The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 30 Conversation with Marcus

Lilith drew her wand and added a "loud voice," shouting, "Moriarty scored his second goal, and in such an incredible way! Look at the players' faces!"

Willian, Leon, and other players sat dumbfounded on their brooms, their faces filled with confusion and shock. Moriarty's actions had overturned their understanding of playing football.

It took William a long time to come to his senses. He yelled at the goalkeeper as if he'd struck gold, "Hurry up and launch the ball! Hurry!"

Then he shouted to the fans in the stands, "From the next goal onwards, you must meticulously record every single one of Moriarty's movements! Every single one! You must do the same in every match from now on!"

What followed was simple: the selection tournament turned into a personal goal-scoring show by Moriarty, with the students cheering with each goal.

Marcus flew around dejectedly, having witnessed all of Moriarty's brilliant goals. Knowing he was doomed to lose, he silently shed tears.

The qualifiers were no longer in doubt. In the remaining forty minutes, Moriarty scored eighty goals at a rate of one every thirty seconds, bringing the score to eighty-two to one!

Some students exclaimed in exaggerated amazement, and they began to call Moriarty a "goal machine."

However, Lilith always objected, saying, "It's a sparkling meteor! Sparkling!"

Meanwhile, dozens of players from other houses clutched their heads and let out a wail, including Gryffindor's Charlie and newly promoted sophomore goalkeeper Oliver Wood.

The selection tournament was over. As soon as Moriarty landed, he was surrounded by his admirers. The players landed one after another. Leon dragged Marcus over and roughly pulled him in front of Moriarty.

Marcus offered no resistance; he lay prostrate on the ground, tears streaming down his face. The little snakes showed him no sympathy, but instead jeered and mocked him.

"Hey, that's him!"

"Don't forget your promise, big guy!"

"I think he must regret it now. Why did he have to mess with Mr. Moriarty?"

Marcus suddenly raised his head, glaring at the crowd before finally fixing his gaze on Moriarty. He closed his eyes and forced out a few words through clenched teeth: "Moriarty... sir, Marcus Flint... will serve you faithfully for life!"

After saying that, Marcus seemed to have all his strength drained away. He collapsed to the ground, curled up in a ball, and buried his head in the grass. Moriarty saw tears the size of soybeans falling from his face.

"Everyone disperse, I'll stay and talk to Marcus." Moriarty stopped the still-noisy snakes. Everyone looked at him curiously, but he didn't say anything more.

After the crowd dispersed, Lilith arrived and gestured towards Marcus with her chin: "Verbal promises don't hold much weight. How about an unbreakable vow?"

Moriarty shook his head: "I never use that stuff to blackmail anyone. If we don't share the same goals, even the strongest vows can be broken."

"So you want to win him over gently?" Lilith asked intriguingly, "Like... having a heart-to-heart talk with him?"

"You've been too enthusiastic about this. And what are you after?" Moriarty asked pointedly, and the atmosphere between them became a little strange at that moment.

Lilith stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly trying to figure something out, but his grey eyes remained as deep as ever, so she had to give up on the idea.

"Okay, okay, I admit it." Lilith tied her hair into a ponytail, her demeanor completely changing. "I did use your fame to set up a betting pool during this selection tournament. Here's a hundred Galleons, half of what I earned, it's all yours."

She pulled a beautiful wallet from her pocket and joked, "So how did you know! I bet you own a Niffler? Or have you picked up the fairy's love of money?"

Moriarty took them, weighed them in his hand a few times, and then returned them to Lilith. He chuckled, "Next time, put them in a safe place. I can hear the gold coins clinking and jingling from far away."

"Thanks, I was amused." Lilith snorted expressionlessly and walked away, waiting for Moriarty with Jericho at a distance on the field.

"Now that everyone's gone," Moriarty turned to Marcus, "come tell me why you're crying, I command you."

"My mother died shortly after I was born. I have never seen my father smile since I was born. As far back as I can remember, my father has been selling the family's valuables."

Marcus's voice sounded soulless and dry, only his face turned red. He paused for a moment, then continued speaking.

"I wanted to make my dad happy, but I found that I couldn't do anything. I had no talent, I wasn't smart, and I wasn't likable at all. No one wanted to play with me at the balls held by the Malfoy or Greengrass families."

"After entering Hogwarts, my grades in every subject were terrible. The only thing that made me feel better was that I was taller than everyone else. I wanted to join the team; it was the only thing I could do. Then, I met you and Blanche. I was jealous of you two. You know the rest."

"That sounds rather pitiful," Moriarty sneered, "but it doesn't change your character flaws and shameful malice!"

Marcus trembled and remained silent. Moriarty continued, "But compared to magic, this is nothing. You still have time to save it."

"You know, Marcus, I have a lot of wealth. Giving you just a little bit would be enough to restore the Flint family to its former glory. But is money what you need?"

"I think so, sir." Marcus sat up and said sheepishly at the mention of money, his face flushed with tears, which almost made Moriarty laugh.

"Naive thinking, as if the Flint family has never been wealthy. So where did all that wealth go?" Moriarty scoffed. "You should be thinking about how you lost money, not how you acquired it."

Marcus understood a little, and he muttered, "It's all because of the Dark Lord."

"Voldemort? Just like people are afraid to say his name, he was able to take your family's wealth because he is stronger than you, stronger than most people. Think about it, improving your strength is what you need to do most."

"But I can't do anything." Marcus looked like he was about to cry again.

"Don't rush, I've devised a plan for you to become stronger. Next year, when you're in your third year, you'll be taking a course on protecting magical creatures!" Moriarty said earnestly. "You must study this course with all your might, because from this moment on, magical creatures will be linked to your entire life."

Marcus blinked, seemingly understanding but not quite. "Sir, that's all? I thought you were going to order me around, make me do some bad things..."

"Don't worry, Marcus," Moriarty laughed. "If you pledge allegiance to Voldemort, he will teach you fear and evil; if you maintain your association with the pure-blood families, the Flint family will be devoured; if you side with Dumbledore, he will teach you so-called courage and kindness."

But I am different. I will guide you on the path of magic, helping you become a qualified wizard. I don't need you to do anything for me, because simply becoming stronger is enough to help me.

After listening to all this, Marcus suddenly felt his brain was going to freeze. He scratched his head and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't understand."

Moriarty raised an eyebrow, at that moment he had a direct feeling about Spellcaster's performance in Potions class and expressed his understanding.

"When I say 'become stronger' and 'improve your strength,' I don't just mean how many spells you've learned or how many enemies you can defeat—I don't require you to do those things," Moriarty patiently explained. "In fact, I have a dragon egg, and I plan to start a dragon farm after it hatches."

Marcus opened his mouth wide but couldn't utter a word. Moriarty's expression turned solemn. He said, "Did you hear that? I'll give you some work to do, and even letting the Flint family manage my dragon farm isn't out of the question, provided you have the ability, Marcus."

"I...I heard you, sir." Marcus nodded excitedly, but Moriarty leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "No one knows about the dragon egg except you and me. You'd better not tell anyone until you've mastered your skills. If I find out you've told your old father or let the news spread, what do you think you'll get?"

Marcus quickly shook his head, and before he could pledge his loyalty, Moriarty said, "I believe you won't tell anyone, but you should also guard against malicious prying, such as Legilimency."

"Prefect Leon seems to have Legilimency! And Professor Snape too!" Marcus exclaimed, then explained, "I only support Prefect Leon, I'm not loyal to him."

"I know, I know," Moriarty's calm voice quieted Marcus down. He wiped away his tears. "Professor Snape won't pry into your mind. As for Leon, I'll find him something to do, so you can study without worry. Go to the library tonight to borrow some books."

“Yes, sir.” Marcus regained a bit of his energy and asked, “Besides learning about magical creatures, what else can I do? I mean, there’s more I can do.”

"In that case, stay calm and brave," Moriarty suddenly laughed. "Next, I will open the secret chamber and release the basilisk inside. Hmm, this is another secret that no one knows, so it is also your test. Let's see if you can pass it."

"What did you say? A snake, a basilisk!?" Marcus's hard-won composure was shattered in an instant.

"Yes," Moriarty said quite casually, "you heard me, so I told you to stay calm and brave."

"Yes, sir." Marcus looked at Moriarty with fear in his eyes.

"Very well, let's go," Moriarty said, leading the way to the castle, with Marcus following behind. On the way, Moriarty instructed him, "From now on, don't do those disgusting things anymore. You should understand that from the moment you pledged your allegiance to me, you have been different from everyone else."

Marcus answered loudly, "I assure you, sir!"

At this moment, Lilith and Jericho walked over. Jericho, seeing Marcus's respectful demeanor, knew what had happened.

"You'll learn a lot from Mr. Moriarty, and you'll soon find out. Tsk, it feels like you actually gained something even though you lost!"

He grinned and tiptoed, putting an arm around Marcus's neck to ease Marcus's awkwardness as a newcomer, as if he were Marcus's senior.

Moriarty glanced at him, his tone becoming more stern: "Jerico Blanche, come with me."

Jericho noticed that Moriarty addressed him by his full name, his expression changed, and he lowered his head and followed.

(End of this chapter)