Moriarty saw straight through the white wizard's intentions.
But how could Moriarty send his own people?
In Moriarty's team, Old Flint and Old Foley were too advanced in age, while Marcus and Jericho were still far too inexperienced.
Lockhart was a skilled diplomat, talented, and already well-known in the European magical community.
He had even published a book titled Traveling with Vampires—a work that misled many into believing he was an expert on vampires.
Unfortunately, that book was the problem.
Only Moriarty knew Lockhart's stories were fabrications. Although Lockhart had been training recently to improve his actual combat ability, his progress had been sluggish. If faced with hostile vampires, he would be in grave danger.
Moriarty had no intention of sacrificing Lockhart. England needed his golden reputation intact.
As Dumbledore pretended to be in deep thought, Moriarty mimicked him, donning a contemplative look.
Dumbledore noticed Moriarty's expression from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but wonder if he had misjudged the boy. Perhaps Moriarty wasn't building a secret organization after all?
In truth, Dumbledore wasn't being completely disingenuous. Although he was testing Moriarty to some degree, he genuinely had no viable candidates himself.
The two fell into mutual silence. Then—without warning—the system chimed in.
> "Detected: The host is preparing to investigate the Jewish Marquis. Now issuing four candidate missions. Host must choose one.
Candidate 1: Quirinus Quirrell. Mission 1: Send Quirrell to visit the Jewish Marquis and uncover the secret of the headless vampire ancestor. Reward: 10,000 points. No penalty for failure.
Candidate 2: Bill Weasley. Mission 2: Send Bill to visit the Jewish Marquis. Same reward. No penalty for failure.
Candidate 3: William Romot. Mission 3: Send William. Reward: 50,000 points. Penalty for failure: Host becomes a toad for thirty days.
Candidate 4: Lucius Malfoy. Mission 4: Send Lucius. Reward: 80,000 points. If he fails and dies, host is punished by being forced to take over Narcissa Malfoy.
Host must decide in four minutes. Every choice matters."
Moriarty immediately dismissed Bill Weasley. He simply wouldn't be able to handle the Jewish Marquis.
Initially, he also ruled out William due to his age—he was a year younger than Bill. But the reward structure made him hesitate.
Why was William's reward five times that of Bill's for essentially the same task?
Bill would understandably be frustrated. They were both considered junior members of the magical world. Why such disparity?
And the penalties weren't the same either. Bill's mission had no consequence if it failed.
But if William failed, Moriarty would be transformed into a toad for a full month.
Now William would want to complain too.
Moriarty questioned the system, and it replied:
> "All missions aim to help the host become the ultimate mastermind. Please choose with confidence. Reminder: 3 minutes remaining."
Moriarty then focused on the final two candidates.
Quirinus Quirrell.
Lucius Malfoy.
He hadn't expected Lucius to be one of the choices.
Moriarty hadn't informed the pure-blood families about his growing feud with the vampires.
Yet the system had chosen Lucius—implying Lucius was suitable. As a respected pure-blood wizard, Lucius had refined diplomatic skills, was savvy in high society, and could navigate negotiations with aristocratic poise.
The Malfoys' legacy, backed by wealth and centuries of influence, would command respect—even among vampires.
Lucius had graduated from Slytherin. He could represent both his lineage and Hogwarts if necessary.
By contrast, Quirrell was no longer the unstable host of Voldemort, as he was in Harry Potter's first year. He'd recovered from prior injuries and had considerable travel experience.
No one knew the Jewish Marquis' whereabouts. Moriarty suspected he'd need to consult the Countess of Swan to locate him.
Quirrell had encountered vampires in his previous travels and might navigate their society better than the average wizard.
Lucius had the upper hand in reputation, but there was a major difference: Moriarty could summon Quirrell with a letter.
Lucius, however, was a much harder man to summon or persuade.
Convincing Lucius to abandon his opulent lifestyle—sitting in a grand manor beside a fireplace, enjoying a hot pot dinner with Narcissa and Draco—to visit a possibly hostile vampire?
That was absurd.
Imagine someone bursting into Lucius' manor and saying:
> "Excuse me, could you go talk nicely to an ancient vampire and try to find the secret of their ancestor who was beheaded centuries ago? Don't upset him, or he might suck your blood."
Lucius would be speechless. Even Voldemort wouldn't dare say something so ridiculous.
Moriarty himself would've cast Avada Kedavra on such a person, and then Crucio'd their ghost for good measure.
Clearly, if he chose Lucius, the problem wouldn't be the mission—but persuading Lucius to accept it.
So Moriarty compared the risks and rewards.
Quirrell's reward was modest—10,000 points—but failure meant no penalty.
Lucius' reward was massive—80,000 points—but failure would result in Moriarty being forced to "take over" Narcissa Malfoy.
"System!" Moriarty exclaimed. "Do I look like Cao Cao?"
> "No. Cao Cao is Chinese. The host is British."
"Have I ever said or done anything to indicate I like married women?"
> "No. Your current circle involves mostly younger girls. The oldest females you've encountered are Mrs. Kewa and Diana."
Moriarty raised a brow. Diana, while looking youthful, was a centuries-old elf—possibly older than Nicholas Flamel.
> "Reminder: 2 minutes remaining."
"Then why would the punishment be... taking over Narcissa?"
This was the first time Moriarty found a system punishment utterly baffling. High risk for high reward was understandable. But this?
To take over Narcissa? Become Draco's stepfather?
The system answered matter-of-factly:
> "We expected the host to be delighted and say, 'Is this a reward in disguise?'"
Moriarty: "…You clearly misjudged me."
The system elaborated:
> "If Lucius fails, he'll likely die—his pride won't let him retreat from the Jewish Marquis. His death leaves the Malfoy family vulnerable.
Though the host doesn't need gold, Lucius' political influence and contacts are immensely valuable.
Taking over Narcissa is termed a 'punishment,' but if the host lacks a virgin complex, it could be advantageous.
Once absorbed, the Malfoy family can be merged into the Slytherin lineage. This will accelerate the host's journey to becoming the supreme mastermind.
Reminder: 1 minute remaining."
Moriarty didn't hesitate—he had to choose. Sending someone to the Jewish Marquis was already part of his long-term plan. Why not earn points along the way?
He ruled out William. The risk of becoming a toad for 30 days was not worth it—especially given the strange disparities in reward and punishment.
That left two choices: Quirrell or Lucius.
Quirrell was easy to send. Write a letter, give instructions, and be done. If he failed, nothing lost. If he succeeded—bonus.
Lucius would be a challenge. A diplomatic powerhouse, yes—but hard to convince. Still, the reward was eight times higher.
If he died... Moriarty would inherit a family. Not the worst outcome—but certainly not ideal.
"Reminder: Five seconds remaining!
Five—
Four—
Three—
Two—"
Moriarty jumped ahead of the final second and shouted:
"I choose—"
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