Chapter 145: New Order
The heavy stone door slowly closed behind her, shutting that mad Weasley outside.
Tamara leaned against the cold wall and took a deep breath of the familiar dungeon air.
Only then did she finally feel the heart that had almost exploded with rage calm down slightly.
She looked down at her reddened wrist. The humiliating mark had been left behind by that unnaturally strong girl dragging her along.
"Damned Weasley..."
Tamara cursed under her breath through gritted teeth, pulled her wand from her sleeve, and cast Scourgify four or five times on the place Ginny had touched.
"Tamara?"
A surprised voice interrupted her cleaning.
Draco Malfoy was sitting in the most prominent armchair by the fireplace, holding a cup of pumpkin juice.
Seeing Tamara enter, he immediately jumped up and hurried over to meet her.
"Merlin's beard, you're finally back!"
Draco looked Tamara up and down, his brow deeply furrowed.
"Why do you look so awful? You're paler than the Bloody Baron... Did Madam Pomfrey give you some expired potion? Or did you run into the attacker on the way?"
At this, Draco's voice rose several octaves. His hand instinctively moved toward his wand, his face showing a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
"If it was the attacker, I'll get Goyle and Crabbe, and we'll go..."
"Quiet, Draco."
Tamara interrupted him impatiently. Although her voice was somewhat weak, it still carried an authority that brooked no insolence.
"I'm fine."
She adjusted the collar that Ginny had mussed, regained her nonchalant, arrogant posture, and walked slowly toward the centre of the common room.
"I merely ran into a reckless stray cat and spent a little effort driving it away."
"A stray cat?"
Draco blinked, clearly not understanding the metaphor, but his attention was quickly diverted by something else.
He leaned closer to Tamara and lowered his voice, his face wearing an irrepressible look of smug mystery.
"Forget about the cat, Tamara. I have much more important news for you."
Draco looked around the room to ensure no outsiders were present before speaking in a tone that was almost boastful.
"I just received an owl from home. My father, Lucius Malfoy, has joined with the twelve school governors to officially sign an order for Dumbledore's suspension!"
Tamara's hand froze as she adjusted her cuff.
She looked up, a sharp light erupting from her pitch black eyes. Her previous weakness and exhaustion seemed to vanish in an instant.
"What did you say?"
She stared at Draco, a playful curve slowly forming at the corners of her mouth.
"Suspend Dumbledore?"
"Exactly!" Draco nodded excitedly.
"Father said that after such a serious attack, that old madman clearly can't guarantee the students' safety anymore. By tomorrow morning at the latest, Minister for Magic Fudge will personally arrive with the notice!"
"When that happens, Dumbledore will have to get out of Hogwarts!"
Hearing this news, Tamara felt the frustration in her chest dissipate by more than half.
This was easily the best news she had heard today.
No, the best news of the entire term.
Albus Dumbledore.
This Sword of Damocles that had been hanging over her head, this old bee who always stared at her with those blue eyes that seemed to see into her very soul, was finally leaving.
As long as he was gone, no one in Hogwarts would be able to restrict her anymore.
Whether it was that reckless remnant soul, the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, or those two Gryffindors who wanted to play heroes, none of them would be a problem for her.
She could even take advantage of this power vacuum to completely seize control of the castle.
"Very good."
Tamara looked at Draco, a rare, genuine smile of approval appearing on her face.
She reached out and, for once, patted Draco on the shoulder.
"Your father did a truly excellent job this time."
"Very... Slytherin decisiveness."
Being praised so directly by his idol, Draco's face instantly flushed red. He was so excited that he could barely speak coherently.
"Of course! After all... after all, we are Malfoys!"
He puffed out his chest, looking as though he were walking on air.
However, this atmosphere of joy did not spread to the others in the common room.
Not all Slytherins were as well informed and fearless as Malfoy.
In a corner, several younger students were huddled together, whispering with pale faces.
"Have you heard? That Ravenclaw prefect... Penelope was attacked too."
"Even a prefect couldn't avoid it... will we be next?"
"I heard it's a monster... Slytherin's monster. Will it kill us too?"
Panic spread like a plague beneath the green light.
Even some of the older students looked solemn, clutching their wands tightly, their eyes darting around uncertainly.
Although they prided themselves on being pure bloods, that did not mean they were not afraid of death.
Especially now that the attacks were no longer aimed only at Mudbloods, but had started to affect half bloods like Penelope. The fear of indiscriminate attacks had completely shattered their sense of superiority.
"Truly... unsightly."
Tamara coldly scanned the shivering figures.
She withdrew her hand from Draco's shoulder, her smile instantly turning into contempt.
What she hated most was this kind of meaningless fear.
As Slytherins, as her prospective subordinates, panicking at the slightest disturbance was an absolute embarrassment to her.
"Quiet."
Tamara's voice was not loud, but it was like a cold wind sweeping through the entire common room.
The whispering crowd fell silent at once. Everyone's eyes fixed on the black clad figure standing before the fireplace.
Tamara turned to face the crowd.
The fire burned behind her, casting a long shadow onto the mottled stone wall, like some massive, inscrutable monster.
"Look at yourselves."
She spoke slowly, her tone filled with blatant mockery.
"Your cowardice is revolting."
"Just because a few Mudbloods were Petrified, you plan to crawl into your shells and wait for someone to save you?"
"But... Tamara," Daphne Greengrass raised her hand tremulously, her voice close to tears, "it's a monster... even Dumbledore couldn't catch it..."
"That is because he is old and senile."
Tamara interrupted her bluntly, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
"But you must remember."
She paced slowly, the click of her heels echoing clearly through the dead silent common room.
"This is Slytherin."
"It is a cradle for the strong, not a sanctuary for cowards."
"That so called monster..."
Tamara gave a contemptuous laugh, as if it were some insignificant speck of dust.
"It exists to purge the trash that does not deserve to be at Hogwarts."
"If you consider yourself trash, then you should indeed be afraid."
Her gaze swept across every face. Those she looked at instinctively straightened their backs, as if terrified of being classified as trash.
"But if you have noble blood, if you possess the power and Wisdom worthy of the name Slytherin..."
Tamara stopped and slightly raised her chin.
Her supremely arrogant posture, at this moment, gave them the greatest comfort.
"Then you should feel honoured."
"Because this will be a feast of purging... that belongs to us."
"Put away your nauseating tears and fear."
"In these dungeons, as long as I do not permit it, even Death has no right to take anyone."
Total silence.
A few seconds later, the previously pervasive panic vanished miraculously, replaced by incited, blind fervour and worship.
[Dictator's Sophistry activated.]
[During a speech, the audience's intelligence is temporarily reduced by ten percent, and their fervour is increased by twenty percent.]
"That's right..."
Draco was the first to react, looking at Tamara with stars in his eyes.
"We are Slytherins! We're not afraid of any monster!"
Pansy immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Only Mudbloods should be afraid!"
Looking at this group of revitalised followers, Tamara smiled coldly in her heart.
Very good.
These were the chess pieces she wanted.
Since Dumbledore was leaving, since this school was about to lose its order, then let her teach these little Trolls what true order was.
The Dark Lord's order.
.....
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