"Bang!"
Moriarty heard the sound of his book and the object falling to the ground at the same time, and the man who fell stood up and ran, leaving the book behind.
"Lilith!" Moriarty called softly, and the figure suddenly stopped and turned around slowly, revealing a delicate face with blonde hair and black eyes. It was Lilith.
Jericho approached, surprised: "Pilivik? Why are you here?"
"Shouldn't it be you answering that question?" Lilith stared at Jericho intently but avoided Moriarty's eyes, as if her aggressiveness only worked when facing Jericho.
"Miranda Goshak's Book of Spells – the pages about the Illusionary Charm are wrinkled." Moriarty picked up the book that Lilith had left behind and said playfully, "It seems our goals are the same."
Jericho also examined the book and then looked at Lilith in surprise. "You've read this book multiple times. When did you start?"
Lilith rolled her eyes at him. "Listening to your tone, I thought you were Mrs. Pince from the library."
"Tsk tsk, how amazing," Jericho sneered, imitating Lilith's tone. "I'm afraid no one except Mr. Moriarty and me knows that you sneak into the restricted section every night! Applaud for our excellent Miss Pilivik! She's as stealthy as a little snake—aha, like a Slytherin serpent."
"Thank you, Mr. Blanche, for your compliment," Lilith replied casually, then set her eyes on Moriarty. "So, you're also here to learn the Illusionary Charm? Why don't we… I mean, we can study together."
Moriarty nodded in agreement. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's copy down the Illusory Body Charm and leave."
Afraid of being discovered, Jericho and Lilith quieted down. The three of them quickly copied the spell, exchanged glances, and nodded tacitly. "Let's go back to the dormitory."
After returning to the Slytherin common room, Lilith suddenly asked, "Mr. Moriarty, how did you recognize that person as me?"
Moriarty's face changed slightly. "When we bumped into each other, I smelled the scent of Bird Snake Egg Yolk Shampoo. It's the same scent you had when we first met."
"Is that so?" Lilith unconsciously stroked her blonde hair. "That scent could be yours too. I remember that you and I use the same shampoo."
Moriarty looked at her strangely. After speaking, Lilith realized her question was foolish, and her face flushed. Both of them felt a bit embarrassed and soon went their separate ways.
The next morning, Moriarty went to the Room of Requirement as usual. Tonks had a preliminary idea for the space magic circle.
"Listen to me, Moriarty. I think we need to engrave a permanently solidified large-scale memory spell alongside the runes in the magic circle. The number of runes will vary depending on the weight and number of transmissions."
Tonks rubbed her temples with both hands, frowning. "And we don't know how the runes should be structured for space magic, nor whether Latin runes alone will suffice. There might be other obscure magical elements needed!"
Finally, Tonks looked up at Moriarty with concern. "Five months is too little time. I'm worried we won't complete the task you set."
Moriarty thought seriously and said, "Give me the runes. You will focus on learning the fixed-word spell, and I'll have Jericho learn the memory spell. As for engraving the magic circle, I'll find someone else to help."
Tonks pouted and nodded. While it was good that her workload was shared, she seemed a bit disappointed.
Moriarty didn't notice her mood. His mind was occupied with runes until Marcus spoke to him at dinner.
"Master, I told my father about recent events. He is willing to lead the family in swearing allegiance to you. Here is the family crest and lineage records he sent."
Marcus discreetly handed Moriarty a triangular badge. He also wanted to give him the family tree, but Moriarty declined.
Studying the Flint family's lineage wasn't necessary; only the Slytherin lineage mattered to him.
The badge felt rough, possibly due to the Flint family's decline, with dust and scratches marking its dark surface. However, the Flint family's symbol—a winter flint resembling a small fireball—shone brightly on the badge, as if illuminating the last hope of the family.
Moriarty grasped Marcus's clenched hands, took out a prepared letter from his system space, and placed it in Marcus's palm along with the badge.
"Remember this day, January 16—the day the Flint family rises again! Deliver the letter to your father, and he'll know what to do."
That evening, Old Flint followed the instructions in the letter, taking his remaining funds to a small town in Romania.
There, he met Lockhart. Initially, Old Flint assumed Lockhart was in Romania for writing material. But when Lockhart enthusiastically led him into a villa, where he saw a baby dragon, his expression changed drastically.
"Merlin!" Old Flint pointed at Lockhart. "You have a dragon! So you are the one the young master sent to connect with me?"
"Surprise!" Lockhart grinned before turning serious. "Time is short. Let's keep it brief. The young master sent you to develop a dragon-rearing industry. Officially, we're partners, but in reality, I'll provide the funds, help you make connections with local influential figures, and clear any obstacles."
Hearing this, Old Flint straightened his back, his eyes flashing with ambition. "The young master wants me to establish a dragon farm, then expand into a fire dragon viewing garden, a dragon knight experience center, and a company specializing in rare dragon materials—Dragon Valley!
No one has ever built such a comprehensive dragon-rearing industry. If the young master's vision is realized, we won't lack money for centuries.
But we only have one dragon now. I'll be honest, the Flint family lacks the funds to acquire more."
Old Flint glanced at the baby dragon, which bared its fangs at him.
"That doesn't matter. In a few days, we'll have dozens or even hundreds of dragons!" Lockhart declared, drawing his wand. The wooden floor beneath them transformed into gleaming golden bricks.
Old Flint took a deep breath and knelt on the golden floor in awe.
"Haha, old man! Romania is rich in fire dragons. We start operations tomorrow!" Lockhart lifted Old Flint, offering him a bottle of butterbeer.
"Cheers! Haha!"