Accepting Overtures

Tom read out the password for the Slytherin Common Room: "Purity."

The gate slowly opened, and as soon as I entered, I was overwhelmed by the noise inside.

He walked down the stone stairs and saw that most of the students were gathered together. In the center of the crowd, Malfoy was showing off something to several Quidditch players.

When the students saw Tom enter, they immediately and automatically made way for him to walk smoothly to the front.

All the Quidditch players were holding brand new brooms.

He stroked it carefully, with such tenderness, as if he were caressing his lover.

Malfoy, beaming with excitement, began his presentation, spittle flying everywhere.

"See that? That's Nimbus 2001! Its top speed is 10% faster than the Nimbus 2000, and its acceleration is increased by 20%!"

"As for those trash brooms like Cleansweep and Comet, they're not even worth a single hair of its!"

"This year's Quidditch Cup will definitely belong to Slytherin!" he patted his chest, utterly arrogant.

"Great, Draco!" Quidditch captain Marcus Flint patted Malfoy on the shoulder with his fan-like hand.

A slap sent Malfoy staggering. "Thank you so much for your contributions to the team. It's such a shame you're not on the team!"

He paused, then extended a sincere invitation. "Draco, I formally invite you to join the Quidditch team."

"Our Seeker has graduated, and this position is perfect for you. Are you willing?"

"Of course I'd love to!" Malfoy was so excited he almost jumped up, his eyes lighting up.

He pestered his dad relentlessly throughout the summer just to join the Quidditch team.

The Seeker position couldn't be better, so he could face off against Harry Potter head-on!

Tom rolled his eyes at the sight. Wasn't this just like the "Sea Cucumber Team" selection process? Everyone was sycophantic and shameless.

"Tom, you've come at the perfect time!" Malfoy caught sight of Tom out of the corner of his eye and immediately picked up a Nimbus 2001 that had appeared on the table.

He came running over, a fawning smile on his face, "Tom, this is a birthday present my dad prepared for you!"

"The Quality Quidditch Supplies didn't have it in stock last time, so it only arrived at school today. Please don't mind."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Nimbus 2001 as a birthday present?

Old Malfoy is incredibly wealthy! But isn't he supposed to hate Half-blood and Muggle-born wizard? Why would he give Tom such an expensive gift?

Tom knew perfectly well what was going on, and secretly thought to himself, "Lucius, that old fox, has really mastered the art of being a fence-sitter."

"To be able to evade the reckoning of two wizard wars in a row, they really have some skills."

Tom didn't refuse Lucius's overture, and casually took the Nimbus 2001 and weighed it in his hand.

"Please Mr. Malfoy for me, and invite him to the school for a cup of tea sometime."

"I will certainly pass it on!" Malfoy nodded with a dry laugh.

His father was clearly somewhat afraid of Riddle, only seeking to maintain a superficial friendship, and had no intention of developing a deeper relationship with him.

"I'm going to find Professor Snape right now and snatch the rights to use the Quidditch Pitch for the weekend!"

Marcus Flint was frantic, and led a few Quidditch players out of the lounge in a flurry of activity.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Tom casually tossed the broom to Nott: "Take it back to the dorm and leave it there."

Since mastering the magic of flight, the Flying Broomstick has long been a mere decoration for him; accepting this gift is simply to keep it as a collectible.

To be honest, the Nimbus 2001 has a pretty exquisite design; it's perfect for display as a figurine.

He suddenly remembered that the Nimbus 2000 that Newt Scamander had lent him was still in the Small World. One of them had forgotten to return it, and the other had forgotten to ask for it back, so he decided to just give it to Rolf Scamander.

"Tom." A soft, sweet voice came from beside me.

Tom turned around and saw the silver-haired girl Astoria standing there obediently.

Tom asked with a smile, "How's the first day of school?"

"Yes!" Astoria's eyes lit up, and a smile bloomed on her face.

"Everything is so new and exciting, except I almost missed class this morning when the stairs suddenly turned around. Luckily, a senior student pointed out another way."

"Those stairs can be troublesome if you're not familiar with them."

Tom glanced around, then realized something was wrong. "Where's Daphne? Why isn't she with you?"

"My sister..." Astoria scratched her face awkwardly and whispered, "She went to the library with Hermione to do her homework."

Tom sighed and smiled helplessly. Just how much homework did Daphne owe?

Or did she not write much at all? She spent the whole night trying to finish and still hasn't done it.

However, the little witch does have some skill in persuading Hermione to help.

He ruffled Astoria's hair, gazing fondly at the tuft of hair sticking up on her head.

"Never mind her, come on, I'll show you around the campus."

"Okay!" Astoria obediently followed behind him, and the two strolled leisurely around the castle.

Hogwarts has a total of 142 public staircases, not counting those in the four common rooms.

It is said that this magic was set up by Ravenclaw, partly to keep young wizards focused on walking and prevent them from running around on the stairs.

On the other hand, it was also a defensive measure, as wizards and Muggle had a fierce conflict a thousand years ago.

Hogwarts is not just a school, but also a sanctuary, dedicated to preserving the flame of the wizarding world.

Tom had always been puzzled by this; Andros and Gellert Grindelwald had both told him about it.

Whether the Four Founders can be considered immortal is debatable, but their strength is definitely greater than that of the other two.

Before they fell out, Gryffindor and Slytherin, those two best buddies, could easily Cleansweep the world together.

How could they be forced to hide away and build a sanctuary? Slytherin opposed accepting Muggle-born students back then.

He's afraid these students will tell their parents about what happened at school, exposing the existence of the wizard. What exactly is he afraid of?

This is a question that even Andros, let alone Gellert Grindelwald, couldn't answer.

Tom suppressed his doubts and focused on being Astoria's guide. He took the girl's "IChat" from her handbook.

Turn to a new page, and write down the pattern of execution every time you pass a staircase.

In about two hours, I memorized all the patterns of the commonly used staircases, but I didn't bother with the remote ones that I only went to in elective courses.

Tom tapped his wand, and the characters on the paper immediately began to twist and turn, piecing together a three-dimensional map amidst Astoria's gasp.

Some of the stairs above were still, while others were slowly turning. "How amazing!" the little witch exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"It's still a bit short." Tom shook his head. "I can't remember some of the trajectories affected by external forces. Time is limited, so this will have to do."

He reached out and pulled, and the map leaped off the paper, projecting into the air. It could even rotate with his hand gestures, and each staircase was marked with a pattern explanation.

"If you can't find the way, just take it out and look at it. You'll be able to memorize it in a few days."