuing quests that it seems I forgot to punish you for that crude behavior.]
[How about... I make it up to you now? A thirty-second micro-current to freshen you up?]
The corner of Tamara's mouth twitched violently. Her knuckles turned bone-white around the grip of her wand. She sucked in a sharp breath, grinding her teeth together as she forced out her response syllable by syllable.
"...No need. Thank you for your... generosity."
[You're welcome! It is the system's honor to serve you! Please maintain this will to survive—not wanting to be electrocuted—and head toward a tomorrow full of love!]
Tamara finally reached the heavy wooden door at the end of the hall. It hung slightly ajar. No sound bled through the crack. Potter and his lackeys had clearly already descended, and the careless Gryffindors hadn't even bothered to shut the door behind them.
She pushed the heavy oak open.
A suffocating wave of foul, hot air slammed into her face, reeking of wet fur and rotting meat. A monstrous, three-headed beast occupied nearly the entire chamber.
Fluffy. The Cerberus raised by that oaf, Hagrid.
Tucked into the corner sat a crudely carved wooden harp. Quirrell had obviously enchanted the instrument to play automatically, securing his own safe passage. It was this gentle, sweeping melody that had lulled the monster into a deep slumber, granting those three brats a stroke of dumb luck to slip past unnoticed.
However, the very second Tamara's shoe crossed the threshold, the enchanted strings vibrated one final time.
A sharp, out-of-tune twang echoed through the stone room.
The magic had expired.
In the heavy silence, the discordant note rang out like a blaring alarm. Fluffy, who had been rumbling with deep snores, suddenly twitched his three massive, wet noses in unison. The massive heads shifted. Six yellow eyes, each the size of a carriage lantern, snapped open and locked directly onto the slender girl standing in the doorway.
Tamara did not panic. She held no instrument, nor did she reach for the door handle to flee. Instead, she elegantly raised the sleeve of her robe to cover her nose and mouth, her face twisting in deep disgust.
"How is it that every pet Hagrid acquires manages to be uglier and fouler-smelling than the last?"
As the colossal Cerberus pushed itself up, its massive paws thudding against the stone as it advanced, Tamara unhurriedly raised her wand.
Kill it? No. A beast this size would make an atrocious amount of noise hitting the floor., if that half-giant discovered his precious dog had been slaughtered, his wailing would likely flood the entire castle.
She would simply have to move it out of her way.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Fluffy, mid-growl and stalking forward, suddenly felt an immense, invisible force cup his massive belly. His mountain-like body violently defied the laws of physics. He was hoisted upward, floating as lightly as a carnival balloon squeezed by a giant, unseen hand.
"Awo?" Fluffy let out a deeply confused, rumbling bark.
His four thick legs paddled frantically through the empty air, heavy claws swiping at nothing in a desperate bid for traction. It was entirely useless. He drifted higher and higher until all three massive skulls bumped gently against the stone ceiling. Forced to crane his necks awkwardly, the terrifying beast let out a series of high-pitched, aggrieved whimpers.
A three-headed monster weighing several tons was now suspended helplessly in mid-air, drifting like a dark, furry raincloud. The sheer absurdity of the sight was almost comical.
"Stay there and keep quiet."
Tamara shot a cold, disdainful glare at the drooling idiot paddling against the ceiling. With a casual, dismissive flick of her wand, she brushed the floating Cerberus into the far corner of the room.
The wooden trapdoor set into the floor was finally unobstructed. Tamara approached the opening and peered down. The shaft was pitch black, but her sharp eyes caught the faint, writhing outlines of thick vines lining the bottom.
"Devil's Snare..." she murmured, instantly recognizing the deadly flora. "I sincerely hope those brats had the sense to conjure a bright enough fire. I refuse to have my robes ruined by plant sap."
Smoothing the front of her pristine uniform with the poise of a noblewoman arriving at a gala, Tamara stepped forward and dropped gracefully into the bottomless black hole.
High above, pinned to the ceiling, Fluffy ceased his frantic paddling. He could only watch the tiny girl's silhouette vanish into the dark. His three heads whined softly, his simple mind suddenly missing the warm, generous Hagrid who always brought him music and treats.
He simply couldn't understand it. They were both wizards. Why was there such a terrifying difference in how they treated a good dog?
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