After class, in the Headmaster's office—
"Tom, you…"
Once Professor Flitwick finished describing everything that had happened in Charms class, Dumbledore looked over at Tom—who was happily nibbling on the sweets he kept on his desk—and for a moment, the Headmaster simply didn't know where to begin.
If he'd known this boy could stir up so much trouble, he would've thought twice back at the Lovegood home about whether admitting him was a good idea.
How long had it been since Tom officially became a Hogwarts student? A day and a half? Maybe?
A day and a half. Four classes. And already four professors had marched into his office.
Snape was understandable—though Tom's bizarre potion-brewing methods made even that stoic Potions Master furrow his brow, Snape, being a double agent with nerves of steel, wasn't shaken easily.
Professor Binns' change was surprisingly positive. Even if it broke the ghost's centuries-long habit of living between the staffroom and the classroom, anything that could improve the nightmare that was his History of Magic lessons… Dumbledore welcomed it. He, after all, had personally survived Binns' classes in his youth.
As for Professor Sprout? She wasn't exactly here to complain—well, technically she was—but her complaint was a rather unusual one.
She wanted to know why Tom—a Hufflepuff—was somehow at his most well-behaved in her class. Aside from mastering everything in the textbook, he showed no strange behavior at all. Dumbledore could only smile helplessly at that.
And now Tom had actually startled Professor Flitwick so badly that the little Charms Master fainted?!
No, wait…
Seeing the sparkle of excitement in Flitwick's eyes, Dumbledore corrected himself. The half-goblin professor hadn't come to file a complaint; he'd come with a proposal.
He wanted Tom transferred to Ravenclaw.
According to Flitwick: "A student with this level of innate talent—one who's practically invented an entirely new spellcasting framework—belongs in Ravenclaw!"
(Sprout: "Excuse me?? I just finished dealing with Snape and now it's you?!")
The worst part was that Dumbledore couldn't even argue. The Sorting Hat had said that Tom would fit well in any house except Slytherin.
(Sorting Hat: "Don't blame me, Headmaster! (´･_･`)")
Tom himself looked utterly innocent. He hadn't done anything! He just wanted to cast a couple of normal spells! How things escalated to this degree… even he had no idea.
"Sigh…"
Dumbledore let out a long breath. What else could he do?
Ariana had been brought back by Tom, and her resurrection still depended on his power. So these small, everyday crises… well, the Headmaster had no choice but to handle them one by one.
After quite a bit of gentle persuasion, Dumbledore finally convinced Flitwick to abandon the idea of pulling Tom into Ravenclaw.
Still, before leaving, the Charms Master extended the same privilege Snape and Sprout had granted: Tom was exempt from all Charms homework. Completely. No conditions.
From Flitwick's perspective, someone who had essentially invented a new magic system shouldn't be constrained by traditional Charms coursework. Existing spells were nothing more than raw material for Tom's new approach.
Once Dumbledore finally sent the excited Charms professor away, he sat back down and silently stared at the cat on his desk.
He truly didn't understand. Hogwarts wasn't new to students with unusual bloodlines. Werewolves, half-giants, half-elves… rare, yes, but not unheard of. So why was this particular cat so good at causing mayhem?
(I swear I'm innocent! I didn't know things would turn out like this!)
Sensing the Headmaster's thoughts, Tom hurried to defend himself.
"Never mind," Dumbledore sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing between his brows. "It just means your gifts are… quite unique."
"But in class, please try to hold back a little. Not everyone has talents as extraordinary as yours."
(I'll try…)
Tom flicked his tail awkwardly. Instinct was instinct—some things weren't so easy to suppress. Good thing Jerry wasn't around, or the two of them together would've made the castle ten times more chaotic.
At that point, they'd probably blow up half the school.
"All right, if that's everything, go have dinner."
Dumbledore waved dismissively, then added, "Ah—Professor Binns also requested that you consider serving as his assistant. Don't worry—there's compensation."
Tom blinked. Really? Assistants get paid? Professor Binns doesn't even earn a salary, does he?
He wisely kept that thought to himself, turned around, and headed for the door.
But before he got close, the office doors swung open on their own.
Tom froze. Is the door broken? I wasn't even near it yet!
A familiar figure strode inside.
"Headmaster, are you here? I have something I need you to take a look at. Also, do you know where Professor Flitwick is? He wasn't in his office. This matter concerns Tom as well—I tried to bring him along, but I heard he'd been taken away by Flitwick."
In Tom's stunned "Who am I, where am I, what did I do this time?" expression, Professor McGonagall marched in—with Ariana trailing behind her, looking equally puzzled.
"Oh, Minerva, what's going on now?"
Dumbledore glanced at Tom, his tone already showing signs of emotional exhaustion.
He simply didn't understand. The other professors coming to find Tom made sense—they'd just taught Hufflepuff. But McGonagall? Why? If he remembered correctly, she'd just finished teaching Transfiguration to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
And Tom hadn't even had a Transfiguration class yet!
Also—why had she dragged along his sister?
"Headmaster, you need to see this—oh? Tom, you're here too. Good. Come here."
Without giving Tom time to react, McGonagall grabbed both him and Ariana and pulled them in front of Dumbledore.
What's happening?!
Tom was genuinely lost. Counting the Sorting Ceremony, this was only the second time he'd even met McGonagall. What could she possibly want with him?
"I don't know either…"
Ariana whispered, just as confused. "I have no idea why she brought me along…"