The Junior and Senior in the Library

Moriarty and Jericho entered the Castle and found a secluded corridor.

"Keith's broom took off because you tampered with it," Moriarty said bluntly, his tone certain.

Jericho seemed prepared for this and remained very calm, but he kept his head lowered. Ever since Moriarty had called him over, he had not looked up once.

"You wanted to ride a broom and fly freely far too badly. When you saw how anxious Keith was, you took the opportunity to cast a spell on his broom. I think that spell must be a form of magic unique to the Blench family. Lilith said your family is a sporting family. If this hadn't happened, I wouldn't have known you could cast spells silently. Perhaps you can even use Wandless Magic? Though it may only work for that one spell."

Seeing that Jericho still had no intention of speaking, Moriarty continued.

"The effects of that mysterious spell were obvious. Something happened to Keith, Madam Hooch was drawn away, and we got to practice our skills as we wished and successfully became Quidditch players. As for Keith's safety? You had already thought that through. You knew I was there, and I wouldn't stand by and watch him die. And no matter how anyone looked at it, it was an accident. No one would suspect you. You had even found a scapegoat already—Percy Weasley. Since he had argued with Keith and said those things, there couldn't have been a more suitable candidate, right?"

Moriarty's tone turned cold. If Keith and Percy had not quarreled, perhaps Jericho really would have cast the spell on some Gryffindor student!

"I know you're not as sunny as you seem. Deep down, you hide certain special Slytherin qualities. That's fine. I don't object to doing whatever it takes, but we're only first-years, and you're only eleven! Practicing ball skills simply isn't worth using filthy methods against your classmates, even if Quidditch is what you love most."

Jericho abruptly raised his head, his lips trembling. "Mr. Moriarty, I..."

He suddenly choked up, and Moriarty saw that his eyes had reddened.

"If you need to scheme so carefully and rely on such underhanded methods just to solve a little matter like this, then what about the future? Do you want to become a national Quidditch player, or a despicable person hiding beneath a cloak, unable to face the light?" After saying this calmly, Moriarty turned and left. Jericho needed time alone to think.

When Moriarty returned to the common room, a large group of little snakes gathered around him. Seeing this, Leon shook his head helplessly. He wanted to establish his authority, yet the first- and second-year little snakes all listened to Moriarty.

That night, Jericho and Larpo did not return to the dormitory until very late. Moriarty did not say anything to them either.

The next morning, Moriarty slept an extra hour for once, since it was the weekend.

After getting up, Moriarty headed straight for the library. He needed to return several books and borrow some books on Ancient Runic Script while he was at it. There was also an extra follower at his side: Marcus Flint.

However, once they entered the library, they went their separate ways.

Marcus forced himself to start chewing through a copy of "Dragon Breeds of Britain and Ireland." Knowing that reading books about dragons might arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives, he also borrowed "A Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology" as a cover.

Meanwhile, Moriarty found "Advanced Runic Translation" on one of the shelves.

A gentle, soft voice drifted from behind the bookshelf. "Mr. Moriarty, are you planning to replace Professor Bathsheda Babbling as the new Ancient Runic Script professor?"

Gemma Farley stepped out from behind the shelf, holding a copy of "A Simple Introduction to Ancient Runic Script." There was a hint of resentment in her eyes.

Moriarty shook his head with a smile. "Professor Babbling's research into Ancient Runic Script is profound, while I lean more toward practical application."

Gemma nodded as if she understood. Though she currently looked delicate and sweet, she was actually a very bold girl. Moriarty recalled the topics Gemma and Lilith had discussed at the Sorting Feast.

Sure enough, something seemed to flicker in Gemma's eyes as she gave him a sweet smile. "I happen to be stumped by a few questions. Could you clear them up for me?"

Moriarty was certain he saw a challenge in her emerald eyes, but how could he agree so easily? He proposed a condition: they would exchange Transfiguration notes. Gemma's Transfiguration remained among the best of the third-years.

Gemma snorted. "What a man who refuses to suffer any loss. Wait here, I'll go get them right now."

But when Gemma returned with her notes, she found Moriarty sitting quietly at a table reading, with not a trace of any Transfiguration notes in sight.

"Moriarty, are you playing me?" Gemma pressed her lips together in anger, her cheeks puffed up until they looked a little baby-fat round.

Moriarty, however, unceremoniously took the notes from her hands. After flipping through a few pages, he answered casually, "Actually, I don't have any Transfiguration notes at all, because there's nothing important enough for me to write down. But I wasn't trying to fool you. I sent a letter to Transfiguration Today. You'll see my theoretical concept there."

"You're not joking, are you? Are you sure they'll accept your submission?" Gemma's expression immediately turned much more serious. She braced both hands on the table and leaned down, trying to meet Moriarty's eyes.

Moriarty leaned back a few inches, avoiding Gemma's intense gaze. "I couldn't be more certain. You'll probably see it next Wednesday, though I don't think it'll be much help to you."

Elemental Transfiguration was a shortcut Moriarty had devised for himself. It might perhaps inspire legends like Dumbledore and Voldemort, but for Gemma, applying Elemental Transfiguration in actual combat would be very difficult.

Yet Gemma did not see it that way. Unwilling to admit defeat, she sat down beside Moriarty and opened the books she had borrowed, muttering, "Looking down on me? Hmph..."

Suddenly, the corners of her lips lifted, as though she had spotted something interesting in the book.

"I'll tentatively believe you, but now—" Gemma said to Moriarty, "I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Fine, ask away. Better yet, make me feel like I'm in a third-year class." Moriarty had nearly finished reading Gemma's notes. Apart from Professor McGonagall personally demonstrating Animagus transformation, there was nothing else worth noting.

Gemma unceremoniously asked several questions they had studied the previous week, hoping to stump Moriarty.

But none of them could stump him. In less than two minutes, he had solved them all.

Gemma was somewhat impressed. Smiling, she said, "Seriously, Moriarty, why do you always give people the feeling that you know everything?"

Moriarty merely shook his head. He was not Dumbledore. He had no intention of wasting time sharing insights with little wizards or feeding them inspirational platitudes.

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Gemma smiled instead, though there was clearly a trace of petulance in that smile.

With her lips pouted, she huffed, "You chat happily with Lilith, yet you won't talk with me for a little longer. Moriarty, do you know everyone says you're inseparable from Tonks in the morning and inseparable from Lilith at noon?"

"It's just a little commotion among boys and girls. No need to pay attention to them," Moriarty said with the air of someone experienced. "Do they also say I'm inseparable from Jericho during class, and that Marcus keeps me company at night?"

Gemma laughed. "You've noticed it too, haven't you? Everyone is starting to center around you. A lot of people treat you as their idol. The girls even gave you a rather domineering title."

"Overbearing?" Moriarty looked at her.

"Yes, they liked to call you Eternal Shine on the Quidditch pitch." Resting her chin on her hand, Gemma tilted her head as though she could see Moriarty flying across the field. Her voice became somewhat dreamy. "Eternal... Nothing in this world remains unchanged forever, but they believed you would. Isn't that an overbearing title?"

Moriarty found that strange. "Wasn't it Shining Meteor?"

"Lilith came up with that." Gemma sat up straight and leaned closer to Moriarty. "Tonks said the word 'meteor' was unlucky, so they changed it to Eternal. See? I told you, Lilith is the only one in your eyes!"

Moriarty did not avoid her gaze. He raised his voice slightly. "That is only your opinion. In fact, magic is the only thing in my eyes!"

This time, he elaborated. "For example, Ancient Runic Script—you know about my boots, right? The reason they could make Larpo run was because they were an Alchemy Item with a movement speed boost. I wanted to add another function to them: jumping."

Gemma seemed to regard Moriarty as a professor. She took out a pen and wrote all of that down.

Moriarty did not stop her and continued, "So I only need to learn the parts of Ancient Runic Script related to jumping and movement."

"As for how to make it, that is knowledge from other courses. Do you understand, Gemma? I only select the parts I need from different subjects. Whether it is magic or anything else, as long as you are learning, you need to be purposeful."

Gemma nodded seriously. "I will properly reflect on my learning methods. Thank you very much for your... instruction? It feels a little strange to say that to my junior, but I mean it.

"Also, to show my gratitude, I'll tell you a... secret!"

She leaned close to Moriarty and whispered, "Professor McGonagall has a Transfiguration club. As for its name—I'm sorry, I cannot tell you yet. But I think you will find out soon enough. Professor McGonagall has no reason to let a genius like you slip away. I look forward to seeing you in the club."

After saying that, she waved to Moriarty and left the library with a blush on her face. But she did not know that Moriarty had not taken the club matter to heart at all.

I hope everyone won't stockpile chapters. Following along is really important for this book during its first recommendation period. We actually got our first recommendation last Friday, but I'm not very good with words, and I don't know how to say interesting things to make people happy. So I just thought I would write more—most chapters are around 3,000 words. I did not want to ask, but I really want to advance to the next round of recommendations. Please.