Penelope and Lilith

"I heard someone mention Mr. Moriarty?" The blonde girl walked in, her black eyes sweeping over the compartment before finally settling on Moriarty.

"I knew you'd be in the last compartment, Mr. Moriarty! Mr. Lockhart mentioned that you liked peace and quiet."

She generously held out her right hand to Moriarty. "My name is Lilith Peverell. It's a pleasure to meet you."

From Lilith's words, Moriarty could tell that she came from a wizarding family and was evidently a devoted reader of Lockhart's.

"Hello, Miss Peverell." Moriarty stood and lightly shook her hand.

"Although you already know my name, I should still introduce myself. My name is Moriarty Slytherin. It is a sign of respect."

Lilith agreed completely. "People often say that etiquette represents the stuffiness of Pure-blood families, but I believe that as long as one is a wizard, one should observe etiquette! Simply because we are wizards!"

"Oh? That is a novel perspective. It is the first time I've heard it." Moriarty was intrigued. The girl before him seemed to come from a Pure-blood family, yet her horizons surpassed those of Pure-blood families.

"Yes, I only recently refined this theory of mine." Lilith brushed back the long hair by her ear. "Mr. Moriarty, you surely have not forgotten the revival era proposed by Mr. Lockhart? This immature idea of mine was inspired by him."

Slytherin's beard! Someone had actually drawn inspiration from Lockhart?

Moriarty sat up straight, looking ready to listen intently.

Seeing this, Lilith spoke with even greater force. "Then let me say this: wizards above all!"

She raised her chin. "In fact, I support breaking the International Confederation of Wizards' Secrecy Act, but I am different from the two generations of Dark Lords. I accept the existence of Muggles, and I also hope to coexist peacefully with them. But wizards—that is, us—must control the entire world!"

Her grand declaration left the compartment silent. Percy stared blankly at Lilith, while Penelope's eyes reddened as she seemed lost in thought.

Moriarty looked Lilith over. This girl had truly astonished him, not because of her appearance—though she was indeed exquisitely beautiful.

Lilith's boldness and courage allowed Moriarty to see another student gazing up at the sky of magic.

"Leaving your ideals aside for now, what you said sounds remarkably like something a Gryffindor would say."

Moriarty's eyes were smiling. Breaking the Statute of Secrecy required courage, but openly declaring one's desire to break the Statute of Secrecy required even more.

This was a little witch with absolute confidence! That was Moriarty's judgment.

Lilith smiled as well. "Mr. Moriarty, I can say responsibly that every Peverell is a true Slytherin! And I would not be surprised if you were one too, would I? After all, you are the Slytherin Family itself."

"Sorry, I don't want to interrupt your conversation, but what is Slytherin? And what is Gryffindor?"

A slightly stubborn voice rang out. Penelope was biting her lip, her hands clenched into fists, her somewhat sorrowful gaze shifting between Moriarty and Lilith.

Ever since Lilith had entered, Penelope had felt as though she had been forgotten. She could not understand a single topic Moriarty and Lilith were discussing.

But Penelope was not a timid little girl. Just as she had at her previous school, whenever she encountered something she did not understand, she immediately asked about it.

Percy was the other one who felt forgotten, so when he heard Penelope's question, he cleared his throat and prepared to answer.

But Lilith beat him to it. "Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor are the four Houses of Hogwarts. I think you might be sorted into Hufflepuff."

Although Penelope did not understand why she said that, she instinctively felt that it was not a good thing. She gave Lilith a cool glance. "Hufflepuff? No way! I want to go to the best House!"

"Then you will definitely be sorted into Gryffindor!" Percy quickly said, finally seizing the chance to speak.

"Hey, listen, Penelope! Gryffindor is the best House!" To make himself sound more convincing, Percy loudly added, "The greatest White Wizard in history, Dumbledore, graduated from Gryffindor."

"Oh, you must be a Weasley." Lilith looked thoughtfully at Percy's red hair. "Everyone knows your entire family is Gryffindor."

"I don't think there is anything wrong with that," Percy said stiffly. "On the contrary, I am proud of it."

"Your reaction is a little too strong, even though I had no intention of mocking you." Lilith gently shook her head.

"You know, Weasley, that merely exposes your sensitive pride. In that regard, perhaps you could learn something from Bill Weasley—I heard my father mention him. He is quite an extraordinary person."

Lilith spoke with great sincerity, but Percy did not seem to take it in.

"So you come from a wizarding family too?" Penelope asked expressionlessly.

"I think the Peverell family is rather well-known in Britain." Lilith appeared to be answering Penelope's question, but she was actually staring at Moriarty. "My grandfather is named Justus Peverell. He once served as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"As far as I know, the previous head was named Barty Crouch."

Moriarty recalled Amelia Bones from The Daily Prophet. She was the current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

"Mr. Barty Crouch was promoted by my grandfather." Lilith spoke flatly, then grew serious. "But I am not saying this to boast. I was born into a legal family, and by the age of eight, I could fluently recite the Statute of Secrecy. The laws and regulations of Britain's magical world are firmly engraved in my mind!"

"The more I studied the law, the more dissatisfied I became with the Statute of Secrecy. Can you understand that feeling, Mr. Moriarty?"

"Although laws are necessary for this world to function, we are wizards! We belong to magic—Mr. Lockhart says so too, and magic needs no restraints."

"Miss Peverell, I think I can understand how you feel. I also appreciate your view of magic, but do you know why magic needs no restraints?"

Moriarty leaned against the seatback, his hands clasped around the Slytherin staff. The sunlight reflected in his fixed gaze at Lilith gave his eyes a sharp gleam.

At that moment, Lilith felt as though she stood beneath a brilliant starry sky. She pressed her lips together. "I would like you to tell me the answer."

"The answer is simple. Because magic can overcome law! To possess magic is to possess everything."

Moriarty spoke in a slow, light tone. Lilith was like a rebellious child from a wealthy family; to her, laws were merely scraps of waste paper, perhaps even less real than chocolate frog cards.

The only difference was that Lilith was exceptionally confident, so much so that her rebellion had become maturity.

For the child of a Pure-blood family and a high-ranking Ministry of Magic official to speak of accepting Muggles might carry epoch-making significance.

Moriarty could see that Lilith was sincere. She had broken free of the shackles of bloodline, yet she could not escape the vicious cycle of "the essence of life."

While Lilith was still striving for the status of wizards, Moriarty was already planning how to Become a God.

However, Moriarty did not say it outright. He saw that Lilith was deep in thought; clearly, his words had disturbed her heart.

"I admit that what you said makes sense, Mr. Moriarty." After only a moment, Lilith returned to normal, a bright smile appearing on her face. "But I will not give up on my goal. In fact, I came to find you specifically to invite you to join me in this great undertaking."

"Oh, of course, it seems I have failed for now. Perhaps you knew my purpose from the very beginning?"

Lilith's playful gaze rested on Moriarty's face. She too leaned back against the seat, sitting elegantly.

Moriarty smiled faintly, tacitly confirming her question. "I don't think I am famous enough for a little witch to come looking for my autograph."

"Haha, that sounds more like one of Mr. Lockhart's stories!" Lilith laughed too. "But you still underestimate your fame. Your name appears in every book about contemporary History of Magic!"

"And an entire train full of Pure-blood Little Wizards are talking about you! Muggle-born and half-blood Little Wizards are also doing their best to learn more about you."

Penelope spoke gloomily. "Moriarty, are you famous?"

Moriarty looked at her. "More precisely, it is my surname that is famous. You will understand once you reach Hogwarts."

"I think you are famous now because of Slytherin." Lilith glanced at Moriarty and said rhythmically, "One day, Slytherin and Hogwarts will be famous because of you. No, even more famous—the kind engraved upon people's souls."

"I really ought to thank you for the compliment. When the time comes, I'll buy you a drink." Moriarty laughed. Lilith's little mouth was as sweet as though it had been smeared with honey.

"Then don't forget. By the way, I don't like sweets." Lilith replied with a smile.

"Ah, girls don't like sweets," a muffled voice said beside Moriarty. Percy gave another awkward laugh. "I mean, sweets make you fat."

When Percy saw Moriarty and the two girls all politely nod at him, he became even more embarrassed, but he continued anyway. "Um... Miss Peverell, may I join the great undertaking you mentioned earlier?"

Moriarty gave him a strange look. Percy was generally a good person; he was simply a little too utilitarian.

So, he had probably said that because he had his eye on Lilith's connections in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Lilith, however, did not think that much about it. She solemnly said to what might have been her first supporter, "Welcome aboard, Mr. Weasley. I promise you will not regret it!"

Lilith then turned to Penelope and Moriarty. "Of course, I welcome everyone to join."

But clearly, her gaze lingered longest on Moriarty.

Moriarty merely smiled, but Penelope unexpectedly said, "I'm sorry, but I won't join! I came to Hogwarts to study, to learn magic!"

"It will not interfere with your classes or studies," Lilith said, not wanting to be misunderstood. "First, we need to improve our magical abilities."

But Penelope did not want to listen. She closed her eyes and gently shook her head. "Sorry, Miss Peverell, but I do not think overturning the law is something I should do. And I find it difficult to agree with the idea of letting wizards control the world."

Lilith's enthusiasm vanished at once. She asked flatly, "Why?"

"Because I am—I am one of the Muggles you spoke of!" Penelope said seriously. "And ordinary people always say that the minority should obey the majority. Although I am a wizard too, you must admit that only a minority are wizards."

"Doesn't that prove exactly what the problem is?" Lilith said loudly. "The minority who possess magic cannot enjoy a vast space, and even have to hide themselves? What kind of law is that!"

"Ahem." Percy tried to calm the two girls. "Miss Peverell, lower your voice. It would be bad if someone heard."

"I do not think there is anything wrong with my ideas!" Lilith raised her head. "I welcome others to question me and discuss it with me, but if anyone dares to disrespect me, I will let them have a taste of magic!"

"Does that include Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall?" Percy was stunned. He had only wanted to curry favor, but now it seemed...

"Aha." Lilith flashed a brilliant smile. "As far as I know, no law says that people cannot think about how to overthrow the Statute of Secrecy!"

"I am merely thinking about it. When did I ever say I would take action? Don't you agree, Mr. Weasley?"

At that moment, Slytherin's smoothness was displayed to the fullest in Lilith. Moriarty now understood why she had said every Peverell was a Slytherin.

Percy could not refute her and could only smile awkwardly.

Penelope still wanted to say something, but Moriarty stopped her. "All right, girls, stop talking. Go change your clothes. We're here!"

1. Penelope Crivat's blood status has no official setting; she is only described as either half-blood or Muggle, so Muggle-born is used here. 2. Justus Peverell was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement before Barty Crouch.