"Thanks, Tom. If I ever need help again, I'm definitely coming back to you!"
Harry gave Tom a grateful nod, tucked away the parchment, and hurried off. Before heading to the greenhouse, he still needed to drop off Neville and Seamus' homework in the dorm.
Those two were probably pacing the room by now—Neville especially—on the verge of tears waiting for him.
After Harry left, Ron snorted, shot Tom a brief greeting, and quickly stormed out. Currently, he didn't have much patience for Hermione.
"Wait—ghostwriting homework is against the ru—… Wait, where'd they go?"
Only now did Hermione snap out of her shock after watching Tom write four essays at once. By the time she tried to scold Harry and Ron, all she saw were their disappearing backs.
"…Tom."
Her gaze finally landed on the big blue cat next to her. Her tone wasn't angry—more conflicted and helpless.
She could scold any other student for breaking rules.
But this fluffy creature beside her?
She just couldn't bring herself to be harsh.
After a moment of silence, she sighed and shook her head.
"Try not to do that again. You're only wasting your own study time. And if you ever need money… you can come to me. Or even ask Professor Dumbledore."
She had glanced at Tom's four essays just now. Even though the topic was the same—first-year intro to the herb Silverleaf—each essay had its own perspective, logic, and structure. Each one felt naturally different and thoughtfully written.
To Hermione, that kind of mastery meant Tom must've studied Magical Herbs & Fungi: A Thousand Varieties at least three times.
Of course, she had no idea Tom only used the book as a pillow while he and Luna researched Fantastic Beasts.
And as for how he acquired the knowledge?
According to Tom:
"If you sleep on a book, won't all the knowledge just seep into your brain?"
Anyway—
Tom, who had prepared himself to get lectured, was surprised. In his memory, this version of Hermione was the type to harshly correct anyone breaking the rules.
But here she was… soft, patient—even concerned?
Seeing her gentle tone, Tom swallowed the snark he had prepared and instead teased lightly:
[But the rules don't say anything about ghostwriting homework~ And technically speaking, you lent them your notes first, didn't you?]
"I—uhh—I… well…"
Hermione choked immediately.
---
After this little episode, the group of four—well, two humans, one cat, and one ghost—headed to the greenhouses behind the castle.
Professor Pomona Sprout was already inside, wearing a patched, worn gardening hat. Fresh dirt clung to her robes, and her round face held that warm, motherly smile she was famous for.
When she saw them, her smile widened.
"Oh! You must be Tom. The Headmaster told me about you! I'm terribly sorry—as the head of Hufflepuff House, I can't believe this is our first time meeting properly."
She wiped her hands on her robe and enthusiastically offered a handshake.
[Hello, Dean Sprout.]
Tom didn't mind the dirt at all. Dirt was nothing—sometimes he still nostalgically walked on all fours.
After greeting Tom, Sprout looked at the unfamiliar girl beside him.
"You must be Ariana. The Headmaster already explained your situation. Don't worry—my class isn't difficult."
Then her expression tightened slightly.
"However… Herbology involves a lot of hands-on activity…"
She didn't need to finish the sentence. The problem was obvious.
Ariana was a ghost.
Dumbledore had asked Sprout to keep that a secret.
And Herbology happened to require physical interaction with plants.
A ghost who couldn't touch anything was going to get exposed fast.
[I'll handle that!]
Tom puffed his chest with confidence.
Since he was the one who brought Ariana out into the world, he'd take responsibility for helping her live as normally as possible until she could be revived.
[But… I might not have enough time today.]
He had plenty of ways to solve Ariana's intangibility problem—but they all needed time. By tomorrow morning, he could fix it.
But this Herbology class?
He still wasn't sure what to do.
"That won't be a problem," Sprout said warmly.
Then she raised her voice toward the greenhouse, where students were gathering.
"Since we have new classmates joining us today, we won't start new material. We'll just review last lesson's content. And the Herbology assignment due today? I'm pushing it to next week."
"Consider it an extra week to prepare. I trust none of you will tell me you still haven't finished your homework after that, right?"
"Thank you, Professor!"
"Aww… what? Seriously…?"
Cheers erupted from most students—except Harry and his crew, whose expressions instantly collapsed.
Understandably.
Students who'd already finished their assignments now had a free week.
Students who hadn't finished got a lifesaving extension.
But Harry's group?
They had finished—but they'd paid four full silver drakes for Tom to ghostwrite them.
Ron clutched his chest dramatically, hearing his money scream.
Even Harry—who never worried about money—felt a stab of financial pain.
No one except the few of them could understand their heartbreak.
Hermione, meanwhile, looked downright smug.
Serves you right for trying to take shortcuts. Enjoy wasting your money~
Tom also felt a pang of regret:
'What a shame. I was hoping to secure a full-semester contract for their homework.'
Yes—Tom was a businessman at heart.
His plan had been perfect:
Once Harry turned in Tom's work, they'd have to outsource every assignment afterward to avoid being caught by matching handwriting.
But now… that plan was dead.
Thus the Herbology class went on uneventfully, each student carrying their own secret joys and miseries.
And Tom?
Thanks to his absurdly sharp memory and instincts, he performed brilliantly.
When class ended, Professor Sprout gave him her own special permission:
As long as Tom kept up his performance, he'd be exempt from all Herbology homework.
Sprout normally wouldn't break precedent like that—
but Snape had already given Tom special privileges for Potions.
And there was no way she was letting that "greasy bat" steal her brightest young talent.
---