More Than a Match

Albus Dumbledore had never imagined that while he was still worrying about how to guide Tom, the person at the center of it all was currently stumped by a difficult problem.

Girl, do you have any idea how dangerous that sounded?

Tom had just finished the last piece of toast and was planning to walk off his meal by the lake. He had barely reached the Entrance Hall when Daphne blocked his way.

The moment the girl opened her mouth, he froze on the spot. No matter how he heard it, that line sounded wrong.

Daphne was stunned too as soon as she finished speaking. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she flapped her hands in a panic, her voice going shrill.

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that! I meant, could you teach me magic? I want to be as strong as you!"

Tom ranted internally: Good grief, those two requests are worlds apart. How did you manage to stumble into asking to keep me?

Daphne wailed inwardly: I'm done for. I blurted out what I was thinking. This is so embarrassing!

Afraid she'd get any more embarrassed, Tom hurried to smooth things over. "It's no big deal. I thought it was going to be something difficult. Train with me this afternoon, and I'll make sure you learn."

"I knew you were the best, Tom!" Daphne came back to life at once, smiling as she handed him a little pouch embroidered with silver patterns. "Here, take this."

"What's this?" Tom opened the pouch and fell silent on the spot. It had been enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, and it was full of Galleons. A rough count put it at well over a thousand.

He rubbed his chin, pondering. So this is how much I'm worth now?

Did she see him as a tutor, or was she really trying to keep him? When he got a little older, could he make a living off his looks?

"It's tuition!" Daphne explained plainly when she saw him staring. "You're teaching me powerful magic. Isn't it only right that I pay you?"

She'd come up with the idea last night while Tom was beating up the Prefect.

Tom was strong and knew plenty of spells. She loved learning, he had the skills, and she had the money. They were a match made in heaven.

She'd been so excited by the idea that she barely slept a wink.

"You don't need to pay me." Tom returned the pouch with a helpless laugh. "We're just practicing together. Keep your money."

Since starting school, Daphne hadn't helped him get out of any trouble, but friendship had never been measured by whether someone had been useful.

She'd never distanced herself from him because of his background, and she'd openly taken his side. That kindness was more precious than a thousand Galleons.

If it were anyone else, he'd have thought twice even if they offered him more money. But when it came to Daphne, he just couldn't accept it.

Daphne panicked, shoved the pouch back at him, and tugged on his sleeve, shaking it.

"How can you refuse? I don't want to learn the lousy spells in the textbook. I want to learn the powerful magic you're best at! Knowledge is precious. I can't learn it for free!"

Tom was at a loss as she shook him, and couldn't help laughing. "All right, all right. You win."

He could tell the girl just wanted an excuse to give him money. Refusing again would only hurt their friendship.

Damn it. In the end, he hadn't escaped the fate of living off someone else.

But he really was short on money right now.

Some of the Potions ingredients Andros had mentioned could be scrounged from Snape, but he'd have to buy the rest himself. That was no small expense.

He'd been worrying about how to get money, and Daphne had shown up with it. She was a real lifesaver.

Tom calculated silently: He'd treat the money as a loan and pay her back a hundred or a thousand times over someday. That way, he wouldn't be taking her kindness for granted.

When she saw him accept it, Daphne smiled until her eyes narrowed into crescents, brimming with satisfaction. She could help Tom too!

"Come on. I'll take you somewhere nice." Now that he'd taken the money, he had to do the job. Tom didn't wait until afternoon. He took Daphne by the hand and hurried upstairs.

Daphne followed in a daze up to the Seventh Floor. She watched as Tom paced back and forth three times in front of a blank wall, and a wooden door appeared out of thin air.

"What is this place?" Daphne's eyes widened in astonishment.

"I call it the Room of Requirement." Tom led her inside and waved his wand.

"Walk back and forth in front of the door three times while thinking about the place you want, and it'll appear. Just don't ask for anything too outlandish."

"The castle doesn't allow magic just anywhere, and the grounds are full of people. So I use this place as a training room."

Daphne suddenly understood. "No wonder I could never find you. You were hiding in here, slacking off!"

Thank goodness he hadn't gone to find Granger, she thought, her smile growing brighter as she relaxed.

Tom didn't understand what she was grinning about. He shrugged and waved his wand, summoning two dummies.

"Take out your wand. I'm not teaching you any new spells today. Cast every offensive spell you know at the dummies a hundred times. We're done when you finish."

"That's it?" Daphne blinked. "I already know Stupefy!"

Tom gave her a knowing smile. "Do it first, then we'll talk. Don't brag too soon."

"Hmph!" Daphne raised her wand, unconvinced. "Stupefy!"

The spell struck the dummy squarely. It swayed and fell, then immediately sprang back up.

Daphne's confidence soared. She kept casting, but after just over a dozen times, the spell suddenly fizzled out. Her face paled, and her head grew so foggy she felt as if she'd just woken up.

"What's going on? I'm so sleepy..." She rubbed her temples, her voice weak.

"You used up your magic too quickly." Tom turned one of the dummies into a sofa, helped her sit down, and handed her a piece of chocolate.

"Eat this to get some energy back. Using up too much magic is bad for your health."

Daphne was hungry, so she nibbled at the chocolate. She felt much better after finishing it, but she still had no strength.

Tom leaned against the wall, smiling knowingly as he counted. "Once you've rested, we'll continue. You succeeded twelve times just now, so you have eighty-eight left."

Daphne's face fell. She tugged at his sleeve and wheedled, "Tom, can you make it a little less? How about fifty?"

"You're trying to bargain?" Tom tapped her between the eyebrows.

"No. Eighty at the very least. That's your limit right now. Draining your magic is good for your development; fifty won't do."

He'd originally said a hundred times based on his own ability.

While she'd been practicing, he'd secretly connected to the Study Space and had Andros check Daphne's magical reserves. That was how he'd settled on eighty.

As for himself, he could no longer measure his strength by the number of spells he cast. He had to measure it by how long he could keep up a full-power output.

Just that alone told him how terrifying Andros was. His magical reserves were absurd. No wonder he could summon a ten-meter Patronus. He might even be stronger than Dumbledore.

"Development?" Daphne glanced down at her chest, her little face turning red. She thought to herself: Flat as a board. What kind of development is there to speak of?

"Let's do it!" Daphne sprang to her feet and raised her wand. "Eighty it is!"

But this time, she lasted even less time, and the success rate of her spells kept dropping.

While she rested, Tom started training too. Only then did Daphne truly see how strong he was.

He was like a machine gun firing spells, hurling one after another without pause. Every spell was stronger than the ones she could cast at full power.

Daphne was secretly awestruck. If he'd been at this level when he dueled the Prefect yesterday, then forget a series of opponents—even if several people had attacked him at once, they wouldn't have been enough to give him a decent fight.

A sense of urgency welled up inside her. The gap between her and Tom was growing wider and wider. Even if she couldn't match his talent, she couldn't just give up on herself.