Playing Order: Tonks, Lady Malfoy, Gemma, Penelope, Diana, Fleur.
It was Fleur's turn.
She glanced at her cards, then shook her head, "I'm not playing."
Tonks immediately slapped down her hand. "Four Jacks!"
The girls' eyes sharpened with understanding.
Tonks was definitely a farmer—confirmed.
Now, anyone who dared to beat her would almost certainly be a secret landlord!
Fleur's fingers trembled slightly, gripping her cards tightly, then releasing. Usually, the hidden landlord wouldn't play now.
But—
"Four Kings."
Lady Malfoy coolly tossed her cards down, her voice casual, yet decisive.
"Are you going to keep playing?"
Tonks' expression soured. Her lips curled into a sneer as she stared at Narcissa.
"No."
Narcissa shrugged, unbothered. "Suit yourself."
"Brilliant. Just brilliant." Tonks turned her body away from her aunt, her voice laced with bitterness.
What a bloody aunt.
What a charming pure-blooded witch.
What a disgrace to the noble Black family.
To hell with it, Tonks thought bitterly. Pure-blood women were just... impossible to rely on.
The others didn't have such complicated feelings. They simply thought Narcissa wasn't good at cards.
Fleur, however, silently cursed in French. If Narcissa really was the last hidden landlord, that meant her own team consisted of Diana and Narcissa.
Merlin's beard!
A seductive professor and an overconfident aunt?
Fleur wanted to cry. She glanced down at her frilly white Lolita dress. If they lost, she'd be stripping to her knickers in front of the others…
The two remaining farmers—Tonks and Penelope—chuckled inwardly. The more clueless Lady Malfoy seemed, the more confident they became.
Only Penelope still had doubts. Narcissa's actions didn't sit right with her. Was she really that clueless?
The game continued.
Lady Malfoy played, "Five, five, six, six, seven, seven."
A double sequence.
Penelope narrowed her eyes. That wasn't a move a rookie would make.
Gemma played next, "Eight, eight, nine, nine, ten, ten."
Reasonable. Definitely a farmer.
"I'm passing," Penelope said quietly.
Diana and Fleur followed, both shaking their heads.
Then came Lady Malfoy again. "Three."
Just a single card?
Diana frowned. She was holding a pair and couldn't respond.
"I pass," she said flatly.
Surely Narcissa saw through that. If Diana didn't play a single, she was likely holding pairs or a sequence.
But Lady Malfoy showed no signs of noticing and kept playing singles.
Diana shook her head, fuming. She's utterly useless!
A few more rounds passed. Tension built, and strategies became more cautious. Everyone watched their plays carefully.
Except Narcissa, who continued dropping cards like a chaotic breeze.
"Six sevens!" Tonks growled, slamming her cards onto the bed. "Anyone got something? Come on!"
She glanced challengingly at everyone.
"I'll play seven nines!" Fleur declared defiantly.
Penelope immediately narrowed her eyes.
That confirmed it. Fleur was the hidden landlord.
And that meant: only three nines remained.
"Fine, whatever," Tonks muttered. "I'm still after you in the order. Let's see what happens."
Fleur blinked, catching the implication.
Oh no... she baited me!
Still, Fleur followed through, playing her pair.
Diana seemed pleased, following her with another pair.
"Yes, four."
"Yes, five."
"Yes, nine."
"Yes, ten."
The round went on, and Diana successfully cleared four more cards.
Penelope and Tonks, recognizing the threat, shifted their attention toward Diana.
As the game intensified, Diana and Fleur played their Aces, and Diana added two sequences. She was down to her final card.
The farmers began to panic.
If Diana played her final card, the game would be declared a landlord win—even if they weren't out.
They looked expectantly at Narcissa.
When will she drop that Ace of Diamonds?
But Narcissa remained serene, playing as if she had all the time in the world.
Then, it was Diana's turn again.
She smirked.
"Double jokers. Boom."
She laid down the black and red Jokers triumphantly.
Gasps and squeals erupted.
"She's got one card left!"
Penelope bit her lip. Diana had been hiding the biggest combo the whole time. Just like a true Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"If no one stops me, I win~" Diana teased, fluttering her lashes at the farmers. "Time to start stripping!"
She raised her final card.
But just before it touched the bed—
"Wait." Narcissa's voice rang out like a spell. "I'm playing."
"You?" Diana scoffed. "Why? If I play my card, we tie at worst."
Narcissa's smile turned razor-sharp. "Perhaps you've forgotten who's actually on your team."
She placed her cards on the bed.
"Six twos."
Everyone froze.
"Wait, WHAT!?" Diana leapt to her feet. "You're a farmer?!"
Narcissa covered her face coyly with a remaining card, her eyes glittering.
"What do you think?"
"You… tricked us?" Tonks stared at her with wide eyes.
"I never played my Ace," Narcissa purred. "That should have been a hint."
Diana looked horrified, the realization dawning fully.
"You let us think you were with us—you blocked Tonks, fumbled cards, acted clueless…"
"Precisely." Narcissa's tone was smug, victorious. "I wanted you relaxed, complacent. I played the long game."
Penelope gave a slow, resigned sigh. She'd known something was off—but hadn't trusted her gut.
Tonks looked at her aunt with newfound admiration.
"I underestimated you," she admitted.
Narcissa sat straight, exuding elegance, only smirking when her eyes met Diana's.
"In a card game, strategy matters more than power. But you wouldn't understand, my dear elf professor."
Diana seethed. Her rage visibly burned behind her eyes.
Penelope panicked slightly. "We agreed—no fighting, win or lose."
Narcissa raised an eyebrow, amused. "She only has one card left. It's over. Fold now and save face."
Diana's lips curled into a dangerous smile.
"Why should I fold?" she whispered coldly. "I still have one teammate left."
Her gaze swung toward Gemma.
Everyone followed.
If Narcissa was a farmer, that left Gemma as the final secret landlord.
But Gemma gave a small, apologetic smile. "I'm not playing this round. Go on."
Fleur and Diana looked desperate.
"You… Gemma…" Diana stammered.
Narcissa cut in gleefully. "Gemma admitted early on that her hand was weak. She can't hold my cards."
She leaned forward. "From the moment you drew, I knew what your last card was."
"You… what?"
"Eleven nines have been played," Penelope murmured, realization hitting her.
"That means Diana's last card… is a nine."
"You planned all of this!" Fleur hissed, eyeing Narcissa warily.
Narcissa neither confirmed nor denied it. She looked positively delighted.
"Gemma has plenty of clothes on. But you two—Diana and Fleur—you're down to your last skirts."
"We're not giving up!" Fleur snapped, her cheeks flushed.
The game continued.
With Diana out of useful cards and Gemma unable to defend, Narcissa seized the lead and dominated the table.
Fleur couldn't hold the line alone, and Penelope ended up discarding her last card shortly after.
Tonks finished last.
Diana never got to play her final card.
The peasants had won—utterly and completely.
"The terms were clear…" Narcissa said, standing. She fixed the defeated landlords with a cool, smug look. "Strip. Now."
Diana rose first, her toned figure the epitome of grace.
"Fine," she said, spinning in place. "I'll go first."
With a practiced motion, she slipped off her crystal heels, letting them clatter to the floor.
Her bare feet were smooth and flawless, and she sat down again with poise.
Fleur and Gemma followed suit, both removing their footwear.
Tonks scowled.
"Shoes? That's it?!"
"Why not?" Fleur said with a shrug. "Shoes are clothes."
"I'm wearing slippers," Tonks muttered. "Didn't even change when we came in…"
"My bad~"
"Alright!" Diana shouted, picking up the cards. "Next round!"
Narcissa smiled coolly. "Want revenge? Go ahead. I'm ready."
But this time, the girls were prepared.
For hiding too well in the last game, Narcissa quickly became everyone's target.