Narcissist

Astoria retrieved the laptop, and the projection instantly disappeared.

The summoning method was very simple; Astoria mastered it after practicing twice, and said happily.

"' IChat ' has this feature? Did you design it from the beginning?"

"Yes, we have ideas for many features, but they can't be implemented in the short term," Tom said, not denying it.

"No matter how long it takes, you will definitely succeed!" Astoria looked up, her eyes clear and earnest.

Seeing the girl's sincere expression, Tom could clearly sense her feelings and nodded with a smile.

"When a new feature is developed, you'll be the first to try it out."

Astoria was about to agree, but then frowned and said with a troubled expression:

"Let's forget it, my sister will definitely snatch it away."

The two exchanged a glance, and imagining Daphne's boisterous manner, they both burst out laughing.

"Where did you all go? You went out to play without telling me!"

As soon as the two returned to the lounge, Daphne blocked their way, her face long and full of grievance.

She came back after painstakingly finishing her homework, intending to seek comfort from Tom, only to hear from her classmates that Tom had already taken Astoria out to play.

The little witch's heart shattered instantly. Not only did he go out to play without Hermione, but he even forgot about her, the one who was supposed to be there?

"You have the nerve to say that?" Tom reached out and pinched her cheek, saying irritably.

"As the older sister, you're not going to help Astoria get acquainted with the school? Are you expecting me to just ignore her?"

"That's right," Astoria chimed in. "My sister's been so busy with her homework she's completely forgotten about me."

"I just forgot," Daphne, instantly losing her temper, sticking out her tongue and admitting her mistake.

Astoria secretly rolled her eyes; her older sister used to be quite reliable at home.

How come he seems to have reversed his aging process after arriving at Hogwarts? It's probably because Tom spoiled him!

To salvage the situation, Daphne leaned closer and mysteriously shared some gossip.

"Let me tell you, that Gerard Lockhart is absolutely rotten!"

"In Gryffindor class today, he couldn't even handle a few House-elf. Hermione had to step in to subdue them, and several students got scratched!"

She didn't lower her voice, and the students nearby all heard her.

There are quite a few female fans of Lockhart in Slytherin, and one girl immediately retorted.

"Maybe he wants to give students practical experience? Haven't you read his book? He's done so many amazing things!"

"How could the fairies steal my House-elf so I could have a chance to practice?" Daphne protested.

"It was a student who kindly helped him find it; even last year's Quirrell wasn't this bad!"

"I think he's just a fraudulent author!" a boy stood up to support Daphne.

What started as a casual chat escalated into a heated argument, eventually splitting the group into two factions.

Lockhart's supporters were primarily girls, while those who opposed her were entirely boys.

Tom was getting sleepy listening to this, so he told Astoria to go back to her dormitory to rest, and then he went back to his room as well.

News travels faster than lightning at Hogwarts, and by the next morning, the whole school knew about the farce in Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Lockhart remained in high spirits, and given his previous reputation, most people dismissed it as an accident and didn't pay much attention.

Instead, another message broke the defenses of the other three houses, especially the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Malfoy actually donated an entire Nimbus 2001 team to the Slytherin Quidditch Team!

During breakfast, Gryffindor Quidditch Team Wood was completely distracted, his eyes fixed on Marcus Flint.

He didn't even notice the pepper sprinkled into the milk. Marcus Flint noticed his old rival's gaze, deliberately grinned, and made a throat-slitting gesture at him.

Wood snorted angrily and shoved the milk into the hand of Lee Jordan next to him.

"Pfft! Wood! What the hell did you put in this milk?!" Lee Jordan spat it out.

After leaving the Great Hall, Tom followed his classmates to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where it was their turn to be tormented by Lockhart.

Perhaps yesterday's embarrassing incident made him realize his own limitations, Lockhart became much more obedient.

He started by boasting for half an hour about his "great achievements," and then handed out a test paper filled with questions about himself.

Tom didn't write a single word; he just copied a classmate's test paper.

The rest of the time, I watched Lockhart grade papers in class, and when he encountered answers that praised him, he would read them aloud.

He repeatedly emphasized how strong and brave he was, and the whole class just passed by in a blur.

The assignment was to have students choose a battle scene from his book and write a reflection.

"I'm now certain that he's all show and no substance." Daphne didn't lower her voice, and this time, surprisingly, no one disagreed.

Even Lockhart's supporters found it outrageous; any Muggle could handle this teaching method, and he was even worse than Quirrell.

At least last year, Quirrell didn't just read from a script when answering questions; he could offer some of his own understanding.

At least it makes him seem like he can't teach, but he's not a magic idiot.

Tom turned to look at the crowd and said with a half-smile.

"I remember someone saying that Quirrell was the worst professor at Hogwarts, without a doubt. Do you still think so now?"

Selwyn, standing in the crowd, blushed deeply; he had indeed said those words last Halloween.

But instead of blaming Tom, he cursed Albus Dumbledore in his heart: Did you choose your teachers based on "whoever is worse"? How come you're becoming more and more unreliable?

After finishing his classes for the day, Tom first went to the library to browse through books on Herbology before heading to the Forbidden Forest to wait for the Centaur' reply.

His sudden interest in Herbology was entirely due to Nicolas Flamel's suggestion.

The most crucial element of the "IChat" notebook is the paper; it carries all the functions.

While they may appear ordinary, each sheet of paper is actually mixed with high-grade materials Runespoor powder, which is the key reason for their high cost.

Nicolas Flamel's solution was to replace these materials with renewable plants.

Even the only Whomping Willow in all of Britain.

As long as you only harvest willow twigs and sap without damaging the roots, it's cheaper than mithril Runespoor, and you can obtain it reliably.

So Tom not only studied general Herbology, but also set his sights on Centaur.

On his path to advancement, obstacles are his enemies.

They can be allies, and even enemies can become friends—that's the true essence of Slytherin.

"It seems you've made the right choice."

Tom walked to the place they had agreed upon the day before, where two Centaur were already standing.

One was Firenze, and the other was Magorian, the chieftain of the Centaur Tribe.

Magorian snorted coldly, her tone filled with anger. "Riddle, you didn't give us a choice at all."

"From beginning to end, we only had one path to take, didn't we?"