Tom's Climb Through the Ranks

Upon entering Ilvermorny Castle, William encountered a middle-aged wizard in the corridor.

The wizard was very tall, easily over two meters, muscular, bald in middle age, and somewhat resembled Guo Da Stan.

He looks more like a boxer than a wizard.

William merely glanced at him before smiling and saying, "Good evening, Professor Fontana."

Gilbert Fontana was a professor who taught Defence Against Dark Magic, a position he held for a full twenty years.

This time span is enough for Hogwarts to have dozens of one-off professors.

However, Fontana did not give William, or rather... Professor Targaryen, a friendly look.

He glanced at the girl behind William, snorted in dissatisfaction, clenched his fist, and then turned and left.

"..." She was threatened as soon as she arrived in Ilvermorny.

Babbling had explained the interpersonal relationships, but William thought for a moment and still couldn't recall exactly what Targaryen had done to offend Fontana.

He glanced at the Safety Watch and whispered:

"What did you do to someone's daughter again, Babbling!"

William didn't even bother addressing him as "professor," which shows how furious he was.

"Fontana's daughter is quite pretty, but she's too much of a fangirl," came Babbling's teasing voice.

"I dumped her after a week, and even made her fail the Ancient Runes."

"..."

"Oh, by the way," Babbling's voice drifted over, "Fontana and you are still rivals."

He had always wanted to succeed Professor Eulalie Hicks as principal after his retirement.

"..."

So... not only did you date your colleague's daughter and then dump her, but now you're going to compete with her for the principal's position?

William felt a bit of a headache and needed to rest.

The environment in which I live under this pseudonym is just too harsh!

Is he sure he won't one morning end up like Brother Cheng,... stabbed to death?

Forget it, for my own safety, I'd better go back to Hogwarts and be a beloved Stark.

This disguise is better off not being used!

William walked sullenly down the corridor and into the Ancient Runes office.

The rectangular room had a soaring, arched, barrel-vaulted ceiling, giving William the feeling of entering a giant treasure chest.

The walls on both sides are also lined with a large number of books, creating a strong cultural atmosphere.

This is all Babbling; her office at Hogwarts is filled with cucumber-flavored potato chips.

Upon entering the room, Babbling also emerged from the Safety Watch and casually poured herself a glass of Dragon Blood.

She took a big sip through the long glass straw and smiled contentedly.

"My own body is still the best. If I were to become like you every day, I feel like I'm becoming a bit of a pervert."

William rolled his eyes.

Aren't you twisted enough?

Babbling, holding a crystal goblet, lay on a wicker chair, swaying back and forth, babbling softly.

William's eyes gleamed as he began to stare at her.

More accurately, he was staring at the azurite amulet on her chest, which was as white as mutton fat jade.

The image above depicts a snake coiled around the scepter.

But here's the problem:

Was this a magical artifact passed down from Slytherin, or did her father, Gaunt, obtain it from the Death?

Hermione went to the window, opened it, and peered out, where she saw a huge Snakewood.

It was covered with flower buds, seemingly about to bloom.

William stood next to Hermione and observed her carefully for a while.

Babbling's voice slowly came from behind:

The Snakewood Wand, one of the nine Deathly Hallows, was originally in the possession of Salazar Slytherin.

Before he left the Wizarding World, he left his wand to his children.

By the early 17th century, it had become a family heirloom of the Gaunt family.

"Isolt Thale, unable to bear the abuse from his aunt Gormlaith Gaunt, stole the wand and sailed to the New World aboard the Mayflower."

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Later, Isolt buried the wand in the ground.

A year later, at the site where the wand was buried, some kind of unknown Snakewood grew that could not be cut down or destroyed.

Years later, Isolt discovered that the leaves of this tree had powerful medicinal properties.

And that magic wand had completely vanished.

William frowned.

It sounds a lot like that magic wand, which took root, sprouted, and grew into this Snakewood.

However, William also restored the Ravenclaw's Diadem to its factory settings, turning it into raw material.

A wand growing out of Snakewood... isn't such a hard thing to accept.

"So, Tom wants to cut down this tree and make it into a wand again?" William asked.

"More or less," Babbling nodded.

"Didn't they say this tree can't be cut down or destroyed?" Hermione suddenly said.

A smile appeared on Babbling's lips, "The Snakewood has never flowered either."

Hermione said "Oh," and then asked, "Did Tom Riddle do this?"

"Yes." Babbling put down the cup and wiped her bright red lips with a handkerchief.

"Before Isolt buried the wand, there was something that no one knew."

Her aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt, discovered Isolt's whereabouts and came to United States to kill her, but was killed instead.

The Slytherin's Wand, under Gormlaith's Parseltongue command, entered a dormant state and could no longer be used.

Isolt cannot speak Parseltongue, therefore he cannot restore the wand's function.

But after Tom arrived in United States, his Parseltongue awakened the trees.

William was somewhat surprised.

It seems that Little Tom obtained quite a lot in the Chamber of Secrets Sanctuary.

"What has Tom been up to lately?" he asked again.

"I haven't seen him in a long time either," Babbling shook her head.

"The Snakewood will bloom for a while longer. Since joining the Scourers, he has been constantly advancing his rank within them."

"Promotion?"

"Yes," Babbling explained.

"The Scourers are an organization that opposes the Ministry of Magic. After several purges and betrayals, they went underground and secretly infiltrated the Muggle government and the United States Ministry of Magic."

"To ensure the safety of its members, the Scourers are divided into thirty-three levels. The higher the level, the more secrets they know."

The thirty-third level is a small elite group belonging to the upper echelons, the very core of the core.

Only by reaching this level can one know all the secrets of the Scourers and utilize all their power.

All levels below it can be obtained through promotion, but only the thirty-third level is controlled.

You must receive an invitation to advance.

Babbling smiled and said, "Tom is already at level thirty-two; he's working towards the final step."

William squinted as he listened. Why did it sound so much like Freemasons?

"As for where he might be now, you can go to this place to look for him." Babbling tossed over an address.

William took it, carefully examined the address, and then put it in his pocket.

Of course he had to go find Little Tom; the two hadn't seen each other for four years since their parting in the Chamber of Secrets.

I have such a strange longing!

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