The students enjoyed their meal, the sounds of clattering silverware and chatter filling the grand dining hall. After finishing their meal, Gemma led the freshmen into the Slytherin dungeon, where she began to speak of the house's history and its glorious past. The dungeons echoed with her words, and the atmosphere grew heavier as they descended deeper into the heart of Hogwarts.
Moriarty, however, had different plans. Though he was the most qualified for such a task, he turned without a word and headed back to the dormitory. His mind was focused elsewhere.
"System, I want to unlock the sign-in task."
"Please confirm, host, whether to spend 10,000 points to unlock the check-in task. The host currently has 11,800 points."
Without hesitation, Moriarty selected confirm.
"Congratulations, host, you have unlocked the sign-in task. Remaining points: 1,800.
Congratulations on successfully signing in and obtaining the magic Occlumency!
Note: The Slytherin Dungeon Wizard's Dormitory is a non-repeatable check-in location. The host can check in only once."
The system prompt rang in his ears. This time, it seemed warmer, less cold than usual.
"Occlumency," Moriarty murmured under his breath, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his lips. If he had spent the points, the technique would have cost 7,000. However, unlocking it through the sign-in task had allowed him to acquire it in an instant.
He briefly considered the implications of this new power. Though his mental strength was still growing, with his current abilities, he could easily block the Legilimency of lower-tier wizards. Yet, blocking someone like Dumbledore or Voldemort would still be a significant challenge.
Despite his many other powerful magics, Moriarty was determined to master Occlumency. The legendary masters of the art, such as Severus Snape, had been able to resist the most skilled Legilimency users. Moriarty had no intention of being left behind.
Thinking of Snape's office, Moriarty's eyes gleamed with excitement. That was surely a perfect spot for a check-in.
His plan set, he moved swiftly into action, casting the Disillusionment Charm on himself. Silently, he slipped out of the dormitory, unnoticed. The other Slytherins in the common room were all discussing the new professor, none of them aware of Moriarty's departure, save for Lilith.
Lilith, who had learned that Moriarty had mastered the Disillusionment Charm over the summer, grew curious. Was it him slipping away?
Casting a quiet illusion spell to conceal her presence, Lilith followed.
They traversed the dungeons, and soon, Lilith saw a long, floating ladder that stretched into another corridor, leading even deeper below the castle. The ladder had a special affinity for Moriarty, an acknowledgment shared by all students at Hogwarts. With a knowing grin, Lilith muttered, "Moriarty, you can't get rid of me."
And so, she followed, but eventually, she found herself standing before Professor Snape's office.
"Moriarty, what is he doing here?" Lilith wondered aloud. "Is he here for potions? Or to make potions with Snape? But surely, there's no need for such secrecy!"
By the time Lilith had formulated her thoughts, Moriarty had already completed his check-in.
"Congratulations, host, you have successfully signed in and obtained the antidote for Veritaserum.
Note: Severus Snape's office (storage room) is a repeatable check-in location. The host may check in once per day."
Moriarty stored the potion in his system space, already planning to sign in every day. He figured it wouldn't take more than a semester to collect every potion from Snape's personal stock.
He then turned his thoughts elsewhere. The secret room, he thought. There had been no basilisks there for years, and he was eager to see what he might be able to check in from that hidden, mysterious place.
With a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, Moriarty made his way toward the secret room.
Lilith, unable to follow him any longer, found herself standing in an empty corridor. She paused, unsure of where Moriarty had gone. There were no more floating ladders in sight, and soon, she found herself pacing in confusion.
While circling back through the basement's labyrinth of classrooms and offices, she suddenly heard a faint meow that grew louder as it drew nearer.
"Mrs. Norris?" Lilith muttered, her face darkening. She knew that voice—Mrs. Norris, the cat of Argus Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker. The feline was notorious for sniffing out trouble.
The sound of fast-moving footsteps echoed down the corridor, the rapid thumping unmistakable.
"Fred, can you make it stop?" a breathless voice called.
"I can't!" Fred gasped. "Who knows what's got that old Filch riled up? And how could he find us running so fast?"
The Weasley twins, clearly flustered, rounded the corner, panting and glancing nervously behind them.
Lilith stepped out of her hiding place behind a suit of armor, watching them carefully. Merlin's beard, she thought. Are all the freshmen this year this active? A night tour on the first day of school?
"Meow!" The cat's cry rang out again, followed by the sound of heavy boots hitting the stone floor.
"Run, Fred! RUN!" George shouted as he tugged at his brother's arm.
Fred, unable to keep up, collapsed against a suit of armor. "I can't—this isn't even the way back to Gryffindor Tower!"
"You have to keep moving!" George urged. "Lee Jordan's already been caught! If you don't want to end up like him, you better get moving!"
The twins scrambled away, and Lilith, amused, shook her head.
What a mess, she mused. She wasn't about to get involved, and so she stayed hidden behind the armor, waiting for the chaos to pass.
But as Filch himself appeared in the corridor, she noticed something odd. The caretaker, holding a kerosene lamp in one hand and Lee Jordan by the ear with the other, was muttering darkly to himself.
"The first night of school, eh?" Filch's voice rang out, high-pitched and gloating. "Well, when I catch the other two boys, I'll hang them from the ceiling for all to see! Let the whole school know who they messed with!"
Lee Jordan, clearly terrified, began to sob. The sound of Mrs. Norris' meows only made it worse.
Lilith's unease grew. She could feel Filch's eyes narrowing as he scanned the corridor suspiciously. His gaze locked onto the suit of armor where she was hidden.
Suddenly, the caretaker leaned closer, the blue light from his lamp illuminating the helmet of the armor. Lilith's heart skipped a beat as the Disillusionment Charm she had cast faltered. The light exposed her, and in that instant, she was revealed.
"Gotcha!" Filch crowed. "Lilith Piliwick from Slytherin, caught red-handed! You're done for!"
Lilith stared in shock, her heart pounding. "How—how did you know I was here?"
Filch's grin widened, revealing his delight. "I knew it! You thought you could fool me with a Disillusionment Charm, eh? Well, think again!"
Lilith, despite her shock, managed to gather herself quickly. "You've got it wrong, Filch," she said with a smirk. "I'm not finished just yet."
Filch, seeing the confident gleam in her eye, chuckled darkly. "We'll see about that."
But before he could act, a soft voice rang out from the front of the corridor.
"Freeze."
A spell hit Filch, and the caretaker was instantly immobilized. He stood there, completely still, his eyes wide with confusion.
Moriarty, who had come to Lilith's rescue, released her from the freezing spell, gently pulling her wrist and guiding her back toward the Slytherin common room.
"Moriarty?" Lilith whispered, a grateful smile spreading across her face. "Is that you?"
"Of course it's me," Moriarty said, his voice light. "Who else would come to your rescue at such a time?"
Lilith let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Moriarty."
As they walked back toward the common room together, Moriarty explained his presence. "The Weasley twins warned me about Filch's odd behavior. I decided to investigate."
Lilith shook her head, still processing the situation. "But Filch—he can use magic? I don't understand. He scared me half to death!"
Moriarty gave a soft laugh. "Don't worry. That kerosene lamp he carries? It's an alchemy tool, not magic. It's from Nicolas Flamel's collection."
Lilith's eyes widened in realization. "Alchemy! Of course! It must have been one of the props Flamel provided to Hogwarts!"
Moriarty nodded. "Exactly. And don't worry about Filch. He's still a Squib. If he were truly dangerous, I wouldn't have let him off so easily."
Lilith paused for a moment, then, with a small grin, said, "Alright, alright, you're right. Good night, Moriarty."
Moriarty chuckled softly as she hurried off, and with a shake of his head, he made his way back to his dormitory, content with the evening's events.
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