Tom = Old Father

The Weasley Twins came up to him, each putting their arms around his shoulders, their expressions exaggerated.

"Wow, Harry, you've kept it well hidden, speaking Parseltongue!"

"Parseltongue? What's that?" Harry was completely bewildered.

Fred sighed, feigning helplessness. "That's not very nice of you. You have amazing skills but you're keeping them to yourself."

"I really don't know what you're talking about!" Harry shook his head in frustration.

"Why is everyone avoiding me? Is it related to this Parseltongue?"

The twins exchanged a glance, confirming that Harry truly knew nothing, before George lowered his voice to explain.

"You just hissed at the black snake, which immediately subdued it."

"This is the Parseltongue, the special ability to communicate with snakes and even control them."

"And you must remember, Parseltongue has almost always been a direct descendant of Slytherin, a group of renowned dark wizards."

Harry's mind went blank for a moment, and he finally understood why everyone was wary of him. A chill ran down his spine.

"I had no idea I had this ability; it was completely instinctive!"

"But everyone saw it with their own eyes. No one could understand that hissing sound you made just now, except for the giant snake."

Fred shrugged, then grinned. "But it's pretty cool, isn't it? We don't even want this ability."

"From now on, we'll be relying on you for all our snake-catching and grilling adventures in the Forbidden Forest!"

Amidst their banter, two Slytherin students approached the twins, seeking to settle their score. The twins immediately turned and left.

Meanwhile, in a corner.

Tom had already activated the Study Space, allowing Ariana to watch this campus duel drama unfold in real time.

He glanced at the uneven fighting skills on the ring and casually made some comments to Ariana.

"See? Ninety-nine percent of the people in this world are mediocre."

"Among the Wizarding World, this group of Hogwarts kids is nothing more than a bunch of weaklings just there to fill a quota."

With a stable cultivation environment, coupled with Tom's previous guidance, he was able to cultivate.

Ariana has now completely let go of her inner turmoil and is wholeheartedly devoted to studying magic with Andros.

She set two goals for herself: first, to try her best to catch up with Tom, and second, to personally defeat Gellert Grindelwald.

Tom relayed the agreement, and Gellert Grindelwald agreed to fight her at the same level as someone his age.

Driven by this unwavering determination, Ariana trained with extraordinary intensity.

Every day without fail, I set aside three hours to watch "Tom and Jerry" to relax, and spend almost all the rest of my time cultivating myself.

She doesn't need to eat or sleep. When Andros is busy, she studies on her own, and whenever Andros has free time, he immediately comes forward to ask her for advice.

Thanks to her exceptionally favorable conditions, her abilities improved by leaps and bounds.

One day, she couldn't help but ask Andros how her progress compared to Tom's at the same stage back then.

The outspoken Andros bluntly stated, "Comparing you to him is really unnecessary; he had a slow start in the early stages."

"You've paid a price that others don't know about, but the improvement becomes more and more outrageous, completely out of the normal range. You should find a different point of reference."

"But don't worry, surpassing Gellert Grindelwald at the same age is no problem. It won't be long before you catch up to his level at fourteen."

These words devastated Ariana, causing her to become withdrawn and isolated.

Tom was late tonight because he stayed in the room to comfort the little girl.

He even took her to watch students fight outside, hoping to let her see the true level of ordinary wizards.

Ariana usually associates with top figures, including two of the world's strongest men, and Aberforth, with whom she can fight.

They have no idea of the true level of ordinary wizards.

As for Harry's accidental revelation of Parseltongue, Tom merely glanced at it and then paid it no further attention.

At this moment, the two were watching the duel between the sixth-year Gryffindor students in the space.

These two didn't look like they were dueling at all; their movements were slow and hesitant, and they always hesitated for a long time before chanting incantations.

After finally managing to raise his hand to cast a spell, he hurriedly dodged when he saw the other party make a move.

In his panic, he tripped and fell to the ground, causing his opponent's spell to miss, creating a truly comical scene.

The situation in Hufflepuff isn't much better.

A student made a mistake while casting a spell, and flames shot out of the magic wand.

Instead of injuring his opponent, he scared himself out of his wits and threw his wand away on the spot.

Ariana was dumbfounded. Putting aside their combat skills, these people were repeatedly failing even with basic spells, which was really unbearable to watch.

She pouted and looked at Tom: "You're so mean, deliberately comparing me to them."

"I'm not asking you to compete, I just want you to see what reality is like," Tom patiently advised.

"This world is inherently hierarchical; one in ten thousand people might not become a formal wizard."

"Only among ten thousand wizards can one produce a truly exceptional figure like Albus Dumbledore or Gellert Grindelwald."

"Your talent is second to none. Don't always focus on competing with me and the strong. Just surpass your past self each time, and that's enough."

Tom acted like an older brother to Gabrielle and Astoria; one was lively and mischievous, the other gentle and obedient, and they were very comfortable with each other.

But when faced with Ariana, who was stuck in a rut, he felt like a worried old father, helping her gradually reshape her perception and adjust her mindset.

Thinking of this, he secretly joked that he should really ask Albus Dumbledore trouble for him.

"But I'm so clumsy, how can I be your helper in the future?" Ariana's voice was full of grievance.

"You've only just embarked on your magical journey, why are you thinking so much?" Tom soothed gently.

"My daily schedule is packed with classes, spending time with friends, and studying alchemy and Potions."

"You are different. You devote yourself entirely to cultivation, have plenty of time, and will soon find your own strengths."

After hearing these words, Ariana's mood finally brightened.

She stopped paying attention to the "chicken fight" on the sidelines and began to think about what skills she should cultivate to better help Tom.

Tom had already planned ahead; he intended to guide Ariana to develop the power of the Obscurus.

The time isn't right yet; we have to wait until she realizes that conventional training can never catch up with me.

Furthermore, it's most appropriate to bring this up when the two people have a deep enough level of trust.

Having appeased Ariana, Tom could finally relax and be a bystander.

Harry's little incident was quickly forgotten by everyone, and the main arena in the center of the Great Hall became the exclusive venue for everyone to settle their scores.

"Davis! If you're a man, come up on stage!"

The Hufflepuff Prefect, standing below the stage, shouted at Roger Davis of Ravenclaw.

The cause of the conflict was simple: his girlfriend had been stolen from him, and the two had previously gotten into a physical altercation.

He was pulled away by others at the time and never got to have a proper fight. Today, he plans to seek justice in front of the entire school.