The Vanishing Peeves

Moriarty sat down beside William with a bowl of oatmeal and a croissant, placing a large mug in front of William. "Here's your Skele-Gro."

"Wow, Mr. Moriarty, I don't know how to praise you enough. I just want to say, you're a legend!" William exclaimed, his praise over the top.

Moriarty quickly stopped him and said, "What are you two talking about? I'm sure it's not about the Mermaids in the Black Lake."

William smiled at Moriarty. "Leon told me you've changed how students view the house."

"Is that a bad thing?" Moriarty took a sip of his porridge.

"There's nothing bad about it," Leon said, taking a bite of his sandwich with a sigh. "If you worked at the Ministry of Magic, you'd find that almost every wizard who graduates from Slytherin is viewed with suspicion, unless they're pure-bloods or descendants of high-ranking officials. Changing people's perception of Slytherin House is quite important to me; at least I won't be looked down upon too much after I graduate."

William mumbled through his porridge, "So thank you, Mr. Moriarty."

"Still the same, not at all dignified," Leon shot William a look of disdain before turning to Moriarty and nodding in greeting. "I should thank you. Perhaps, as Mr. Lockhart said, you'll usher in an era, but that's also what worries me."

Moriarty and William both lowered their food and looked at Leon.

"Our Slytherin House is different from the other three," he said softly. "We may have done wrong, but we are proud. It's hard for us to admit mistakes, let alone apologize like Jericho. Being respected and feared by others, that's what Slytherin is."

Moriarty shook his head. Leon's goals were different from his, and they were destined not to be companions. However, using him would be quite beneficial.

"It's too early to talk about working at the Ministry of Magic. Let's talk about next year's student body president, Leon." Moriarty's voice was low but carried a force that easily broke through Leon's psychological defenses.

Seeing the unconcealable longing in Leon's eyes, Moriarty leisurely finished the last of his food, slowly stood up, and then left, his voice lingering in the air. "First, find out what Bill Weasley is up to, and then I'll help you secure the position you want."

Leon's expression became much more serious. William also stood up and patted Leon on the shoulder before leaving. "Good luck."

Ten minutes later, Moriarty appeared at the door of the Potions class with a cauldron of Skele-Gro. Since everyone had been delayed too long in the Great Hall, Professor Snape didn't deduct points from the late students. He stood at the door with a formidable expression.

However, Moriarty Slytherin wasn't afraid. He smiled and said, "The brewing was successful, and it's safe to use. There won't be any accidents like turning someone's brain into a troll's, William has already verified that."

Professor Snape's expression softened slightly. He picked up the cauldron of potion and knew at a glance that there were no problems. "Go to class, Mr. Slytherin."

Moriarty didn't leave. As if by magic, he pulled out a bottle of shampoo with Lockhart's picture and a Cockatrice on it. "Lilith told me that Cockatrice Yolk Shampoo is suitable for young people. I'm giving this bottle to you, Professor. I tried it, and it works quite well. Most importantly, it has nothing to do with the Potter Family; this was made by Mr. Lockhart."

Professor Snape didn't take the shampoo. Instead, he walked directly in front of Moriarty and stared at him intently, his face looking as if he'd been hit in the back of the head by a Bludger, but his eyes flashed with waves of anger. But why did he swallow?

"What are you talking about? What do you know? What do you want to do?" Professor Snape desperately wanted to take Moriarty to a secluded corridor.

But Moriarty clearly had no intention of leaving. He said calmly, "All I want to do is give you the shampoo, Professor. Don't look at me like that. Anything that happens in this school—if I want to know, I will know, whether it's the past, present, or future."

Professor Snape took the shampoo with a look of disbelief and turned to walk into the classroom, closing the door heavily with a "bang."

"Detected that the host has completed the mission. Rewarded with one Achievement Draw."

Moriarty saved this draw and went to class.

Over the course of a week, the students of Hogwarts discovered that there were many talented and capable young wizards among the new first-years. They were called the "Shining Five." Moriarty's performance in every class made him the undisputed top student. Most students believed that the top student for the first-year final exams had already been decided. Students in the second, third, and even fourth years admitted that they might not be Moriarty's match—whether in theoretical knowledge or practical combat. As for the Slytherin first-years, they knew that students in the fifth, sixth, and even seventh years greatly respected Moriarty. Just like Leon, after the apology incident in the Great Hall, his address to Moriarty changed from "Young Master" to "Mister."

If Moriarty was in the lead, then Lilith followed closely in Potions class. Penelope followed closely in Astronomy and Charms class, while Jericho performed excellently in Flying class. The three of them constantly chased after Moriarty. As for the last one, it was Percy, who was always third. People said he was born at the wrong time, but Percy didn't seem to mind much. Perhaps, as Charlie had said, he had truly grown a lot.

That evening, three members of the Shining Five, along with three Slytherin first-years, led by the caretaker Argus Filch, headed towards Hagrid's hut to begin their detention.

"I think you'll think twice before breaking school rules again, won't you, hmm?" Filch swept his sharp, hook-like gaze over each student, but none of the six students were intimidated by him. Only Jericho maintained a smile, responding to Filch's words.

When they arrived at Hagrid's hut, they found no one inside, only a dog lazily lying on the ground. "Stay put, I'll go find Hagrid." Filch left after saying this, leaving the six young wizards standing there.

It was a moonless night, and the stars in the sky were numerous and dazzling, making the white clouds look like large lamps. Coupled with the occasional gentle breeze, the atmosphere wasn't scary at all; it felt no different from going for a walk.

Jericho walked around the hut twice and said to Moriarty, "I didn't find Rubeus Hagrid. It's strange, where could he be at this time?"

"He didn't forget about us, did he?" Keith guessed casually, then excitedly said, "If he forgot about us, how about we go explore the Forbidden Forest?"

"Hey," Jericho said in surprise, "Did you forget your identity after just one day? You're a Slytherin. If Hagrid doesn't come, shouldn't we return to our warm common room and enjoy the nightlife?"

Keith scratched his head and laughed. "I heard from my grandfather that there are many precious potion ingredients in the Forbidden Forest, hehe."

"That's true, but the Forbidden Forest doesn't just have potion ingredients," Percy joined the conversation. He said seriously, "Bill told Charlie and me that there's a werewolf tribe in the Forbidden Forest, but he's never seen it. However, he said Peeves has seen it and even used werewolf fur to scare timid new students!"

"Peeves?" Moriarty interjected. Everyone looked at him in unison. Hearing Percy talk about Peeves, Moriarty suddenly remembered something! "It's been a week since I arrived at school, and I haven't seen Peeves once. Have you guys seen him?"

Jericho and Keith exchanged glances, shaking their heads. "Honestly, we haven't seen him either!"

"Gryffindor students haven't seen him either," Percy began to ponder. "If that's the case, it does seem very strange. Peeves is everywhere; he always loves to cause mischief."

"That's right," Marcus nodded. "I remember when I first enrolled, before Prefect William even took us to the common room, Peeves came to cause trouble. He didn't listen to anyone, and in the end, it was Sir Nicholas who scared him away."

"So, you're saying Peeves hasn't appeared since we enrolled."

This was no small matter, and a flicker of seriousness crossed Moriarty's eyes.

He picked up the Slytherin staff, pointed it at the tallest tower in the castle, and spoke in Serpent Tongue: "Glory to Slytherin, the lion roars in the valley, the eaglet accepts the thousand-year inheritance, and the kind Hufflepuff is the foundation of all things. Speak with me, Four Founders!"

Jericho and the others were astonished to see a green snake head emitting a shimmering silver light emerge from the tip of the staff, which then dissipated within seconds.

At this moment, if any young wizard in the castle looked up, they would notice the night sky on the ceiling beginning to change.

Moriarty slowly closed his eyes, and clusters of magical energy, represented by halos of various colors, appeared in his mind.

Based on the size of the halos, Moriarty judged the identities corresponding to the magical energy.

Two minutes later, the staff stopped trembling, and Moriarty opened his eyes, the light within them akin to a snake spotting plump prey.

Just as he had told Professor Snape, because of the Slytherin staff's existence, he could know many things happening within the castle.

The Four Founders had cast spells on the castle to better manage the school, and the incantation Moriarty had just recited granted him the right to access information about Hogwarts.

However, this right did not supersede the Headmaster's authority, so there was one place Moriarty couldn't see: the Headmaster's office. Moriarty had known this since he first entered the castle.

And now, there was one more person: Peeves.