Driving to School

Nominally, he and Tom were friends, but ever since he saw Tom fighting with the mysterious hooded man in the Forbidden Forest, he had been afraid of Tom from the bottom of his heart.

Even though Tom was protecting the school and the two had no grudges against each other, he couldn't help but feel scared whenever he heard Tom's name.

Tom glanced at him, his tone nonchalant. "Got some trouble and missed the train, is that so strange?"

"No, not at all." Hagrid chuckled awkwardly, quickly changing the subject; if they continued talking, he was so nervous he'd forget his lines.

Just then, the train doors opened, and the little wizards poured out, chattering excitedly.

Hagrid, as if grasping at a straw, shouted at the top of his lungs, "First-year students! All of you, assemble here!"

His voice was so loud that it startled the students who had just gotten off the bus; no one knew why Hagrid was so agitated.

At the same time, many people also saw Tom standing next to Hagrid.

Tom! Long time no see!

"Riddle, how was your holiday?"

"Tom, I brought you that Potions you asked for last time!"

"Tom, my mom brought me some Muggle chocolates, do you want to try some?"

For a moment, greetings rose and fell, with the Slytherin students being particularly enthusiastic.

Only after receiving a perfunctory response from Tom did she breathe a sigh of relief and hurried away.

This is what Hermione, Daphne, and Astoria saw when they arrived.

Astoria looked puzzled. Tom was clearly such a gentle and gentlemanly man, so why was everyone afraid of him?

Little did she know that only those who had grown distant from Tom could clearly sense the changes in him.

Dragon Blood, Soul Ascension, Copper Skin and Iron Bones, Thunderbird Bloodline—so many buffs stacked together.

Tom is now like a magic wand infused with power, sharp and imposing.

Daphne, Astoria, and Hermione are close to him, and because they have a biased view of him, they naturally don't notice.

But the others felt differently; they simply thought Tom had become even scarier after the holiday.

"Wow! Tom! How did you get so pale!" Daphne exclaimed carelessly, instantly interrupting Astoria's confusion.

She ran to Tom's side, staring intently, but couldn't see him clearly in the Two-way Mirror.

Now that she saw him up close, Tom's skin was so white it was practically glowing, and he was even prettier than her, a girl. She was so jealous she wanted to grind her teeth.

"You haven't been in the sun lately, you'll get tanned again in a few days." Tom rubbed her little head.

He secretly rejoiced, thankful he hadn't mentioned being struck by lightning, otherwise this girl might have wanted to be struck by lightning herself, which would have been troublesome.

Daphne's eyes lit up, and she patted her chest, saying, "Then I won't leave the castle this month, and I'll get whiter with you!"

"Alright, alright, whatever you say, let's go quickly."

Tom led the three of them toward the Thestral carriage, smiling obsequiously and saying nice things to Hermione as they went.

He had promised her he would come back from France to spend a few days with her, but he didn't return until the start of the semester. He knew he was in the wrong, so he could only try to appease her.

However, Hermione wasn't really angry. What she wanted was Tom's attitude, and she gave him a way out after a few words.

Some girls like to push their luck and, when they feel they are in the right, force the man to give in endlessly.

But sensible girls, even when they throw a tantrum, know when to stop and use it to elevate their status.

Hermione's scientific rationality made her realize how rare the opportunity to study under Nicolas Flamel was, and she didn't really complain about Tom at all.

The four of them boarded the carriage, Daphne began chattering excitedly about the exciting things that happened on the train.

"Tom, Tom, we saw Potter and Weasley! They were flying in the sky in a car, and I guarantee some Muggle saw them!"

Tom blinked, looking completely bewildered. He'd had such a fulfilling summer that he'd long forgotten all about the original plot.

However, to be fair, Ron is really something else; he can drive all the way from London to Hogwarts, making him a true driving god in the Wizarding World.

Hermione looked utterly despairing at the mention of it. "I can already foresee that Gryffindor will start the school year with negative grades!"

"It's not that bad," Tom, leaning back on the cushions and waving his hand.

"Strictly speaking, it's not the start of the school year yet. There hasn't been an opening ceremony; it's still summer vacation, so there's no point in deducting any points."

"You can explain it like that?" Hermione's eyes lit up, and she instantly perked up.

"I really hope they behave themselves. You Slytherin have won seven consecutive championships; you can't keep dominating the rankings forever, can you?"

"It'll be our eighth consecutive championship soon, Hermione." Tom raised an eyebrow, his tone smug.

"Impossible! This year's champion will definitely be Gryffindor!"

"Are you dreaming? If it's a contest of who loses the most points, Gryffindor would easily take first place."

The two started bickering again, which Tom was already used to. He turned to Astoria and whispered, "Has the Blood Curse relapsed recently?"

"No, I drank another bottle of strength-enhancing potion, and I feel energetic all over." The silver-haired girl's voice was soft and obedient.

"That's good. You still need to exercise more every day, otherwise you'll easily get sick in winter. Hogwarts winters are very cold."

"Especially the Slytherin dorms, they're so damp. I'll teach you a dehumidifying spell that will set the humidity in your dorm just right."

"Good!"

Tom ruffled his sister-in-law's hair, and the girl's cheeks instantly turned red. Instead of pulling away, she obediently stretched out her neck and let him rub her head.

Just then, Hermione and Daphne, who were bickering, suddenly turned around at the same time, their eyes fixed on Tom.

They shouted in unison, "Why did you bring Astoria onto the carriage too!"

Tom and Astoria were stunned; the air seemed to freeze instantly.

A quarter of an hour later, the carriage came to a smooth stop.

Looking at Hogwarts Castle, which he hadn't seen for two and a half months, Tom felt a pang of nostalgia.

This place has a kind of magic; without realizing it, you'll find yourself making it your home.

Daphne, pulling Astoria along, hurriedly went to find Professor McGonagall, fearing that if she didn't follow the path of the Four Founders to enter the school, she would be harassed.

Tom wasn't worried. That fifth-year transfer student's first visit to Hogwarts was much more outrageous, and nothing happened to him.

As he went up the stairs, he saw Malfoy looking around, like a little mouse searching for food.

Malfoy saw him too, and immediately ran over, his face flushed and his voice filled with excitement. "Tom! Have you seen Potter?"

"I didn't see it." Tom shook his head, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.

"But Daphne said she saw Potter and Weasley flying in a magical car."

"I chose a pretty cool way to get to school; I should be there in no time."

"Flying in the sky?" Malfoy's eyes lit up, and he almost jumped for joy.

"Great! With such a huge mess, Potter might get fired!"

"Thank you so much, Tom! My mom brought me lots of imported candy, I'll bring it to you in a bit!"