Chapter 10: Kitty
By the time she stepped out of Ollivanders Wand Shop, the sky had begun to bruise with the approach of dusk. The cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley were soaked in an ambiguous, bleeding layer of orange-red light.
Tamara tucked that damned, self-righteously pristine holly wand deep into the inner pockets of her robes. Her mood swung violently like a pendulum, oscillating between the intoxicating ecstasy of 'I finally have a wand'and the sheer, stomach-churning disgust of'Why in Salazar's name is it Potter's wand?'
"One last thing is needed."
Tamara stopped her pacing and turned her gaze toward a weathered storefront just down the winding street—the Magical Menagerie.
As a standard Dark Lord, she required a servant. A familiar. While she was currently in no position to recruit Death Eaters or raise an army of Inferi, she could at least secure her most loyal companion.
'Nagini...'Just the thought of that massive, beautiful female serpent—a creature that hung on her every syllable and understood the darkest depths of her soul—brought a rare, genuine flicker of warmth to Tamara's otherwise freezing heart. In the final, pathetic moments of her previous life, when her followers had scattered like cowards and the world had turned against her, only Nagini had remained coiled by her side.'Wait for me, old friend. In this life, I will make you even stronger.'
Tamara pushed open the heavy oak door of the Magical Menagerie. A pungent, overwhelming wave of animal musk, damp straw, and dried fish immediately assaulted her nose. The shop was a claustrophobic mess, crammed floor to ceiling with rattling cages and stacked wooden crates.
Tamara ignored the cacophony of screeching owls and the utterly stupid-looking giant toads croaking in their water tanks. She handled the narrow aisles with singular purpose, heading straight for the shadowy back of the shop—the reptile section.
There, resting behind the glass of a large terrarium, coiled an African Tree Viper.
It was nowhere near the monstrous size of her original Nagini, but its cold, slit-like vertical pupils and vibrant emerald scales radiated a charmingly lethal aura. Tamara stepped up to the glass, her reflection merging with the serpent's resting form, and slowly leaned in close.
"Hello, beautiful little thing."
A low, sibilant hiss slipped past her lips, a sound that seemed to scrape up from the very depths of hell. It was Parseltongue.
The tree viper, previously lethargic and dead to the world, snapped to attention. Its triangular head darted up. It slithered rapidly against the glass, its flicking tongue tasting the air as it stared at the little girl with unmistakable reverence.
"A... Speaker..." the snake hissed, the cold, raspy voice echoing directly inside Tamara's mind. "What do you desire... Master?"
"Perfect."
The corners of Tamara's mouth curled upward into a deeply satisfied smirk. Even trapped in the fragile shell of a little girl, her absolute authority over serpent-kind remained utterly unshakable.
"Proprietor!" Tamara spun around, her voice ringing out sharply toward the female shopkeeper adjusting a pair of thick spectacles behind the counter. "I want this snake."
However, before the witch could even draw breath to reply, a familiar, aggressively cheerful mechanical voice detonated inside Tamara's skull.
[Warning! Host detected attempting to purchase a high-threat creature!]
[System Evaluation: You will make those timid classmates cry!]
'I do not care!'Tamara roared back in her mind, her jaw locking so tight her teeth ached.'I am a Slytherin! It is perfectly natural for me to keep a snake!'
[That is not allowed, Host. If the Host insists on the purchase, the system will administer electric shock punishment regardless of the occasion the moment anyone nearby is frightened.]
A vivid image flashed through her mind—convulsing on the floor of the Great Hall, looking like a pathetic, teary-eyed mess in front of hundreds of students. Tamara's shoulders stiffened. She inhaled sharply through her nose, the scent of damp straw suddenly suffocating. She finally compromised.
"You win," Tamara gave up, grinding her teeth together until she tasted copper. "You vicious system."
She turned around, refusing to look at the expectant tree viper.
"Sorry, little thing, forced by circumstances," she whispered in Parseltongue, her tone dripping with bitter reluctance, and heartlessly left the reptile area.
"So, what would you like to buy, little girl?" the shopkeeper came over and asked, bustling with a welcoming smile. "A toad? They are very popular lately, if you do not mind the warts."
Tamara stared at the woman. She did not want such a revolting, slimy amphibian at all. Forcing her facial muscles to comply, she squeezed out a painfully sweet smile. "I do not really like toads. They are too noisy."
"Oh! Then come look at this!"
The shopkeeper gestured eagerly, leading her toward a wrought-iron cage near the counter.
Inside the cage was a black cat.
It was jet black, without a single stray hair of another color. Its golden eyes were half-squinted lazily as it sat on its haunches, methodically licking its paws.
"Fine," Tamara sighed, letting out a long, exhausted breath. "At least it does not look stupid."
She paid—ten Galleons. She glared at the heavy gold pieces leaving her palm; she had not expected this thing to be so expensive.
"What are you going to name it?" the shopkeeper asked casually as she unlatched the cage and put the unresisting cat into a wicker carrier.
Tamara looked at the black cat, her dark eyes somewhat dazed.
Though the species had changed, though it had no scales and could not speak Parseltongue, in this strange new world, it would be her only private possession.
"Nagini," she said softly.
Stepping out of the Magical Menagerie into the cooling evening air, Tamara lifted the wicker carrier until it was level with her eyes.
"Listen, Nagini the Second," she whispered to the black cat in the carrier, her voice dropping into a register of dark, commanding authority as she attempted to establish a master-servant contract. "I am your master, the great Dark Lord. You are to be my eyes, my claws, helping me monitor every move in Hogwarts..."
The black cat stopped licking its paw. It stared at her for a moment through the gaps in the wicker, its golden eyes wide and unblinking.
Then, it opened its mouth and let out an extremely perfunctory, even slightly out-of-tune cry:
"Meow?"
Immediately after delivering that pathetic sound, it flipped over in the carrier, exposing a patch of fluffy white belly fur, and began frantically chasing its own tail. It spun in a tight, chaotic circle, rotating so fast that its head hit the bars of the carrier with a dull thud.
The creature paused, shook its head with a foolish, cross-eyed expression, and immediately continued the chase.
Tamara froze on the spot. The bustling noise of the street seemed to fade away.
This thing definitely has intellectual issues.
"Refund." Tamara pivoted on her heel, wanting to go back inside immediately.
But as she turned, she saw a brightly painted wooden sign nailed next to the shop door stating that once sold, no refunds would be given.
Tamara looked down at the stupid cat in the carrier, which was now hissing in genuine frustration because it could not catch its own tail, and felt a deep, suffocating sense of powerlessness.
In her previous life, her pet was a giant snake that could swallow humans whole.
In this life, her pet was a stupid cat that could not even catch its own tail.
"Is this retribution?"
Tamara looked up at the darkening, starless sky and let out a long, soul-weary sigh.
By the time she returned to the dreary iron gates of Wools Orphanage, it was completely dark. Tamara lugged her many bags, her frail muscles screaming in protest as she struggled up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor. The stupid cat named Nagini was fast asleep in its carrier, even snoring with a rhythmic wheeze.
As she reached the dim corridor, she ran into Mrs. Martha, who was just reaching up to turn out the gas lamps.
"Good heavens!"
Mrs. Martha gasped, her hand flying to her chest as she looked at Tamara in astonishment.
The gloomy little girl who used to slink around in a tattered gray dress was gone. Standing before her in the flickering light was an exquisite young lady of the nobility. She wore dark green silk robes, her long curly hair draped perfectly over her chest, holding a black cat in her arms.
If the face had not still been Tamara's, Mrs. Martha would have thought some foreign princess had lost her way in the London slums.
"Where... where have you been? And these things are..."
Tamara gave her a cold, flat glance; she had absolutely no need to explain any of this to the Muggle before her.
[Ding! Daily Quest Settlement: Return Home.]
[Please display your new image.]
[Quest Reward: Love +5]
Tamara took a deep, measured breath. She forced her facial muscles to relax, tilted her head slightly, and then revealed a perfect, radiant smile.
"I went to buy my school supplies, Mrs. Martha." She did a delicate little twirl on the spot, the dark green silk flaring out to show off her new clothes. "That Professor Dumbledore gave me a scholarship. See, do these clothes look good?"
Mrs. Martha was dazed for several seconds, completely disarmed, before suddenly snapping back to her senses.
"They look good... very good." A hint of genuine maternal affection actually appeared on her normally harsh, lined face.
She reached out a weathered hand, wanting to pat Tamara's head, but noticed the cat in Tamara's arms cracking open a golden eye to look at her warily.
Martha asked with some surprise, "Is this your cat?"
"Yes, its name is Nagini." Tamara held the heavy feline up a bit higher.
Nagini looked at Mrs. Martha, suddenly opened its jaws to stick out its tongue for a huge yawn, and then rubbed itself vigorously against Tamara's chest, getting black cat hair all over her pristine green silk.
"So cute," Mrs. Martha smiled, the deep wrinkles on her face bunching together warmly. "Alright, hurry back to your room. Do not get your new clothes dirty. I will save an egg for you for breakfast tomorrow."
"Thank you."
Tamara nodded politely, a picture-perfect display of gratitude, and then quickly walked past the matron back to her room.
She stepped inside, closed the door, and threw the deadbolt.
She unceremoniously tossed the stupid cat onto the thin mattress of the bed and began frantically brushing the clinging cat hair off herself.
"Listen, Nagini."
Tamara pointed a trembling, accusatory finger at the black cat, which was currently busy kneading the lumpy bed blankets, and said fiercely, "If you dare get hair on me again, I will turn you into a pair of gloves."
"Meow~"
Nagini did not understand at all. It seemed to really like the texture of the cheap bed, flopping over and rolling around on it with zero dignity. Then it crawled over to Tamara's leg, bumped its head hard against her knee, and began to purr. The vibration in its throat sounded like a malfunctioning tractor.
Tamara stood there stiffly in the center of the cramped room.
She wanted to kick it away, but when her foot lifted, the violent motion inexplicably softened, changing into gently nudging it aside.
After all, it cost ten Galleons.
She turned her attention away from the purring furball and looked at the pile of things she had hauled back from Diagon Alley.
Though the start was terrible.
Though her body was weak.
Though there was a psychotic system monitoring her at all times.
But... Tamara Riddle picked up her wand and gave it a light, precise flick. Without a single spoken incantation, the heavy books and materials before her all smoothly floated up, hovering obediently in the air.
A cold, genuine smile touched her lips in the dim light.
"I am back."
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