"Tom, what are you thinking about?"
Ginny tilted her head, noticing he'd been staring blankly out the train window for quite a while.
Tom snapped back to reality. "I was just wondering... why am I still so poor?"
The compartment fell into complete silence.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you always saying that money doesn't really matter? That true treasures can't be measured in gold?"
Penelope smiled reassuringly. "You're already amazing. You're the highest-earning wizard in the entire magical world. If you're poor, then nobody in the world is rich."
Ginny glanced down at her own coin purse.
Aside from the allowance Tom gave her, her parents had only given her two Galleons for the entire semester.
Even that was considered generous by Weasley family standards. Ron only got a single silver Sickle each month. Buying a few sheets of parchment was enough to make him wince.
Astoria, as always, got straight to the point. "Tom, how much do you need? We can just go back to my house and get it."
"You really are my little rich girl." Tom chuckled and ruffled her hair.
"But I don't mean I'm short on money. I'm poor in a different way. I'm short on time... and on magical foundations."
"There are too many things I want to accomplish, and every single one of them takes an enormous amount of time and effort. And just when things couldn't get any busier... The whole world decides to fall apart."
He let out a weary sigh. "Sometimes I honestly want to drop my strongest spell over London and make the whole world shut up for a while."
"..."
"Please don't say terrifying things like that!" Hermione clutched her forehead as she hurried to stop that dangerous train of thought.
If anyone else had said it, everyone would have laughed it off as an exaggerated joke.
When Tom said it, he actually had the power to do it.
Everyone knew what he was like.
Normally, he was patient, gentle, and almost impossibly easygoing. But if enough pressure built up and he finally snapped... He turned into a walking catastrophe who was capable of absolutely anything.
The attack on the Graves family. The bloody crackdown during the World Cup. The ruthless methods used in New York.
Those were more than enough proof.
For the continued survival of London, the girls immediately set about cheering Tom up, making absolutely certain he stayed in a good mood.
If Fudge ever found out what they were doing, he'd probably award every one of them an Order of Merlin, First Class, along with a Special Peace Prize.
...
Seeing everyone fuss over him so earnestly warmed Tom's heart.
The frustration weighing on him gradually faded away.
Before long, he had fallen asleep with his head resting comfortably in Astoria's lap.
She carefully adjusted his position before quietly casting a Silencing Charm.
The spell blocked most of the surrounding noise while still allowing a faint amount through. Complete silence wasn't ideal for sleeping either.
Only then did the girls finally relax.
"Oh my god," Hermione said, still sounding a little shaken. "I was honestly afraid he'd step off at King's Cross, fly into the sky, and actually do it."
"I agree," Penelope nodded.
After a moment, though, she couldn't help defending him.
"Tom's under an unbelievable amount of pressure. He has so many things to do. Every invention he creates and every decision he makes changes the entire wizarding world. He was already carrying enough responsibility, and now Herpo has shown up. Even if Tom wanted to ignore it, Professor Dumbledore and the Ministry both see him as their last hope."
"If any of us had to bear that kind of pressure..." She gave a bitter smile. "We'd probably go crazy too. Honestly, I doubt we'd handle it half as well as he does."
Nobody argued... Because Penelope was right.
Astoria gently brushed Tom's bangs away from his forehead, her eyes full of concern. "It's so unfair. Everything rests on Tom's shoulders alone."
"What else can anyone do?" Hermione sighed. "He's the only one capable of dealing with these crises. We want to help, but there's nothing we can really do."
"As long as we don't make things worse, we're already helping," Ginny said quietly.
The others nodded in agreement. That was probably true.
"I've actually got something I'd like your opinions on." Ginny leaned forward, drawing everyone's attention.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"It's about the houses Tom gave us." She lowered her voice. "He wanted us to bring our families to live there."
"Right," Hermione said. "So?"
"I'm not sure about your families, but I know my parents." Ginny sighed. "They're deeply attached to the Burrow. Unless there's absolutely no other choice, they'll never leave."
"But... I'm worried about their safety." She looked around hopefully. "How do I convince them to move to Dalaran?"
The girls immediately began tossing out suggestions.
One idea after another filled the compartment.
But unfortunately, none of them seemed particularly convincing.
In the end, Ginny decided she'd simply tell her parents everything first.
If that failed, she'd resort to more... unconventional methods.
Like... blowing up the Burrow.
If the house was gone, the Weasleys would have nowhere else to live. Naturally, they'd move to Dalaran.
The idea hadn't come from anyone else. Ginny had thought of it herself.
The moment she explained her plan, the compartment fell completely silent. Everyone stared at her differently.
"...Definitely raised by Tom," Daphne muttered. "You even solve problems the same way he does. Simple and violent. No wonder he proudly calls you a natural Dark Witch."
Ginny winked mischievously.
Far from feeling embarrassed, she looked rather proud of herself.
...
..
Shortly before six o'clock, the Hogwarts Express finally rolled into King's Cross Station.
The trip hadn't been entirely uneventful.
Several incidents had occurred along the way after a few Muggles noticed that this strange railway didn't appear on any official rail map.
The Aurors had been forced to stop three separate times to cast Memory Charms on the witnesses. They also reinforced the Muggle-Repelling Charms around the tracks to keep curious people away.
Then upon arriving at King's Cross, Tom took action himself.
A wave of magic briefly clouded the minds of every wizard on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters while he quietly reminded the parents to collect their children and leave as quickly as possible.
Fifteen minutes later, the platform was completely deserted.
In previous years, many pure-blood parents had arrived dressed in bizarre wizarding fashions.
The most famous example was Neville's grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, with her trademark hat topped by a stuffed vulture.
This year, however, even Mrs. Longbottom had behaved herself. The iconic hat had been replaced by an ordinary hat.
Her worn dark green robes were gone as well, exchanged for perfectly normal Muggle clothing.
Once Tom had escorted each of the girls safely home, he immediately returned to Hogwarts.
There was still another group waiting for him. Today, he would personally escort the Beauxbatons students back to France.
.
.
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