[(￣▽￣)~* It's very simple. You brought plenty of snacks, didn't you? Share some with me, and I'll forgive you~]
Poor thing that he was—currently a penniless cat!
Although before leaving, Luna had suggested splitting some of her pocket money with him, considering that the Lovegoods had already prepared all his school necessities, asking them for pocket money as well would make him feel truly guilty. Thus, he'd ultimately declined her kind offer.
The result? Although he'd successfully enrolled, he was now even poorer than Ron Weasley.
Now that a ready-made "mark" had delivered herself, Tom naturally wouldn't pass up this golden opportunity.
"Eh? That's all?" Hannah's eyes lit up. "Then, if I supply all your snacks from now on, does that mean I can touch you whenever I want? (≧ᗜ≦)"
Faced with Tom's "extortion," this young lady from a pure-blood family with abundant pocket money immediately set her sights on the long-term future.
Snacks were important, certainly, but if she could trade renewable snacks for permanent Tom-petting rights, that would be absolutely worth it!
[This... we'll discuss later, later!]
[(╯°□°)╯ What kind of joke is this? I just wanted to mooch some snacks off you, and you want me to sell myself?!]
Tom quickly changed the subject. He absolutely refused to make such a losing deal!
He declared that in life, he was Luna's family cat, and in death, he'd be a ghost of the Lovegood household! Compared to his ethereal and adorable little Luna, Hannah was simply too ordinary.
"I see... alright then..." Though somewhat disappointed by Tom's refusal, the good-natured Hannah didn't take this setback to heart and quickly recovered her energy.
However, just as she prepared to bring out snacks to share with Tom, she suddenly discovered a problem.
[(;°A°) Oh no, I think I ate all the snacks I brought earlier!]
She'd originally planned to sample various treats along the journey, so she hadn't brought too many delicious things. And just now, while secretly petting Tom, she'd finished off what little she had!
Just as she wondered what to do, the compartment door opened. A smiling woman pushed it wider.
"Would you like some treats, dears?"
"Of course! I'll take some of everything, thank you!" Hannah immediately perked up at the sight of the trolley witch.
This could both replenish her emptied snack supply and temporarily avoid Tom's stern gaze—truly killing two birds with one stone!
She didn't know that Tom wasn't looking at her at all. Rather, he was lost in thought, contemplating how to earn money going forward.
[(´-﹏-`;) This time I got lucky, catching Hannah red-handed with her wandering fingers, but I can't keep relying on "selling my body" to make money! Even though I'm a cat, cats have dignity too!]
Unless absolutely necessary, he refused to earn money by selling his petting rights! He, Tom, was a cat with principles!
But the question is, how exactly should I earn money?
Although Tom was capable of almost anything, he'd even accomplished the feat of catching Jerry, something that almost never succeeded in the cartoons, earning money alone remained his eternal Achilles' heel.
During his early days as Tom, he'd actually attempted independent living, entertaining thoughts of escaping from Jerry and that horrible maid. But ridiculously, no matter what he did, he couldn't earn money.
That wasn't quite accurate—he had earned money a few times, but regardless of how much he made, once it entered his possession, it would disappear through various bizarre circumstances.
Over time, Tom had lost his motivation for earning money and becoming independent, choosing instead to be a cat who lounged about waiting for meals.
And now, unwilling to sell his body and unwilling to live off the Lovegoods' charity, Tom had once again placed earning money on his agenda.
As for whether he'd succeed...
[My previous inability to earn money definitely wasn't my fault—it was the world limiting my potential! But now, in this magical world, I refuse to believe I still can't make money! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و]
Just what specifically he should do to earn money... well, he admitted he didn't quite have a clue yet.
Hmm... maybe try making some novel little trinkets? Even though this is a magical world, my craftsmanship is still excellent! Perhaps I could trade some handcrafted items for money? Or I could combine magic with games from my previous life to create some gadgets...
Wait, what am I eating?!
Tom, deep in thought, suddenly realized something was wrong. What was he eating? Where had the stuff in his mouth come from?
After this realization struck, he snapped back to attention, only to discover that Hannah was simultaneously demolishing the snacks on the table while stuffing food into his paws. And his paws were automatically conveying this food to his mouth.
"Ah! Tom, you're finally back with us!" Seeing this, Hannah breathed a sigh of relief, the trace of worry vanishing from her face.
"Seeing you completely unresponsive, I was getting worried something was wrong. When I discovered you could still eat, I relaxed. Here, all these snacks on the table are yours—eat whatever you want! Consider it my apology!"
As she spoke, she grabbed several Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, stuffing one into Tom's paw before popping one into her own mouth.
Her brow immediately furrowed. "Ugh, coffee flavor—so bitter!"
Tom instinctively tossed the bean in his paw into his mouth. Good luck—it was dried fish flavor!
However, being a cat, Tom didn't understand the concept of being soft on people who fed him! He ate while simultaneously protesting.
[Although I appreciate your concern, that doesn't justify force-feeding me without permission!]
"(¬ω¬) I didn't force-feed you," Hannah retorted with a hint of smugness. "I only put the food in your paw. Everything you ate, you ate yourself. Look, you even tore open the Chocolate Frog wrapper yourself..."
Before she could finish speaking, their compartment door was pushed open once more. A round-faced boy stood in the doorway, his eyes were glistening with unshed tears, looking timid and vulnerable.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen my Trevor?"
"Trevor? Is that your pet? Is it a cat? I haven't seen any stray pets, but I can help you search!" Hearing someone asking for help, the warm-hearted Hannah immediately turned toward the door, even forgetting about the sweets in her hand.
"N-no, not a cat—it's a toad. My grandfather gave him to me when I received my Hogwarts letter. It's just... he doesn't seem to like me very much. He keeps trying to escape..."
The little boy's expression grew dejected, though his eyes still held a glimmer of hope as he looked at Hannah. Combined with his watery gaze, he looked rather endearing.
"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Hannah patted her chest confidently. Then she glanced at Tom beside her. "By the way, Tom, do you want to come along?"