Moriarty's eyes lit up with excitement.
His gaze roamed over the girls, hot and predatory.
As he looked over each of them, he mentally counted how many layers of clothing they wore.
Diana wore a flowing maxi dress and delicate sheer heels—likely fewer layers than the others. Fleur wore a white Lolita-style ensemble, ruffled and proper. Tonks was dressed in a sporty outfit—flexible but simple. Penelope and Gemma had on more casual robes, probably five to six pieces all told.
Narcissa Malfoy, elegant and proper as ever, wore the most layers. She also happened to have the curviest figure.
Moriarty couldn't help but think: Best if Mrs. Malfoy loses a few rounds…
"Bad apprentice~ what are you staring at!"
Pain suddenly flared in his right arm. He turned sharply—Tonks was grinning wickedly, her nails dug into his skin.
"Bad junior, we're playing poker. You're not invited, so out you go!" Tonks said firmly, puffing her cheeks in mock anger.
"Nymphadora," Moriarty rubbed her hand gently, trying to calm her. "I just want to have a word."
He tried his best to act the innocent, all to enjoy the "scenery" later.
"Nope. Out. Now." Tonks' resolve wavered slightly under his touch, a blush creeping over her cheeks.
But before she could soften, Narcissa raised her voice.
"Moriarty, don't push your luck. Out!" Her tone was half commanding, half warning.
Then, in a pointed tone to Tonks, she added, "The more silver-tongued a man is, the less you let him get away with. Don't reward sweet words."
Clearly, Narcissa was growing more cautious around Moriarty too.
Tonks blinked, startled at how much her aunt sounded like her mother.
"You're right, Auntie…" Tonks raised a fist toward Moriarty. "Out. Now. And shut the door. And no peeking!"
Moriarty frowned slightly. Now she remembers Narcissa's her aunt?
But the chorus of voices came from all sides.
"Yeah!"
"Get out already!"
"Lock the door!"
Moriarty touched his nose, a little amused. It was rare for so many to stand against him.
He tried to salvage some control. "Er… there are a lot of poker games. Which one are you even planning to play?"
"True…" Tonks suddenly blinked, realizing. "Most Muggle poker games aren't meant for six players!"
Moriarty smiled calmly. "I actually know a six-player game. I could act as referee…"
"We're not listening to you!" Tonks pouted.
"The teacher wouldn't even let you shuffle the cards," Diana added with a sideways glance at him, smirking.
Then she turned to Penelope. "Since you suggested poker, you must have something in mind?"
All eyes turned toward Penelope.
While their attention was diverted, Moriarty sneakily pinched Diana's backside.
Her body stiffened, and she barely resisted the urge to jump up and hex him.
Penelope spoke in the nick of time. "We'll play six-player Dou Dizhu."
"Dou… what?"
"Six-player landlord?" the others chorused in surprise.
"Yes," Penelope smiled. "I have a pen pal from the East who taught me. I taught her wizard chess in return."
"Pen pal?"
"From the mysterious East?"
"Is she from Japan?"
"What even is Dou Dizhu?"
The girls swarmed Penelope with questions.
Moriarty raised an eyebrow. There was no mention in the original canon of Penelope Clearwater having a pen pal from the East—much less a female one.
Which country? How old is she? What's her height? Is she pretty? Is she single?
Focus, he reminded himself, shaking his head to clear the stray thoughts.
Luckily, Penelope quickly gave a rundown of the rules, and the girls started to understand.
"Six-player landlord. Three versus three," Diana repeated, conjuring up three decks of cards in a flick. "That's 162 cards, 27 per player. No bottom cards."
The backs of the cards shimmered with images of Avalon's landscapes—enchanted and elegant.
Penelope handled them with care, her expression wistful.
Tonks snatched them from her, eager to shuffle.
"Pick a non-joker card at random to determine the 'Revealed Landlord.' The person who draws it becomes the clear landlord?"
"Correct," Penelope nodded. "The other two same-rank cards make the other two dark landlords—secret until revealed."
Lady Malfoy's eyes gleamed. "So the landlord's identity isn't fully known at the start… Clever."
"You're a quick learner, Madam," Penelope complimented warmly.
"Now I'll explain the hand types and the ranking order," she added.
But Moriarty beat her to it.
He recited the rules, combos, and hierarchy of card strengths with surgical precision.
The girls looked at him in awe.
"I also have an Eastern pen pal," Moriarty said smoothly. "Master of Dou Dizhu."
Of course, the girls believed him. Moriarty having random obscure contacts was practically normal.
They wouldn't have even blinked if he claimed he played wizard chess with Merlin.
Narcissa squinted slightly, but Diana was unfazed.
"Don't act like you're not plotting something. You just want to watch us strip," she accused with a sly smirk.
Moriarty clutched his chest dramatically. "Absolutely not! I'd never—"
"Liar!"
"Pervert!"
"Scoundrel!"
"Bad apprentice~"
The girls pushed and shoved him until he stumbled out of the room.
Diana blew him a teasing kiss before slamming the door behind him.
Boom!
The rush of air from the door closing tousled Moriarty's hair.
He smiled softly.
There was no deep resentment between the girls.
They were competitive, yes. Proud, naturally.
But each of them was a rare beauty—individually capable of drawing attention at any school, or even within the Ministry or international circles.
To have them all gathered under one roof was something only Moriarty could pull off.
With Diana, the elven queen, and Narcissa, the most graceful lady among pure-blood circles, tensions were inevitable.
This match—three-on-three—would test their coordination as well as their pride.
But Moriarty also knew: this game wouldn't just strip them of clothes—it would strip away dignity.
Even among women, being exposed in front of peers was a harsh embarrassment.
Maybe I shouldn't have pushed for this…
He leaned against the door, listening.
Inside, the six women gathered on the enormous circular bed.
Clockwise from the door: Tonks, Narcissa, Gemma, Penelope, Diana, and Fleur.
Penelope blended the "landlord" indicator card into the deck, stacked it up, and the draw began.
Slender fingers flew over the cards. Twenty-seven per player.
Hard to hold, harder to sort.
"I'm the revealed landlord," Diana announced, flashing her card—Ace of Diamonds.
Gemma leaned closer. "Wow, big hand." Her own hands were so tiny, she could barely fan her cards.
Fleur's eyes narrowed—she'd drawn a diamond ace too.
She was a dark landlord. And now paired with her—the flirty professor?
Merlin, Fleur groaned inwardly. Why am I paired with this enchantress who seduced my own professor?
Penelope noticed her expression.
Thinking of the earlier tension between Fleur and Diana, Penelope connected the dots.
She smirked quietly and watched.
Another dark landlord was still hidden.
Diana opened with a gentle start. "A pair of fives."
Fleur followed: "Two sevens."
"A pair of tens," Tonks tossed out casually. Her father had taught her well.
But then Narcissa—always a curveball—threw the table into chaos.
"Four of a kind—fours."
"Wait—what?" Tonks gaped. "You bombed me? I only played tens!"
The girls stared, confused. Was Narcissa a landlord… or bluffing?
Penelope stayed alert.
Was Narcissa truly bad at cards? Or just playing dumb?
She watched carefully as Narcissa looked to Tonks and replied coolly, "Is there a rule against bombing a pair?"
Tonks grumbled, "No, but still…"
"Well then." Narcissa tilted her head like a playful child. "Anyone else?"
No one dared challenge her this round. Smart play.
Narcissa smiled sweetly and threw down a nine.
"Queen," Gemma answered.
"King," said Penelope.
"Bomb!" Diana declared. "Three eights."
The table tensed.
The real game had just begun.