Penelope and Lilith

"Did I hear someone mention Mr. Moriarty?" A blonde girl walked in, her dark eyes scanning the compartment before finally settling on Moriarty's face.

"I knew you'd be in the last compartment, Mr. Moriarty! Mr. Lockhart mentioned you prefer quiet."

She boldly extended her right hand to Moriarty, "My name is Lilith Peverell, it's an honor to meet you."

Moriarty gathered from Lilith's words that she came from a wizarding family and was clearly a devoted reader of Lockhart.

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

"Although you know my name, I still want to introduce myself. My name is Moriarty Slytherin, and this is out of respect for you."

Lilith agreed wholeheartedly, "People often say etiquette represents the stuffiness of pure-blood families, but I believe all wizards should adhere to etiquette! Simply because we are wizards!"

"Oh? That's a novel perspective, I've never heard it before," Moriarty's interest was piqued. This girl seemed to come from a pure-blood family, yet her views surpassed those of pure-bloods.

"Yes, this theory of mine has only recently been perfected," Lilith tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Mr. Moriarty surely hasn't forgotten the era of revival Mr. Lockhart proposed, right? These immature ideas of mine were inspired by him."

Slytherin's beard! Someone actually got inspired by Lockhart?

Moriarty sat up straighter, adopting an attentive posture.

Seeing this, Lilith's voice gained more conviction, "Then, what I say is, wizards are supreme!"

She lifted her face, "In fact, I agree with breaking the International Confederation of Wizards' Secrecy Act. But unlike the two generations of Dark Lords, I accept the existence of Muggles and wish to coexist peacefully with them. However, wizards, that is us, must control the entire world!"

These grand pronouncements rendered the compartment silent. Percy stared blankly at Lilith, while Penelope, lost in thought, had tears welling up in her eyes.

Moriarty appraised Lilith from head to toe. The girl astonished him, not because of her looks—though she was indeed exquisite.

Lilith's boldness and courage made Moriarty see another seeker looking up at the magical sky.

"Setting aside your ideals, your words are quite like a Gryffindor."

Moriarty's eyes held a smile, breaking the Secrecy Act required courage, and speaking frankly about wanting to break it required even more.

This is a little witch with absolute confidence! Moriarty judged.

Lilith also smiled, "Mr. Moriarty, I can responsibly say that every Peverell is a true Slytherin! And I won't be an exception, neither will you, right? After all, you yourself are from the Slytherin family."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but what is Slytherin? And what is Gryffindor?"

A slightly stubborn voice chimed in. Penelope was biting her lip, her hands clenched into fists, her gaze drifting between Moriarty and Lilith with a hint of sadness.

Ever since Lilith entered, Penelope felt as though she had been forgotten. She couldn't understand any of the topics Moriarty and Lilith were discussing.

But Penelope wasn't a timid little girl. Just like in her previous school, she immediately asked about things she didn't understand.

Percy, who also felt forgotten, cleared his throat, ready to answer Penelope's question when he heard it.

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

Although Penelope didn't understand why she said that, she instinctively felt something was wrong. She glanced at Lilith indifferently, "Hufflepuff? I don't want that! I want to go to the best house!"

"Then you'll definitely be sorted into Gryffindor!" Percy quickly interjected, finally regaining the floor.

"Hey, listen, Penelope! Gryffindor is the best house!" Percy added loudly to make his point more credible, "The greatest white wizard in history, Dumbledore, graduated from Gryffindor."

"Oh, you must be a Weasley," Lilith said thoughtfully, looking at Percy's red hair. "As everyone knows, your family are all Gryffindors."

"I don't see anything wrong with that," Percy said stiffly. "On the contrary, I'm proud of it."

"Your reaction is a bit strong, though I didn't mean to mock you," Lilith shook her head slightly.

"You know, Weasley, this precisely exposes your sensitive self-esteem. In this regard, you might learn something from Bill Weasley—I heard my father mention him, he's an exceptional person."

Lilith said this very sincerely, but Percy didn't seem to be listening.

"So, you're also from a wizarding family?" Penelope asked expressionlessly.

"I believe the Peverell family is quite well-known in Britain," Lilith, while answering Penelope's question, was actually staring at Moriarty. "My grandfather's name was Justus Peverell; he served as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

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

Moriarty recalled Amelia Bones from The Daily Prophet; she was the current head of the Department of Law Enforcement.

"Mr. Barty Crouch was promoted by my grandfather," Lilith said faintly, then became serious. "But I'm not saying this to show off. I come from a family of law. By the time I was eight, I could recite the Secrecy Act fluently. The legal statutes of the British magical world are deeply ingrained in my mind!

The more I study law, the more dissatisfied I become with the Secrecy Act. Can you understand that feeling, Mr. Moriarty?

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

"Miss Peverell, I think I can understand how you feel, and I also appreciate your views on magic. But do you know why magic needs no constraints?"

Moriarty leaned back, crossing his arms, resting his hand on the Slytherin staff. His gaze fixed on Lilith, reflecting a sharp glint in the sunlight.

At that moment, Lilith felt as though she were in a brilliant starry sky. She pursed her lips, "May I ask you to tell me the answer?"

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

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

The only difference was Lilith's exceptional confidence, which transformed her rebellion into maturity.

For a child from a pure-blood family and a Ministry of Magic official to speak of accepting Muggles might carry epochal significance.

Moriarty could see Lilith was sincere. She had broken free from the shackles of bloodline but was still trapped in the 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 didn't state it outright. He saw Lilith deep in thought, clearly his words had stirred her emotions.

"I admit you have a point, Mr. Moriarty," Lilith quickly regained her composure after a short while, a bright smile appearing on her face. "But I won't give up on my goal. In fact, I came to find you specifically to invite you to join me in this grand undertaking.

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

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

Moriarty smiled faintly, tacitly admitting her question. "I don't think I'm famous enough yet for young witches to seek me out for autographs."

"Haha, that sounds more like Mr. Lockhart's story!" Lilith also laughed. "But you still underestimate your fame. Your name appears in all the books on contemporary magical history!

And an entire carriage full of pure-blood young witches are talking about you! Muggle-borns and half-bloods are also trying their best to find out about you."

Penelope spoke up with a hint of displeasure, "Moriarty, are you very famous?"

Moriarty looked at her. "To be precise, it's my surname that's famous. You'll know when you get to Hogwarts."

"I think, right now, you are famous 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 that is etched into people's souls."

"I really must thank you for your praise. I'll buy you a drink then." Moriarty was amused. Lilith's little mouth was as sweet as if 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 came from beside Moriarty. Percy chuckled awkwardly. "I mean, eating sweets makes you gain weight."

When Percy saw Moriarty and the two girls nod at him politely, he became even more awkward. But he continued, "Um... Miss Peverell, the grand undertaking you mentioned earlier, can I join?"

Moriarty glanced at him strangely. Percy was a good person overall, just a bit too driven by ambition.

So, he said this perhaps because he valued Lilith's connections in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Lilith hadn't thought that far. She solemnly said to who might be her first supporter, "You are welcome to join, Mr. Weasley. I promise you won't regret it!"

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

But it was clear that her gaze lingered on Moriarty the longest.

Moriarty simply smiled, but Penelope unexpectedly said, "I'm sorry, I'm not joining! I came to Hogwarts to study, to learn magic!"

"It won't interfere with your classes and studies," Lilith didn't want to be misunderstood. "First, we need to improve our magical abilities."

Penelope didn't want to listen. She closed her eyes and gently shook her head. "I'm sorry, Miss Peverell, I don't think overthrowing laws is something I should do, and I find it hard to agree with the idea of wizards controlling the world."

Lilith's enthusiasm instantly vanished. She asked faintly, "Why?"

"Because I am—a Muggle, as you said!" Penelope stated seriously. "And we ordinary people always say the minority obeys the majority. Although I am also a witch, you have to admit, only a minority are witches."

"Doesn't that precisely illustrate the problem!" Lilith exclaimed loudly. "The minority who possess magic cannot enjoy vast spaces, and even have to hide? What kind of law is this!"

"Ahem," Percy tried to calm the two girls down. "Miss Peverell, please speak a little quieter. It's not good if someone overhears."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with my ideas!" Lilith lifted her chin. "I welcome others to question me and discuss with me, but if anyone dares to disrespect me, I will let them taste the power of magic!"

"Does that include Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall?" Percy was stunned. He had just wanted to latch onto a powerful figure, but now...

"Aha," Lilith flashed a brilliant smile. "As far as I know, there isn't any law that prohibits people from thinking about how to overthrow the 'Secrecy Act'!

I'm just thinking, when do we start acting? Don't you think so, Mr. Weasley?"

At this moment, the shrewdness of Slytherin was fully displayed in Lilith. Moriarty now understood why she said every Peverell was a Slytherin.

Percy couldn't refute and could only offer an awkward smile.

Penelope was about to say something, but Moriarty stopped her. "Alright, ladies, stop chatting and hurry to change. We've arrived!"