Chapter 75: Infiltration
Late at night, Tamara Riddle moved soundlessly along the base of the wall, like an elegant black cat.
She climbed the stairs, carefully avoiding Filch's wretched cat. Madam Norris was prowling the landing on the second floor, her cloudy eyes sweeping back and forth with wary suspicion.
In the past, a flash of green light would have solved the problem.
But now Tamara had to behave like a proper first year, making use of her small frame to slip into the shadow of a massive suit of armor.
She held her breath until the cat flicked its tail and padded away. Only then did she slip out from behind the armor.
This kind of physical sneaking filled her with a deep sense of humiliation.
Damn restrictions...
She cursed inwardly.
If she had already unlocked the Disillusionment Charm, why would she need to hide like a thief?
At last, the third floor corridor came into view.
Once she turned this corner, she would see the door to the forbidden area.
Suddenly, a plump figure sprang out of the shadows and blocked her way.
"Ta... Tamara! You can't go in there!"
Neville Longbottom, wearing teddy bear pajamas, stood there with his arms spread wide like a brave but trembling toad, firmly barring the path.
"Harry and the others already went in, and I couldn't stop them... but I can't let you go risk your life too! Professor McGonagall said it's forbidden! You'll die!"
Tamara stopped, and her eyelid twitched violently.
Why Longbottom of all people?
Did every Gryffindor this year suffer from some inherited disease that made them meddle in everything?
Almost by instinct, Tamara raised her wand and pointed it straight at Neville's round face.
The quickest solution was to make him shut up.
"Petrificus..."
Just as the spell was about to leave her lips:
[Ding! Warning!]
[Detected that classmate Neville Longbottom is in a state of extreme worry. He is risking point deductions and punishment just to stop you from entering danger.]
[What pure and 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: Sing "Auld Lang Syne" at the top of your lungs.]
Tamara's hand froze in midair. The spell stuck in her throat so hard it almost made her cough blood.
This damned system.
If looks could kill, Neville would already have been ash on the floor.
But in order to avoid standing in the middle of the corridor singing like a lunatic, Tamara had no choice but to take a deep breath and forcibly twist the murderous intent on her face into something that barely resembled a kind smile.
"Neville."
She softened her voice, though it sounded more like she was reciting funeral rites.
"You've misunderstood."
"Mis... misunderstood?" Neville repeated. Seeing her lower her wand, he let out a shaky breath of relief.
"Yes." Tamara put on an expression of noble righteousness and even took a step forward, her eyes full of firm resolve. "I'm not going there to cause trouble. I'm going there to save them."
"You know Potter's reckless personality. If no one watches him, he'll definitely cause a disaster. As a... friend, how could I just stand by and let him walk to his death?"
Neville stared at her blankly.
In his eyes, Tamara seemed to be glowing.
He had never expected a Slytherin to be this loyal, this righteous.
"But... but it's very dangerous in there..." Neville said weakly, still hesitating.
"That is exactly why I have to go."
Tamara rolled her eyes inwardly, though her stiff smile never changed.
"So, can you go back to sleep now?"
"No!"
Neville suddenly clenched his fists, as though he had made some tremendous decision.
"I'll help you!"
Tamara was just about to refuse when Neville hurried on.
"I can stand guard here. If Filch or a professor comes, I'll... I'll sing loudly. That can be your signal!"
He looked at Tamara with the expression of a soldier volunteering to defend the city gates.
"Go save them, Tamara. Leave this place to me!"
Tamara looked at the silly boy for a second and said nothing.
He was surprisingly easy to deceive.
Besides, having an expendable fool standing guard at the entrance did not sound entirely useless.
"Then I'll leave it to you, warrior."
Tamara met Neville's eyes, gave him a smiling compliment, and then swiftly slipped into the corridor.
[Ding! Quest complete: A Gentle Response.]
[System evaluation: A perfect speech. So moving! You not only suppressed your murderous impulse, but successfully used words to inspire the courage hidden deep within a Gryffindor's heart.]
[Look at him standing guard for you in the darkness. This is the power of trust. You have learned to leave your back to a teammate, even if in your eyes he is only a troublesome tool.]
[But whatever the original motive, the result is beautiful! Slytherin and Gryffindor have achieved a historic cooperation!]
[Reward: Love +1.]
[Current attribute: Love 19.]
Tamara glanced at the stagnant number, and her brows drew together.
"Nineteen?"
She asked coldly, "Did you forget to count my interaction with that idiotic cat in the dormitory? I even gave it a bath."
The air went silent for a second.
Then the system's cheerful electronic voice rang out again.
[Host, please allow the system to correct you with proper rigor.]
[Throwing a pet onto the bed like a piece of trash and then trying to drown it in a Scouring Charm is generally defined as "abuse" under the Code of Love, not "gentle caressing."]
[Oh, speaking of which...]
The system's tone suddenly turned thoughtful, with a trace of eager anticipation.
[I was so busy issuing quests that I seem to have forgotten to punish you for that crude behavior.]
[How about making it up to you now? A 30 second microcurrent treatment to refresh your spirit?]
Tamara's lip twitched violently.
Her knuckles went white around her wand. She took a slow breath and forced out each word through gritted teeth.
"...No need."
"Thank you for your... generosity."
[You are welcome! It is the system's honor to serve you! Please maintain this strong will to survive, by which I mean your desire not to be electrocuted, and continue toward a tomorrow full of love!]
At last, she reached the wooden door at the end of the corridor.
It stood slightly ajar. No sound came from inside.
Potter and the others had obviously already gone down, and those careless Gryffindors had not even bothered to shut the door behind them.
Tamara pushed it open.
A wave of foul heat struck her face.
A massive three headed beast almost filled the entire room.
Fluffy.
The Cerberus Hagrid had raised.
In the corner sat a crudely made wooden harp.
Clearly, Quirrell had enchanted it to play automatically so he could pass through.
That beautiful melody had sent the beast into a deep sleep, allowing Potter and his friends to stumble through in pure luck.
However, the moment Tamara stepped into the room, the strings of the harp gave one last weak tremble and released a horribly sour final note.
Twang.
The spell had run out.
In the dead quiet of the room, the sound rang like an alarm bell.
Fluffy, who had been snoring heavily, twitched all three enormous noses at once and slowly opened his eyes.
Six lantern sized yellow eyes fixed on the slender figure in the doorway.
Tamara stood there, neither holding an instrument nor showing the slightest panic.
She merely covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve in disgust.
"How is it that every pet Hagrid raises manages to be uglier and smellier than the last?"
Faced with the Cerberus lumbering toward her, Tamara unhurriedly raised her wand.
Kill it?
No. That would make too much noise, and if Hagrid discovered his dog had been killed, his howling would probably flood the whole castle.
No, making it get out of the way was enough.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Fluffy, who had been advancing slowly, suddenly felt an irresistible force lift his belly.
His gigantic mountain like body abruptly defied common sense and floated up like a toy balloon being yanked by an invisible hand.
"Awo?"
Fluffy let out a baffled bark.
All four of his legs began paddling frantically in the air, searching in vain for solid ground.
He floated higher and higher until all three heads bumped against the ceiling. Forced to crane his necks awkwardly, he let out a series of aggrieved whines.
A three headed giant dog weighing several tons now hung in the air like a dark cloud.
The scene was, for a moment, rather ridiculous.
"Stay there and keep quiet."
Tamara cast the idiotic beast a cold glance. With a light flick of her wand, she brushed him into a corner like an overinflated balloon.
The trapdoor below was revealed.
Tamara walked to the opening and looked down.
Below lay complete darkness, broken only by the vague outlines of thick vines.
"Devil's Snare..."
She recognized it immediately.
"I only hope those brats remembered to burn it properly. I have no desire to get my clothes covered in plant slime."
Tamara smoothed down her robes and, with the calm grace of someone attending a formal banquet, leapt elegantly into the bottomless dark.
Behind her, Fluffy remained stuck against the ceiling, able only to watch her vanish below.
In his very simple canine mind, he suddenly found himself missing the warm and generous Hagrid, who used to play music for him.
He did not understand.
They were both wizards, so why was the difference in how they treated others so enormous?
.....
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