Chapter 31: Messenger of Justice
"What?"
Harry stared at her, stunned.
"I heard Draco boasting in the common room," Tamara Riddle said, weaving her lie without the slightest change in expression. Her face was so sincere that it even carried a trace of concern. "He said he was going to trick you into going to the Trophy Room and then let Filch catch you."
"I thought the joke had gone too far, so I came to warn you. But I did not find anyone in the Trophy Room. Then I heard noise over here, so I came to check."
"And I wandered in here by mistake."
She even blinked at the end, quietly activating her [Harmless] skill.
She had prepared that skill for meddling adults, not children her own age. The very fact that she had to use it on her peers made her feel mildly ill.
The other four, of course, knew nothing about that.
They were simply struck dumb.
They had all assumed that under Slytherin influence, it was only a matter of time before Tamara became another Malfoy. Instead, she had sneaked out at midnight alone just to warn them.
What sort of person did that?
What sort of character?
"Look out! Behind you!"
Neville suddenly shrieked and pointed.
The Cerberus seemed to be growing bolder now that there were more people in the room. Its middle head stretched forward a little, giving a low rumble.
"Ah! It is going to eat us!" Ron flattened himself against the door, face gone green. "Run! Riddle! Get over here!"
Tamara did not move.
She did not even turn around.
She simply lifted one hand and waved it behind her as if shooing away an irritating fly.
"Be quiet."
She spoke softly.
A miracle happened.
The monstrous beast that looked ready to tear them apart pulled its head back at once and lowered itself obediently to the floor.
Tamara turned back to the Gryffindors, whose faces had frozen with terror and disbelief, and gave them a faint smile.
"There is nothing to fear."
"Do stop making a scene, Weasley."
She walked to the Cerberus and, under their horrified stares, reached out and patted the great middle head.
Inside, she loathed the texture of the coarse fur.
On the surface, however, she looked as though she were stroking a toy poodle by the fire.
"You see," Tamara said with a calm smile, "it is actually very gentle."
"If you do not disturb its sleep, it is almost a little cute."
Harry said nothing.
Ron said nothing.
Hermione said nothing.
Neville said nothing.
For one perfect moment, the world seemed to stop.
Harry stared at the Slytherin girl petting a three headed monster and wondered if he had misunderstood the meaning of the word gentle.
Or perhaps the entire world had gone mad.
[ Ding! Task completed: Gaze into the Abyss. ]
[ You not only built a good relationship with the doggy, but also allowed everyone else to experience the beauty of small animals. ]
[ Reward: Courage +2. ]
[ Current Courage: 7. ]
Filch's footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Right," Tamara said.
She withdrew her hand and took a handkerchief from her pocket, carefully wiping her fingers.
"Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, I think we should leave at once."
"Unless you would like to spend the night with this lovely large dog."
It was not until Tamara disappeared through the doorway that Harry finally snapped out of it.
He glanced back at the Cerberus. It was no longer roaring, but it still looked monstrous enough to swallow him whole.
He shuddered.
"Gentle?"
Ron swallowed and spoke in a trembling voice.
"I think that Riddle girl is far scarier than this dog."
When Tamara returned to the Slytherin common room, the fire in the grate was nearly dead.
Draco Malfoy was curled up on a sofa, half asleep. He jerked awake at the sound of her footsteps.
"Tamara? Where did you go?"
"I just saw Filch coming back, grumbling. He clearly did not catch anyone. Wait. Did you go and watch?"
"I went to see something far more interesting."
Tamara crossed to the fireplace and held out her hands to the fading warmth. Firelight flickered over her pale face, making her look almost unreal.
"Draco, your plan did not catch Potter. But it helped me discover something."
"What?" Draco yawned. The heat from the fire was already making him drowsy again.
Tamara lowered her voice. A gleam of greed and desire flashed in her eyes.
"Nothing special. Only something much more important than getting Harry Potter expelled."
"Go to bed, Draco. You did well tonight."
Draco looked completely baffled, but praise from Tamara still pleased him. He wandered off to the dormitory in a daze.
Tamara remained by the fire, watching the last embers fade.
"The Philosopher's Stone. It seems fate truly favours me. The thing I failed to obtain in my previous life is now laid out in front of me."
She sank into a dark green velvet armchair and watched the final glow die in the grate, fingers tapping a steady rhythm on the armrest.
She had discovered the hiding place of the Philosopher's Stone.
She had humiliated that watchdog.
She had even earned some goodwill in front of the saviour.
But one fatal problem remained.
Her current body was bound to that cursed virtue system.
If she actually tried to take the Philosopher's Stone, which was theft in essence and motivated by her desire for immortality, what would happen?
Would the system decide it was greed and strike her with righteous punishment the instant she touched it?
She had to know.
"System," Tamara asked coldly in her mind, "I have a question."
[ I am here, host. Your performance tonight was wonderful! You showed courage and mercy. Your moral radiance nearly illuminated all of Hogwarts! ]
"Enough nonsense."
Tamara cut straight through the syrupy praise.
"If, and I am speaking hypothetically, I enter the end of that corridor, pass all the trials, and take the Philosopher's Stone away, would you judge that as theft or greed and stop me?"
The question went straight to the heart of the matter.
If the answer was yes, she would need another plan.
The air remained silent for several seconds.
Then the system answered again, and this time its tone carried a strange weight.
[ System is performing moral logic calculations... ]
[ Behaviour analysis: Acquiring the Philosopher's Stone. ]
[ Judgment 1: Possessing another person's property for selfish desire is greed, violates the principles of virtue, and is prohibited. ]
Tamara's heart sank.
As expected.
Then the tone shifted.
[ Judgment 2: It is detected that this item is currently being coveted by extremely evil dark forces, such as your Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. If it falls into evil hands, it may bring disaster to the world. ]
[ Judgment 3: A hero is one who accepts the burden of safeguarding dangerous items for the sake of protecting the world. ]
[ Conclusion: If your purpose in acquiring the Philosopher's Stone is to prevent evil forces from stealing school property and to prevent the world from being destroyed... ]
[ The system will judge it as: Justice. ]
[ Gentle reminder: As long as your starting point is for love and peace, then a small amount of safekeeping behaviour during the process may be exempted. ]
[ After all, you would not want that stone to be taken by the evil Lord Voldemort, would you? ]
Tamara stared into the dark for a long moment.
Then the corners of her mouth curled slowly, wildly, into a smile full of mockery.
"Righteous confiscation?"
"For love and peace?"
She began to laugh. Her shoulders shook.
"Hahaha... how interesting."
She rose to her feet and looked at the grey ashes in the grate, a brief red glint flashing in her eyes.
This system was rigid, sanctimonious, and overflowing with nauseating positivity.
Still, she had to admit it.
This sort of double standard logic suited her perfectly.
"Very well, System."
Tamara straightened her collar and turned towards the dormitory, her steps light, almost dancing.
"Since it is to stop evil..."
"Then I shall reluctantly play the role of the Dark Lord who safeguards justice for once."
.....
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