Chapter 279: Linking With the Payment System, A Large Order From the Ministry of Magic
The amplifying spell amplified Sirius's voice so much that the entire Diagon Alley could hear it clearly. The crowded and noisy crowd quieted down and turned around to see who was making the outrageous remarks.
A fat wizard sneered, "Five hundred books? Do you know how much one costs? Do you think you're buying scratch paper for your children?"
Tom has launched two versions of the 'I Chat' notebook.
The first one is the most common standard version. Each notebook has 100 pages and only has the most basic function of sending and receiving messages. Each one costs two Galleons.
The second is the professional version, which not only uses microfilm technology and looks as thick as the regular version, but actually has a capacity of 300 pages, but also has video function, provided that the other party
'I Chat' is also a professional version.
In addition, both the regular version and the professional version have group chat mode. The regular version can accommodate up to ten people, but if someone uses the deluxe version, it can be expanded to fifty people.
The most important thing is that the avatars and fonts of the Deluxe Edition users on the other party's notebook will be shining with gold, always reminding your friends that they are ten Deluxe Edition users.
What is this? This is the supreme symbol of dignity!
Sirius just mentioned 500 books. Even if they were all basic models, that would cost 10,000 Galleons.
Some people didn't believe it, but some people recognized his identity and exclaimed
"Is it Sirius Black? The wronged hero?"
"It's really him! He looks a lot stronger than in the photo, and his beard and hair have been cut. I almost didn't recognize him.
"The Black family has always been a wealthy family. He's not exaggerating when he says he'll buy 500 copies."
Ignoring the commotion of the crowd, Sirius flashed a grin at the Malfoys, a grin that looked terrifying to them. "You bunch of idle Slytherin bastards, don't mess with my godson, or I'll beat Narcissa up too!"
"You!" Lucius was threatened in public, and he was so angry that he raised his wand tremblingly, but Draco stopped him.
"Po Te, are you just hiding behind others? I'll wait for you at the old place after school starts."
After saying that, Draco Malfoy took his father away.
Harry shouted at his back, "I hope you don't come crying to your daddy when the time comes!"
When the two disappeared in the growing crowd, Sirius asked, "What did you mean just now? Where is the old place?"
Harry briefly told Sirius about his weekly fights with Malfoy. Sirius just laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and walked towards the small room next to the shop: "Beat him up hard. If you have any questions, ask me. I'm a master duelist."
Harry nodded, but he was thinking about Tom... Maybe it was because they were of the same age, but he felt that Tom's notes were easy to understand and better than what the teacher taught.
At the door of the cabin, a clerk was already standing at the door with a smile, welcoming the two people in.
This is a big customer. If she could be honest, her commission would be equal to more than a month's salary, but unfortunately... the boss also set a rule.
The clerk apologized: "Mr. Black, due to insufficient production capacity, our boss said that each person can only purchase a maximum of 100 copies of my chat. This is to facilitate group purchases."
Sirius waved his hand nonchalantly. "Then give me a hundred books. Ten professional editions, ninety standard editions, and the same ratio for the rest. I'll pay first, and you give me the VIP card."
"No problem. Would you like to apply for a bank card? That would be more convenient and quick."
"What bank card?" Sirius looked confused.
The clerk immediately began to sell enthusiastically. Harry understood after a few seconds and nodded happily: "Give me one. It's too heavy to carry money everywhere, and my pockets always fall out.
Another reason is that he is not very good at math and it takes him a long time to calculate money every time.
There was also a goblin sent by Gringotts in the cabin, who was responsible for handling bank cards. After confirming the identities of the two and the password to the vault, he handed the two cards to Harry and Sirius and taught them how to activate them with their own magic.
Sirius placed the bank card with the glowing number on the machine and swiped it lightly, and the amount of this consumption jumped out - 14,000 Galleons.
He was very interested in this magical card: "Is this the end? Then can someone else use my card?"
"Of course not," the goblin said confidently, "This is Mr. Riddle's original magical authentication technology. Gringotts has been testing it for nearly two months and has not been successful once. Please use it with confidence."
Harry's glasses dropped off in shock. "This was also invented by Tom?"
"Ah, I forgot, Mr. Potter is Mr. Riddle's classmate." The goblin indirectly admitted it.
Taking advantage of the launch of 'Wo Liao', Tom directly linked up with the bank card to help each other promote [Anyone who uses a bank card to pay can get 50 pieces of special paper used exclusively for Wo Liao.
Selling equipment alone is basically a one-time deal, and the update and iteration time is long. The real money-making comes from consumables and "traffic".
Tom ordered fifty Galleons, a price that was neither too high nor too low.
It could be used for a while under normal circumstances, but if used for office work or when there was a need for frequent communication, the consumption rate would become extremely terrifying.
However, in such cases, the government usually paid for it and would not let individuals spend the money.
In addition, other shops in Diagon Alley also cooperated with Gringotts in promotion. Some shops offered a 5% discount when using a credit card, and some shops gave small gifts when paying with a credit card.
Both the store owner and the staff welcome the card machine and bank cards.
The store owner does not have to worry about the staff collecting the wrong amount or doing something tricky, and the staff just want to have some free time, and sometimes it can take more than ten minutes to calculate the amount of one order.
The one percent handling fee had no impact on them at all. They basically all gladly accepted the free card swipe machines given by Gringotts and even voluntarily cooperated in the promotion.
Except for the old man Ollivander, who insisted on holding a wand in one hand and a Galleon in the other. His shop didn't have much business anyway, so Inling Pavilion no longer cared about it.
Sirius and Harry left with several piles of notebooks. They felt a little sorry that they didn't see Tom, otherwise they would have chatted with him for a while.
What is Tom doing on such an important day as the opening?
He was at the Ministry of Magic, negotiating a big deal with the Ministry of Magic.
The Minister of Magic and other high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic were eligible to obtain 'WoChat' earlier than others. This was also why Tom asked Madam Greengrass to send a batch of them in order to do business in the Ministry of Magic.
In the spacious conference room, someone had already told Fudge about the heated situation in Diagon Alley. Not only him, but most people in the room had changed their attitude towards Tom.
It can be predicted that Russian powder will become an indispensable and common item for network masters, just like Floo powder.
Floo powder has enabled several families to thrive, freeing them from financial worries. Similarly, "Let's Chat" could allow a Riddle family to emerge in the wizarding world, not to mention card payment technology, which is also a goose that lays golden eggs.
With his academic ability, background, and ability to make money all added together, Tom is now a big figure in the wizarding world, not to mention his future.
"Mr. Riddle." Fudge's smile was warm and flattering. "This notebook... can it be cheaper? And the special paper? The Ministry of Magic consumes a lot of it. Funds are already very tight. Add to this, and I'm afraid we won't be able to pay the employees' salaries next year."
Fudge regretted being too generous in the past two months.
Not only did he replace the equipment of the Aurors and Striker, but because Hogwarts was going to receive students from other schools this year, the school's funding was also increased a lot.
In addition, the department also contributed a lot to the protective necklaces of these senior executives.
Now they are living on next year's funds.
As a result, now there is a "I Chat" feature. It is impossible not to buy it. Being able to communicate in time will definitely increase work efficiency several times.
The young man sighed, "Mr. Minister, I'm just a small business owner. You're putting me in a difficult position..."
Tom looked very embarrassed.
He was making very little money now.
Not counting the shop and labor costs, the gross profit of the professional version was 85 Galleons, and the ordinary version was only 10 Galleons.
That was the result after he had frantically squeezed the cost of raw materials.
If he bought them all from the market, the ordinary version would sell for 40 or 50 Galleons.
Fudge threw out the bait: "..." The Ministry of Magic will not forget your contribution. I promise to apply for the Order of Merlin, Second Class for you."
Tom showed little interest. "Just save it. I don't want it unless it's level one."
Fudge and the other officials were all stunned. They had not expected Tom to be so picky. They tried to persuade him earnestly for a while, and Fudge even asked Tom's 'mother-in-law', Mrs. Greengrass, to speak for them.
However, Mrs.
Greengrass did not put in any effort in the work, and at this time of course she was helping her family, so she just gave a few words of advice, neither light nor heavy, and said that she could do nothing to help, and then left and went back to the Transportation Department to slack off.
The negotiation lasted until the sun was about to set in the afternoon, and Tom finally agreed to sell the notebooks at a 30% discount, but the paper could only be sold at a 50% discount because the profit margin was too small.
Well, actually it's not small, it's the biggest source of money.
But Tom couldn't lower the price so easily.
The British Ministry of Magic was the first large organization to come to him, but it would definitely not be the last.
There would definitely be many more Ministries of Magic and large companies coming to him later.
If he opened the door now, it would be difficult to raise the price in the future.
Although it was still a little short of the ideal amount, seeing Tom's resolute attitude, Fudge had no choice but to temporarily agree. The specific order quantity "still needs to be calculated and coordinated by the Ministry of Magic.
Before the meeting ended, Fudge extended an invitation, "Mr. Riddle, there's a party at the ministry tonight. Many celebrities will be attending. It's perfect for you to expand your network. Would you like to join us, Mr. Li and Mr. Zhao?"
Fudge also wanted to get closer to Tom. He would definitely be a wealthy man in the future. If he could donate money to the Ministry of Magic with his efforts, it would also help improve his reputation.
Tom refused without giving any respect. He had a group of little witches waiting for him at home, and who had the time to hang out with a bunch of trash who looked down on him?
Fudge's face looked unhappy, but Tom's next words immediately cheered him up.
"Minister, the Ministry of Magic is short of funds. I do have an idea."
Tom took out a Galleon and flicked it lightly, making a crisp buzzing sound: "The goblins in Gringotts are very wealthy. Just look at the number of curse breakers they employ. I wonder how much treasure and gold have been unearthed from the ruins.
"In order for the Ministry of Magic to better serve wizards, shouldn't they do something?"
This remark touched Fudge's heart, and he nodded repeatedly: "How could I have forgotten those greedy monsters? The franchise fee paid by Gringotts has not changed for so many years. Now it is time to renegotiate it."
Tom knew that Fudge had set his sights on Gringotts, so he smiled slightly and left the meeting room.
The poorer the goblins are, the more they will try to promote the card payment system so that more money can stay in Gringotts, and in the end they are the ones who benefit.
Arriving in the hall, Tom sprinkled a handful of special Floo powder and quickly returned home.
The little witches who have been at home are also preparing for tonight's dinner to celebrate "my" great success.
Chapter 280: Earning a Fortune, The Troubles Brought by Elective Courses
The Riddle household was extremely lively at this time.
The Greengrass sisters, Hermione, Qiu, Penelope, and almost all the outstanding little witches in Hogwarts are gathered here.
Ginny was still in Egypt, and Luna had gone to Switzerland with her father to look for undiscovered magical animals. Otherwise, it would have been much more lively.
Several of them went to Diagon Alley to see what was going on, and even had the pleasure of working as cashiers.
In the end, there were only a few dozen standard editions of "I Chat" left in the shop.
There were still many people queuing outside, but since it was almost closing time, they simply stopped selling.
Tom delivered 1,500 standard editions and 100 deluxe editions to the store yesterday, and they were all sold out in one day, which surprised him a little.
In fact, many wizards buy more than one book. Some are for their families, and some are for themselves. It is a very common behavior in Europe and the United States to separate work and life. In this era, there was no dual SIM card dual standby, so many people prepared two mobile phones.
And all this is just the beginning. The more people use "I Chat", the more herd mentality will be triggered. If everyone else uses "I Chat" to communicate, how can you make friends with others if you don't?
"I think by the time Hogwarts starts, everyone will have a copy." Hermione said even more excitedly than Tom.
Qiu nodded in agreement. "That's for sure. I ran into quite a few Ravenclaw students today and added them as my friends. We have dozens of groups now. A hundred pages wouldn't be enough."
"So paper is the big moneymaker." Penelope smiled and said, "I think Tom had planned this a long time ago."
"I understand this. It's just like my dad treating other people's teeth. Repairing and filling teeth is not a big deal. The follow-up checkups and buying medications for maintenance are more profitable.
As the girls talked, Tom became a profiteer, but he didn't care.
He is a profiteer, so what he wants is not money. He just wants to complete the trial as soon as possible and get the golden apple.
490 Late at night, after sending the girls home, Tom took out his notebook filled with information and checked the situation in other countries.
Currently, the first batch of countries to launch the card only include the UK, France, Germany and Spain.
If there are more countries, the supply will easily fall short of demand.
Moreover, with fewer countries, Gringotts in various regions can cooperate in launching bank cards to avoid mistakes in a hurry.
The situation is very good. Agents in the other three countries have expressed their intention to increase their efforts to purchase both paper and finished notebooks, the more the better.
I glanced at the trial progress.
It was 210,000 in the morning, and now it has reached more than 250,000. Most of it is the profit from "Wochat", and the rest is the fee for credit card payment.
Earning 40,000 Galleons a day, at this rate, you can quickly meet the trial requirements.
But this situation is just a simple numerical calculation and does not take into account the actual situation.
The sales that I talked about earlier are the bulk of the profits. After the inventory reaches the bottom, he and Nico will only produce so much each month, and as the popularity rate increases, sales will naturally decline.
On the contrary, the transaction fees for card payments will increase with the promotion, but it will take time, and it depends on the efficiency of Gringotts.
Tom looked at the system task progress again.
[Task Name: Creator of a New World.]
[Mission Description: The host, through his knowledge and vision, has found a new path for the development of the magical world. Your invention is crucial, and everything in the future will be based on it.]
[Task Objective: Continue to evolve and promote your work. Rewards will be distributed in stages based on the degree of completion of the task. The ultimate reward for this task is one evolution of the learning space.]
[Current task progress: 5]
It is said that the rewards will be given in stages, but there has been no movement so far.
Tom didn't know how many stages it was divided into. He wanted to get some rewards quickly, collect 5,000 achievement points, and summon the next teacher.
In the following days, WoChat and card payments became the hottest topics in the wizarding world. More and more people went to Diagon Alley to buy things, and the store entrance was crowded every day. Many wizards even rushed over from other countries after seeing the news to join in the fun.
Tom only released one thousand standard editions and fifty professional editions every day, and they were basically sold out.
The remaining stock and the new ones produced every day were all requested by distributors in other countries.
Madame Maxime asked for two thousand standard editions and two hundred professional editions, and even found Fleur, but Tom had no choice but to give her face.
Maxime was also very generous. She customized these 2,000-plus books for Beauxbatons students and professors—giving them away for free, and even having the Beauxbatons school emblem on the cover.
Tom silently forwarded this message to Dumbledore - look at the headmaster, why don't you show some appreciation?
Dumbledore's face twitched when he saw this.
Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are both much richer than Hogwarts. Beauxbatons receives donations from many Ministries of Magic, there is only one Hogwarts, and all the students at Durmstrang are purebloods, making them a wealthy family.
How does Hogwarts compare to these two schools?
He can use one hand in a fight, or even two schools can fight together, but when it comes to financial resources... forget it.
Dumbledore played dead and pretended not to see Tom's message, but he didn't know that Tom's "I Chat" was a new iteration of a special product that could show the other party's time.
Okay, okay, I've read it but you won't reply, right?
If they don't even support the business of their own school students, they will sooner or later cheat you out of a big profit.
Tom silently made a note of Dumbledore in his little notebook, but he had no time to think of revenge recently, as the Ministry of Magic and large companies came to him every day, all wanting to make large purchases.
The reserves of Rune snake skin are already in jeopardy. Fortunately, in another month, the little snakes will enter adulthood, and the situation will be alleviated a lot.
Tom can only advance step by step now, starting with expanding slowly into neighboring countries.
He receives a lot of invitations every day, and he will choose to attend some large gatherings and get to know more people to avoid conflicts in the future without knowing who they are.
That day, Tom left a Wizengamot wizard's house at around eight o'clock and returned to his own home.
Hermione came over and helped him take off his coat and the gift box in his hand. Tom asked in surprise, "Why haven't you gone home yet so late today?
Hermione explained the reason: "Professor McGonagall asked me to urge you to decide on your elective courses for next semester as soon as possible. You need to take at least two."
Tom slapped his forehead.
He had completely forgotten about this. In addition to the required courses, third-year Hogwarts students also have to take two elective courses. The school usually sends notification letters in July, but ordinary owls cannot enter Tom's house, so he has never received it.
But Hermione is really amazing, she actually dared to...
Tom took the little witch's hand and walked into the living room, and they lay on the soft sofa together.
"Which ones did you choose?"
Hearing this, Hermione's face showed a conflicted look: "I haven't decided yet... I feel like every class is useful, it would be a shame to give up."
Miss Know-It-All suffered from decision-making difficulties again.
Asking her to give up a course was like Ronald losing ten Galleons, both of which were unacceptable.
If possible, she would like to take all the courses, but some courses had conflicting schedules, such as Arithmancy and Divination, and it was clear that she could only choose one of the two.
Tom reached out and gently smoothed the girl's frown.
He said, "Have you forgotten what I said again? The world's knowledge is endless, and it's impossible for people to master it all.
So we should focus our limited energy on things that are useful to us.
Isn't it enough for you to just pick out the two most useless subjects?"
"One Divination class and one Muggle Studies class. You don't need to take these two. You can choose the others if you want."
"But I think divination is very useful." Hermione was a little unconvinced and argued quietly: "How can divination be useless? Muggle studies are indeed a bit lacking, but it can also help us understand how wizards view Muggles, which is very meaningful to study."
Tom held his forehead with his hand. "You forgot that the previous professor, Kerry Di Bubaji, was so angry at Wilkinson that he resigned. How do you think this year's professor can be any better than him?"
"Apart from the professors who teach the main courses, don't think too highly of the other professors at Hogwarts. They are just ordinary wizards, not even as good as me.
Hermione did not refute. Others said that this was just bragging, but Tom was now qualified to stand on a high position and point fingers and evaluate the professor's level.
"Divination class...the professor has some knowledge, but she can't teach you." After hesitating for a moment, Tom said this.
Hermione blinked her eyes and looked at the boy curiously: "What do you mean?"
"Sybill Trelawney, legend has it she's a descendant of Cassandra Trelawney. You probably know who she is, right?"
Hermione nodded. "Of course, it's the tragic prophet from Greek legend."
Cassandra Trelawney is a princess of Troy and a priestess of Apollo. However, because she offended Apollo, she was cursed. All her predictions will come true, but no one will ever believe them.
Therefore, she predicted the destruction of Troy and the conspiracy of the Trojan Horse, but ultimately could not change the fate of the kingdom. This is somewhat similar to Trelawney. The prophecies she made were almost certainties, and would eventually come true no matter how hard she struggled.
"Since she's the descendant of a great prophet, I should take her class,"
Hermione said excitedly, but Tom immediately poured cold water on her: "Forget it.
Trelawney possesses a gift called 'Third Eye'.
Except when her gift is activated, the predictions she makes are 'true prophecies'.
Otherwise, she's a liar.
You don't have the gift, so you won't learn anything from her."
After hearing what Tom said, Hermione immediately became dejected, but she still obediently gave up the two classes.
Compared to the original Hermione, the current Hermione's temperament has changed a lot. At least she can listen to Tom's suggestions and will not question them easily.
In the end, she chose three elective courses: Ancient Magic Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures. Although it was still more than the two courses for the average person, she no longer needed a time-turner to complete the course.
Tom chose Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures.
Now that he had mastered Ancient Magic, he was qualified enough to be a professor. There was no need for him to learn it. He chose Care of Magical Creatures because Hagrid didn't like to assign homework, and he didn't have to do it even if he did. Arithmancy was just to make up the numbers.
"Don't go back tonight. I'll take you to have breakfast tomorrow."
After filling out the elective course list and sending it to Professor McGonagall by owl, Tom planned to keep Hermione as a pillow. Although the little witch was a little shy, she nodded and agreed.
Chapter 281: Held's Magic Workshop, No One Can Take Advantage of Me, Riddle
At the end of August, Diagon Alley had become almost the world of students, and every shop seemed to be occupied by the little wizards of Hogwarts.
Tom's shop is naturally no exception. Oh, I forgot to mention that Tom's shop is called Held's Magic Workshop.
When Daphne, Hermione, and Penelope first saw the shop's new name, they searched for a long time, but they couldn't find the witch named Held. She wasn't a student at Hogwarts, nor was she a famous figure in history.
If the little witches really want to know the reason, they can only ask Tom directly.
Tom hadn't expected his casually chosen name to cause them such distress.
He jokingly explained, "Helder is the name of a powerful witch I found in an ancient book.
She's nicknamed 'Second Sister.' She's said to have done many things that angered heaven and man.
Many adventurers, known as warriors, are waiting for the day when her health bar will appear."
"Just treat it as a story. I just thought of it when I was naming it. It doesn't have any special meaning at all."
Everyone suddenly realized and stopped worrying.
At this time, there were much fewer people in the Held Magic Workshop than in the past few days. Those who needed to buy had bought what they wanted and talked to me. The rest of them either had not made up their minds or were simply not interested.
Young people are most receptive to new things, but ten Galleons seems quite expensive. Hogwarts is poor, and Dumbledore is pretending to be dead, so Tom can only start with the Ministry of Magic and lobby Fudge to subsidize five Galleons for every student who buys materials.
Of course Fudge was not happy at first, but as for politicians, those who understand will understand.
When Tom approached Rita Skeeter and promised to publish two positive interviews, Fudge generously donated money from the Ministry of Magic to cover the costs.
There are less than a thousand students, which only adds up to five thousand Galleons. Spending the Ministry of Magic's money to improve one's own political achievements and reputation is completely freeloading.
Tom gave a discount on the subsequent papers. All Hogwarts students could enjoy a 20% discount, and buy a pack and get one free.
With a series of promotions, students became the main buyers in the last two days before school starts. Students often choose their favorite cover styles accompanied by their parents.
The first thing to do after buying it is of course to add friends. This also became the last glory of Owl, flying all over the UK with the magic codes of the little wizards.
It's okay for boys, but girls not only have to add friends, but also have various discussion groups.
Although my social circle is not big and my best friends are usually my roommates, I have quite a few discussion groups.
Five people were able to form almost ten groups, and they could chat a lot every day. The amount of paper was not enough. Tom nodded repeatedly when he saw the sales data.
No wonder they say women's money is the easiest to earn. Women may gossip more in a day than men do in half a month. They are definitely big consumers of paper. But what about other aspects?
Tom suddenly had a burst of inspiration and designed a lot of potions for women, and then... sent the order to Snape.
After receiving the letter, Snape kicked over two cauldrons in anger. Was he treating him like a servant?
But after reading the second page, Bat's expression softened.
If students have needs, as a teacher, you should help if you can.
On the second page, Tom explained the reward: a frost arrow spell that could be cast silently and without a wand. Its power was not as great as those earth-shattering large-scale spells, but it was as powerful as the shadowless magic.
It's a handy and concealed skill spell, just what Snape likes.
Snape couldn't resist the temptation... and had to accept the order again.
The reason why Snape could never refuse Tom's various requests was because of Dumbledore's example.
Dumbledore had been painting big rosy pictures for more than ten years, and he had been working so hard and uncomplainingly for so long, but he had not gotten what he wanted at all. But here, Dumbledore really gave him what he wanted if there was a rosy picture.
After such a comparison, my mood suddenly became less bad and I became more motivated.
On the last day, Tom brought Hermione and the Greengrass sisters to Diagon Alley to buy things for school.
To be precise, everyone else had already bought something, and this time I just accompanied him shopping.
Except for Hermione, who rejected Tom's recommendation of Puffball and decided to buy an ordinary pet, with at most some magical beast bloodline.
So the first stop after arriving in Diagon Alley is the Fantastic Beasts Shop.
As the most sought-after figure in Britain, Tom's appearance immediately caused a stir. Fortunately, the wizards were relatively well-mannered and did not rush to surround them.
Several Hogwarts students proudly greeted Tom loudly, and after receiving a response, they puffed out their chests, raised their heads and looked around, as if they knew important people in front of the people around them.
Arriving opposite the cold drink shop, Tom and his friends walked towards the Magical Creatures Shop.
The space inside the store was very small, with cages densely hung on the walls. There was a mixed stench in the air that was more unbearable than dung, and the various cries mixed together were a torture to the ears.
It is not easy for the staff to work here, as they have to face such a harsh environment every day.
The witch behind the counter was telling a wizard how to care for a two-tailed newt. After the wizard left with a bag of dead toad eggs, Hermione went over and explained her needs.
Perhaps it was fate, after choosing for a long time, Hermione finally chose a big ginger cat.
It seemed that the man and the cat fell in love with each other.
Hermione squatted down, and the more she looked at it, the more she liked it.
She couldn't help but stretch out her hand, and the big cat also jumped up and fell into Hermione's arms.
"Meow---!"
Tom pinched the back of the fat orange Fate's neck and lifted the cat up. The man and the cat stared at each other. The big cat got angry and was about to lose his temper when Tom glared at him.
The dragon's might and the thunderbird's deterrence erupted at the same time, and Fat Orange suddenly became soft and started to act cute.
"Meow~"
"Hold still, let me check."
Tom lifted the cat and looked at it, then nodded with satisfaction.
Very good, she-cat.
"Tom, what are you checking?" Hermione asked curiously, not understanding what he was doing.
The young man remained calm and said, "Nothing much. I just noticed this cat has some Kneazle blood in it, and I'm afraid it's still wild and hasn't been tamed yet, so it might be dangerous to you. So far, it seems quite well behaved."
"Meow~" The big cat called out in cooperation, its eyes full of water, and immediately captured Hermione. She couldn't wait to snatch the cat from Tom's hands.
"That's it."
Having made up her mind, Hermione went to the front desk in a hurry. The clerk told her the name of the big cat - Crookshanks. Hermione thought the name sounded good and did not change it.
As soon as they arrived outside the store, they met Weasley who had just returned from Egypt.
"Tom! Astoria!" Ginny was the first to see them and ran over happily.
Tom took a step back in disgust. Astoria's eyes widened: "Ginny, you...why are you so dark?"
Last semester, Ginny was fair-skinned and beautiful, but now she has become a dark bronze color. When she smiles, her white teeth are exposed, which creates a strong contrast.
"That's right, you've all become n****rs...stay away from me, my whip-smacking DNA is about to move."
Tom's hand twitched, and he discovered another problem I was talking about. The video screen is composed of black, white and gray, just like the newspaper, and the information is seriously distorted. Otherwise, he would not have discovered today that Ginny had changed so much.
"What's that A?" Ginny didn't understand, but she could tell Tom was going to hit her, so she pouted unhappily and said, "The sun over there in the pyramid is so strong, what can I do? I'm not a real black person, can't I recover in a few months?"
"Then talk to me after you recover."
"Damn it, I'll fight you!" Ginny was about to pounce with her teeth bared, but was pushed back by an invisible wall of air.
"Ginny, stop messing around!"
At this time, the other Weasleys came over. Like Ginny, they had darkened several shades. Molly pulled her daughter away and gave Tom a big smile.
"Tom, it's great to see you."
"Me too, ma'am. How was your trip to Egypt?"
"It's really great there, you have to go there if you have the chance."
Mrs. Weasley talked about the interesting things during the trip with great interest and took out a lot of photos, but after a while she turned to thanking him.
.....
During the holidays, Mrs. Weasley was grateful to Tom because he discovered Ginny's abnormality and took away the notebook to prevent Ginny from being used by the Dark Lord, but this time it was because of Peter Pettigrew.
Ronald didn't want to talk about the fact that he had been sleeping with a man for nearly two years, so he never told his family that Banban was Peter Pettigrew.
It was not until the public trial ended and the Daily Prophet published all the details that the Weasley family learned that Peter Pettigrew was the real traitor and had been hiding in their home for more than ten years. They felt like the sky was falling.
After reading this, Percy immediately went to the toilet and vomited. Ronald had only owned Scabbers for two years, but before that, Scabbers was his pet!
The others were also terrified, with chills running down their backs... There was a dark wizard hiding in their home who had blown up half a street and killed thirteen innocent Muggles. No one would not feel scared.
The twins then suffered their worst beating in years—second only to the time they tricked Ronald into jumping from a third-floor balcony six years ago.
Although he had the Marauder's Map for almost two years, he never noticed anything unusual around Ronald. But when it came into Tom's hands, he quickly found Peter.
Gemini also knew that they were in the wrong, so they treated Ronald much better during this holiday and even gave him some pocket money to buy a lot of souvenirs.
....THE
She talked with Tom for a long time, and it was not until Mr. Weasley urged her that Molly remembered that they still had a lot of things to do.
"Kid, are you free tonight? We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight and heading straight to King's Cross Station tomorrow. How about we all have dinner together?"
"Hmm..." Seeing that the girls had no objection, Tom nodded in agreement.
Jasmine waved happily. "Then we'll meet at the Leaky Cauldron at 5:00 PM sharp. Remember not to eat too many snacks."
The twins stayed behind and didn't follow immediately, but winked at Tom.
George said in a very sour tone: "What a great movement! Such a great invention has been created. Tom, you will be a big man in the future."
Fred looked towards Held's Magic Workshop, his expression filled with envy. "What's it like to own a shop in Diagon Alley before you even graduate?"
"How do you feel?" Tom pretended to ponder for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "It's nothing special. I not only have a shop in Diagon Alley, but also branches in the Hideaway in France and the Mystery House in Germany. So it's nothing special."
Fred was so angry that he laughed and gave a thumbs up. "Brother, you are really good at talking."
"You didn't stay here just to flatter me, did you?" Tom knew the two brothers' personalities and knew they wouldn't just come to auction their farts out of boredom.
"Mr. Riddle is so wise." George laughed, "I just want to express my gratitude to you for bringing Luo
Ni was rescued from a man.
Tom remained unmoved: "And then?"
"And then... Master Riddle, distinguished and wealthy man, could you please make your 'I Chat' cheaper? We can't afford the paper at all. Fifty sheets are eleven Sickles, and that's for printing.
After the discount, Merlin's one-piece black stockings are really too expensive."
The Geminis finally stated their ultimate goal: they wanted a better discount.
Tom readily agreed: "No problem, then I'll give you 50 Galleons each.
"Really... Wait? Why did it go back to the original price?"
The twins reacted quickly and realized that Tom not only did not lower the price, but also raised it. They said in disbelief: "We are your good brothers in Gryffindor, and you actually...
us?"
"Yes, good brothers." Tom tilted his head and looked at them in confusion: "Since we are all good brothers, how can you bear to take advantage of me?"
The twins were speechless.
Their excellent eloquence and thick skin, which they were proud of, seemed as immature as Neville in front of Tom.
Looking at the two people's fleeing backs, the girls all laughed.
Want to take advantage of Tom?
Such a person may not have been born yet.
Chapter 282: The Wand That Can't Keep up, Remus John Lupin
After shopping for an entire afternoon, Tom finally bought everything he needed. While the girls were resting, he went to visit Ollivander, first thanking him for his previous help, and then discussing some issues about magic wands with him.
Tom is now facing a very distressing problem—the wand is still in harmony with him, but it cannot keep up with his pace, which limits his normal performance.
This situation was discovered not long ago when I was cleaning that group of purebloods. Although it can be used, I have to be very careful not to damage the wand by using too much force.
Especially when using ice magic, the magic power blessed by the 'Ice Crown' magic circuit is of higher quality. Using a few spells in a row may completely ruin the wand.
When Ollivander heard how Tom felt, his first reaction was disbelief.
Isn't this questioning his craftsmanship and product quality?
If Dumbledore said so, Ollivander would accept it, but you, Riddle, are only a junior teacher who is about to enter the third year, and you say that my magic materials are not worthy of you.
impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Soon, Ollivander was slapped in the face.
Tom did not burst out with all his strength, but just waved his wand to release a large amount of silver-white mist, which was released continuously. Soon Ollivander discovered the problem and immediately asked Tom to stop.
His face was full of shock.
"I seem to hear the wand whining... Mr. Riddle, I was wrong. Your magic power is so vast that I can't imagine it, and it is so terrifyingly active... You are simply a child of magic."
Tom's mouth twitched when he heard Ollivander's metaphor.
What the hell is this son of magic?
That's all due to his own hard work and a little bit of talent.
How powerful is Tom's magic now?
He himself doesn't know.
Because there will be no battle that will exhaust his magic power, this is also the reason why many kings of the century do not care about the total amount of magic power. It can never be used up.
But the activity level mentioned by Ollivander is indeed a very important criterion, and the so-called activity level can also be converted into the quality level of output magic.
There are many factors that affect activity - the wizard's will and emotions, the control over his own power, the proficiency in using spells, and even his own understanding of magic.
In short, the more active the magic power is, the more powerful the magic used will be.
Relatively speaking, the requirements for the magic wand will naturally be higher.
"Mr. Ollivander, is there any solution?" Tom said bluntly, "I can feel my wand is reluctantly cooperating with me. Apart from the usual spells, I dare not concentrate too much and let the magic power overactivate."
Ollivander nodded slowly. "That's right. A wand chooses a wizard, but that doesn't mean it will always be suitable for them... Perhaps it's due to a lack of ability, or perhaps the wizard has changed as they grow... Although wand replacements are rare, they do happen every year.
"Your situation is even more special. Logically, a wand should grow with the wizard until it reaches its limits, but you're growing too fast. The wand can't keep up."
The boy raised his eyebrows. "You mean I need to replace my wand? Can't I just upgrade the materials and core?"
Tom is a nostalgic person. He has been using his wand for two years and doesn't really want to replace it as there is no need.
"Upgrade?" Ollivander muttered, "Merlin's beard... How could you have such an idea, Mr. Riddle?"
"Every wand is like my child. I pour all my heart and soul into making it. There's no chance of cutting corners or being careless. Once completed, they become independent entities. I can't control their subsequent changes. If a person's heart or body is replaced, is they still the same person?"
Tom felt he had a say in this matter and nodded affirmatively: "Isn't it true? The most important things for a person are the soul and the memory. As long as these two things are there, it's normal to change bodies, right?"
"I created a body for a dead person to inhabit, and resurrected him. Can you say he's no longer himself?"
Ollivander opened his mouth, unable to utter a word.
He couldn't refute Tom's ideas. This guy spoke as if he had actually done these things.
"Okay, I gave an inappropriate example, but Mr. Riddle, upgrading your wand is impossible. The solution I can offer is... to buy ten extra spare wands."
Ollivander brought over a few boxes. "14.5-inch yew wood, dragon heartstring, right? You're a scene-stealer who prefers powerful spells, so there should be a wand here that suits you."
Tom strongly suspected that the old man asked him to choose a spare wand just to make money, but Tom didn't refuse. He thought, just buy it. If the wand exploded one day, it would be too late to buy a new one.
What made Ollivander even more excited was that he couldn't wait to study what happened to Tom.
The wand he chose was completely unsuitable for Tom, which meant that Tom had changed so much that he made a mistake in judging its characteristics.
Just like the first time he came to the wand shop two years ago, Ollivander re-measured Tom's physical data and tried more than a hundred wands in the store. Ollivander struggled to select three wands from them, and even his worldview was shocked.
The wand chooses the wizard...the sea king chooses the fishpond.
But when a lot of wands choose the same wizard, the fish pond should also screen the fish that come in.
Because of their materials, the upper limits of these three wands are slightly higher than other wands, but their adaptability is actually similar.
"Which one do you want, Mr. Riddle?"
Tom smiled and said, "Only incompetent people make choices. I want them all.
Tom left the wand shop with three wands. Without the subsidy from the Ministry of Magic, the three wands cost a total of 168 Galleons [this is in line with the position of the tenth arms dealer of Magic Spring.
Otherwise, at seven or eight Galleons per stick, not to mention the labor cost, even the material cost cannot be earned back.
But this time Tom didn't pay a penny, but instead caused Ollivander to violate the laws of the Ministry of Magic and fail to register the three wands.
Ollivander's condition was that if Tom used a broken wand, he would have to send it back to him for testing, and he would test it again next summer to see if there were any changes.
On the way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Tom was still thinking about how to solve the problem of the wand once and for all.
The simplest and most ruthless method is to simply receive a matching wand as a reward from the system, but this depends on luck, and the only tasks you can complete recently are the exams after school starts...
The Other forgot about the exam.
Tom slapped his forehead and remembered that he would have to take a placement test right after the start of the school year. Was he setting himself up for failure?
Another way is to find suitable precious materials and ask Ollivander to help him make a new wand.
This is also quite difficult. Not to mention the difficulty of obtaining rare materials, Tom doesn't quite believe in Ollivander's level.
Although he is a master in the field of wand making, the old man has no experience. He is not the King of the Century, so how can he know how powerful this field is? Therefore, he is still not very reliable.
Finally... it's about finding the most powerful magic wand that exists in the world.
For example, the old wand in Dumbledore's hand, and...Tom thought of the snakewood wand stolen by Isolt Sayre. That was Slytherin's former wand, and it was definitely not enough for him to use at this stage.
Today, Slytherin's snakewood wand has turned into a huge snakewood tree, becoming a famous attraction in Ilvermorny. Few people know that the snakewood tree is just the product of the wand's natural power after it has been dormant. What a waste.
Such treasures should belong to those with virtue.
There should be at least three other wands of the same level as this one. The three founders wouldn't be much worse than Slytherin. Maybe Gryffindor is even better than him. Otherwise, why did Slytherin run away from home like a bullied wife after the quarrel, instead of Gryffindor...
It is very likely that he has not played.
"Tom, please walk faster. I'm hungry!"
Daphne's call interrupted his thoughts. Tom smiled helplessly and quickened his pace to catch up.
Arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were busy putting three tables in the corner together. Percy helped move the chairs, but every time he moved a chair, he would stop and wipe the silver badge on his chest.
Seeing Tom looking at him, Percy straightened his chest and raised his head, wanting to put the badge under Tom's nose: "President's badge. Thank you for Dumbledore's recognition. I will reform some things in the school next school year."
"Well...good luck?"
Tom didn't know what to say. You, a student leader, want to reform the school. You really can't tell the difference between the big and small ones.
The twins came up to him mysteriously, and Fred said, "Do you really want to give him a beating? We can help you trick him out, and then you can just pick him up."
remuneration."
"That's your brother."
"No, no, no, this is President Percy, not Percy Weasley," George corrected. "He has reminded us countless times during the summer vacation not to cause him trouble at school, otherwise he will not show mercy even to his own brother."
Fred added: "In the end, we got so tired of hearing about it that we secretly put the water of life and death in his tea. That's when he finally had peace for two days."
Ginny, who was carrying a tray of food, heard his boasting and sneered: "Do you really think this is your own achievement? I don't know who made the water of life and death. Percy woke up after sleeping for a day, and I had to cast two stunning spells to make him sleep for another day."
"So that's how it is!"
George and Fred both looked enlightened and began to wonder why the effect was so good.
Tom's mouth twitched when he heard this. The Weasleys were truly a family of brothers, showing no mercy...
"for you."
Ginny took out a wooden amulet and stuffed it into Tom's arms: "I bought this from the Egyptian wizard market. It is said to have the effect of a philtre, but I guess it is definitely fake. But just take it as a psychological comfort."
Tom could smell the fragrance of wood and casually hung it around his neck: "It smells good. I'll use it as an air cleaner."
"Hmph, whatever you want."
He said he didn't care, but when Ginny saw Tom put it on, the corners of her mouth were harder to suppress than the wand.
Tom looked at George and Fred. "Where are your souvenirs?"
The girl chuckled. "They wanted to bring back the mummy's shroud, but their mother found out and gave them a good beating."
George said regretfully, "That thing is thousands of years old. Maybe it really has powerful magic?"
"Even if there is one, I wouldn't dare use it." Tom looked disgusted. If it was the fairy king's shroud, it would be fine, but he really couldn't accept changing it to a mummy's.
The tables and chairs had been set up, and everyone sat down. Hermione looked around and noticed something was wrong: "Why are there two extra chairs?"
Jasmine smiled and said, "Sirius and Harry are coming too, they should be here soon.
Not long after he finished speaking, green flames emerged from the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron, and two people walked out. One was Sirius Black, and the other was a sickly middle-aged man, not Harry.
"Sorry, I'm a little late." Sirius greeted everyone with a smile on his face, and finally nodded to Tom: "Tom, see you again.
Jasmine looked at the middle-aged man with a puzzled look: "Are you... Remus John?"
The man nodded slightly and smiled: "Long time no see, Jasmine."
Chapter 283: The Giant Eyes Above the Express Train
"This is Remus John Lupin, my good brother."
After settling down, Sirius and Lupin sat across from Tom and Astoria. Sirius introduced them to everyone, "Lupin will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts next semester. I brought him here today to introduce him to everyone. You can come to him with any problems you have."
The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's reputation was greatly improved by Ross, and coupled with Sirius's relationship, everyone had a good attitude towards Lupin, but they just felt that the new professor looked like a sickly person.
Thinking about the curse of this class, they were a little worried about whether Ping could survive the New Year.
Jasmine frowned and asked, "Didn't you say you would bring Harry over? Where is he?"
Sirius gave an awkward smile and scratched his head sheepishly: "I always take Harry out to play, but he barely even touched his summer homework. He's currently furiously writing at home."
Jasmine rolled her eyes at him, speechless about this unreliable godfather. Then she looked at her children and said sternly, "What about you? Have you finished your homework?"
"I've added Professor McGonagall as my 'I Chat' friend. If I find out you haven't completed your homework... I'll personally take you home and you won't be able to leave the house for a month!"
The mother's majesty was unleashed, and except for Percy and Hermione, even Daphne and Astoria shuddered and nodded repeatedly.
Only then did Jasmine smile with satisfaction and invite everyone to eat.
The dinner lasted until around eight o'clock, with people chatting and a few adults drinking some wine.
Tom, Sirius, and Lupin went to the backyard to breathe some fresh air. Sirius said to Tom, "School is about to start. When are you going to come to my house to get those books?"
Tom thought for a moment and said, "We can only wait until Christmas. There's no rush anyway."
Sirius nodded, then patted Lupin's shoulder somewhat depressedly: "Originally, I wanted to apply for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but Dumbledore said that I need to cultivate myself and am not suitable for a professor who works hard."
Lupin smiled and said, "Dumbledore is right. You've been imprisoned in Azkaban for so many years, and it's not something you can recover from in just a short vacation. He's doing this for your own good."
"Well, besides the physical, there are also mental reasons."
Tom agreed: "The destruction that Dementors cause to wizards' minds is not pleasant.
You look fine, but your temper is definitely more extreme than before.
If you get angry with a student, who knows if you will suddenly go crazy.
Then it will be difficult for Dumbledore."
Sirius was speechless, he knew Tom was right.
After being released from Azkaban, he also found that he was easily emotionally agitated.
Although Peter Pettigrew was captured and later killed by kind Death Eaters, he did not vent the anger in his heart.
He always felt like there was a stone pressing on his chest, and he didn't know when it would explode.
However, Tom's next words made Sirius explode.
"Besides, your relationship with Professor Snape isn't very good. If there were a conflict, you would definitely suffer. The headmaster is protecting you."
"Who says I can't beat that snotty guy!" Sirius's face flushed with excitement. "I can easily subdue him with just one hand. We had him in trouble in school!"
"You said it too, it's you, and it's you in the past." Tom reminded: "Now you have no helpers and have been imprisoned in Azkaban for so many years. Professor Snape has never relaxed..."
"I...I..." Sirius was so angry that he couldn't speak coherently: "I can turn into a dog and bite him to death!"
James Potter was the leader of the school's marauders back then, and he was also the strongest, on par with Snape, or even stronger. But Sirius and Lupin were no match for him. It was only because they always acted together that it seemed like Snape was invincible.
"Ah, yes, yes."
Tom replied insincerely, then, like a magic trick, he produced several bottles of potions. "I was originally planning to sell you these potions to restore your physical condition and nourish your spirit, but now it seems you won't be able to use them."
"Wait a minute!"
Sirius immediately grabbed Tom with a serious expression: "You are right, I do need to recuperate, Tom, is your potion really effective?"
"If it's fake, I'll pay you ten times the price. If there's no improvement after a month, you'll come directly to Hogwarts to investigate."
Seeing Tom's solemn assurance, Sirius finally believed it completely and spent two thousand Galleons to buy a course of treatment, which was one month's worth of medicine.
"Dumbledore said you don't lack money, but I feel like you want to make money more than anyone else."
Tom, who had been beaming with the extra money he had just earned, froze. "Dumbledore said I have enough money?"
"Right." Sirius drank a bottle of potion on the spot and smacked his lips. "Originally, I said I'd give you some gold, but he said you didn't need money. That's why I've been worried for so long. If I had known..."
Because of the bitterness of the potion, Sirius shook his head and said nothing more, but Tom had already clenched his fists.
Old Deng, we have another debt between us!
---------
Tom, who realized that he had been unintentionally tricked by Dumbledore, was no longer interested in continuing the conversation and took the girls back home.
Since they were leaving together tomorrow, they might as well not go home today. The Grangers and Mrs. Greengrass were already used to this and didn't say anything.
On September 1st, London was shrouded in fog from morning. The air was so humid that taking a deep breath felt like drinking water.
After King's Cross Station, I saw a lot of people dressed strangely, wearing sweaters with beach pants, and leather coats with slippers. Needless to say, these were all engravers.
There were also many serious people in suits and ties in the crowd, looking around. Each of them had a bracelet on their hand to ensure that the magic wand would appear in their hand as quickly as possible.
These Aurors should be here to look for Lockhart and Bella. Fudge had a private chat with Tom before and asked him if he needed Auror protection.
Lockhart alone is actually very easy to deal with, as long as you are on guard against his unexpected forgetfulness spell. The trouble is Bella.
According to the Ministry of Magic's investigation and tracking in recent days, Lockhart and Bella have been wandering around London, obviously with some purpose, revenge being the biggest possibility.
Bellatrix is the Dark Lord's most loyal servant, and his target is undoubtedly Harry.
And what about Lockhart?
It was Tom who made him lose everything he had, so there was naturally nothing much to say.
Tom did not accept Fudge's kindness, saying that school was about to start and Hogwarts was the safest place. Fudge felt a little uncomfortable, but did not mention the issue of protection again.
Everyone believed in Dumbledore and not his Ministry of Magic, and these words became more and more irritating the more they heard.
The train blew its whistle and slowly left Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Tom found an empty carriage, Penelope went to attend the prefect meeting, Qiu stayed with Marietta, and Ginny brought Luna with her.
"How was your summer vacation?" Tom asked Luna. There was a butterfly hairpin on the girl's head. What made people feel a little uncomfortable was that it was made of a butterfly specimen. Although it was beautiful, it was also very weird.
Luna nodded gently. "It was very enjoyable, but we didn't see any Scimitar-horned Snorkellers. Dad said we were too late and that they might have migrated to the Arctic.
Hermione said weakly, "There is no such thing as a Scimitar-Horned Snorkack...Luna."
Last night, a few girls played pillow fight until very late, then lay on the bed and whispered to each other. They fell asleep at dawn without realizing it, and now they feel tired.
Luna wasn't angry at Hermione's rebuttal, but said seriously, "Crumple-Horned Snorkellers definitely exist, just like snorkellers exist around people, but few people notice them. We need to be patient and look for them, and we might find them."
In the past, Hermione would have definitely refuted and produced a lot of evidence to support her point, but now she just opened her mouth, closed her eyes, and leaned on Tom's shoulder and squinted.
Tom took over the conversation: "So, are there any harassment around me?"
Luna stared at him for a while before slowly shaking her head: "No."
Tom laughed: "But I feel like there are still a lot of things that bother me. Logically, shouldn't there be a lot of harassment surrounding me?"
Artificial body, 'I Chat' promotion, Phoenix Trial, and other messy things, Tom's brain is in a state of high speed every day. He feels that Dumbledore does not worry as much as he does. After all, Dumbledore only has Voldemort as a big problem.
"Because you already have the solution and confidence, it just takes time to complete, so it won't cause you any trouble.
Luna's voice was ethereal and her way of speaking was very charlatan-like, but Tom thought it was quite convincing.
He turned his head slightly, and Merlin's magical perception was fully developed. He could clearly see the magic power that the girls unconsciously emitted, but he still couldn't find the harassing female that the girl mentioned.
Is Luna's talent even greater than Merlin's?
An absurd idea suddenly popped up in Tom's mind. He looked at Luna, but found that the girl's magical aura was not strong, only slightly better than Astoria's, so he could only suppress his doubts.
Don't worry, Luna can't run away, it's not too late to study it later.
A few cars away, Harry, with a piece of bread in his mouth, was holding a copy of Ronald's homework and comparing it with his own.
"Harry, how much do you need?" Ronald asked boredly.
"Now it's History of Magic. Later there's Transfiguration and Potions... Damn it, I have to write the Potions chapter myself. That b*****d Snape will definitely be able to figure it out."
In the corner, Lupin, wrapped tightly in his robes, gave a helpless smile: "Harry... copying homework in front of one professor and slandering another professor, isn't that a bad idea?"
Harry gave him a flattering smile. "School hasn't started yet. When we get to school, I promise not to say anything bad about Snape in front of you."
Half a month ago, Lupin returned to England and reconciled with Sirius. Naturally, he also got to know Harry. They often had dinner together afterwards and their relationship gradually became familiar. They spoke to each other more casually.
When Harry learned that Lupin was going to be a professor at the school, he was very happy for a long time. In the past, it was Snape who bullied him, but now he finally had someone behind him.
A few hours passed in the blink of an eye, and the train left England. The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, and the temperature in the carriage was continuing to drop.
Crunch! Crunch!
The train was getting slower and slower, the sound of the wheels gradually faded away, and the raindrops hit the windows even louder.
"Why did it stop suddenly?" Harry shuddered. He pushed open the carriage door and looked out. There were many people like him, looking outside curiously.
The train came to a screeching halt. The temperature was dropping rapidly. The raindrops on the windows condensed into frost and spread. The dim lights went out and the train became pitch black.
"What's going on?" Ronald asked from behind Harry.
Harry returned to his seat, confused. "Is the car broken down?"
"No, no, you better be careful.
Lupin woke up from his deep sleep. In the darkness, the two could not see his solemn expression, but they saw Lupin took out his wand, and they immediately became nervous.
Before Lupin could do anything, strange whistling sounds came from outside the train, the frost on the windows melted, and the lights came on one by one.
Harry leaned against the car window tightly, and he saw dark shadows flying away into the distance.
And out of his sight, directly above the train—a pair of gigantic eyes composed of silver-white mist coldly watched the group of fleeing monsters.
Chapter 284: The Hidden Guardian, Dementor Nemesis Lockhart
As the Dementors left, the temperature in the carriage gradually returned to normal. Only a very small number of young wizards knew that they had boarded the train and had no idea what was going on.
The Auror team that came to investigate with Dementors was also baffled.
"Why do I feel like they're running away?"
Looking at the large group of Dementors disappearing in the night, an Auror muttered, and the other Aurors had the same feeling, but they did not say it out loud, but were a little hesitant about what to do now.
No one wants to chase after the Dementors and have close contact with them. Aurors are also human beings, and of course they don't like the feeling of having all their happiness taken away.
The partition door was pushed open, and the old saleswoman on the train came in and said in a stern tone: "The Dementors have all left, why are you still here?"
Several Aurors looked at each other, nodded slightly, and left the armory.
The Dementors have all run away, so there is no point in them staying here. They should report the situation to their superiors and let them handle it.
The old lady glanced at the direction they left, hummed softly, and waved her wand. The train started again. Then she looked up at the roof and murmured softly, barely perceptible:
"A guardian deity of this strength... what a monster..."
In the box, Tom slowly closed his eyes.
If the little witches in the house were not asleep, he would not bother to meddle in such trivial matters.
The other side.
"What the hell was that? Are they trying to attack the train?"
Harry still couldn't figure out what had happened. Thanks to Tom's intervention, he was lucky enough to escape and was not scared to death by the Dementors. Otherwise, Malfoy would definitely laugh at him madly when he arrived at school.
"No, they are searching for prisoners."
Lupin was also confused as to why the Dementors suddenly ran away again, but he still put away his wand: "This is the Dementor, the guard of Azkaban. I believe Sirius has told you about them.
"
"Appeared here... probably looking for Lestrange and Lockhart.
Ronald shuddered, his voice becoming sharper: "Dementors? They actually left Azkaban?!"
Harry was in a complicated mood. Lockhart had even asked him to take a photo with him back then, but now he was not only a prisoner, but also a fugitive, with a bounty higher than that of a Death Eater.
Lupin was also confused and didn't understand why the Dementors gave up halfway.
This is not like the style of Dementors. While searching, they will also take the opportunity to absorb the students' happy emotions. There must be other reasons for giving up so many "delicacies" and leaving.
But Lupin had no idea, so he could only suppress his doubts in his heart and took out a large piece of chocolate to share with Harry and Ronald.
The train traveled for another two and a half hours before arriving at Hogwarts. After getting off the train, the little witches heard the discussions among the students and realized that Dementors had appeared.
"What the hell did the Ministry of Magic send this disgusting thing here for? I'm going to tell my mother."
Daphne hated Dementors very much. As soon as she got on the carriage, she took out the "I Chat" and complained to Mrs. Greengrass.
Hermione was a little disappointed. "I haven't seen a living Dementor yet."
Astoria shook her head: "Believe me, Hermione, if you see it once, you will never want to see it again.
"Then at least try it, otherwise I'll always be worried about it."
Tom patted Hermione's head in annoyance. "Then I'll catch one for you some other day so you can see enough."
"Forget it then." The little witch smiled awkwardly: "Dementors are employees of the Ministry of Magic, you'll be in trouble if you catch them.
While they were chatting, the carriage had already arrived in front of the main gate. The students got off the carriage and rushed into the hall covered in mud, not caring about the risk of being scolded by Filch.
The warmth from the thousands of candles in the auditorium dispelled the chill brought by the rainy nights. Every time school started, it was the coldest time in the Scottish Highlands, and it rarely didn't rain.
The old students in the auditorium were chatting freely, mostly about the Dementors. With the appearance of the professor, the discussions became quieter.
In the wizarding world, Dementors have a worse reputation than the Dark Lord. Rumors are circulating that more Dementors will remain at Hogwarts, causing even more students to look worried.
I can't imagine how I can study and live with such a monster.
The only one looking worse than them was Snape.
There were only two seats between Lupin and Snape, who was chatting happily with Professor Flitwick. Snape held a fork in his hand, gripping it tightly. Looking at him, Tom probably felt so guilty that he would immediately stab it into Zhan Ping's neck.
This Dumbledore too, how could he not know about the feud between Snape and the Marauders?
He even had to invite Lupin over. Does that mean Snape's feelings don't matter at all? Putting two enemies together to work together, this way of controlling subordinates... has a bit of an Eastern flavor.
Feeling Tom's gaze, Dumbledore, who had been silent all this time, looked up and smiled at him slightly, but Tom did not smile because he still remembered that Dumbledore had backstabbed him.
After a while, Professor McGonagall led this year's freshmen through the side door into the hall and began the annual sorting ceremony.
The Sorting Hat's new song, which had been kept secret for a year, was still so unpleasant. Tom activated his magical perception with all his strength and looked at the group of shivering newbies.
He wanted to see if the Sorting Hat's sorting results had anything to do with magic.
When he was sorted, the hat practically touched his hair, deciding he was Slytherin. Tom later realized that because he had inherited Andros' magical talent and was imbued with an ancient aura, he perfectly met Slytherin's definition of a 'pure-blood' wizard.
A hat with such keen perception can indeed reflect the founder's means.
Now these freshmen have not yet been contaminated by knowledge, and their magic is closest to the purest state, which can reflect the characteristics of each person. Tom really saw something.
There were no common characteristics found between the new Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students, but the Slytherin and Gryffindor students were more magically active.
If the school only has two houses in the future, it should be Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff merged, and Slytherin and Gryffindor merged.
Half an hour later, the sorting ceremony ended.
Professor McGonagall left the Great Hall carrying the Sorting Hat and the three-cornered stool, while Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome!"
Dumbledore's beard gleamed in the candlelight, and his voice was loud and clear, reaching everyone's ears: "Welcome to the familiar ones back to the school, and welcome to the new faces.
I have a few things to tell you, one of which is very important, so it's best to tell you before you enjoy your meal."
Dumbledore paused for a moment and continued, "Our school has welcomed several Dementors. They are sent by the Ministry of Magic to perform official duties. You have already seen B11 on the Hogwarts Express..."
"I must make it clear that no tricks or tricks can fool the Dementors. Do not try to leave the school without permission. They have guarded all the entrances to the school.
When Dumbledore said this, many students in the hall lowered their heads in silence, obviously very dissatisfied with this.
Tom was thinking of something else.
Why is Lockhart's bounty higher than Bella's? Can a wandless oblivion spell alone be such a threat?
In fact, it was not only Tom who was puzzled. Dumbledore also couldn't figure it out. Only a few people in the Ministry of Magic knew that the reason why the reward for Lockhart was set so high was entirely because of the Dementors' protest.
Perhaps because of excessive force, the Dementor attacked by Lockhart with the Oblivion Charm is still in a daze and has even forgotten the instinct to eat. Its size has shrunk several times. If this continues, it will probably die of "hunger" before this year.
This scared the Dementors. They couldn't even imagine what it felt like to starve to death. This human wizard was simply their nemesis and had to be eliminated completely. He couldn't be locked up in Azkaban. They had to catch him and give him a kiss.
Fudge was so annoyed by these monsters that he had no choice but to agree.
"Let's change to a pleasant topic."
After delivering this news, which displeased everyone, himself included, Dumbledore smiled again. "First, I need to remind everyone that all classes will be suspended this Wednesday.
The school will be holding a placement test.
I hope you will use these few days to review carefully and submit your answers to the professor's satisfaction."
Hearing this, the atmosphere in the auditorium became even more silent, and there was also a sense of... sadness?
Merlin's pipe!
Look at what kind of life we're living in. There are Dementors lurking outside, and exams start right after school starts, and the goddamn principal actually says this is good news?
Seeing the professors' happy expressions, this is indeed good news for them!
Then, Dumbledore said with a broad smile, "I am delighted that three professors will be joining us this semester."
"First, there's Professor Lupin, who has kindly agreed to fill the vacant Defence Against the Dark Arts class."
There was sparse applause in the hall. Only the Gryffindors, led by Harry and the Weasleys, applauded. Tom also followed suit because Sirius was his big customer, and the atmosphere became lively.
The Slytherin students naturally looked down on Lupin's poor appearance, and the other two houses also thought that Rolls was the best professor and were skeptical about him.
Dumbledore smiled and nodded to Tom, as if to express his gratitude.
After the applause died down, he continued, "The second new teacher, Professor Kettleburn, has unfortunately retired, but I am pleased to announce that Rubeus Hagrid will fill his position.
As a veteran who has been dealing with magical creatures for many years, I believe everyone will learn a lot of useful knowledge from his class."
This time Tom was the first to applaud. Hagrid's greatest strengths were his honesty and diligence.
During the holiday (Qian Wang's) time, there has never been a mistake in the delivery of the Acromantula Venom. It is always delivered to the designated location on time and in quantity. Tom must give his support.
Hagrid blushed and nodded stiffly at the four long tables.
It is his dream to become a professor, especially to deal with lovely magical animals, which is particularly important to Hagrid.
"The third professor will be two days late due to some matters, but that doesn't stop me from introducing him to you first."
Dumbledore said, "Dedalus Diggle will be the professor of Muggle Studies. He has had experience living in Muggle society and has a unique understanding of Muggle culture. You will understand it in the future. Okay, eat!"
Finally, the plate was filled with a sumptuous meal.
This year's back-to-school dinner was exceptionally peaceful, with no chaos occurring. The students enjoyed the delicious food, and time passed quickly. When the last few pieces of pumpkin pie disappeared, Dumbledore led everyone in singing the school song and then dismissed them.
Many people hurried back to finish their homework.
Although Tom didn't need to make up his homework, he had other things to do when he got home, so he was still walking fast.
But just as he reached the gate, he heard a loud voice behind him calling:
"Mr. Riddle, please wait a moment!"
The boy turned around and saw that the students around him had already made way for Professor McGonagall. Tom had no choice but to walk over, feeling a little confused.
The school had just started and he hadn't done anything wrong yet, so why was Professor McGonagall looking for him first?
Is it to give him a shot of prevention so that he will behave himself?