Thank You

Hermione said with envy, "Tom, you should have invited me to help you through the challenges. I'm sure I could have passed the Potions and chessboard challenges."

Tom waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's easy, it's just a level-based game. I'll set it up for you when you come back next semester, and you can have as much fun as you want."

Tom led them in practice, and during their break, Tom drew what Voldemort looked like now, which was met with unanimous disdain from the two of them.

"It's so ugly, no wonder it can only hide on other people."

Then, upon learning that Tom had other important matters to attend to, they left.

Tom took out the Dragon Hide and dragon bones and began to cut and assemble them. Making a box with the Undetectable Extension Charm was a skill and a physical job.

The space requires expansion kits, and after the expansion kits are expanded, stabilizing spells need to be applied to ensure the space's long-term existence.

Over the next few days, Tom spent an entire afternoon each day at the Room of Requirement making boxes and researching information about the Thunderbird.

Because these are Fantastic Beasts unique to North America, there are very few books about Hogwarts, but even after reading through the limited information, Tom remained silent.

Thunderbird are among the most skilled flying birds in the Fantastic Beasts, with top speeds exceeding 500 kilometers per hour, and their flight is accompanied by gales and thunder.

To beat the Thunderbird in a flying race, Tom not only needs to master the flying spell, but also needs to reach speeds exceeding 500 kilometers per hour.

During the flight, they also had to withstand the fierce winds and rain brought by the Thunderbird.

He felt this trial was the most difficult of the four so far; he hadn't even seen a glimpse of the flight spell yet. Could he really complete it this summer?

Andros and Gellert Grindelwald found the request quite challenging, having spent the last few days studying flight spells, and finally had some ideas.

The Quidditch final began the day before the school year-end banquet.

Harry was still asleep, so Gryffindor had to find a student with decent flying skills to temporarily fill his place.

The team lacked any cohesion and was soundly defeated by Ravenclaw.

When Tom saw Wood leave the field, his eyes were red. This guy really cares about Quidditch! Tom silently mourned for him for a second.

And in the evening after the match, Harry finally woke up. "Good afternoon, Harry," Albus Dumbledore said with a smile.

Harry paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and stammered, "Professor, the Philosopher's Stone, it's Quirrell... no, where's Tom?"

"Don't get agitated, child." Albus Dumbledore's voice had a calming magic, and Harry quickly quieted down.

Albus Dumbledore continued, "The Philosopher's Stone is safe. You and Mr. Riddle successfully protected it and Quirrell Philosopher's Stone. You were truly remarkable."

Albus Dumbledore answered some of Harry's questions.

A sudden realization dawned on Harry: Albus Dumbledore seemed to be giving him a chance, believing he had the right to confront Voldemort.

Everything seemed to be done under guidance, but what about Tom? Tom was clearly at the forefront too!

Before the opening dinner, Harry, with Madam Pomfrey's permission, left the Hospital Wing and met Tom.

The two met in the Entrance Hall. Harry ignored Ron and Neville and blocked Tom, who was about to enter.

The two went to a corner of the hall, and Harry thanked him. "Tom, thank you. I would have been dead that day if it weren't for you."

"You're welcome. By the time I got there, you'd already beaten Quirrell half to death," Tom said nonchalantly.

He then asked curiously, "But I'm curious, how did you get through the previous levels?"

In the trio, Ron and Harry are always the ones with flashes of inspiration, while Hermione is usually the one with the brains and provides technical support.

Tom felt it was almost unbelievable that these two could successfully complete the challenge given their intelligence.

He really couldn't understand the Devil's Snare and the Potions challenges, especially.

Seeing Tom's curiosity, Harry recounted their adventure.

When they reached the Devil's Snare challenge, neither of them recognized what it was; they had completely forgotten everything they knew from their Professor Sprout Herbology.

During the struggle, Ron's wand was torn off by the Devil's Snare, causing an explosion. The flames repelled the Devil's Snare, thus saving the two from being strangled.

Needless to say, the chess challenge was Ron's doing. As for the final Potions challenge, Harry guessed, or you could say he gambled.

He examined all the Potions bottles, selected the one he thought had been tampered with and contained the least amount of Potions, and drank it down. And he was right.

After hearing about the challenges they faced, Tom was both amused and exasperated.

So it all came down to luck and recklessness. No wonder he's the protagonist and Voldemort's nemesis.

Anyone else would have been doomed, but Harry and Ron managed to escape unscathed, resting for a few days and then coming back to life.

"Um..." Harry scratched his head sheepishly, "Tom, I want to apologize to you."

"Apologize?" Tom looked at him questioningly. "You would do something to betray me?"

It's not that I believe in Harry's character, but rather that I doubt his abilities.

Hearing this, Harry became even more flustered. "Last time you and Hermione told me to be careful of Quirrell, but I always thought Snape was the bad guy."

"But Albus Dumbledore told me that Snape had been protecting me all along, and Quirrell was the one who wanted to kill me. If I had listened to you sooner, things wouldn't have turned out like this."

"That's it?" Tom said, suddenly realizing. "Actually, even if we knew, it wouldn't be of much use. Because without evidence, you can't possibly keep an eye on Quirrell every day waiting for him to slip up."

"It makes no difference. You don't need to apologize to me for this. Go talk to Snape if you want to."

Tom left, but Harry stood there in a daze for a long time before finally pursing his lips.

Go apologize to Snape? Let him continue framing people then; it's fine, he doesn't mind being a despicable person.

Tom entered the Great Hall, where the decorations had been completely renewed.

The decorations were changed to green and silver, representing Slytherin, and a huge banner depicting the Slytherin snake hung on the wall behind the High Table.

Aside from Slytherin, many students were sick of seeing this; the last dinner of every school year since they enrolled had been dressed like this.

The seventh-grade students are already in despair; they're destined to never see change. Is changing a color really that difficult?

Albus Dumbledore arrived at the Great Hall, and the noise gradually subsided.

"Another year has passed," Albus Dumbledore said cheerfully. "Before we enjoy the delicious food, I must trouble you all to listen to an old man's cliché."

"What a wonderful year! I'm sure you've all had a very rewarding year. A whole summer vacation awaits you, so enjoy your holiday to the fullest."