Moriarty's two duels came to an end, leaving everyone amazed by his endless family magic while also admiring the eclectic Transfiguration skills displayed by both Moriarty and Charlie.
Of course, Tonks' Patronus was also eye-catching.
After witnessing such spectacular displays, many students felt too embarrassed to continue dueling. Seeing this, Professor Flitwick ended the session and asked everyone to submit a brief duel paper—just a single parchment was sufficient.
"Have you all heard of the All-British Wizarding Duel Tournament? How many of you—" Professor Flitwick's eyes scanned William, Leon, Charlie, Tonks, and Moriarty as he prepared to extend an invitation. "You are all qualified to participate. I dare say you could secure excellent placements."
Leon, who aspired to enter politics, decisively declined. Charlie also shook his head. "I'd be interested if it were a Fantastic Beasts competition."
The group exchanged glances at Charlie as if he had suggested something outlandish. How would one even compete in Fantastic Beasts? Perhaps only Hagrid would truly understand his enthusiasm.
William explained that he planned to travel after graduation, and Tonks stated that she would only participate if Moriarty did.
"What about you, Mr. Moriarty?" Professor Flitwick asked, looking at him expectantly.
"Professor," Moriarty replied ambiguously, "I'll be quite busy for a long time."
Professor Flitwick nodded, somewhat disappointed. He had hoped Moriarty would participate, but he also understood that Moriarty was not easily swayed by fame or competition.
Dumbledore had once told him that Moriarty was neither drawn to worldly pursuits nor particularly interested in school clubs.
In truth, this was one of the reasons Dumbledore had allowed Flitwick to establish the Dueling Club—to foster a connection with Moriarty.
Another reason was that Flitwick knew Moriarty was telling the truth.
Moriarty was genuinely busy—perfecting spells, refining potions, improving karaoke boots, managing the dragon farm, opening secret chambers… His responsibilities were overwhelming.
And that wasn't even considering the usual school events, such as the upcoming Quidditch match in two days.
Thanks to Moriarty's formidable personal strength, the Slytherin team rarely needed pre-match training, which also reduced the likelihood of conflicts with Gryffindor.
In the locker room before the game, William chuckled as he addressed the team. "In the past, when the Gryffindor team trained, they often ended up in the hospital wing. And if it was the Slytherin team training, Gryffindor would show up, leading to fights back and forth."
"Captain William," Jericho interjected, "rather than the match, we're more curious—who won the duel between you and Prefect Leon?"
William and Leon exchanged glances and shook their heads. William simply told Jericho, "Once we duel, the outcome doesn't really matter."
Unsatisfied, Jericho pressed for more details, only to be dragged out of the locker room by Moriarty. The match was about to begin.
As the silver whistle blew and the players mounted their brooms, Moriarty heard the system's notification once again: "Mission issued: Defeat Ravenclaw within forty minutes! Reward: 200 points. Mission failure penalty: The host must wear Jericho's underwear and fly three laps around the pitch."
Moriarty was accustomed to these peculiar punishments whenever he played Quidditch, so he didn't dwell on it.
The match against Ravenclaw was over swiftly. Moriarty caught the Snitch in just 30 minutes, sealing a 160-0 victory.
The commentator, Tonks, lavished praise on Moriarty without hesitation, while Penelope Clearwater rushed over to congratulate him.
Moriarty asked her who had the upper hand in her duel with Lilith.
Penelope admitted that Lilith had the advantage, but Moriarty noticed that she showed no signs of disappointment. She simply smiled and ran off.
By the second week of December, the heads of houses were compiling lists of students who would remain at Hogwarts for Christmas.
Marcus and Jericho were among those staying, while Moriarty, Lilith, Keith, and others planned to return home for the holiday.
Noticing Marcus and Jericho sitting dejectedly in the corner of the common room, Moriarty invited them to Slytherin Castle for Christmas.
"Are you serious?" Jericho jumped up. "We? In Slytherin Castle?"
"Of course," Moriarty responded with a smile.
On December 25th, while Hogwarts held a Christmas feast for the students and staff, Moriarty led his companions back to his family's castle in Bristol.
Luke and Ingo were already waiting on the silver stone road, accompanied by house-elves. "Welcome home, young master!" they greeted, bowing deeply.
Having not seen them for several months, Moriarty noticed that both the house-elves and goblins had grown noticeably plumper.
"Luke, take Marcus and Jericho to choose rooms. They'll be our guests for the holidays," Moriarty instructed. "Ingo, come with me."
Ingo seemed to anticipate what Moriarty was planning. He whispered, "Lockhart is waiting for you in the second-floor basement."
Moriarty proceeded directly to the basement, and as he neared the secret chamber's door, he heard Lockhart's enthusiastic voice: "Master Moriarty, your most loyal servant, Gilderoy Lockhart, reporting for duty!"
Stepping inside, Moriarty immediately spotted Lockhart, who greeted him with an exaggerated servant's bow. He had evidently been practicing noble etiquette, though he lacked the natural talent for it.
"Enough of that," Moriarty said, conjuring two chairs. "Let's get down to business."
Before even sitting down, Lockhart anxiously blurted out, "Master, something is wrong! Dumbledore is watching me! It's unbelievable—I swear he never paid me any attention before. Something's off!"
For the next hour, Moriarty and Lockhart discussed the latest developments in the British wizarding world.
Suddenly, a faint clicking sound echoed through the chamber, drawing their attention.
"It's a dragon egg!" Moriarty's eyes locked onto the high platform.
There lay two eggs—the Undying Phoenix Egg and a dragon egg. The latter now had a deep crack forming on its surface, something shifting inside. Lockhart hurriedly moved the Undying Phoenix Egg aside, holding his breath as he watched.
With a sharp cracking noise, the shell split open.
A small dragon emerged, swaying unsteadily on the platform.
It wasn't particularly majestic—its body resembled a crumpled black umbrella, and its spiny wings were disproportionately large compared to its thin, brassy frame.
However, its scales were remarkably smooth, with a black ridge running down its back. It had an elongated snout, a pair of small horns, and dark red eyes that bulged slightly outward.
"Puff, puff."
The baby dragon sneezed twice, releasing tiny sparks that revealed its sharp, slender teeth.
"A Peruvian Vipertooth! A five-star dangerous magical creature," Moriarty warned, slapping Lockhart's hand away as he reached for it. "Don't be fooled by its small size—its bite is highly venomous. Even Merlin wouldn't be able to save you."
Lockhart turned pale. "Oh, Master… in that case, what do we do with it?"
"Let's call it 'Christmas'! We'll use it to establish a dragon farm," Moriarty declared, his eyes gleaming. "Dumbledore has started suspecting our connection. It's time to give him something else to focus on.
Aside from Voldemort, pure-blood families can also pose a challenge for Dumbledore. While their interference is limited, as long as he's distracted, we gain more room to maneuver."
Lockhart pondered. "The Flint family, then?"
"Yes. Marcus is their heir. If he proves his absolute loyalty to me, I'll entrust them with dragon-related industries," Moriarty explained. "It's time we began maneuvering the pure-blood families. And you—keep up your persona. Next year… I'll have a surprise for you."