Chapter 106: After-Class Tutoring
The Room of Requirement.
Tamara stood frozen, her jaw locked so tightly her teeth ached. The expression on her face was dark enough to summon a thunderstorm.
These damn, persistent tagalongs!
She had been so entirely consumed by tracking the faint, intoxicating fluctuations of the Horcrux that she had completely failed to notice these three Gryffindor idiots tailing her under their Invisibility Cloak.
"How did you get in?" Tamara asked. The words did not merely leave her mouth; they were forcefully squeezed through her gritted teeth, dripping with a venom she was barely managing to suppress.
"The door wasn't fully closed yet."
Ron poked his head out from behind Harry, shrugging as if infiltrating her private sanctuary was the most natural thing in the world. Hermione pulled the shimmering, silvery fabric of the cloak off their shoulders, looking entirely too pleased with herself.
"We were following you under the cloak," Ron continued. "When we saw you push the door open, Harry quickly grabbed the brass handle before the entrance could vanish into the brickwork..."
"We were worried you'd run into danger out here all alone!" Harry added quickly, his green eyes wide and utterly sincere beneath his messy fringe.
Tamara took a slow, deep breath. Her chest rose and fell as she fought off the hysterical urge to laugh from pure, unadulterated rage.
She stared at the three fools standing before her. Their faces practically screamed, 'We are doing this for your own good!' It took every ounce of her legendary willpower not to draw her wand and hit each of them with a point-blank Cruciatus Curse.
This was the Room of Requirement. One of Hogwarts' deepest, most deep secrets. A magical anomaly that countless brilliant witches and wizards had failed to uncover over the centuries. And now, this sacred gateway to her soul's treasure trove had been breached in the most primitive, clumsy way possible by a trio of stalkers who lacked even a shred of common magical sense.
Just as Tamara's fingers curled around the smooth wood of her wand, preparing to use her newly unlocked Confundus Charm to scramble their brains and physically throw them into the corridor...
BANG.
The heavy wooden door, which had not yet merged back into the stone wall, was violently kicked open.
"Potter! I knew you were up to no good, sneaking around the corridors like that!"
An arrogant, thoroughly grating voice echoed through the room. Draco Malfoy strode in aggressively, flanked by Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle. They marched in from the other end of the corridor, looking like a pack of triumphant kneazles.
"We saw the three of you acting suspiciously downstairs before you suddenly vanished into thin air. Turns out you were stalking Tamara!" Draco pointed an accusatory finger at Harry, his chest puffed out with righteous indignation. But the moment he turned his pale eyes toward Tamara, his haughty tone instantly dissolved into something incredibly hurt and resentful.
"Tamara! Why didn't you bring us along to explore such a mysterious place? Instead, you let these Gryffindor idiots follow at your heels like stray dogs?"
A vein throbbed violently at Tamara's temple. Once. Twice.
"I didn't bring them," Tamara stated, her voice dropping to a glacial temperature.
"Then why are they here?!" Draco shouted defiantly, glaring daggers at the Gryffindor trio.
Ron roared back, his ears turning violently red as he refused to be outdone. "Who knows what you slimy Slytherins are up to! Probably plotting something dark!"
"How dare you say we're up to something, you filthy blood traitor?!" Pansy shrieked, her hand flying to her pockets.
Tamara felt a sudden, suffocating tightness in her chest. She was genuinely having trouble breathing.
"What's that sound?"
Before the Gryffindors and Slytherins could draw their wands and turn the room into a battlefield, a light, airy voice drifted in from the open doorway.
Luna Lovegood floated inside, her radish-like Dirigible plum earrings swaying gently against her blonde hair. She looked around the tense room with wide, unblinking eyes.
Behind her shuffled a bewildered-looking Hannah Abbott and a highly uncomfortable Neville Longbottom.
"Sorry... we saw you all coming up here... so we followed to see what was happening," Hannah explained timidly, shrinking back slightly under the collective glare of the room.
Tamara stared blankly. Her mind flatlined.
She looked at this bizarre, chaotic gathering where Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff had all converged in one spot.
She just wanted to quietly retrieve her Horcrux. That was it. A simple, solitary task.
Why did it turn out like this?
The answer manifested a moment later. Because there were simply too many people present, and everyone's 'need' upon entering the room was entirely different. The ancient magic of the Room of Requirement had clearly fallen into a state of logical confusion.
To satisfy everyone's complex and conflicting wishes—'find Tamara', 'find a place to hang out', 'find lost shoes', and 'wanting to study'—the towering piles of hidden junk in the room began to automatically shift and grind aside.
Dust billowed into the air. In the middle of the newly cleared space, several large mahogany desks materialized out of thin air, followed by a dozen comfortable, plush armchairs. A pair of ratty old shoes dropped onto the floor with a dull thud, and finally, a massive slate blackboard covered in complex runic formulas slammed into place against the far wall.
The Room of Hidden Things had been forcibly twisted by the chaotic wishes of these brats into a fully equipped, high-end after-school tutoring center.
"Wow! This place is amazing!" Hermione gasped, her eyes lighting up as she ran her hands over the polished mahogany desks. "It's the perfect place to study!"
"Move it, Weasley."
Draco unceremoniously shoved Ron aside with his shoulder, marching forward to naturally claim the desk closest to Tamara. He tilted his chin up, his voice dripping with unmistakable superiority. "I knew it, Tamara. You must have thought the idiots outside were too noisy, so you specifically created this secret base for us, right?"
[Ding! Epic cross-house academic exchange gathering detected!]
The System's damn voice exploded in Tamara's mind. It was accompanied by the obnoxious, imaginary sound of popping fireworks and a celebratory joy that made her want to vomit.
[What a touching scene! With your personal charm, you have broken the ancient barriers between houses and united the future of Hogwarts!]
[Triggered Task: The Great Ruler and Mentor.]
[Task Requirement: Please comply with everyone's wishes and provide a half-hour after-school tutoring session in this room full of thirst for knowledge.]
[Task Reward: Wisdom +2, Love +2, massive increase in favorability from everyone present.]
[Penalty: You will be forced to wear a fluffy bunny-ear headband, give every student present a ten-second affectionate hug, and shout: "Friendship is magic! We are all one big loving family!"]
Tamara stood rooted to the spot, feeling her soul begin to fracture.
She slowly lifted her gaze. Less than ten meters away, resting quietly atop the chipped stone bust of an old warlock, sat the tarnished silver Diadem containing a precious fragment of her soul.
It was right there. Within arm's reach.
But even if she ignored the horrifying, dignity-destroying penalty hanging over her head, Tamara could not possibly retrieve her Horcrux in front of an audience of eleven students. If she acted now, exposing her true nature and dark magic, there was a ninety-nine percent probability Albus Dumbledore would have her locked in a solitary, Dementor-guarded cell in Azkaban before breakfast tomorrow.
"...You lot."
Tamara took a slow, agonizingly deep breath, taking the burning urge to slaughter every single person in this room and burying it deep, deep into the darkest recesses of her heart.
She slowly turned around. Her facial muscles twitched as she forced a smile. It was a flawless, angelic curve of the lips, yet the temperature in her eyes was cold enough to freeze blood.
"Since you are all so... studious."
She walked gracefully toward the blackboard, sliding her wand from her sleeve. She tapped the slate board sharply, the wood emitting a crisp, echoing crack that instantly silenced the room.
"Then everyone sit down."
The students scrambled to obey, unnerved by the sudden drop in room temperature.
"Today, we will review several common, fatal misconceptions in 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2'."
For the next half hour, the Room of Requirement transformed into a crucible.
For all the students present, this was undoubtedly the most terrifying, high-pressure, yet intensely practical lesson of their short lives. Tamara converted every ounce of her murderous resentment toward these idiots who had ruined her grand plan into pure, concentrated academic sarcasm.
"Potter, your magical output is as disciplined as a punctured Bludger. If your goal is to spontaneously combust on the battlefield, by all means, feel free to keep waving your wand like a baboon with a stick."
Harry flushed crimson, his quill snapping in his grip.
"Malfoy, put away your groundless superiority. Your Transfiguration basics are exactly like the white peacocks your family keeps on their lawn—aside from strutting around and showing off everywhere, there isn't a single bit of actual substance inside your head."
Draco flinched, his pale face turning a mottled pink as he stared down at his parchment.
"Granger, rote memorization will not save your life when a curse is flying at your face. Magic is alive, breathing, and volatile! It is not the dead ink rotting inside your library books!"
Hermione's mouth opened, then closed, her eyes wide as she furiously scribbled down the critique.
"And you, Lovegood! Put away those invisible bugs in your head. Magic is a tool for controlling life and death, shaping reality itself, not a toy for your daydreaming!"
Luna blinked, her dreamy smile faltering slightly as she sat up straighter.
"Abbott, put away that pitiful expression of a frightened rabbit! If an enemy's Jinx comes tearing at your throat, do you plan to drown them with your tears?!"
She went all out. She mercilessly tore apart Gryffindor's brainless recklessness, Slytherin's hollow arrogance, Hufflepuff's pathetic weakness, and Ravenclaw's impractical whimsy. She paced the room like a predator, her voice a whip that cracked over their heads.
Yet, despite the brutality of her words, every single point she made was incredibly insightful. She struck at the absolute core of their magical flaws, making it impossible for any of them to argue back. They could only take notes frantically, cold sweat beading on their foreheads as they absorbed knowledge far beyond their year level.
Half an hour later.
[Ding! Task completed!]
[Rewards issued.]
[Current attribute panel updated:]
[Wisdom: 35]
[Courage: 32]
[Love: 23]
[Life: 19]
[System Evaluation: What a hearty teaching session! Although your words were harsh, everyone deeply felt your deep love that stems from wishing they would do better!]
'Shut up.'
Tamara ruthlessly cut off the System's cheerful noise in her mind.
"Class dismissed."
She coldly dropped those two words into the heavy silence, not sparing a single glance at the eleven students who were sitting dazed and exhausted from her relentless lecturing.
She turned around. At the very last moment before stepping out of the Room of Requirement, she paused.
Her gaze passed through the crowd of heads, locking onto the pile of junk in the distance. Her eyes were deeply longing, yet incredibly sinister as they rested on the Diadem.
'Wait for me.'She spoke to that silent soul fragment through gritted teeth in her heart.'Sooner or later, I will kill all these idiots hindering me, and then I will come for you.'
With that vow echoing in her mind, she swept her black robes sharply and strode out of the room, her chest still tight with unvented rage.
She left behind a room full of young witches and wizards still thoroughly immersed in the aftershocks of their academic awakening.
"She's amazing..." Harry swallowed hard, staring at the empty doorway. "Even though she was terrifyingly harsh, I feel like I actually understand the Disarming Charm now."
"That's Tamara for you." Draco lifted his chin, looking immensely proud by association, completely ignoring the fact that he had just been compared to a brainless peacock. "Only she is worthy of teaching us."
Meanwhile, high up in the Headmaster's office.
Albus Dumbledore sat behind his grand desk, his fingers steepled together as he listened to the hushed reports from several old Headmasters in the portraits lining the walls. The silver instruments on his desk whirred and puffed tiny clouds of smoke into the cozy room.
"You're saying Miss Riddle gathered students from all four houses in that hidden room on the eighth floor..."
Dumbledore stroked his long silver beard, raising a white eyebrow in genuine surprise.
"And is giving them extracurricular tutoring?"
"Yes, Albus! It was a brilliantly structured lecture!" one of the old Headmasters in a powdered wig exclaimed in admiration, adjusting his painted spectacles.
"Not only did she show no favoritism toward Slytherin, but she also sternly lectured the children from all four houses equally. Everyone seemed quite impressed by her dedication."
The sliver of cold suspicion that had arisen in Dumbledore's blue eyes over the past few weeks due to Tamara's secretive, isolated movements now melted away like spring snow.
"Breaking down house barriers, sharing knowledge, progressing together..."
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, a warm, deeply gratified smile spreading across his wrinkled face.
"It seems my previous suspicions of her were indeed just an old man's foolish prejudice."
He gazed out the window toward the Hogwarts grounds, his eyes twinkling softly.
"She really is... a good child, full of love and unity."
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