"What?" Harry was stunned.
"I heard Draco boasting in the common room."
Tamara Riddle began weaving her lie without the slightest change in expression. Her face remained sincere—so sincere it even carried a faint trace of worry.
"He said he was going to trick you into going to the Trophy Room and then let Filch catch you."
She paused briefly, lowering her voice.
"I thought the joke had gone too far, so I came to warn you. But when I got to the Trophy Room, no one was there. Then I heard some noise coming from this direction, so I came to check…"
"And ended up wandering in here by mistake."
After finishing her explanation, Tamara blinked gently, activating her [Harmless] skill.
Originally, she had prepared that skill for manipulative adults. Using it on children her own age felt almost revolting.
Disgusting.
But the four Gryffindors standing before her had no insight into her inner thoughts. Hearing her words, they were utterly shocked.
They had always assumed that under Slytherin's influence, it was only a matter of time before Tamara became someone like Malfoy. They never imagined she would risk sneaking out alone at midnight just to warn them.
What kind of spirit was this?
What kind of noble character?
"Look out! Behind you!"
Neville suddenly screamed, pointing past Tamara's shoulder.
The Cerberus, emboldened by the larger number of people in the room, cautiously stretched out its middle head. A low growl rumbled from deep within its chest.
"Ah—! It's going to eat us!" Ron pressed himself flat against the door, his face turning pale green. "Run! Riddle! Get over here!"
Tamara didn't move.
She didn't even turn around.
Instead, she casually extended one hand and waved it behind her, as if brushing away an annoying fly.
"Be quiet."
Her voice was soft.
A miracle occurred.
The monstrous creature that had seemed terrifying beyond reason in Harry's eyes actually withdrew its head upon hearing those words. It lowered itself obediently to the floor, the rumbling growl fading into silence.
Tamara turned back toward the group. They were frozen in place, eyes wide with disbelief.
A faint smile curved her lips.
"There's nothing to be afraid of."
She glanced at Ron.
"Don't make such a fuss, Weasley."
Then she walked directly toward the Cerberus.
Under the horrified stares of the four Gryffindors, Tamara reached out and gently patted the massive middle head.
The dog's coarse fur felt unpleasant beneath her fingers. She resisted the urge to wipe her hand immediately. Outwardly, however, she appeared as calm as someone petting a harmless toy poodle.
"See?" she said lightly. "It's actually very gentle."
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
"As long as you don't disturb its sleep, it's even a bit… cute."
Harry: "…"
Ron: "…"
Hermione: "…"
Neville: "…"
For a moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
Harry stared at the Slytherin girl stroking the monstrous guardian and suddenly felt that perhaps his understanding of the word gentle was fundamentally flawed.
Or perhaps the world itself had gone mad.
[Ding! Task Completed: Gaze into the Abyss.]
[You not only successfully built a good relationship with the doggy, but also allowed everyone else to experience the beauty of small animals.]
[Reward: Courage +2.]
[Current Courage: 7.]
The system's cheerful notification echoed in Tamara's mind.
At that exact moment, the sound of Filch's footsteps approached from outside the door.
"Alright."
Tamara withdrew her hand and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, wiping her fingers delicately.
"Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, I think we'd better leave."
She glanced toward the corridor.
"Unless, of course, you'd prefer to spend the night with this lovely big dog."
It wasn't until Tamara's figure disappeared through the doorway that Harry finally snapped out of his daze.
He cautiously looked back at the Cerberus. Though no longer growling, it remained an enormous, terrifying beast.
He shuddered.
"Gentle?" he muttered.
Ron swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
"I think… Riddle is much scarier than the dog."
By the time Tamara returned to the Slytherin common room, the fire in the fireplace had nearly burned out.
Draco Malfoy was curled up on the sofa, dozing lightly. At the sound of the door, he jolted awake.
"Tamara? Where did you go?"
He rubbed his eyes.
"I just saw Filch stomping back, grumbling to himself. Obviously, he didn't catch anyone… Wait. Did you go to watch the show?"
"I went to see something even more interesting."
Tamara walked to the fireplace and extended her hands toward the fading warmth. The firelight reflected against her pale features, casting shifting shadows that made her expression unreadable.
"Draco," she said calmly, "although your plan didn't get Potter expelled, it helped me discover something valuable."
Draco yawned, clearly more interested in sleep than strategy.
"What kind of something?"
"Nothing extraordinary," she replied softly, a flicker of greed glinting in her eyes. "Just something far more important than driving Harry Potter out of school."
She turned slightly, her voice lowering.
"Go to sleep, Draco. You did well tonight."
Though thoroughly confused, Draco brightened at the praise. With a satisfied nod, he shuffled off toward the dormitories, still half asleep.
Soon, only Tamara remained in the common room.
She gazed into the dying embers of the fireplace.
"The Philosopher's Stone…"
Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
"It seems heaven truly favors me."
The treasure she had once failed to obtain in her previous life now lay practically within reach.
She settled into a dark green velvet armchair, fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest.
Tonight had been productive.
She had confirmed the Stone's location.
She had humiliated that oversized watchdog.
She had even earned a degree of goodwill from the so-called savior.
And yet…
One fatal problem remained.
Her current body was bound to that ridiculous virtue system.
If she attempted to seize the Philosopher's Stone—an act that was, in essence, theft driven by greed and the pursuit of immortality—
Would the system judge her instantly?
Would it punish her with righteous lightning the moment she touched it?
She needed certainty.
"System," Tamara called coldly within her mind. "I have a question."
[I'm here, host! Your performance tonight was truly outstanding! You demonstrated not only Courage, but also Mercy. Your moral radiance nearly illuminated all of Hogwarts!]
"Spare me."
She cut through the flattery without hesitation.
"If—hypothetically—I were to enter that corridor, pass every trial, and take the Philosopher's Stone…"
She paused deliberately.
"Would you classify that as greed or theft and stop me?"
The question hung heavy in the air.
If the system answered yes, she would need an entirely different plan.
A few seconds of silence followed.
Then the mechanical voice responded.
[System is performing moral logic calculations…]
[Behavior Analysis: Acquisition of the Philosopher's Stone.]
[Judgment 1: Taking another's property for selfish desire constitutes greed. It violates virtuous principles and is prohibited.]
Tamara's heart sank.
As expected.
But then—
The system's tone shifted.
[Judgment 2: It is detected that this item is currently coveted by extremely evil and depraved dark forces—such as your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. If it falls into such hands, global catastrophe may ensue.]
Tamara's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
[Judgment 3: A hero is one who, for the sake of protecting the world, must shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding dangerous artifacts.]
[Conclusion: If your purpose in acquiring the Philosopher's Stone is to prevent evil forces from stealing school property and to protect the world from destruction—]
[The system will classify this act as: Justice.]
A pause.
Then, almost playfully—
[Gentle Reminder: As long as your motivation stems from "love and peace," minor safeguarding actions during the process may be exempt from penalty.]
[After all, you wouldn't want the stone to fall into the hands of the evil Lord Voldemort, would you?]
Tamara stared into the darkness.
For a moment, she was silent.
Then—
Her lips slowly curved upward.
"Righteous confiscation?"
"For love and peace?"
A laugh escaped her. Then another.
Soon her shoulders were shaking.
"Hahaha… how fascinating."
She rose from the armchair, crimson light flashing briefly through her eyes as the final embers in the fireplace faded to ash.
This system—self-righteous, rigid, saturated with nauseating positivity—
And yet.
Its logic.
Its hypocrisy.
Its flexible morality disguised as virtue.
It suited her perfectly.
"Very well, System."
Tamara adjusted her collar, her movements graceful and deliberate.
"If it's for the sake of stopping evil…"
Her footsteps were light as she turned toward the dormitory stairs.
"Then I'll reluctantly play the role of the Dark Lord who safeguards justice."
Her silhouette disappeared into the shadows.
And in the darkness, her quiet laughter lingered.
For more chapters
patreon.com/Jackssparrow