HP: The Magical Gamer [Chapter 120: Quest Rewards! ] (Patreon)

He grimaced at her crying face and patted her head. "Oh Tori, don't cry. I am sorry for yelling at you. Forgive me, please? Or do you want to see your future husband cry too?"

She snorted and shook her head and choked out an apology. "I am sorry. It was my fault."

"There, there. Everything is fine. You forgave me and I forgave you. See, no need to cry." He said softly, pulling her in his arms and giving her a gentle squeeze, hoping she would stop crying.

On the contrary, she started bawling her eyes out and buried her face on his chest.

He winced, well here goes his first teaching session where he made Astoria cry. Great. Just brilliant.

He was a fantastic teacher. If he hadn't felt guilty enough, her next words came like an arrow through his heart.

"Do you hate me?" She asked, pulling back and looking at him with frightened eyes, desperately gripping his shirt.

"Of course not. Why would you even think that?"

"You don't?" she perked up hopefully. He wasn't sure what happened here, but she was blowing this way out of proportion. How the hell did she even reach that conclusion? Was she always this sensitive?

"Absolutely not, Tori. I love you. What is with this question? You aren't stupid enough to think that anger and hatred are the same, are you? Just because I wasn't patient enough for your jokes or your mood doesn't mean I hate you." He sighed, taking out his handkerchief and wiping her face.

"It's just that you have never been so angry at me before. So, I just thought that maybe I crossed a line or something." She mumbled, making a face when he wiped her nose.

"Really, wow, that must be a record. Because I remember I have been angry at everyone at some point." He chuckled awkwardly.

"Let's continue and forget that I cried. It is embarrassing in hindsight." She muttered with pink cheeks.

"Nope. This is the best blackmail material."

"Harry!"

"Come, sit beside me. Let's get this over with so we can do other fun stuff."

She nodded and huddled beside him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. The rest of the lesson went without another hitch.

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It was in October that the Potter siblings got a bigger quest. They were resting after their spar in the Room of Requirement.

These sparrings had become a normal occurrence, which they did in their free time when there were no quests to focus on.

Tonight was one of those nights until it wasn't.

Isis' sharp voice pulled him out of his reverie as he was laid on the bed with Iris cuddling to his side.

[QUEST!

– Kill the mysterious monster hidden in the womb of Hogwarts. ]

[REWARD:

– 5000 XP for Harry Potter

– 5000 XP for Iris Potter

– Perk: [Healing Pocket] ]

A red holographic arrow formed above their heads, pointing towards the exit of the room.

"Iris, we have a new quest." Harry roused her from her half-asleep state. She yawned, glaring at the hologram.

"Now? Do we have to?" She complained, burrowing her face on his neck and tightening her grip around his middle.

Harry chuckled, running his fingers through her red hair and pressing a kiss on her cheek. "Come on, don't be lazy. Let's finish this quest so we can call it a night."

She groaned and sat up. "Fine. But I am sleeping in this same bed tonight and won't go back to my dorm. That will be my reward."

"I will never say no to a cuddle-buddy." He responded with a soft smile, getting off the bed. She grinned and quickly tied up her hair in loose ponytail before following him out.

They got under the Invisibility Cloak and walked behind the arrow. Fortunately, the arrow seemed to move according to their pace so they didn't have to run to catch up. They climbed down the staircase until they reached the second floor.

Harry, in the meanwhile, told her about the quest. She donned her game face at the mention of the mysterious monster. That sounded dangerous enough.

On the second floor, the arrow took them towards the girl's lavatory. She couldn't keep a straight face at the thought of some monster hiding in this small bathroom.

"What monster lives here, Harry? I am very curious to know the answer." She whispered, smirking and shaking her head. But before Harry could reply, the central sink folded in itself, leaving a large gaping hole in the middle of the lavatory.

Giving a cursory glance around him and assuring himself that no one was around, Harry took off the cloak and put it in the Inventory.

"This looks deep. I guess the monster is really in the womb of Hogwarts." She commented dryly, looking down the giant cylindrical abyss. "It means we have to jump inside and hope for the best. Let's do it together."

"I hope you haven't forgotten that we can fly. There is no need to jump or hope for the best." Harry answered with twitching lips and moved behind her, pulling her close and encircling her waist with his arms. "You concentrate on Lumos charm and I will fly us safely down."

She gave her assent and mumbled "Lumos!" as they levitated up before gently flying down through the passage. She scrunched her nose when the light showed how dirty the passage was. She thanked her luck that she didn't have to slide down through it.

The passage curved here and there, but always sloped downwards. After what felt like hours but was just minutes, they got out of the other end and landed in a small cave littered with tiny animal bones.

She gagged thinking about all the flesh and blood these bones once had. And the smell didn't help in squashing the imaginations.

Harry had a practised calm expression on his face as he stepped towards the only other path from there.

A stony tunnel leading into an unending darkness.

"Be prepared, Iris, and always stay behind me."