Owls are fascinating creatures. In the world of Hogwarts, they are absolutely essential.
They serve a highly specialized role: they are the postal service for wizards.
Hermione didn't own an owl, though. She knew that in the future, she would have a massive, grumpy, ginger half-kneazle cat.
On the flip side, Tom didn't know much about the plot of Hogwarts. In his past life, he hadn't been a hardcore Potterhead. If he had known he was going to transmigrate, he absolutely would have binged the books and movies a hundred times over.
But back to the owl. The bird had arrived carrying a letter, waiting patiently for Tom.
After handing over the envelope, the owl didn't fly away. Instead, it hopped inside the house, following Tom around.
The recipient was Hermione Granger.
The sender... Minerva McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall! The Transfiguration professor who constantly turned into a cat!
Tom tore open the envelope and read every word meticulously.
> Dear Hermione Granger,
> I am delighted to see you taking such a keen interest in Transfiguration, and that you have already begun studying 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration' on your own over the holidays. I am equally pleased that you reached out with your questions. It is rare to see a student so young display such diligence and eagerness to learn.
> Regarding your question about why your Transfiguration attempts are failing: while I haven't seen you cast the spell in person, I suspect you are treating yourself strictly as an 'operator.' What I mean is, you aren't integrating yourself into the magic.
> Being a witch or wizard is a wondrous thing, and magic is extraordinary. For example, when casting beginner spells, you should focus on 'acting' rather than 'manipulating.' Your mindset shouldn't be anxious; it should be relaxed. If you're struggling to calm your nerves, try brewing a cup of barley tea with milk, or perhaps some lemonade with plenty of sugar (otherwise it will be quite tart).
> The same principle applies to Transfiguration. Your goal is to evolve and mimic, not to force and manipulate.
> I hope this advice proves helpful. Should you have any further questions, feel free to send a message back with the owl.
> Yours sincerely,
> Minerva McGonagall
Tom read the letter twice, not putting it down until Professor McGonagall's handwriting was burned into his memory.
He muttered the two key concepts she had given him under his breath.
Act... Mindset...
Tom took two deep breaths.
Relax. Relax—
Imagine floating in mid-air—
With a light swish and flick of his wand, he aimed at the feather. "Wingardium Leviosa—!" The feather soared upward. It flew higher and was far easier to control than before. It felt as though the feather was an extension of Tom himself.
> [Spell Cast. Rating: Normal. Levitation Charm +10]
It worked!
Let's try the Transfiguration spell next.
Tom flipped open A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.
"Transfiguration—!"
Tom visualized the result vividly in his mind.
A small white mouse. It needs a tail. A little bit of claws, not too much. A petite body, propped up on its front paws. Red eyes—
The white feather floating in the air suddenly crumpled into a ball. The soft barbs retracted inward, and the hollow quill stretched outward, forming a long, hairless tail.
Squeak!
A tiny white mouse dropped from mid-air. It rubbed its snout with its front paws and looked up at Tom with keen interest.
> [Spell Cast. Rating: Normal. Transfiguration Charm +10]
Hell yes!
Tom quickly penned a reply, expressing his deep gratitude to Professor McGonagall and excitedly sharing the news of his success. He handed the envelope to the waiting owl.
---
Meanwhile, in London. The Middle Family Courtyard.
Little Sean Middle was in the market for a tutor.
The Middle family was incredibly wealthy. Mr. and Mrs. Middle had brought in several highly qualified, experienced tutors, but none of them met Sean's absurd standards.
According to Sean, he wanted a tutor who was around his own age.
It absolutely had to be a child! Furthermore, this child needed to vastly outstrip Sean's own knowledge in arithmetic, English, modern history, and chemistry.
This gave Mr. and Mrs. Middle a massive headache. Finding a child genius like that was nearly impossible, and even if they did find one, that kid would likely be a pampered young master of some elite family. Why would they ever agree to be a tutor?
They had actually found one candidate who fit the bill once. But during the interview, Sean asked such bizarre, unhinged questions that the prodigy stormed out in a huff.
The parents were starting to suspect Sean was possessed by a demon. He spent all day muttering strange "incantations," waving a stick he found in the backyard at thin air. During tutor interviews, he would even place a feather on the table and demand the candidate make it float without touching it.
"Hello, my name is Her— I mean, my name is Tom Riddle. I'm here to apply for the tutor position."
A boy stood at the courtyard gate.
Age-wise, "Tom" was clearly a child, though he was noticeably more muscular than a standard 11-year-old. He didn't have an ounce of baby fat, his black curls framed a sharp, high-bridged nose, and his eyes were sharp and alert.
"I'm sorry, young sir, but we are no longer accepting tutor applications," the butler politely informed Hermione.
A group of kids from the orphanage had tagged along, intensely curious to see if Hermione could actually pass the interview. Right now, they were poking their heads around the street corner, secretly spying on her.
"Do you guys think... Tom can actually pull this off?"
"I don't know. Tom doesn't know the first thing about modern history... I mean, he literally told me he knows nothing about it."
"Tom is better suited to be a gym rat, not a tutor. Ha," Lawrence sneered dismissively.
He was fully prepped to watch Hermione humiliate herself. They're looking for an elite tutor. What makes a street rat from an orphanage think he's qualified? His biceps? Besides... Lawrence knew firsthand that the family wasn't looking for a normal tutor anyway!
"Just wait. You're about to see Tom become the laughingstock of the neighborhood," Lawrence smirked.
Suddenly, his smirk froze.
He spotted a familiar face walking up to the gate.
Mr. Michelangelo! The wealthy gentleman who was supposed to be adopting him and taking him away from the orphanage!
Lawrence immediately stepped out from hiding. "Mr. Michelangelo!"
Mr. Michelangelo, dressed in a sharp black suit, paused. He stared at Lawrence for a second before his memory clicked. "Ah, you're the boy from the orphanage. What was it... Laurenna?"
"It's Lawrence, sir."
"Right, right. My apologies, young man. It's been incredibly busy lately, I forgot your name," Michelangelo chuckled. "What are you and your little friends doing at my friend's house?"
Just as he asked, Michelangelo noticed Tom standing at the gate. "Are you all from the same orphanage?"
"Come on in, little guys," Michelangelo laughed warmly.
He was close friends with Mr. Middle and had personally headhunted a few tutors for the family, all to no avail.
When he looked at Hermione, Michelangelo immediately mentally wrote her off. This kid was way too young. Based on experience alone, it was a terrible fit. There was no way the Middles would entrust their precious son's education to a literal child.
However, Michelangelo had a soft spot for the orphanage kids, so he figured he could at least get the boy a foot in the door to try.
"Thank you, sir," Hermione said politely. "I really appreciate the opportunity."
Hermione and the orphanage kids followed Michelangelo into the Middle family's lavish courtyard.
The kids' eyes practically bugged out of their heads. They stared in awe at the expensive decorations lining the walls, wanting to touch them but terrified their dirty hands would leave stains. In the end, they huddled nervously by the front door, too scared to take another step inside.
Hermione, however, wasn't intimidated in the slightest. She had seen houses like this plenty of times—some of her parents' dental patients lived in mansions just like this.
Stepping into the parlor, Hermione didn't miss a beat. She introduced herself with complete confidence and poise.
Then, she met Sean.
Sean was a skinny kid with a haughty look in his eyes. He stared Hermione down aggressively, sizing up his prospective new teacher.
"He's a dud," Sean announced the moment he laid eyes on Hermione. "He's not qualified. He can't be my teacher."
Michelangelo coughed awkwardly. "Sean, at least give the boy a chance. He came all this way..."
Over before it even started? Hearing this from the doorway, Lawrence beamed. If Mr. Michelangelo hadn't been standing right there, he would have laughed out loud.
Hold it in. Hold it in. I need to maintain my image in front of Mr. Michelangelo. A proper gentleman like him can't see me gloating. "You can ask me any question you want!" Hermione took a deep breath. "At the very least, I don't intend to lose without a fight."
"I said you're a dud, so you're a dud!" Sean snapped, refusing to give her an inch.
"And I said, you have to ask me at least one question! How... how do you know I'm not a fit if you don't even test me?"
Sean scowled. He hated when these applicants wouldn't take no for an answer. He snatched a heavy book off the side table and flipped it open. "Fine! Then tell me, you..."
Hermione didn't hear the rest of the question. The moment Sean picked up that specific book, a loud buzzing filled her ears.
Why does Sean have that book?!
Where did he get it?!
There's a wizard in this Muggle house! Someone just like me!
"Hey! Answer the question!" Sean demanded, glaring at the stunned Hermione.
Typical, Sean thought. Just like all the other tutors. He had told his parents over and over again: he didn't want a normal person! He wanted someone special, just like him! He wanted someone who could do magic!
And clearly, Hermione was just another mundane Muggle. She had frozen up the second he asked the question. (In reality, Hermione was just shell-shocked by the sight of the textbook).
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you repeat the question?"
Sean rolled his eyes. "I said, there is a school that was founded over nine hundred years ago. To some people, the place just looks like a ruined castle with 'Keep Out' signs. What is the name of this school?"
"Hogwarts," Hermione said instantly.
The room fell dead silent.
Sean's eyes widened. "What magic... I mean, what kind of trick is strictly forbidden to be performed on school grounds?"
"Apparition or Disapparition," Hermione replied smoothly.
Sean frantically flipped through the pages of the book in his hands. "If a boy tries to enter the girls' dormitory, what happens?"
"It is strictly prohibited. If they attempt it, the stairs will instantly turn into a long, smooth slide. The boy will slide all the way to the bottom and land hard on his backside, and the entire school will know a boy tried to sneak into the girls' dorms."
Sean's heart was racing. He knew he had found the right person, but he had to be absolutely sure.
He snapped the book shut and set it aside. "I expect my teacher to be humorous and interesting. Part of that means they need to know how to do a good magic trick."
He placed a quill pen on the table. "Can you make this fly?"
If she had a wand, Hermione could do it effortlessly. But right now, she was wandless. Hermione's wand was back at the Granger house!
She couldn't make any promises. "I will try my best."
Relax, Hermione told herself, staring intently at the feather. Calm down, Hermione. Calm down.
It's just a Levitation Charm. Even without a wand, I can do this. The books said some wizards could cast low-level spells wandlessly, and the Levitation Charm was the absolute easiest spell in the book.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Hermione watched as the feather twitched on the table. It lifted into the air, wobbling unsteadily.
However, it didn't even reach waist-height before the magic fizzled and it dropped back to the wood.
"I apologize. I can't quite manage it right now," Hermione sighed, feeling a wave of disappointment. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time, gentlemen. I'll take my—"
"You're hired!" Sean yelled.
He jumped out of his chair and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Mom! Mr. Michelangelo! I need this man to tutor me!"
"What was your name again...?"
"Tom. Tom Riddle."
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Riddle!" Sean was practically vibrating with excitement. He had tried telling his parents that he had seen magic, that there was a real magic school out there, but they just thought he was crazy. They dismissed it as childish fantasies.
"Riddle, aren't you currently living at the orphanage?" Mr. Michelangelo suddenly asked.
He stared straight ahead, completely ignoring the look of jealous panic suddenly radiating from Lawrence behind him.
"Mr. Riddle, how would you like to come live with me? I mean to say, I happen to be looking to adopt a child right now. I think you would be a perfect fit. What do you say, young man?"
Lawrence's face instantly twisted, looking as if he had just been forced to swallow a live fly.