Altered Dreamscape

Tom walked to his bed, clutching his dizzy head. His vision went black, and he was somewhat relieved that he'd fallen onto the bed rather than the floor. He found himself in the familiar mist once more. Tom stood still, sensing something was off. Today felt different.

In his previous dreams, black tulips had never appeared. Tom squinted, carefully observing everything in the dreamscape. He tentatively tried to wake himself up, closing his eyes and repeatedly telling himself to snap out of it. After a long while, he frustratingly opened his eyes again.

Since he was a wizard, perhaps this wasn't an ordinary dream? Tom sniffed, inhaling the intoxicating floral scent in the air, and chuckled softly. He was right; dreams didn't have smells. But he still couldn't understand why everything had suddenly changed. Was this also one of a wizard's abilities?

Carefully avoiding the vibrant, captivating flowers on the ground, Tom walked to where his mother had been before. He was surprised to find the spot empty. He tentatively reached out, finding that the barrier that had previously blocked him was gone. He pursed his lips and stepped forward.

Reason told him he shouldn't be so reckless, but a voice in his mind urged him to go and see, or he would regret it for the rest of his life.

As his footsteps fell, Tom noticed the surrounding scenery spinning rapidly. The mist around him contracted, gathering into the size of a locket before exploding before his eyes, as if he had suddenly stepped into a star-filled night sky.

Tom looked at the faint, twinkling points of light around him. Following an idea that popped into his mind, he reached out and touched the closest point of light. A soft glow enveloped him. Tom felt a moment of panic, then, in a daze, saw a blurry figure.

The person, whose face he couldn't make out, turned around and, standing against the light, extended a hand towards him. Tom reached out to grab them but was dragged back by a powerful, irresistible force.

Tom sat up in bed and glanced outside. It was already late at night. It seemed he had slept for quite a while. But...

Recalling the strange dream carefully, Tom found that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what had happened in the dream. He only remembered smelling the flowers; he had no recollection of what happened next. This feeling of being out of control made him extremely agitated.

"What could it be..." he murmured softly, clutching his chest. Tom didn't understand. Was something wrong with his heart? It had never beaten at this rate before.

Shaking his head, Tom decided not to dwell on it. The priority now was to learn magic. He wanted to use this month to familiarize himself with the textbook content. He wasn't sure if he could keep up with everyone else. Even as an orphan, he wouldn't allow himself to lose to others. If he was going to do something, he would do it best.

Tom thought about the History of Magic he had flipped through before falling asleep. He had found clues about his origins from the four founders. Unfortunately, the book provided too little information about them. Perhaps there would be more clues at school. He had read that Ravenclaw had a vast collection of books.

"Hmm... So should I go to Ravenclaw House? Or would Slytherin be more suited for me~"

Tom yawned, covering his mouth, and rubbed his stomach. He got up to pour himself a glass of water. It was too late for food, which was a shame. He really should have eaten more when Professor Dumbledore treated them.

Lying back in bed, Tom curled into a ball and fell asleep again. This time, however, he didn't smell that intoxicating fragrance.

The next day, Tom woke up, got dressed, and tidied himself up. He ate a quick meal and returned to his room. Time was too precious to him; he had to speed things up. Putting History of Magic aside for now, Tom took out his wand and tentatively cast a spell according to the book.

He successfully levitated the clutter on his desk. Tom raised an eyebrow. Compared to before, when he had to concentrate hard to move objects, using a wand was indeed much easier.