Staring at the envelope on the table, the three humans and one cat just looked at each other in shock. The air in the room felt frozen, wrapped in a weird mix of confusion and disbelief.
Especially Tom — he stared at the name on the envelope, and his brain practically short-circuited.
"(⊙ˍ⊙) Tom Lovegood? That… that's supposed to be me, right?"
No way. No freaking way. How on earth would Hogwarts send an admission letter to a cat?
But then again… there was no one else in this house named Tom except him.
Except… he didn't have the last name Lovegood.
Could it be… Tom was Xenophilius's secret love child?!
(￣ω￣) Actually… that kinda tracks. The old man's kinda handsome, not gonna lie…
Having that thought, Tom turned toward Xenophilius, giving him a very strange, mischievous look.
He couldn't help but wonder — if Pandora ever found out about this secret-child conspiracy theory, how would she react?
And if anyone wondered why a "secret child not in the original story" suddenly existed?
Who cares! Novels are novels — real life is way more ridiculous!
Anyway, there is no universe where this letter is actually meant for him — a cat.
…Or so he thought.
Because everyone else in the room seemed to be thinking the opposite.
---
"Oh, Merlin's beard!"
Xenophilius mumbled, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Dumbledore must be losing his mind! He sent an admission letter to a cat?! I have to make this tomorrow's front-page headline in The Quibbler!"
He was already pulling out a chair, ready to sprint back to his studio to start writing.
But when he glanced at Pandora and Luna sitting next to him, he hesitated… and finally sat back down.
Work could wait — his daughter only turned ten once.
Pandora, meanwhile, looked at the letter… then at her daughter… and pulled Luna into a hug.
"My pretty moonlight girl, your birthday wish really came true, huh? Hurry, sweetheart — help your mom make a wish too. Ask the universe to keep me young and gorgeous forever, okay?"
Luna's eyes bounced back and forth between the envelope and Tom, sparkling.
"(^▽^) This is awesome, Tom! We can go to school together!"
Tom internally: (╯°□°）╯︵┻━┻ No way. NO WAY. There isn't a single normal-thinking human being in this house, is there?!
Tom twitched his whiskers, desperate to complain, but there were so many things to complain about that his brain just shut down.
Everything finally merged into one conflicted sound:
"Meow…"
"Tom, don't start making up nonsense." Luna said suddenly, her tone dreamy but serious.
"Dad and Mom love each other very much. He would never have a secret child."
Then she added:
"Also… are you sure the Minister of Magic would enjoy Dad publishing something that makes Dumbledore look bad? (･_･?)"
Tom: (°ー°〃)
Luna's comment pulled Xenophilius's burning stare right onto him, and Tom suddenly went stiff with panic.
He only meowed randomly!
Even HE didn't know what he was trying to say — how did Luna manage to interpret ALL THAT from one meow?!
---
"Come to think of it…"
Xenophilius rubbed his chin thoughtfully and leaned toward Tom.
"The Quibbler has never featured a magical creature quite like you. I'm suddenly thinking — maybe you'd make a better headline!"
"MEOW!"
Seeing his giant face getting way too close, Tom jolted — and somehow produced a giant hammer out of nowhere. With a loud BONK, he smacked Xenophilius right on the head.
Instantly, a massive swelling rose on his skull like an over-inflated balloon.
Xenophilius's face turned pitch-black with anger.
"Seriously? You're a grown man — and you're picking a fight with a cat?"
Pandora sighed, tapping her wand lightly against his forehead to make the swelling disappear.
"And I know you would never do something like that.
Anyway — Tom, come apologize to your father. That was definitely your fault."
"(ㄒoㄒ) Meow…"
Tom whimpered miserably. He didn't even DO anything! He only thought something!
How could Luna possibly understand the thoughts in his brain?!
---
After the chaos faded, everyone turned back to the envelope on the table.
Pandora eyed the still-sealed letter and said:
"Let's just open it and see what it really says. Who knows, maybe we misunderstood, and it isn't an admission letter."
Of course, she was just trying to change the subject.
As a former Hogwarts student, she knew exactly what that envelope contained — just from the format.
But Luna didn't know that.
The second she heard that the letter might not be an admission letter, she hurriedly snatched it up and opened it carefully.
After reading the contents, she lifted her head and smiled at Tom.
"(๓´╰╯`๓) Congratulations, Tom. From now on, you're officially my upperclassman."
She handed the parchment to him.
Tom looked down and read:
---
### Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Order of Merlin First Class)
Dear Mr. Lovegood,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
A list of required books and equipment is attached.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
---
Staring at the familiar yet surreal acceptance letter, Tom felt a storm of emotions.
He was thrilled — the dream of attending Hogwarts and learning magic since childhood was finally coming true.
But there was also one slightly important problem:
He was a cat.
Was Hogwarts really okay with accepting… a cat?
"It'll be fine."
Luna said softly, once again reading his mind.
"Dad wrote in The Quibbler that Hogwarts is an extremely open school. And Professor Dumbledore is known for treating every student equally.
Death Eaters, werewolves, magical creatures — anyone who's part of Hogwarts is treated the same."
Tom knew that was mostly true. He wasn't totally sold on the "Dumbledore treats everyone equally" claim, but Hogwarts definitely had an incredible level of tolerance:
Snape the double agent, Lupin the werewolf, Hagrid the half-giant, Firenze the centaur — they were all proof.
But did he really belong in that group?
He wasn't special… just a cat.
Could Hogwarts really accept him?
Even if they were the ones who mailed the letter?
"Meow?"
"If you're really worried about it…"
Luna turned to her father.
"Dad, when we write back, could we ask the professor to come visit us? Tom is afraid his admission might get rejected."
"Fine, fine — if Luna says so."
Xenophilius looked at Tom's anxious expression, then at Luna's hopeful eyes, and let out a helpless sigh.
With a flick of his wand, a quill floated up and began writing on a sheet of parchment.
---