Moriarty emerged from the Room of Requirement and made his way straight to the Great Hall.
As he walked, he contemplated his plans. Although Mr. Borgin was rarely in the shop, frequent visits to Borgin and Burkes could eventually draw unwanted attention. Next time, he needed to place the Vanishing Cabinet he had obtained in Knockturn Alley—or perhaps Hogsmeade would be a better choice.
Another Vanishing Cabinet could be stationed in Hogwarts, allowing for convenient travel.
Currently, Moriarty had 900 points, and with another 200 points from Friday's Quidditch match, he would easily have enough to unlock the blind box lottery. That meant he wouldn't need to visit Knockturn Alley anytime soon—he could simply use the Vanishing Cabinet to continue his study of runes.
With his plans set, Moriarty arrived at the Great Hall, only to find an eerie silence in a place that should have been filled with chatter. The usual buzz of conversation was absent, replaced by occasional murmurs.
The usually boisterous Gryffindor table was nearly empty, and the expressions of the other houses were grim—particularly Ravenclaw, whose table looked utterly dejected.
"Moriarty~"
Penelope Clearwater ran toward Moriarty, her voice trembling as she threw herself into his arms, sobbing as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Moriarty frowned, gently patting her shoulder before helping her stand upright. "What happened, Penelope?"
The Slytherin students, upon seeing Moriarty's arrival, immediately rallied around him like soldiers awaiting orders.
Jericho, normally full of energy, spoke with uncharacteristic gloom. "Bill Weasley is back. Gryffindor crushed Ravenclaw this afternoon by over 300 points."
So that was it. Moriarty glanced at Penelope, who was still sniffling. Ravenclaw had suffered an unprecedented defeat in over a century. Given her strong sense of house pride, it was no wonder she was devastated.
But then something clicked in Moriarty's mind.
"Wait—you said Bill Weasley is back?!"
Leon's expression was so sour it could curdle milk. "There was no warning, no announcement—Bill Weasley just appeared, joined the Gryffindor team as a Chaser, and played alongside Charlie Weasley. The two of them together were unstoppable!"
He gritted his teeth. "Which means that after our game against Hufflepuff on Friday, we have another match against Gryffindor next Tuesday!"
"Why him?" Penelope demanded angrily. "Bill Weasley! He wasn't even a player anymore! Why was he allowed back on the Gryffindor team? Just because he's the Head Boy?"
"I thought Quidditch was supposed to be fair, but Gryffindor just swapped out Mandy Fannie for Bill Weasley without hesitation!"
"Hah." William scoffed. "Typical Gryffindor logic—if it benefits them, they'll bend the rules as they see fit."
His voice grew more bitter. "So, what's next? Do we bring back an old Slytherin Quidditch captain if Snape gives us permission? No way! We have pride, unlike those self-righteous lions!"
Moriarty was surprised by William's indignation. As a half-blood, William rarely took sides in house disputes. For even him to be this frustrated, Gryffindor must have seriously crossed a line this time.
Lilith stepped forward, crossing her arms. "This is exactly why everyone is upset. Gryffindor found a loophole in the rules. Technically, there's no explicit rule prohibiting temporary substitutions in Quidditch matches."
She narrowed her eyes. "But everyone knows Bill Weasley retired from the team a year ago. Even if he's skilled, he should still follow the rules! Reckless and arrogant as ever—Gryffindor may have won the match, but they lost the respect of the other houses."
Penelope wiped her tears, determination burning in her red-rimmed eyes. "Everyone is counting on you to defeat Gryffindor and put them in their place!"
"I know Moriarty will!" Leon declared confidently. "Moriarty is the greatest player of this century! This is our chance to crush Gryffindor's arrogance!"
The surrounding students cheered, "Moriarty! Crush Gryffindor!"
Moriarty surveyed the students before him, then raised his hand, signaling for silence. When they quieted, his voice carried a commanding weight.
"All this time, some have questioned my actions—like when I led Jericho and the others to own up to their mistakes."
His gaze sharpened. "But in reality, my goal has always been to make Slytherin stronger—not through arrogance, but through honor. We hold our pride deep within us, but when that honor is challenged, we strike with the precision of a serpent and the force of an erupting volcano!"
He paused, then spoke his final decree. "Tuesday afternoon—Slytherin versus Gryffindor. You all know the outcome we will bring."
A chorus of approval erupted from the students.
"Now, let's eat. I'll move Friday's Chinese dinner to Tuesday instead."
Moriarty, feeling ravenous, ate heartily. Lilith, noticing his appetite, prepared a special tomato juice and placed it in front of him.
"This will keep you warm and sharp," she said with a smirk.
Moriarty sniffed the orange-red juice and took a sip. "Not bad—getting better."
After dinner, he gathered the team to strategize for the upcoming match.
"It's a pity we don't have a Pensieve," William lamented. "If we did, Moriarty could analyze Bill Weasley's plays."
Jericho grinned. "We don't have a Pensieve, but we do have the Memory Castle! My Christmas gift for Moriarty—it allows us to view memories!"
Moriarty nodded. "Fetch it. William, I need your memory of the match."
The Slytherin players swiftly carried out his orders. Even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students pitched in, eager to see Gryffindor fall.
The Gryffindors, meanwhile, had gone quiet—not out of humility, but because they were preparing. The air was thick with anticipation.
Then came Friday—Slytherin versus Hufflepuff. With Tonks as Seeker, she had to give up her usual role as announcer. Bill Weasley took her place.
For the first time, Moriarty laid eyes on Bill Weasley—a tall, lean, handsome young man with long red hair tied into a ponytail. He had an aura of effortless coolness.
Though Bill was popular, the crowd was not on his side today. As soon as he started announcing, the students of the three houses booed him relentlessly.
"The game is about to begin. We see the Hufflepuff players—Tonks leads the charge…" Bill's voice barely rose over the deafening jeers. The Gryffindors retaliated, leading to a shouting match among the houses.
Charlie and Percy Weasley sat together, rubbing their foreheads in exasperation. The tables had turned—where once Gryffindor and the other houses united against Slytherin, now it was Gryffindor against everyone else.
"If we don't beat Slytherin on Tuesday, we'll never hear the end of it," Charlie muttered.
The match began, and Moriarty immediately received a system task:
"Catch the Snitch only after Hufflepuff scores 50 points! Reward: 200 points. Failure: Publicly kiss the broom Tonks is using."
As expected, Tonks played well, leading Hufflepuff's attacks. Moriarty caught the Snitch only after Hufflepuff reached fifty points, securing a Slytherin victory at 360-50.
Though Slytherin had won, many believed Moriarty had allowed Hufflepuff to score out of respect for Tonks. A rare display of mercy from the cold, calculating Slytherin prince.