Quite Cute

Tom knew clearly that the system only stated that earning House points could be exchanged for academic credits; it never said that losing points would deduct from his own.

If Snape wanted to deduct points, he could go right ahead; in the end, the only one who would feel the sting was himself.

Snape looked at Tom, feeling as though he were facing a curled-up hedgehog with no way to sink his teeth in.

A teacher's repertoire for dealing with students was limited: deducting points, finding the Head of House, calling parents, detention, recording a major offense, or expulsion.

Deducting points and finding the Head of House were acts of lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet. Tom was an orphan, so calling parents was useless. Detention was met with stubborn resistance, and major offenses or expulsion required Albus Dumbledore's approval; for such a trivial matter, Albus Dumbledore would at most offer a couple of reprimands.

This Tom Riddle was an unsolvable thorn in his side! Snape's blood pressure soared with rage as he pointed toward the door and roared, "Get out! Leave my office!"

"Goodbye, Professor!" Tom stood up and left, deliberately leaving the office door wide open on his way out to retaliate for the cold reception he had just received.

Unfortunately, he forgot this was a magical world. Just as he stepped out, he heard a "bang" behind him—Snape had flicked his wand to shut the door, the impact making the corridor hum.

Students who had just arrived in the basement for Potions class were startled, casting curious glances toward Tom.

Inside the office, Snape slumped into his chair, gasping for air.

In psychology, there is a concept called cognitive dissonance: when behavior conflicts with self-perception, the brain hides or distorts memories to avoid anxiety and regret.

He had always been running from the mistake of calling Lily a "Mudblood" back then, but today, a student had dragged him kicking and screaming back into that painful memory.

"Those who call others Mudbloods are unworthy of love, heh." Snape's expression was neither a smile nor a cry; his chest felt so oppressed he could barely breathe.

The usually punctual Potions professor was uncharacteristically late that day, appearing only when the lesson was half over with eyes so cold that no one dared to speak.

On the other side, Daphne felt relieved to see Tom unharmed and said happily, "So Professor Snape is actually quite reasonable; the older students must have misunderstood him."

"Reasonable? Hmm, you're right." Tom rubbed his chin, recalling that Snape had only engaged in a verbal spar and hadn't dared to make a move; the contingency plans he had prepared hadn't even been needed.

The two sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the common room, watching the scenery at the bottom of the lake for a while.

Daphne's eyes lit up as she pulled on Tom, saying, "I'm going to buy a camera to take pictures of the scenery here and show them to my sister, Astoria, when I go back!"

"You really do dote on your sister." Tom sighed. Ever since they met on the train, Daphne had been constantly talking about her sister; she was a serious sister-complex.

Daphne smiled, her tone proud, "Once you meet Astoria, you'll like her too. She's coming to Hogwarts next year."

Tom nodded with a smile, "If the older sister is this cute, the younger sister surely won't be any worse."

The sudden compliment left Daphne stunned, her cheeks turning bright red instantly. Unable to say a word, she turned and ran into the girls' dormitory.

Tom stood where he was, looking bewildered, "This young lady, isn't she a bit too easy to embarrass?"

He didn't know that Daphne had been well-protected since childhood and rarely interacted with outsiders; being complimented so directly by a boy naturally made her shy.

Shaking his head, Tom returned to his dormitory. He hadn't intended to let Zabini and the others off the hook, but the room was empty.

Tom sat in his chair, cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, and let his consciousness enter the Study Space.

Andros, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and leaned in with a grin, "Your Potions teacher has quite a few good things in his office. It looks like we'll have to find a way to pull a job on him!"

Tom was dumbfounded, "We're playing for such high stakes the moment I get in?"

For the first time, Tom felt his brain couldn't keep up with Andros's pace.

The matter was already over, yet this guy was more vengeful than he was, looking to get even despite not having suffered any real loss.

Seeing his stunned expression, Andros laughed heartily, "Tom, don't misunderstand. I'm not a petty person. It's just that Snape has things I need—no, to be precise, things you need."

"I need?" Tom paused for two seconds before immediately reacting, "You mean those potion ingredients?"

"Exactly." Andros nodded, then changed the subject, "Tom, do you know how the wizards of my time fought?"

Tom looked at him, confused, "How else? Blasting each other with magic, or if you were devious, using poison, assassination, or sneak attacks. If all else failed, a group brawl—whatever it took to win."

Andros's eyelid twitched as he rubbed his forehead, "Most of what you said is true, but don't be so blunt next time."

He couldn't deny that in that era, wizards would use even more despicable methods than Tom described just to survive and win.

Andros straightened his expression and returned to the main topic, "Magic is indeed a wizard's sharpest tool, but besides that..." He struck a bodybuilding pose.

Stiffening his neck, he shouted, "The power of the flesh cannot be ignored! As the saying goes: massive muscles, passionate combat!"

"Whether it's dodging spells or seizing the initiative to attack, it all relies on the body. Even in close quarters, a fist is more effective than casting a spell!" Andros was full of arrogance.

"Back then, there were at least eighty wizards who died by these iron fists of mine. Even a few so-called 'great figures of the generation' fell; they only knew how to cast spells from a distance and panicked the moment I got close. Typical bookworm wizards."

"I have a complete set of physical training methods, along with supporting potions. I originally intended to wait until you had some resources before teaching you, but after seeing Snape's collection just now, I think we can move the plan forward."

Tom muttered to himself, looking aggrieved, "So it turns out my poverty was limiting my progress!" He only knew that literature required poverty and martial arts required wealth, but he hadn't expected magic to be pay-to-win as well.

"What ingredients do we need?" Tom immediately perked up.

Andros listed the formula; there were over a dozen, all high-level potion ingredients.

Aside from a few cheap, common herbs, the rest were increasingly precious. Dragon Heartstring cost eight Galleons an ounce, and that wasn't even fresh.

Dragon Blood Herb was fifteen Galleons a stalk, and they needed eight.

The most outrageous was the eyeball of a Sphinx; it was even rarer than a dragon, a protected species that couldn't be bought in any potion shop.

Knockturn Alley might have them, but they were rare finds, and the price was never fixed.

And yet, Snape's office had almost all of these things.

"Let's do it!" Tom made the final decision, a glint in his eyes, "Let's pull a job on that bastard Snape! A student needs to improve, and a teacher providing some sponsorship is only natural, right?"

"I observed earlier; Snape is too arrogant. The door lock isn't enchanted, and those potion ingredients aren't protected. We just need to find a chance to slip in."

Tom was always cautious; he had opened the Study Space before entering Snape's office specifically because he feared Snape might make a move, so Andros had seen the situation in the office clearly.

"I'll think of a way." Tom frowned in thought. While a zero-cost purchase was simple, he couldn't underestimate Snape or Dumbledore. After all, this castle was their territory, so he had to plan carefully.