As if sensing Tom's silent complaints, the System began to explain itself in a pleading tone.
"I couldn't help it! I was always 'joking around' with my colleagues, and I accidentally got blacklisted. All my original functions were disabled, leaving only a task template."
The System cried out, "Besides my own collection, there's no other way to get task rewards. This is the only way I can help you now... but don't worry, even in this state, I still have some good stuff!"
"..."
What an idiot.
Tom sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "But I must admit... you've been a huge help. Although the source of the rewards is somewhat... unconventional, what you've given me has been very useful."
"Hmph... I told you! I carefully selected everything, only taking the right things! Only taking the good things! I would never take the junk!"
"..."
This stupid System gets carried away with the slightest praise.
Tom decided not to dampen its enthusiasm. Instead, he shifted back to the previous topic. "You said you knew where I could find what I needed?"
"Yes, yes! In the world of Harry Potter, there are many treasures that haven't appeared in the original stories, like the mirror you acquired in Egypt."
The System energetically continued, "I know another place where you can obtain materials that perfectly match your requirements, but its location is a bit special."
Hearing this, Tom raised an eyebrow, a cold glint in his eyes. "Which god possesses it?"
"No one. It's in the giant settlement located in the Scottish Highlands."
"Giants?"
Tom was surprised. He hadn't expected this to involve giants. After centuries of conflict with wizards, their numbers had dwindled dramatically.
However, as one of the oldest intelligent races, he still believed that giants possessed valuable items.
...
Tom remained silent, weighing whether to simply steal the item or find a plausible reason to procure it later.
"Wait, the Scottish Highlands?"
Tom seemed to recall something. "Isn't Hagrid's mother a giant from the Scottish Highlands?"
A cunning plan began to formulate in Tom's mind. I'll take Hagrid home to visit his family, let him have a heart-to-heart with his mother, who's even bigger than him, and figure out how to persuade them to hand over the giant's treasure to 'the greatest wizard of all time.'
If that fails, then I'll just have to 'borrow' it from 'the most powerful dark wizard of all time.
Doing what he set his mind to was always Tom's habit.
That afternoon, he went to the Headmaster's Office and found Dumbledore, who was enjoying an intimate moment with Gellert Grindelwald.
"Dumbledore, I have to go out for a bit. Do not allow your…lovey-dovey moments to result in the castle being overrun by the Voldemort remnant soul and his men. I do not wish to return and have to clean it all up."
With that, he ignored the old men and turned to leave.
After all, he had only come to remind them that the Voldemort remnant soul remained a threat and to needle them.
Leaving the Headmaster's Office, Tom found Nagini and asked her to summon Cassandra and Harry.
This time, he was keeping the group small, as Hermione and her family were on holiday, and Luna Lovegood had gone to France with her father. It was likely that they were also vacationing.
Because Tom had successfully created a Curved-Horned Snorkack for them, Mr. Lovegood's The Quibbler had seen a significant increase in sales over the past two years, so it wasn't surprising they were going on a trip.
However, Harry and Malfoy remained, not because Sirius Black and Lucius Malfoy didn't want to take them out.
They knew that at the end of most school years, "the teachers would take them on a trip," and they would experience amazing things, which was far more interesting than a simple vacation.
Therefore, when Sirius Black learned that Harry was staying at school, thwarting his travel plans once again, he stared silently at Harry's letter for an entire day.
Then, at dawn the next day, he wrote to Frederick Volle and summoned him. The two of them drank at the Leaky Cauldron from night until morning.
If they hadn't been wealthy, they would have been thrown out long ago.
...
In a cabin on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid was sorting through a pile of "junk" he'd gathered from the forest—unicorn hair, Cerberus teeth, and the remains of an Acromantula.
"Hey! Hagrid!"
Hearing Harry's voice from afar, Hagrid poked his head out from behind the pile. "Hi! Harry! Wait for me! I'll be done with this soon!"
Hagrid said, as he yanked open the large wooden door of his hut. He emerged a moment later.
"Harry?"
Hagrid patted his thick coat, then looked up. "Oh, so many people. Draco Malfoy, remember the homework I gave you? Cassandra Volle and Nagini…long time no see. And you, Tom Riddle, thanks for last time."
When he was pursuing Madame Maxime, Tom Riddle, whom he'd occasionally seen, gave him advice. Without Tom Riddle, he wouldn't have won Madame Maxime's heart!
He remembered when Tom Riddle told him, "If you like a girl, simply ask her out. It is that simple."
Although he was skeptical, he listened to Tom Riddle and invited Madame Maxime out, and it actually worked!
Now, thinking back, perhaps Tom Riddle was encouraging him to express his feelings.
Tom is such a fine man!
Whenever Hagrid thought about this, he felt guilty for ever doubting Tom Riddle.
"No, that has nothing to do with me. Madame Maxime already harbored feelings for you."
Tom Riddle knew what Hagrid was thanking him for, but he was merely an observer. Besides, Hagrid and Madame Maxime were both half-giants; it was inevitable that they would get along. Even without his "advice," Hagrid would have succeeded.
"Then next time I'll treat you to some rock cakes, the crispy kind, freshly baked!"
Hagrid's beard twitched with laughter. "By the way, is there anything I can help you with?"
After sending Fang, his boarhound, off to play with Harry and the others, Hagrid asked Tom Riddle with a puzzled look.
"I need to go to the giant village in the Scottish Highlands. I'm taking Cassandra Volle and the others with me to broaden their horizons."
Tom Riddle chuckled, explaining, "I believe your mother was also a giant from the Scottish Highlands, was she not?"
"Fridwulfa!"
Hagrid smiled awkwardly. "Yes, she was a very beautiful giant."
Beautiful?
Cassandra Volle, sitting next to Tom Riddle, raised an eyebrow. She couldn't comprehend what a giant could possess that would be considered "beautiful."
However, though she was curious, she wasn't in a hurry to ask.
Tom Riddle didn't mind Hagrid's words; giants' aesthetic standards differed from humans'. "Precisely. Hagrid, would you like to accompany us? To see your mother again. Of course, if you prefer not to, that is your decision. I understand."
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