Moriarty carried a bowl of oatmeal and a golden croissant over to William, sat down beside him, and placed a large cup in front of him. "Your Skele-Gro."
"Wow, Mr. Moriarty, I don't even know how to praise you. All I can say is, you're the greatest!" William exaggerated shamelessly.
Moriarty hurriedly stopped him. "What are you two talking about? I'm sure it isn't the mermaids in the Black Lake."
William smiled at Moriarty. "Leon and I were saying that you changed the students' views of the House."
"Is that a bad thing?" Moriarty took a sip of his porridge.
"Not at all." Leon took a bite of his sandwich as well and sighed. "If you go to work for the Ministry of Magic, you'll find that aside from pure-bloods or the descendants of high-ranking officials, nearly every wizard who graduates from Slytherin House is treated with suspicion.
Changing people's views of Slytherin House is very important to me. At least after graduation, I won't have to endure so many contemptuous looks."
William drank his porridge and made an indistinct sound. "So thank Mr. Moriarty."
"Same as ever, not dignified in the slightest." Leon gave William a disdainful look, then turned and nodded to Moriarty. "I should thank you. Perhaps, just as Mr. Lockhart said, you'll usher in an era. But that is also what worries me."
Moriarty and William both lowered the food from their mouths and looked at Leon.
"Our Slytherin House is different from the other three Houses," he said softly. "We may have done wrong before, but we are proud.
It is difficult for us to admit our mistakes to others, much less become like Jericho. Earning others' respect and awe—that is Slytherin."
Moriarty shook his head. Leon's goals differed from his own, so they were destined not to become companions. Still, he could be useful.
"It's too early to talk about working for the Ministry of Magic. Tell me about next year's Head Boy election, Leon." Moriarty's voice was low but powerful, easily breaking through Leon's mental defenses.
Seeing the desire Leon could not hide in his eyes, Moriarty calmly finished the last of his food, slowly rose to his feet, and left, his voice lingering in the air.
"First, find out what Bill Weasley is doing. Then I'll help you secure the position you want."
Leon's expression became much more solemn. William stood as well and patted his shoulder before leaving. "Good luck."
Ten minutes later, Moriarty appeared at the entrance to the Potions class with a cauldron of Skele-Gro. Since everyone had been delayed in the Great Hall for too long, Severus Snape had not deducted points from the late students. He stood at the door with a fearsome expression.
But Moriarty was not afraid. He smiled. "It was brewed successfully and can be used without worry. There won't be any accidents like turning someone's brain into a Troll's. William has already verified that."
Professor Snape's expression eased slightly. He picked up the cauldron, and with a single glance, knew there was no problem. "Go to class, Mr. Slytherin."
Moriarty did not leave. As though performing a magic trick, he produced a bottle of shampoo bearing Lockhart's portrait and an Occamy.
"Lilith told me Cockatrice Yolk Shampoo is suitable for young people. This bottle is for you, Professor. I've tried it, and it works quite well. Most importantly, it has nothing to do with the Potter Family. Mr. Lockhart made it."
Professor Snape did not take the shampoo. Instead, he strode straight up to Moriarty and stared at him intensely. His expression looked as though a Bludger had struck the back of his head, while waves of fury flashed in his eyes. But why did he swallow?
"What are you talking about? What do you know? What do you want?" Professor Snape desperately wanted to drag Moriarty into a secluded corridor.
But Moriarty clearly had no intention of leaving. He said calmly, "All I want is to give you the shampoo, Professor. Don't look at me like that. As long as something happens in this school—if I want to know, I will know. Whether it is the past, the present, or the future."
Professor Snape accepted the shampoo doubtfully, turned around, entered the classroom, and slammed the door shut with a bang.
Detected that the Host has completed the task. Reward: one Achievement Draw.
Moriarty saved this draw for later and went to class.
Over the course of a week, Hogwarts students discovered that this year's freshmen included quite a few talented and capable Little Wizards. They became known as the "Shining Five."
Moriarty's performance in every subject made him the undisputed first.
Most students believed that the top rank in 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.
Within Slytherin House, the little snakes knew that even fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-year students held Moriarty in great respect.
Like Leon. After the apology incident in the Great Hall, the way he addressed Moriarty had changed from "little gentleman" to "sir."
If Moriarty was in the lead, then Lilith followed closely behind in Potions class, Penelope followed closely behind in Astronomy class and Charms class, while Jericho excelled in Flying class.
The three of them were constantly chasing Moriarty ahead of them.
As for the last member, it was Percy, forever stuck in third place.
People said he had been born at the wrong time, but Percy did not mind too much. Perhaps, just as Charlie had said, he had truly matured considerably.
That night, three members of the Shining Five and three little snakes from Slytherin House, led by caretaker Argus Filch, headed toward Hagrid's Hut to begin their detention.
"I think that from now on, whenever you want to break school rules, you should think twice. Don't you agree? Hmm?"
Filch swept his hook-sharp gaze across every student, but none of the six were frightened by him. Only Jericho kept smiling as he responded to Filch.
When they reached Hagrid's Hut, they found no one inside. Only a dog lay lazily on the floor.
"Stay here. I'll go find Hagrid." Filch left after saying that, leaving the six Little Wizards standing where they were.
It was a moonless night. The sky was full of bright stars, making the clusters of white clouds resemble huge lamps. Together with the occasional cool breeze, the atmosphere was not frightening at all. It felt no different from taking an evening stroll.
Jericho circled the hut twice and said to Moriarty, "No sign of Rubeus Hagrid. Strange. Where could he have gone at this hour?"
"He didn't forget about us, did he?" Keith casually guessed, then said excitedly, "If he forgot us, why don't we explore the Forbidden Forest?"
"Hey," Jericho said in surprise. "Did one trip into the sky make you forget your identity? You're a Slytherin. If Hagrid doesn't come, shouldn't we go back to our warm common room and enjoy the night?"
Keith scratched his head and laughed. "I heard from my grandfather that the Forbidden Forest has plenty of precious Potion ingredients. Hehe."
"That's true, but the Forbidden Forest doesn't only have Potion ingredients." Percy joined the conversation and said solemnly, "Bill told Charlie and me that there's a werewolf tribe in the Forbidden Forest. He's never seen them, though. But he said Peeves had, and that Peeves even used werewolf fur to scare timid freshmen!"
"Peeves?" Moriarty spoke up. Everyone turned to look at him. Hearing Percy mention Peeves, Moriarty suddenly remembered something!
"We've been at school for a week, yet I haven't seen Peeves even once. Have any of you seen him?"
Jericho, Keith, and the others exchanged looks, then shook their heads. "Honestly, we haven't seen him either!"
"The Gryffindor students haven't seen him either." Percy began to think as well. "Now that you mention it, it does seem strange. Peeves is usually everywhere, always causing mischief."
"That's right." Marcus nodded. "I remember when I first enrolled, William hadn't even led us to the common room before Peeves came to cause trouble. He listened to no one. In the end, Sir Nicholas scared him away."
"In other words, Peeves has not appeared once since we enrolled."
This was no small matter. A trace of gravity flashed through Moriarty's eyes.
He raised the Slytherin staff and pointed it toward the tallest tower of the Castle, speaking in Serpent Tongue. "Glory to Slytherin, lions roar in the valleys, eaglets inherit a thousand years of legacy, kind Hufflepuff is the foundation of all things. Speak with me, Four Founders!"
Jericho and the others watched in astonishment as a green snake's head, shimmering with silver light, emerged from the tip of the staff and vanished after a few seconds.
At that moment, if any little wizard inside the Castle looked up, they would discover that the night sky on the ceiling had begun to change.
Moriarty slowly closed his eyes. Clusters of multicolored halos representing Magic Power appeared in his mind.
Judging by the sizes of the halos, Moriarty identified the corresponding people by their Magic Power.
Two minutes later, the staff stopped trembling. Moriarty opened his eyes, and the light in them resembled a snake spotting fat prey.
Just as he had told Severus Snape, because of the Slytherin staff, he could learn of many things happening within the Castle.
The Four Founders had cast magic on the Castle to better manage the school. The spell Moriarty had just recited granted him a measure of authority to inspect Hogwarts.
But this authority could not surpass the Headmaster's, so there was one place Moriarty could not see: the Headmaster's Office. He had known that ever since entering the Castle.
And now, there was one more person: Peeves.
Before you continue