It had to be said that although the idea was absurd, Tom's wild notions had a way of coming true in unexpected ways, just like this time.
Although things didn't go smoothly at first, and no matter how hard Tom tried, the eagle owl showed no inclination to fly with him aboard, he ultimately succeeded.
He simply bundled all his school supplies together with himself into a package, and this massive owl actually managed to lift the parcel which was larger than itself by a considerable margin and successfully flew back to the Lovegood residence.
Tom's expression grew complicated, not having expected actual success.
An owl carrying a package several times its own weight, flying to a place it had never visited before? One could only say: as expected of the magical world, truly fantastical indeed.
As for the riding experience of owl transportation...
[(╯｀□′)╯︵┻━┻ Whoever claims the Knight Bus is the worst form of magical transportation can fight me!]
After the shopping expedition concluded, Tom's life returned to tranquility. Each day he slept until he woke naturally, spent the daylight hours basking in the sun and taking naps, occasionally keeping Luna company while she read through Hogwarts textbooks. His days passed in utter contentment.
If not for occasionally having to take time to reply to letters from the relentlessly curious Hannah, Tom might have even felt as though time had rewound to before he'd received his acceptance letter.
But the robes in his wardrobe embroidered with the name tag "Tom Lovegood," the wand that belonged to him, and Hannah's endless stream of letters all reminded him: he was now a Hogwarts student-to-be!
Time slipped away gradually, and in the blink of an eye, September first arrived, the day to report to Hogwarts.
Tom politely declined the Lovegoods' offer to escort him to King's Cross Station. Instead, he used the same ability he'd used when traveling to Diagon Alley, directly transporting himself onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
[(－‸ლ) A clever cat doesn't run headfirst into walls, even if those walls don't actually exist!]
Truthfully, he'd even wanted to transport directly to the school and test whether Hogwarts' Anti-Apparition Charms could block his method of teleportation. However, not knowing Hogwarts' exact address, this idea could only remain unrealized.
Of course, if he'd truly wanted to avoid riding the train, there was actually another method available: having George "mail" him to the school.
But considering the distance from here to Hogwarts, and considering the "comfort" of owl transportation, he'd ultimately abandoned this notion.
Incidentally, George was the name he'd given that eagle owl, a memorial to the cowardly cousin he'd never see again.
He'd actually considered naming it "Jerry," but ultimately decided against it. Giving an owl that name would essentially prove he missed that stinking mouse, and he would do no such thing!
As before, when his ability activated, Tom felt his paw involuntarily pull some kind of black... something... from outside his field of vision to obscure his sight. When light returned, he stood on a bustling platform.
A deep crimson vintage steam engine sat beside the platform, bearing the sign "Hogwarts Express" on its front carriage.
The platform swarmed with people. Due to the relatively cramped space, the noise level was extraordinary.
Loud conversations, cats meowing, owls hooting... various sounds blended together until Tom, with his sensitive hearing, felt his head buzzing.
[(;ﾟДﾟ) If I stay here any longer, my ears will explode!]
To avoid hearing damage, Tom quickly bounded onto the train and dove into the first empty compartment he found. As for his luggage, he'd placed it in that mysterious space, whatever it was, from which he could retrieve items with just a casual grab.
The moment the compartment door closed, the world finally grew quiet. Tom heaved a long sigh of relief. He'd nearly thought his first day at school would be spent in the hospital wing!
Having finally relaxed, Tom narrowed his eyes and sprawled on the table, enjoying the sunlight streaming through the window.
Waiting time always felt endless. Perhaps because he'd arrived too early, though it seemed he'd been waiting in the compartment for ages, the train still hadn't started moving.
Feeling the warm sunlight on his fur, Tom yawned lazily. His eyelids gradually drooped, and soon he sprawled on the table, drifting into sleep.
Not knowing how much time had passed when he woke again—the train had already started moving. Clearly, he'd completely missed the legendary "Chosen One's" first appearance.
[(￣▽￣*) Oh well, doesn't really matter anyway~]
Tom had never been impressed by the so-called "Chosen One" to begin with. Regardless of how the original story described it, in his view, Harry Potter was ultimately just an ordinary wizard, a wizard who could do nothing without his wand.
Without Dumbledore's cultivation, without that power-strip-obsessed lunatic who shared his name being too superstitious about prophecies, could Harry really have become the one to kill Voldemort? Tom harbored serious doubts.
But why is it so quiet around here? Has nobody entered this compartment the whole time?
Tom drowsily surveyed his surroundings. As Hogwarts' first non-humanoid student in history, he didn't believe other students could remain quiet upon seeing him, just like earlier on the platform.
Although the environment had been chaotic then, crowded and noisy, he could still sense numerous gazes curious, analytical—and hear the discussions, especially from those few students who'd witnessed his appearance firsthand.
But when he clearly saw the situation beside him, his confusion instantly transformed into exasperation.
[Hannah, I think you can remove your hand from my head now. Don't you agree?]
That's right—sitting beside him at this very moment was none other than the first friend he'd made in the magical world outside the Lovegood family: Hannah Abbott.
However, this friend's hands weren't exactly well-behaved. At present, they were continuously mussing his head.
"Ah! Tom, you're awake!" Hannah exclaimed.
Seeing the cat beside her wake up, Hannah reluctantly withdrew her hand, her expression was clearly seeking praise.
"When I came in, you were sleeping so soundly. To prevent others from entering and disturbing you, I specially locked the door! See? Wasn't that thoughtful of me? So, this matter should just—"
Before she could finish, Tom interrupted her directly.
[That's two separate matters. Although I appreciate you guarding my sleep, taking advantage of me while I was unconscious can't simply be overlooked!]
"How can you be like this~" Hannah pouted, her face showed disappointment.
(´;ω;`) I should have prepared a pretty pet cat—maybe I could have traded the pet for permission to touch Tom... she thought wistfully.
If Tom knew what she was thinking at this moment, he'd probably explode with rage. He'd already said it—he had no interest in mating with cats!
After grumbling internally for a moment, Hannah spoke up quietly: "What do you want, then?"