Chapter 31: Messenger of Justice
"What?" Harry stared at her, utterly stunned.
"I heard Draco boasting in the common room." Tamara Riddle spun the lie without a single twitch of her facial muscles. Her expression was a masterclass in sincerity, her dark eyes swimming with just the right amount of manufactured anxiety. "He said he was going to trick you all into going to the Trophy Room, and then let Argus Filch catch you red-handed."
She paused, letting out a soft, perfectly timed sigh. "I thought the joke went far too far. I wanted to come and warn you. But when I reached the Trophy Room, it was empty. Then I heard a commotion coming from this direction, so I hurried over to check..."
She lowered her gaze, looking appropriately bashful. "And ended up wandering in here by mistake."
To seal the performance, Tamara blinked her large, innocent eyes, silently activating her [Harmless] skill.
'I originally prepared this pathetic parlor trick for those damned meddling adults,'she sneered in her mind.'To think I am forced to waste it on a bunch of sniveling eleven-year-olds. Utterly revolting.'
But the four Gryffindors trapped in the room knew nothing of the venom dripping from her internal monologue. Hearing her gentle confession, they stood frozen in collective shock.
Heavens! They had all assumed that under the toxic influence of Slytherin House, it was only a matter of time before Tamara devolved into another Malfoy. They never imagined she would risk a solo midnight excursion through the dark corridors just to save them from a trap!
What kind of noble spirit was this? What absolute purity of character!
"Look out! Behind you!" Neville suddenly shrieked, his trembling finger pointing wildly over Tamara's shoulder.
The massive Cerberus, seemingly emboldened by the sudden influx of midnight snacks, shifted its colossal weight. Its middle head stretched forward tentatively, thick strings of saliva dripping from its yellowed fangs as a low, rumbling growl vibrated through the floorboards.
"Ah! It's going to eat us!" Ron shrieked, his freckled face draining of all color until it matched the sickly green of a bruised apple. He pressed his back flush against the heavy wooden door, desperately trying to merge with the timber. "Run! Riddle! Get over here!"
Tamara did not move a single inch.
She did not even bother to turn around. Instead, she simply raised one pale hand and waved it dismissively over her shoulder, exactly the way one might shoo away a particularly annoying bloatfly.
"Be quiet."
She spoke the command softly. No shouting, no panic. Just a cold, absolute authority masked by a gentle tone.
A miracle unfolded before their eyes.
The monstrous beast that looked ready to tear them limb from limb actually recoiled. The middle head snapped back, its ears flattening against its skull, and the massive three-headed dog sank obediently down onto the stone floor, resting its heavy chins on its massive paws.
Tamara finally turned around. She looked at the four Gryffindors, who were now staring at her with jaws practically unhinged from terror and disbelief, and offered them a sweet, reassuring smile.
"There is nothing to be afraid of."
"Don't make such a fuss, Weasley."
With measured, graceful steps, Tamara walked directly up to the Cerberus. Under the horrified, unblinking gazes of Harry and his friends, she reached out and gently patted the beast's massive middle snout.
'Disgusting,'she thought, her mental voice curling with revulsion.'Its fur is coarser than a troll's loincloth, and it reeks of wet decay.'
On the surface, however, her eyes crinkled with warm affection, looking for all the world as if she were petting a pampered toy poodle in a sunny parlor.
"See?" Tamara murmured, her voice dripping with honeyed sweetness. "It is actually very gentle."
She scratched the monster behind one of its massive ears. "As long as you don't disturb its sleep, it is even a bit... cute, wouldn't you agree?"
Harry: "..."
Ron: "..."
Hermione: "..."
Neville: "..."
For a long, agonizing moment, the entire world went dead silent.
Harry stared at the delicate Slytherin girl happily stroking a lethal, three-headed killing machine. He suddenly felt that either his fundamental understanding of the English word 'gentle' was severely flawed, or the entire world had simply gone mad.
[Ding! Task Completed: Gaze into the Abyss.]
[Not only did you successfully build a good relationship with the doggy, but you also allowed everyone else to experience the beauty of small animals!]
[Reward: Courage +2.]
[Current Courage: 7.]
The heavy, dragging sound of Argus Filch's footsteps suddenly echoed from the corridor outside the door, accompanied by the faint meowing of Mrs. Norris.
"Alright."
Tamara withdrew her hand. She smoothly pulled a pristine, lace-trimmed handkerchief from her robe pocket and began to carefully wipe her fingers, erasing every microscopic trace of the beast's filth. "Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, I think we had better leave quickly."
She tossed the ruined handkerchief aside into the shadows. "Unless, of course, you wish to stay and spend the night with this lovely big dog."
It wasn't until Tamara's slender figure slipped out the door and vanished into the dark corridor that Harry finally snapped out of his stupor.
He cast one last, terrified glance back at the Cerberus. Even though the beast was no longer roaring, its sheer size and monstrous presence were enough to make his blood run cold. He shuddered violently.
"Gentle?"
Ron swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. His voice trembled as he whispered, "I think... I think that Riddle girl is much scarier than the dog."
Down in the dungeons, the Slytherin common room was bathed in shadows. The fire in the grand stone fireplace had burned down to a pile of glowing red embers, casting a dim, eerie light across the green velvet furnishings.
Draco Malfoy was curled up on one of the high-backed sofas, dozing fitfully. At the sound of the heavy stone door sliding shut, he jolted awake, rubbing his eyes.
"Tamara? Where did you go?" he mumbled, sitting up. "I just saw Filch coming back down the stairs grumbling to himself. Obviously, he didn't catch anyone... Wait, did you go to the scene to watch?"
"I went to see something far more exciting."
Tamara glided across the room, her dark robes whispering against the stone floor. She stopped before the fireplace, holding her pale hands out toward the dying heat. The crimson glow of the embers reflected on her porcelain face, casting sharp shadows that made her look ancient, mysterious, and utterly unfathomable.
"Draco, although your little plan failed to catch Potter, it did help me discover some rather interesting things."
"What things?" Draco yawned widely, the lingering warmth of the room making his limbs heavy and lazy.
Tamara lowered her voice to a soft, dangerous whisper. A sharp light of pure, unadulterated greed flickered in her dark eyes. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. But it is something much more important than getting Harry Potter expelled."
She turned her head slightly, offering him a dismissive half-smile. "Go to sleep, Draco. You did well tonight."
Although Draco was completely confused by the cryptic exchange, the rare praise from Tamara puffed up his chest. Pleased with himself, he nodded and stumbled off toward the boys' dormitories in a sleepy daze.
Tamara remained standing by the hearth, her gaze locked on the fading embers.
'The Philosopher's Stone...'she thought, her lips curling into a predatory smirk.'It seems heaven truly favors me. The very prize I could not obtain in my previous life is now laid out right before my eyes.'
She sank into a dark green velvet armchair, her long fingers tapping a slow, rhythmic beat against the armrest.
Tonight had been a resounding success. She had discovered the hiding place of the Philosopher's Stone, humiliated Dumbledore's pathetic watchdog, and even managed to harvest a sickening amount of goodwill from the wizarding world's precious savior.
Yet, one fatal problem remained entirely unresolved.
Her current body was shackled to this damned Virtue System.
If she actually went down that trapdoor to take the Philosopher's Stone—an act that was fundamentally theft, driven entirely by her dark, greedy desire for eternal life—what would happen?
Knowing the sickeningly righteous nature of this system, would it blast her with a hundred thousand volts of holy punishment the absolute second her fingers brushed the stone?
She had to confirm the boundaries of her cage first.
'System,'Tamara called out coldly in her mind.'I have a question.'[I am here, Host! Your performance tonight was truly wonderful! Not only did you show Courage, but you also showed immense mercy to a misunderstood creature. Your moral radiance practically illuminated all of Hogwarts!]'Cut the nonsense,'Tamara snapped, ignoring the nauseating wave of perky flattery. She cut straight to the core issue.'If... and I am purely speaking hypothetically here. If I plan to enter the end of that corridor, pass all the security trials, and then take that Philosopher's Stone away...'She paused, her mental voice narrowing into a sharp blade.'Would you judge that action as theft or greed and then electrocute me to stop me?'
This was the ultimate question, the one that struck directly at the soul of her grand ambitions.
If the system answered 'yes,' she would have to abandon the direct approach and find another, far more tedious method to acquire the elixir of life.
The air in the common room seemed to freeze. For several long seconds, the system remained entirely silent.
Then, the familiar chime sounded again. Only this time, the aggressively cheerful tone seemed to shift into something... strangely meaningful.
[System is performing moral logic calculations...]
[Behavior Analysis: Acquiring the Philosopher's Stone.]
[Judgment 1: Possessing another's property to satisfy selfish desires constitutes Greed. This violates the core principles of Virtue and is strictly prohibited.]
Tamara's heart sank like a stone in the Black Lake. Just as she expected. It wouldn't work.
But then, the glowing text in her mind shifted again.
[Judgment 2: It is detected that this specific item is currently being coveted by extremely evil and depraved dark forces—such as your Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. If it falls into such evil hands, it will bring catastrophic disaster to the world.]
[Judgment 3: A true hero is someone who, in order to protect the innocent, must occasionally take on the heavy burden of safeguarding highly dangerous items.]
[Conclusion: If your primary purpose for 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 this action as: Justice.]
[Gentle Reminder: As long as your starting point is 'for love and peace,'then a little bit of active'safekeeping behavior' during the process can be entirely exempted from punishment!]
[After all, you wouldn't want that precious stone to be taken by the evil Voldemort, right?]
Hearing this utterly ridiculous string of logic, Tamara sat frozen in her armchair.
Then, the corners of her mouth began to twitch. The twitch grew into a wide, wild grin, curling her lips into an expression of supreme, biting irony.
"Righteous confiscation?" she whispered aloud to the empty room.
"For love and peace?"
Tamara threw her head back and laughed. Her shoulders shook violently as dark, genuine amusement bubbled up from her chest.
"Hahahaha... Oh, this is rich. How incredibly interesting."
She stood up from the armchair, staring down at the dead ashes in the fireplace. For a fraction of a second, a terrifying, blood-red light flashed in the depths of her dark eyes.
This system was stupid. It was rigid, patronizing, and overflowing with hypocritical positive energy. But one had to admit—this specific brand of double-standard logic suited her tastes absolutely perfectly.
"Alright, System," Tamara purred, her voice dripping with dark amusement.
She reached up, elegantly straightening the silver-and-green collar of her robes. She turned on her heel and walked toward the girls' dormitories, her steps so light and graceful she appeared to be dancing across the stone floor.
"Since it is my sworn duty to stop evil..."
A cruel, mocking smile played on her lips.
"Then I suppose I will reluctantly play the role of the Dark Lord who safeguards justice for once."
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