— — — — — —
After sending the little witches back to their dormitory, Tom made his way to Hagrid's hut to collect this week's delivery.
Hagrid brought out all the goods: some mutated venom harvested from five dead Acromantulas, and half a barrel of regular venom.
Tom frowned slightly. "Why's there so little normal venom this week?"
The barrels he gave Hagrid weren't even that big—two hundred ounces, max. Usually, they'd be two-thirds full every week. This time, barely half.
"I was just about to tell yeh," Hagrid said, looking a bit troubled. "The Acromantulas use the corpses as nutrients for their young. Since yeh've been taking them all away, they've had to expand their territory to find more food—started attacking other magical creatures."
Tom's eyes lit up. "They're fighting? That means more corpses, right?"
What a little devil.
Hagrid choked on his words. He'd prepared a whole speech, but it fell apart instantly. With a sigh, he explained, "Tom, the Acromantulas can't spread out too much. Dumbledore promised them the forest, but only if they didn't threaten the other residents. If their food problem isn't fixed soon, the whole colony will start dying off."
"So I'm supposed to find them new food now?" Tom asked dryly.
Hagrid just gave a sheepish grin and stayed silent.
"That doesn't seem right…" Tom rubbed his chin, thinking hard. Aragog hadn't even paid him back for a few favors, and now he was being roped into feeding its kids? But if he didn't help, it'd only hurt his own interests in the end.
"Hagrid, you don't usually meddle with Aragog and his brood, do you? What do they eat normally?"
"Insects, birds—anything they can overpower," Hagrid said. "But Aragog keeps the population in check, makes sure they don't throw the forest out of balance."
Tom asked a few more questions and eventually helped Hagrid sort out a new food source.
Cows, pigs, and sheep were easy enough to find, but what they really needed was something magical. In the end, he settled on ghouls and other small beasts—creatures that wizarding families had in abundance and bred fast enough that cost wouldn't be a problem.
Once Tom agreed, Hagrid finally relaxed. The Acromantulas had been looking skinny lately, and it had been breaking his heart.
"Hagrid," Tom said casually, "I heard you were friends with Harry's parents?"
He made it sound like small talk, but in truth, he needed a public excuse for knowing certain things later.
Hagrid froze, then his face softened into a nostalgic smile. "James and Lily? Aye, they were my best friends. James was brilliant—Lily too, kind, clever, and the only one who could keep James in line. They were both Head Students, y'know."
Tom tapped his fingers on the table. "Funny. Professor Snape told me James Potter was a bully and a complete jerk."
Hagrid's fond smile faltered instantly. His memory had painted his friends in gold, but Tom's bluntness dragged him right back down. "Well… James did have his flaws when he was young. He and his mate Black—they used to cause all sorts o' trouble with their two other friends. Worse than Fred and George, really. The twins are pranksters, but those four… Merlin, they were a menace."
"I hated them at the time, to be honest. But Lily straightened James out eventually. They grew up, and he became a hero—faced You-Know-Who three times."
Hagrid's voice started to tremble. "But that damned Black… he betrayed him. Betrayed James…"
"Oh?" Tom leaned forward, intrigued. "Betrayed? How so?"
"I can't… I can't tell yeh," Hagrid said quickly—but his eyes were already brimming with tears. And those tears… might as well have been Veritaserum. Before he knew it, he was spilling everything like beans from a split sack. He kept a few things to himself, sure—didn't mention Lupin's little monthly problem—but otherwise laid out the Marauders' history, their feud with Snape, all of it.
By the end, Tom almost felt sorry for his Head of House. Almost.
It was true Snape had joined a sort of proto–Death Eater crowd back at school, hanging around Lucius Malfoy and his lot. But being a half-blood, his status was always low, and whenever he clashed with James Potter, even the Slytherins just stood back and laughed. No wonder he hated them. His later rise came only after becoming a spy—and thanks to his unmatched potion skills, Voldemort took notice.
...
By the time Tom left Hagrid's hut, the sky had already gone dark. He headed straight for the Great Hall—whatever Dumbledore wanted to announce was probably about those visiting schools.
"Tom! You're finally here!"
The moment Draco Malfoy saw him enter, his eyes lit up. He ditched Crabbe and Goyle without a second thought and hurried over to sit beside him.
"You were looking for me?" Tom raised a brow.
"I've been trying to find you all holiday," Draco said, grimacing. "Tom, what the hell did you write in Potter's notebook? He's been beating me bloody since then! Could you make me one too? You're not just gonna let me lose to a Gryffindor, are you? And Potter, of all people!"
He pulled out an ornate little box he'd been carrying around for days. When he opened it, shimmering light spilled out, instantly drawing the attention of nearby Slytherin girls. Their eyes lit up like stars.
Inside rested a delicate princess tiara, encrusted with gemstones that refracted the light into a rainbow of colors. Every girl in the vicinity was completely smitten.
"Draco… this—is this for me?" Pansy Parkinson clasped her hands to her chest, clearly touched.
"Buzz off," Draco said impatiently, shoving Pansy aside. Then he put on a charming smile. "Tom, this gift is specially for you. Do you like it?"
Draco had been smart about this. After thinking for a while, he realized he didn't actually know Tom's tastes. So he decided to play it safe and focus on the people around Tom. Everyone in Slytherin knew how Tom treated Daphne, so if Daphne liked it, he figured Tom would approve too.
Even though he was technically asking Tom, Draco kept glancing at Daphne for her reaction. Seeing her eyes light up like the other girls', he relaxed. Today was already half-won.
But Tom's expression darkened.
He immediately saw Draco's little scheme. He didn't dislike it—on the contrary, it showed Draco had actually put some thought into choosing the gift.
But… why the hell would you give this?
What about Hermione? What about Astoria? Next year, if Fleur comes to Hogwarts and Daphne flaunts this, his peaceful life would explode.
Tom's fingers twitched slightly. Instantly, a silencing charm encased him and Draco. Others could see their mouths move but couldn't hear a word.
"Draco, this is nice. Where did you get it? I need… four… no, five. But they can't be identical. Got it?"
Tom had already noticed: it was purely decorative, pretty but useless. He could replicate it easily with a Copying Charm and Transfiguration. But making five identical pieces would be lazy and uninspired. So he made Draco find different items of the same brand.
"Ah?" Draco blinked. "One isn't enough? Daphne has that big an appetite?"
"There's more going on here than you understand," Tom waved dismissively. "Take this back for now. Once you've got all five, deliver them together. I'll give you a copy of Potter's notebook first, then the upgraded version after you make the delivery."
"Do you want to mess with Potter?" Tom asked.
"Yes!" Draco snapped to attention at the mention of Harry, excitement flashing in his eyes. "I'll have my mother buy a few more. Every single one will be perfect."
"So your mother picked them," Tom said, realization dawning. That explained Draco's surprisingly good taste. If it were just him, there was no way he'd have this eye for design. But with Narcissa involved, it made sense. The Malfoys always dressed impeccably; Lucius's last outing alone was a perfect example of classic London style.
Draco ran back to his dorm excitedly to write letters, and seeing him take the gifts away, Daphne fumed.
"Who is this guy, taking the presents away?" she muttered.
"Tom, what's up with Malfoy? Didn't he say he'd give you the tiara? Why change his mind?"
To the young witch, once the gift was offered, it was basically hers. What, was Tom supposed to wear it himself? Hmm… actually, that might be worth seeing.
"Daph..."
Tom remained calm. "I noticed a flaw in the crown. Draco is furious, and he's writing to the shop for a replacement. In a few days, I'll get a brand new one."
Daphne's eyes lit up. "Ah, that makes sense. Then hurry him along."
"No problem."
Tom thought it might be worth visiting the Muggle world for some quality jewelers. That way, future gifts wouldn't be such a headache.
Soon the Great Hall was full of students, and every professor was present. Tom noticed that Snape looked thinner, dark circles under his eyes. Whatever he'd been doing over the break had left him drained.
Snape's gaze scanned the hall and landed on Tom, giving him a sharp glare. He had spent the entire break helping Tom research… that disgusting potion. If not for that boy, he'd have had a perfectly peaceful holiday.
"..."
Tom had no idea what he'd done to deserve this glare.
---
Over at the Gryffindor table, Harry couldn't stop smiling as he ate. He'd had a great vacation—spending every other day absolutely thrashing Malfoy.
Tom's notes were like cheat codes, packed with practical spells and shortcuts. Each day brought new advantages.
His favorite discovery? The Dangling Jinx. It completely bypassed the Shield Charm, stripping Malfoy of his biggest advantage.
By the end of the break, Harry had gotten even for every smug smirk and insult he'd ever suffered.
Shame the term was starting again—dueling that often was addictive. Harry felt the loss keenly.
After a while, the plates emptied, but no one left their seat. They'd all been told to stay; Dumbledore had an important announcement.
All eyes turned to the Headmaster as he stood. Without preamble, he said:
"Attention, everyone. In two days, representatives from Ilvermorny and Castelobruxo will arrive at Hogwarts."
Already?
The hall erupted in murmurs.
The students exchanged surprised glances. They hadn't expected visitors the moment the break ended.
.
.
.