Despite all the unexpected twists along the way, Tom ultimately walked out of Ollivanders Wand Shop holding a wand made of dogwood.
Technically speaking, judging by what had happened at the very end, he could probably cast spells using his own tail instead of a wand. But being labeled "the first cat student in Hogwarts history" was already eye-catching enough. If he started waving his tail around as a wand during class…
(￣ω￣;) I really don't want to be stared at like some zoo animal!
Because Ollivander hadn't been able to provide Tom with a truly perfect wand, he refused to charge him for it. Instead, he plucked a small tuft of fur from Tom's tail as compensation.
According to Ollivander, since Tom's tail could already function like a wand, maybe the fur itself could be used as a wand core.
If it actually worked, he'd be more than happy to craft a wand made just for Tom—free of charge.
And so, under Ollivander's "persuasion," Tom steeled himself and decisively pulled a small handful of fur from the tip of his own tail and handed it over.
As for the now slightly bald patch on his tail, Tom didn't really care. Back in the day, before he and that stupid mouse reached a truce, his tail got mangled and thinned out all the time. Fur grew back eventually—it was no big deal.
But just because he didn't care didn't mean everyone else felt the same.
The Lovegood family was fine—they'd grown used to Tom's unusual nature over time. But Hannah was a different story.
She'd only known Tom for a short while. In her eyes, he was just a small cat who could use some unusual magic and was about to become her classmate.
Treating Tom as a friend, she stared at his bald tail in distress, so worried she couldn't even enjoy the snacks in her hand.
"(｡ó︿ò｡) Tom, is your tail really okay? Mr. Ollivander went way too far—he practically plucked it bald!"
As she spoke, Hannah reached out, wanting to touch his bare tail.
But tails have feelings too.
Freshly traumatized, Tom's tail wanted nothing to do with being touched again. It deftly dodged her hand, radiating a very clear message:
(－‸ლ) Don't touch me.
In the end, Tom couldn't take it anymore. He pushed himself just a little and forced the fur to grow back early, finally putting an end to the whole scene.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten the price of triggering Hannah's curiosity last time.
Back then, Ollivander had stepped in to save him. This time, no one was coming to his rescue.
Staring at the fur that had suddenly grown back, Hannah's curiosity skyrocketed. She locked onto Tom, eyes wide and unblinking, to the point where even Tom started feeling uncomfortable.
(;ﾟДﾟ) H-Hey! What are you staring at?!
"(•ω•)✧ Tom, you'd say we're friends, right?"
…I guess so? What are you getting at?
"Then can you teach me those spells you just used? The ones you made up! I can trade snacks for them!"
Now that Tom had acknowledged their friendship, Hannah grew even more excited. The two abilities Tom had just shown—making parts of his body bigger, and instantly growing fur—were both things she desperately wanted to learn.
She didn't really need the second one herself, but her dad definitely did.
The moment she realized this magic might be able to cure Old Tom's baldness, Hannah nearly burst with excitement. She'd never understood how her beautiful mother ended up marrying her father. Whenever she asked, her mom would just say that he used to be handsome when he was young.
So what her dad looked like with hair had become one of life's greatest mysteries for Hannah.
And now, if she could learn Tom's "hair-growing magic," that mystery could finally be solved. How could she not be excited?
Unfortunately, her hopes were doomed from the start.
Sorry. Those aren't spells—they're instincts.
After getting a wand, Tom could actually tell that magic might be able to replicate some of his abilities. But right now, he was still basically a magical beginner.
And if something went wrong during experimentation—like what had once happened to Pandora—that would be bad. Pandora had him to save her back then, but if he got into trouble now, who would save him?
Of course, that was mostly an excuse.
The real reason? He was lazy.
As a "retired" cat, all I want to do now is take it easy~ (～﹃～)~zZ
If Luna had asked, he might've helped out of respect for his "human servant." But Hannah? They weren't that close yet.
As for the future? I'll let future-me worry about that. ╮(๑•₃•๑)╭
So, to shut down Hannah's hopes completely, Tom firmly refused, citing "instinct."
"(;´д｀)ゞ Oh… I see. Okay, then."
Since Tom had put it that way, Hannah couldn't really push any further. And honestly, she could accept his explanation—magical creatures were just that mysterious.
She quickly adjusted her mood, seemingly forgetting the whole thing, and went right back to crowding around Tom, firing off rapid-fire questions: where he came from, whether he had any relatives, things like that.
It was obvious—Hannah was smitten.
After all, Hogwarts allowed students to bring a cat as a pet. So why couldn't her pet be a Tom?
Sadly, by the time they reached the pet shop, she still hadn't gotten any answers. To be fair, Tom didn't really know how to answer those questions himself.
Was he supposed to tell her he was a cat who wandered over from a completely different "set," and that this world had no one like him? Even in a magical world, that answer was a bit too out there.
In the end, Hannah left reluctantly, empty-handed. She was curious what kind of pet Tom would choose, but since she already had one of her own—and didn't plan to buy another—she had no reason to follow them inside.
After saying goodbye to the overly enthusiastic Hannah, Tom followed the Lovegood family into Eeylops Owl Emporium.
Pets could be owls, toads, or cats—but as far as Tom was concerned…
Toads were an easy no. He had zero interest in slimy creatures.
As for cats—he had briefly considered getting one. A pet you could communicate with would definitely be more convenient. But one comment from Pandora instantly killed that idea:
"(¬‿¬) So, Tom… are you trying to find yourself a child bride?"
Tom, who had once been human, had absolutely no interest in "feral cat logic" (catgirls were a different matter entirely). Pandora's teasing completely put an end to any thought of getting a cat.
Not liking toads and not daring to get a cat left him with only one choice: an owl.
And, naturally, he had a little ulterior motive.
(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ If I pick the biggest eagle owl here, could I ride it around like a flying mount?
Everyone knew Hogwarts owls were special. As long as they knew the recipient's name, they could deliver mail straight to them. If you used one as a mount, wouldn't that mean you could go anywhere you wanted?
With that thought in mind, Tom decisively chose the largest eagle owl in the shop—one that stood nearly half his own height.
Of course, there was also a more practical reason.
If he picked a smaller owl, he was genuinely worried that one day, if he got hungry, he might accidentally stew it and eat it.