Moriarty agreed, and Penelope naturally had no objection. The four of them walked toward the library together.
They spent the entire afternoon in the library, immersing themselves in reading. As evening approached, Moriarty and Penelope agreed to return the next day, and news of their time together quickly spread throughout the castle.
The entire school was abuzz with curiosity about Moriarty's romantic life. At all four house tables, students—particularly the upperclassmen—whispered among themselves.
Back in first year, Moriarty and Tonks had been close, often dueling and spending time together, while Lilith was another familiar presence by his side.
By second year, Moriarty had grown significantly—tall and poised, easily mistaken for a fourth or fifth-year—which led to many older girls developing a keen interest in him.
Tonks now found herself surrounded by senior girls from every house. Under the guise of harmless inquiries, they were clearly fishing for gossip about Moriarty's love life. Most of them, though, seemed more interested in eliminating competition.
"The wizarding world is a small circle!"
"Surely you wouldn't settle for marrying a Muggle?"
"Quality pure-blood wizards are rare."
"He's highly competitive!"
Tonks waved her hands as if to swat away flies. "Cut it out, you're all just *** desperate for attention!"
The older girls weren't offended. Instead, they chuckled with grace and teased, "Our dear Tonks is jealous. Her little brother has caught everyone's eye."
"Jealous?" Tonks scoffed, as though the idea were absurd. "I've tasted bitter, sour, and sweet—I don't do jealous."
"Swear it on Merlin?" one asked, smirking. To them, Tonks was the greatest obstacle in their pursuit of Moriarty.
"Of course, I swear!" Tonks slammed her palm on the table with more bravado than confidence. "I, I—"
It was a simple declaration, yet she found herself unable to complete it.
At that moment, she spotted Moriarty and Penelope entering the Great Hall side by side. Before the heat could rise to her face, she quickly grabbed a few of the older girls and redirected their attention. "Look! He's back!"
Heads turned toward Moriarty, who was walking casually while discussing Quidditch strategies with Penelope. Behind them strolled Jericho and the Ravenclaw girl—moving slowly, arm-in-arm, unmistakably a couple.
With everyone now watching Moriarty, Tonks let out a long breath, clutching her chest. Her heart was racing. Seeing Moriarty with Penelope sent it pounding even faster.
She stuffed two mango puddings into her mouth to calm herself, but her heart still beat wildly.
Irritated, she turned her hair black. The Slytherin table roared in amusement at the change.
Jericho confidently led the Ravenclaw girl to the Slytherin table, where they sat together, fingers interlaced.
Tonks couldn't take her eyes off Moriarty. Since Jericho had confirmed his relationship, Penelope now sat beside Moriarty at the Slytherin table.
It was a seat Tonks had once claimed as her own. The irritation bubbling inside her forced her to stand and leave the hall.
As she wandered the corridors, memories flickered through her mind—the duel in the Room of Requirement, the snake that had coiled around her, their Quidditch match, studying the Curing Curse together, and the daring flight to Paris.
She finally understood the source of her unease.
She missed hanging around Moriarty.
Her Patronus, Michelle, had only taken form when she remembered Moriarty. That alone spoke volumes.
She'd wanted to cook roast rabbit for him.
But now another girl was by his side.
They shared laughter. They had common ground.
"So... I'm jealous?" Tonks muttered, her cheeks blazing like dragonfruit. She hastily pulled her robe tighter around herself, trying to hide.
That wasn't her style. But what could she do?
"Stupid juniors always flirting with girls."
Pouting, Tonks dragged her feet toward the Hufflepuff canteen. On a lonely night like this, food was her only solace.
Luckily, the Hufflepuff kitchens catered to students returning late. Penelope, however, had no such comfort waiting in Ravenclaw.
She thought of a quote by Muggle author Gorky—if a wall of books could substitute for bread, then she would gladly eat in the Ravenclaw common room library.
Unfortunately, that wasn't an option.
She couldn't stand the attention she was getting from the Slytherins.
The boys' gazes were merely curious.
As Marcus had remarked, no one had ever spent an entire afternoon alone with Moriarty—especially not last year. Penelope was the first.
But the girls' stares were far more hostile. They looked at her like hungry predators, making Penelope feel like she'd wandered into a den of tigresses.
Perhaps they thought she wasn't worthy of sitting beside Moriarty.
Penelope tried to cut a small slice of her medium-rare steak and chewed slowly, unaccustomed to the taste.
Across from her, Jericho and the Ravenclaw girl were feeding each other.
She blinked in disbelief. Moriarty leaned toward her and whispered, "By tomorrow night, they'll be holding each other's faces and snogging."
"Ah!" Penelope gasped, quickly covering her mouth. Her voice had attracted unwanted attention. "Is... is that really a thing? Do couples just... bite each other's faces?"
Her bewilderment and innocence were palpable, like a startled kitten.
Moriarty laughed quietly and leaned in to whisper, "Kissing each other's faces is called a kiss~"
"Huh? Kiss... on the mouth!" Penelope's entire face turned red. Her eyes were shimmering with embarrassment, and her limbs seemed to go soft.
"Kiss? Mouth? Mouth?!"
The Slytherins erupted in whispers. Their glances toward Penelope and Moriarty became more suggestive, and the mood at the table shifted to one of mischief.
Jericho released his girlfriend's hand, smirking toward Moriarty and Penelope. "We heard everything!"
"Come on, spill it!" Leon grinned slyly. He was always in for gossip.
"I don't need to answer a single dog's question," Jericho shot back coolly, looking down on Leon playfully.
Leon bristled. "I'm the dignified student council president, the Slytherin prefect, the most powerful student in the school after Mr. Moriarty—"
"Still single," Jericho interrupted, nonchalant.
Leon clenched his fist. "I choose to be single. I'm working on restoring the Menchem family's legacy."
Jericho raised an eyebrow. "Try saying that again after you beat the female student council president."
"Don't bring her up!" Leon groaned. He had no idea what he'd done to offend her, but she'd been after him nonstop lately.
"She asked you for pudding in front of everyone, and you rejected her outright," Moriarty reminded him. "That was embarrassing. Of course she's retaliating."
"Wait, that's why?" Leon scratched his head. "She really likes pudding? Seriously?"
"I tried to tell you," Jericho said, shrugging. "Now it's too late. Oh—by the way, where's Miss Lilith? I wanted to show off in front of her."
"She's not here," one of the girls replied. "Gemma's gone too."
"They're probably together," Moriarty mused, his eyes glinting with interest. "I'm curious what they're plotting."
"Two terrifying girls together?" Jericho chuckled, then turned to his girlfriend with a grin. "They're nothing compared to a single strand of your hair. Mind if I sniff your lovely brown curls, babe?"
Blushing, the Ravenclaw girl nodded. Jericho leaned in and exaggerated his sniff, "Mmm... ah! Bliss!"
Penelope blinked. "Is he really twelve? He acts like a thirty-year-old love guru."
"Don't look at them too long," Moriarty teased, waving a fork with a piece of cake. "That American cowboy'll ruin your expectations of romance."
Penelope giggled. "What about you, then? Jericho's always around you. Has he corrupted you yet?"
Diana could probably answer that better. She knows if I've gone astray.
Moriarty smiled and gently placed the cake on Penelope's plate.
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