In the evening, Victor woke up in his armchair. Daphne was already gone — apparently, while he slept, overcome by exhaustion, she had quietly slipped away so as not to disturb him, thoughtfully covering him with a warm blanket.
Victor stood up and stretched. Remembering everything he'd done that day, he shook his head with a smile. Due to the sudden mood swings and emotional burnout, he had felt as if he were on some kind of high.
— Well, what's done is done, — Victor muttered. — The main thing is to keep my little sister from finding out. I don't think the kid is ready for this kind of news yet.
As if on cue, the door opened. Victor snapped his head toward the sound.
— Victor, you need to eat, — Adele said, stepping into the room. In one hand she held a tray of food, and in the other, a violin case.
Victor's eyebrow twitched nervously.
— You won't believe this, but I was just thinking about you.
Adele responded with a cold, expressionless nod. She walked to the table and set down the tray. Noticing the gallery of painted Sharingans on the wall and the two massive eyes in the center, she merely frowned and gave a slight shake of her head before turning her gaze back to her brother.
— Eat, — she commanded in a frigid tone.
Victor involuntarily tensed. A wild thought flashed through his mind: Does she already know? Even though he often said he adored his sister's yandere side, it didn't mean he was ready to part with any vital organs. Glancing at the case in her hands, he began to tremble for real, already imagining her pulling out a meat cleaver and politely asking him to take off his pants.
— What's the violin for? — he asked as naturally as possible, though in his heart he was praying to every god that there was an actual musical instrument inside.
Adele placed the case on the bed and flicked the latches. Victor focused his "sight" on her, ready to bolt, but his fears proved groundless. He let out a silent breath of relief and broke into a grin.
— Sweetheart, did you actually learn to play just for me? Do you want to perform something for your favorite brother?
Adele nodded silently. She stepped close to him, tucked the violin under her chin, and slowly drew the bow across the strings. A screeching, soul-rending rasp erupted right by Victor's ear. With his heightened hearing, it sounded like a symphony straight from hell. Victor winced instinctively.
Adele pulled the bow away and, rising on her tiptoes, whispered into his ear in a bone-chilling voice:
— If I ever find out you've been hanging around that bitch Astoria again, I won't just arrange an "accident" with a cauldron in class... I will make sure she disappears forever.
Victor froze for a second, then burst into a cheerful laugh:
— You know, killing someone is one thing. But making them vanish without a trace within the school walls while staying above suspicion — that's a much harder task.
Adele gave a thin smile:
— Don't worry. I've already figured it out. It'll look like she was eaten by the monster from the Chamber of Secrets.
Victor nodded approvingly, still smiling:
— Great idea. I'd have done the same.
He hugged her affectionately, pulling her close:
— That's right, dear. These cunning girls are always trying to take advantage of my innocence. If you ever hear rumors about me and another girl — just know, I'm the victim. It's all their schemes.
As he stroked his sister's hair, he mentally apologized to Daphne: Sorry, darling. I can always find more assistants, but I only have one set of "manhood," and I can't afford to lose it.
— So, will you play for your brother? — he asked, sitting down and grabbing a fork.
Adele paused, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. Something felt off about Victor's words. But in the end, she just sighed heavily, brought the violin to her chin, and began to play.
Victor ate slowly, listening to the gentle flow of the music. He truly didn't understand why he hadn't realized the depth and charm of classical motifs before. Now, in his current state, every sound seemed tangible, weaving into the overall picture of his new perception. After finishing, he neatly wiped his mouth with a napkin and focused entirely on the music.
When Adele finished playing and the last sound faded into the silence of the room, Victor sincerely applauded.
— Sweetheart, that was truly beautiful.
— Thank you, — Adele tilted her head slightly. — I haven't picked up a violin in a long time, but it seems I haven't lost my touch.
Victor stood up and reached out. Adele obediently handed him the instrument. He gently touched the lacquered wood, feeling its texture, and carefully plucked the strings. A quiet, clear ring resonated deep inside. Victor smiled:
— Will you teach me how to play too?
In the morning, Victor woke up and, trying not to wake Adele too abruptly — since she had stayed to sleep in his room — he stepped out into the corridor. Daphne, spotting his figure, immediately ducked into one of the dorms. Victor felt her movement but didn't call out; he understood perfectly well that she was too embarrassed after yesterday.
The other Slytherins scrambled into corners as well, and those who didn't manage to hide stood frozen, afraid to even breathe. Looking at this silent scene, Victor smiled contentedly. He definitely enjoyed the reverence, bordering on terror, that he inspired.
— Good morning, everyone! — he announced loudly. — Come out, don't be afraid. I'd like to apologize: I've been taking my foul mood out on you all week. Everything's fine now, I've calmed down, so you can go back to acting like yourselves. Thanks for your attention, I'm done.
Leaving the house in a state of mild shock, he returned to his room. The Slytherins began to exchange glances and finally exhaled in unison — the last few days had been a living hell, with everyone sitting quieter than water even on the weekends, fearing his wrath.
Victor went to the bed and began to gently nudge his sister.
— Mmm... Luna, go away, let me sleep a bit more... — Adele muttered, her eyes still closed.
— And I always wondered how my lazy sister manages never to be late for breakfast, — Victor chuckled. — Turns out you've got yourself a different alarm clock.
Hearing her brother's voice, Adele finally opened her sleepy eyes and pouted crossly at him.
— What? You're sulking already, and I haven't even had time to do anything wrong yet.
— Liar, — she said curtly.
— Liar? Why's that? — he asked, genuinely surprised.
— Why make me teach you if you already know how to play?
Victor laughed and, flopping onto the bed, pulled his sister toward him.
— I really didn't know how to play until last night. I'm just a genius monster: whatever I take up, I do perfectly. Especially the violin... It's only four strings and a bow, not that hard to figure out. — He stroked her back gently. — Now get up, or we'll be late for breakfast. And leave the violin here. I enjoyed playing.
At the Slytherin table, all eyes were on Victor. Waves of whispers rolled through the Great Hall.
— I heard him say it myself this morning!
— I even saw him smiling today...
— Smiling? Like, for real?
— Finally! This week was unbearable, I didn't even want to go back to the common room.
— That's nothing... George had no luck at all. He's still walking around pale. And when they ask him what he saw in that room, he just starts shaking and goes quiet.
Jemma Farley, listening to the conversations, smirked:
— Do you hear how happy they are? As soon as your mood improved, everyone exhaled. All week the house was jumpy and suppressed. I even thought Slytherin had returned to those dark times before you were here.
Victor calmly continued his breakfast.
— I realized long ago that I bring joy and light to people, — he replied unperturbedly.
— You meant to say — depression? — Astoria chimed in. — Everyone was miserable because of you.
Victor shook his head condescendingly:
— Not at all. They were in that state because they sincerely worried about me. And my sunny smile this morning scattered the gray clouds, giving them a reason to live on.
Jemma and Astoria rolled their eyes in unison.
— By the way, where is my dear assistant? — Victor suddenly asked.
Astoria shrugged:
— Don't know. She said she wasn't hungry.
Victor frowned. He definitely needed to catch this shy girl and talk to her. She wasn't planning on avoiding him until the end of the year, was she?
— Fine, I'll go hunt your sister down. This girl has gotten completely lazy.
He stood up and began to feel for his cane.
— Ow! Why did you pinch me?! — Astoria squeaked, rubbing her side.
— Sorry, — he smiled, feeling the handle. — I was looking for my cane.
But as soon as he stepped away from the table, the smile vanished. He froze, turning his head toward the Gryffindor table. If not for the bandage, everyone would have seen his fixed gaze on Ginny Weasley. If he felt the auras of other students brightly, her presence was barely perceptible, weak. Even though she should have gotten rid of the diary long ago, the recovery was going too slowly.
Victor moved slowly toward the exit. A small part of his soul burned with the desire to study this phenomenon, maybe even experiment with creating a Horcrux. But common sense whispered: stay away. He wasn't interested in eternal life — he was driven by pure, cold curiosity. Maybe he was too young or too confident, but one thing Victor knew for sure: he wasn't afraid of death at all.
Daphne walked down the corridor, clutching her books. Her expression was pensive, and a dreamy, almost silly smile played on her lips. As she rounded a corner, she nearly knocked someone over. Frowning, she looked up at the culprit and instantly turned beet-red.
— My dear assistant, tell me, why must I hunt you down all over the school? Are you avoiding me? — Victor asked with a smirk.
— Me?.. I'm not avoiding you! What gave you that idea? No. I just... don't have an appetite today, that's all.
Victor gently but firmly pinned her against the wall, blocking her path with his arm.
— Is that so? And here I thought you were shy about yesterday's kiss.
Daphne flushed even deeper.
— What?! The kiss? No! I... I... definitely not! Ha-ha-ha! I don't care at all. No, I mean, I do care, but it's not because of that... I... Were you looking for me? Do you need something? — She was completely flustered and desperately tried to change the subject.
Victor was amused by this side of her. The usually mature, cold "Ice Princess" of Slytherin had turned into a confused, bashful girl.
— Yes. Do we have a spy in Gryffindor?
— A spy? No, why do you need one?
— I just want them to keep an eye on a certain item.
— Ask Hermione.
— Mmm, no, she won't be able to, — he shook his head.
Victor sank into his thoughts. He needed to know exactly when Ginny would steal the diary from Harry. That's when things would truly kick off, and he wanted to hide so he wouldn't get dragged into the whirlpool himself.
— Victor, about the kiss... — Daphne suddenly murmured, interrupting his thoughts.
— The kiss? What about it? Didn't you like it? Sorry, I... haven't practiced in a long time.
— A long time?.. You... you've kissed someone before?!
Victor instantly snapped out of his trance, realizing he'd let something slip.
— Uh... no! I just said something stupid! I wanted to sound like an experienced alpha. I swear, in this life, you're the first person I've ever kissed!
Daphne didn't believe him for a second. Her face shifted from shy to cold in an instant.
— Well then, I think it's time to go, or we'll be late... — Victor tried to leave, feeling the air around them grow noticeably colder.
But before he could take a step, Daphne grabbed his arm and pinned him to the wall.
— You're right, I want to talk about the kiss. Does it mean anything to you? Or am I just some fool who happened to be within reach?
Victor was taken aback.
— What? No! Why would you think that? Of course not!
— So, if Hermione had been standing there instead of me, you wouldn't have kissed her?
— Hermione? Uh... I... — He trailed off.
For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to say. He could lie or crack a joke, but sensing her icy yet fragile mood, he didn't want to. But what was the "right" truth? To say he was in love? That would be a lie. To say that he wouldn't have done it to any other girl, that she was the only one? Also a lie — if someone like Suzuka from Babymetal had been there, he wouldn't have hesitated. Victor decided to blame his teenage hormones, as that was the closest thing to the truth.
— Listen... — he finally began, but stopped. No one was there. Daphne had vanished while he was lost in hesitation.
— Dammit. I wanted to tease her a bit, and I ended up making a fool of myself. "Haven't practiced in a long time"... Seriously, Victor? Pickup line of the century, well done, — he leaned his head back against the wall wearily. — I think I just lost a great assistant. And a very good friend.
Victor shook his head. All desire to go to class had completely evaporated.