Chapter 42: Who Are You?
As Tamara stepped out of the library, the draught in the corridor made her shiver at once.
She pulled her thick dragon hide cloak more tightly around herself. Draco had given it to her a few days earlier.
The Dark Lord saw nothing improper in accepting a subordinate's goodwill. She had taken the cloak quite naturally and had even praised Draco for his thoughtfulness.
That single compliment had kept him pleased for days.
Just as she was about to cross the Entrance Hall and return to the dungeon, a tall figure stepped into her path.
"Please wait a moment, Miss Riddle."
The voice was warm and youthful, like a spring breeze passing through cold air.
Tamara stopped and lifted her gaze.
A boy in Hufflepuff robes stood before her.
He looked to be thirteen or fourteen, tall and straight backed, with strikingly handsome features and clear grey eyes. There was something almost painfully upright about him, something so sincere and sunlit that it made Tamara's eyes ache.
"Is there something the matter?"
Her voice came out cool and flat.
He looked faintly familiar, yet when she searched her memories, she found nothing. In her previous life, the Dark Lord remembered either powerful enemies or useful servants. Students like this were no more memorable than weeds by the roadside.
Perhaps he had simply died in some insignificant battle.
"I am Cedric Diggory, a third year Hufflepuff."
The boy scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly, though his smile remained bright.
"This may be a bit forward, but I have been wanting to find a chance to thank you properly."
"Thank me?" Tamara arched a brow.
"Yes. For Hannah."
Cedric's tone turned earnest.
"She is my junior. If you had not helped her on the Astronomy Tower, and lent her your scarf, she might have frozen, and she probably would have cried for hours over not finishing her work."
"Hufflepuff values its own. By helping Hannah, you helped us."
As he spoke, Cedric took an elegant little glass bottle from inside his robes.
It had clearly been kept warm by magic. Amber liquid shimmered inside, still giving off the faintest curl of steam.
"This is a hot ginger drink from Hogsmeade. It has honey and cinnamon in it. It is very good in cold weather."
He offered it with both hands, his expression open and utterly without guile.
"I thought the weather had turned bitter lately, and you might find it useful. Just consider it a small token of thanks."
Tamara looked at the bottle, then at Cedric's unguarded smile.
A strange flicker of familiarity stirred in her mind.
Not because of his face.
Because of his temperament. And his surname.
"Diggory..." Tamara murmured, her brow faintly furrowing.
She had seen that name before.
Or perhaps she had seen the corpse attached to it.
Right on cue, the system chimed in.
[Ding! It seems the host cannot remember. Allow this system to assist with your recollection.]
[Time: June 24, 1995. Location: graveyard by the church.]
[By your order, Peter Pettigrew removed an obstacle, and so this boy, who should have had a bright future, died pointlessly.]
Tamara's pupils narrowed.
Ah.
So he really was one of the unlucky ones.
She answered the system coldly in her mind, utterly without remorse.
"He had no value to me. What does his death have to do with me?"
Her first instinct was to refuse the bottle and tell this overfriendly Hufflepuff to get out of her way.
Then an electric sting shot across the tip of her tongue.
[Warning! Host detected attempting to inflict secondary emotional harm on a victim.]
[Special Emotional Compensation Mechanism activated: Apology of History.]
[Though the host shows no remorse, this conscientious system recognises that you indirectly caused this youth's death in your previous life.]
[Mission Requirement: You must not refuse Cedric Diggory's goodwill, and you must display the proper politeness of a gentle junior.]
[Mission Penalty: Forced imitation of troll dancing.]
Tamara felt a profound and very murderous weariness settle over her.
"You win," she thought bitterly.
She took a slow breath and crushed down the killing intent rising inside her.
The cold stillness on her face shifted. With the system's interference and her own magnificent talent for performance, it softened into an expression so stiffly sweet that to an outsider it looked almost shy.
"...I do not like owing people favours."
Tamara took the bottle in both hands. It was still warm from Cedric's body heat.
Her voice, against her will, turned softer, even slightly sweet.
"But since this is your sincere wish... thank you, Senior."
Senior.
The moment the word left her lips, Tamara felt as though her soul had retched.
She had just called a teenage boy Senior.
Cedric stared at her.
He had quite clearly braced himself for rejection.
After all, the rumours around Miss Riddle of Slytherin all said the same thing. She might occasionally help people from other houses, but she never really socialised with them.
And yet here she was, holding his bottle with both hands, eyes lowered, thanking him in a soft voice.
"You... you are welcome!"
He waved his hands in flustered confusion, and a flicker of admiration showed in his eyes.
"You really are very gentle, Junior Riddle."
"You are a good person."
Tamara's facial muscles were nearing their limit, but she still managed a mildly kind expression.
"Thank you."
She blinked and triggered [Harmless] without hesitation.
Under that dark, steady gaze, Cedric's heart gave an embarrassing jolt.
It felt rather like spotting an Acromantula in the wild. One part awe, one part panic, and not nearly enough reason.
"Well... I had better be off. I have Herbology next."
With that, the Hufflepuff senior retreated in visible confusion, nearly tripping over his own feet.
When he reached the stairs, he could not help glancing back.
Tamara still stood in the draughty hall, holding the warm bottle with both hands as though it were something precious.
She is really kind, Cedric thought.
Slytherins are not all bad.
He disappeared around the corner.
The instant he was out of sight, every trace of softness vanished from Tamara's face.
"Gentle? Junior?"
She glared at the ginger drink in her hands and felt an almost irresistible urge to hurl it against the wall.
But the system warning, [Please cherish the kindness of others], was still flashing.
So she could only unscrew the cap with ill concealed resentment and take a reluctant sip.
The sharp warmth of ginger, softened by honey, slid down her throat. The heat spread through her body at once, driving the chill out of her limbs.
"...The taste is average."
Tamara wiped the corner of her mouth. Though her body was undeniably more comfortable, her words remained venomous.
"It is disgustingly sweet. Only a Hufflepuff would drink something clearly designed for toddlers."
[Ding! Mission Complete: Apology of History.]
[Reward: Love +1.]
[Current Stats: Love 13, life 14, wisdom 23, Courage 12.]
[System Evaluation: See? Being a gentle junior was not so hard. At least you gained a little warmth and the favour of a handsome boy.]
Tamara let out a cold snort, shoved the bottle into her robe pocket, and turned toward the dungeon.
"One day, I am going to kick you out of my head."
[Love you, host.]
"Get lost."
.....
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