Mua

Daphne was so moved she couldn't speak. She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to Tom's cheek.

Mua--

Then she snapped out of her daze, her face turning red from her neck to the tips of her ears, and she turned and ran, faster than a rabbit.

Tom touched the spot where he had been kissed; it was soft and a little cool.

"This silly child."

Mrs. Greengrass was deeply moved when she read her daughter's reply.

Meeting Tom was not only Daphne's good fortune, but also Astoria's.

Tom can refuse, but she can't refuse. She can have Daphne invite Tom home for summer vacation, and then give him the vault key as a gift.

It's not for the Potions; I can't refuse this time, can I?

She felt it wasn't enough; Astoria's problem wasn't completely resolved, and Tom might still have to find a solution in the future, so sincerity was essential.

She took a blank parchment from the cupboard, its edges imprinted with the coat of arms of the Greengrass family. This was the family's token, granting them unimpeded access to the Wizarding World.

Tom witnessed the efficiency of the large family; three days later, all the materials were gathered and sent to Hogwarts.

Two fresh Dragon Heartstring, still warm, and five pairs of Sphinx eyeballs, in a glass jar; the other materials, in five times the amount, are neatly stacked in a box.

"How did your family get the Dragon Heartstring?" Tom asked Daphne.

"Although our family doesn't own Dragon Field, we have shares in several other Pure-blood Dragon Field. We can simply exchange our dividends for hearts."

Tom fell silent. Damn capitalists! All his hard work and a whole vacation was less effective than a single word from one of them?

He drooled with envy. Damn it, maybe I should just become a kept man from now on; this life is too good.

With the materials in hand, enough for at least a hundred bottles, Tom achieved potion freedom and also arranged a set for Hermione.

"I have nothing to give you." In exchange, Hermione gave him an outrageous reward: "A lifetime dental care package, and free dental checkups from now on."

Tom wanted to refuse, but then he thought, so what if there's a wizard? Wizards can have problems with their teeth too.

Dumbledore had told him that he had seen many Muggle dentists, and that they were much better than those awful-tasting Potions.

Although he doesn't like sweets, he still needs sweets to replenish his energy because he uses his brain too much every day and his two old men take turns exploiting him.

Andros and Gellert Grindelwald discussed it and came up with a few ideas.

"For tracking purposes, we've designed a ' Footprint Revealing Charm ' for you."

"As long as the target has left a scent, footprints, or any trace, this spell can trace its whereabouts, with a range twice that of the Blood Tracking Curse."

Gellert Grindelwald added, "There's also a ' Aura Sensing Charm.' It's not for tracking, but for sensing the emotions and intentions of those around you."

"Unicorns are very sensitive to people's good and evil intentions. If you learn this spell, you'll know its attitude towards you and avoid approaching rashly and scaring it away."

Tom's eyes lit up. "That's great, I want to learn this first."

Andros snorted. "You certainly know how to pick one, the hardest one."

Life returned to normal: classes, daily trips to the Forbidden Forest, checking Zabini's Potions, and cultivating relationships with unicorns.

There were five unicorns in the Forbidden Forest: four large and one small, two males and three females. Tom ignored the male unicorns and focused on getting close to the two female unicorns.

The effect was poor; in fact, because of the dragon's might, several unicorns would run away in fear when they saw him, which made Tom so angry that he skipped a meal.

"The order of the Twelve Trials is just a trap," Tom complained. "Most creatures fear the might of dragons, and my first reward was the Dragon Blood. Isn't this just making things harder for me?"

Only the little unicorn was kind enough to Tom, and Tom fed it with herbs and fresh flesh and blood, using the old method.

The little unicorn is willing to eat, but doesn't allow Tom to come within three meters; if he goes beyond that distance, he will be frightened and run away.

Tom dared not chase after it, fearing it would lead to even greater misunderstandings, so he placed a tracking spell with warning features on the little unicorn.

He could sense any attack even inside the castle, so he wasn't afraid of being caught off guard.

Andros began teaching Tom Wandless Magic. Tom, having fused with the Dragon Blood, was considered half a Fantastic Beasts.

Since no Fantastic Beasts use wands to cast spells, his talent in this area has increased, but he is still far from Andros's level.

Gellert Grindelwald witnessed Andros unleash Giant- sized Patronus Wandless Magic, exclaiming, "This is no magic at all!"

He considered himself a master of Wandless Magic, having subdued the Scamander with just a few swings of his hand, but compared to Andros, he was utterly insignificant.

Andros was finally triumphant. He had suffered from the times, struggling to learn modern magic, but now Gellert Grindelwald had something to learn from him.

The two had a good relationship, but they were secretly competing with each other, neither willing to admit that the other was weaker.

Tom has used his Transcendental State a few times and has enough credits, but his achievement points are progressing more slowly than last semester.

The system requirements are becoming increasingly demanding, and Gellert Grindelwald's level of trust is rising more slowly. Dark wizards find it difficult to fully trust someone, and so far, he hasn't even reached fifty percent.

Gellert Grindelwald's willingness to teach him magic and refrain from harming him does not mean he approves of him.

A week later, Potions Class, Tom secretly followed Snape into the office.

Snape pretended not to see it, put down his homework, lit the fireplace, sat down, and slowly turned around. The firelight shone on his face, turning his black robes dark red.

"Tell me, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time? Or did the Potions explode again?"

Tom pulled a stack of parchment from his bag, more than ten pages thick, neatly stapled together.

"Professor, I've written a paper and would like you to proofread it and see if there's anything that needs improvement."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "A thesis?"

He didn't doubt Tom's abilities, but had this kid suddenly changed his ways? Wasn't all he cared about was fighting and skill? Why was he suddenly interested in writing papers?

"Let me see." Snape's curiosity was piqued.

Tom handed it over, Snape took it, glancing at the title. "On the Feasibility of Extracting and Refining Vital Energy from Medicinal Herbs."

He frowned. Did his study notes for Tom contain any research on this topic?

For the next half hour, the only sound in the office was Snape turning the pages of parchment. His expression kept changing, and his breathing became lighter, as if he was afraid of missing a single word.

Tom's article proposes a completely new method for processing Potions materials, extracting the vital energy from the medicine.

The extracted substances are not only better absorbed and integrated, but also have fewer negative impurities and toxins, significantly improving the quality of the Potions.