The air grew stifling. Layer upon layer of dark clouds devoured the last ray of sunlight.
However.
The students' attention wasn't on this.
During dinner.
Gilderoy Lockhart didn't even appear at the staff table. Harry and Ron had also vanished, and Hermione's face looked absolutely foul.
Tiger watched her retreating figure, laughing out loud. Even the roasted pumpkin in his mouth tasted better.
Not just the chaos in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
This afternoon's Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Hermione had been dragged onto the platform by Professor Lockhart to play a banshee from the book.
Before long, Harry also donned a cloak and took the stage as a werewolf.
Watching Hermione's embarrassed and devastated performance.
Tiger sat in the back row slapping the desk with laughter. Gunpowder rolled uncontrollably in his arms, and even the Slytherin snakes nearly collapsed laughing in their seats.
Seeing this.
Gilderoy Lockhart performed even more enthusiastically, as if he'd found the teaching method that truly suited him.
Ron wore a shabby wizard hat, playing a wicked witch attacking from behind, nearly getting a wand shoved up his nostril.
The Gryffindor boys held their foreheads, completely unable to watch. Only the Gryffindor girls showed worshipful expressions like they were watching a legend...
In the Great Hall.
Gilderoy Lockhart's name appeared frequently in students' discussions.
As information consolidated.
Students' doubts about this Defense Against the Dark Arts professor gradually amplified.
Only the Ravenclaw students kept stealing glances at Tiger. They didn't care about incompetents—they preferred the unknown.
Regarding Venom's existence.
They'd already discussed it in their common room. No matter how they looked at it, it didn't seem like an Obscurus...
Suddenly.
Brilliant lightning split the sky. Deafening thunder rolled in. Students in the Great Hall cried out and stood up, all looking toward the windows.
Raindrops began falling sparsely, gradually becoming dense and forceful, like waterfalls pouring from the sky, hammering the ground hard and splashing countless droplets.
Rain, thunder, and wind wove together.
"Merlin's rotten umbrella..."
"Finally going to rain."
The Weasley twins cheered joyfully. Several days of oppressive heat had really worn them down.
At this moment.
They seemed to already smell the fresh scent of rain washing away dust, bringing the fragrance of earth and flowers.
"Burstrode."
Tiger set down his knife and fork.
Under Theodore and the others' satisfied gazes, he picked up his napkin and elegantly wiped his lips.
Gemma Farley wasn't here—without that sticky, clingy stare, he'd eaten this meal quite comfortably.
As for why the female prefect hadn't appeared at the dining table, Tiger didn't care...
"After dinner."
"Deliver the protective badges to Gryffindor. Tell them, after midnight tonight..."
"The game officially begins."
With that, Tiger turned his gaze to the left side of the Slytherin table, his fingertips stroking Gunpowder's chin.
Feeling this oppressive stare, the snakes all set down their utensils and looked at Tiger with serious expressions.
"Eight tonight, Tiamat will distribute protective badges in the common room. One per person."
"Sneak attacks and ambushes, one-on-one or group fights—I won't interfere. I only look at results."
"For you."
"This isn't a game. This is war. A life-or-death war..."
Outside the windows.
Dark clouds gathered.
Storm lightning shuttled through them.
Tiger's fierce, domineering face was shrouded in darkness, his cold, oppressive voice filled with dangerous aggression.
"This world has no right or wrong."
"Only strong and weak."
"You each have one life."
"Figured out how to lose it yet?"
Night fell deep.
The rain grew more violent, shrouding the entire Forbidden Forest in misty vapor.
Lightning flashed suddenly.
Intense light instantly pierced the heavy clouds, illuminating the whole world like daylight.
In this blinding radiance, Venom's massive black form was clearly outlined.
It strolled leisurely from the forest edge, dragging a huge Acromantula in its hand.
Thick limbs swayed slightly, each leg segment reflecting cold, mysterious light.
"Crack..."
With a crisp sound, spider legs were casually snapped off by Venom. Tender leg meat emerged from the shell as pale green fluid slowly oozed from the break.
Like eating french fries, Venom walked toward Hogwarts while savoring the delicacy.
"Bastard, you sure you won't eat?"
"Shut up, idiot..."
Unlike Hellfire's burning, Venom's method of killing Acromantulas was absolutely disgusting.
Severed limbs and sticky webs intertwined, forming a nauseating pattern.
Deep in the caves, heavy scents of blood and decay permeated the air, nearly suffocating.
Twisted, deformed Acromantula corpses filled every corner. Some were severed at the waist with organs spilling out, others had heads crushed with fluids splattered everywhere.
Still others hugged together tightly, seeking shelter in their final moments, yet ultimately couldn't escape doom.
So even though spider legs were delicious, Tiger currently had no appetite whatsoever.
This idiot was too revolting!
Inside the dim Hogwarts castle, footsteps echoed everywhere. Filch's furious roars periodically reverberated through the corridors.
The moment they got their protective badges.
Some Gryffindor cubs couldn't contain their battle passion. They left their common room, planning to take down a few night-wandering Slytherins for fun.
However, they didn't know.
The Slytherin students were still in their common room, organizing tactics by year group.
Not a single one had come out...
In the vast castle, only Filch carried his lantern, running himself ragged while cursing continuously.
Like something sinister lurking in the darkness.
Venom clung to the black ceiling, watching several cubs being chased around everywhere, constantly emitting strange laughter.
For it.
This was rare entertainment. Acromantula legs crunched between its fangs.
"Jordan, go notify the others!"
"Harry, Ron!"
"Lead Filch away!"
"Angelina, Alicia, come quick! We've cornered a Slytherin prefect!"
Just then.
The Weasley twins' excited shouts echoed through the corridor. Gryffindor cubs rushed toward the sound.
"Prefect?"
Sensing Tiger's confusion.
Venom bit the last spider leg segment in its mouth and silently crawled across the ceiling. Only the occasional lightning outside could illuminate its form.
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
At a nearby staircase, the stench of Dungbombs spread freely. Portraits covered their noses and fled.
Gemma Farley used Transfiguration to curl up floor tiles, blocking the constantly incoming spells, then cast a Disillusionment Charm trying to escape battle.
However, the Weasley twins always followed closely behind her, using fireworks to mark her position so other Gryffindors could quickly surround her.
"Damn it, get away from me!"
"Stupefy!"
At the stair corner.
Gemma Farley cursed through gritted teeth, casting multiple spells casually. She shattered armor with one strike while violently blasting back the approaching cubs.
Tiger clung to the ceiling, watching the female prefect charge down the stairs with spells and fireworks constantly striking the railings behind her, sending up dust.
Her cold, proud face looked somewhat frantic. Her silky hair was slightly damp, as if she'd just returned from outside the castle.
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