Pfft.
Ginny sprayed the milk out of her mouth, thankfully straight at the floor. "What did you say?!"
The others stared at Tom in shock. In English, "million" was already a unit jump, so no one thought they'd misheard.
But… five million, tied to Galleons?
Was that even a thing?
"Tom, do you have a fever?" Hermione reached out to touch his forehead. "Five million Galleons is twenty-five million pounds. The wizarding economy isn't even that developed. I honestly doubt Britain has that many Galleons in circulation."
"It does," Daphne nodded seriously, her little head bobbing. "Britain has that much money."
Hermione paused.
…Fair enough. Those pureblood tycoons had been around for hundreds, even thousands of years. They probably hoarded Galleons like dragons.
"But that's still not money one person can earn, right?"
"Well… it's not impossible?"
Tom's eyes lit up. "Daphne, you've got an idea?"
The little witch's cheeks flushed red. Half her body leaned against Tom's shoulder, her soft lips close to his ear as she whispered, "Well… if the two of us got engaged, wouldn't the Greengrass fortune be yours? Oh, right, we'd have to subtract Astoria's half."
"But even half of it would definitely be five million Galleons. That'd be super easy, wouldn't it?"
Tom froze.
Was she a genius?
Or was he the genius, born with the natural talent to live off someone else?
Hermione and the others were just as stunned.
Daphne had tried hard to lower her voice, but the compartment was only so big, and everyone's attention was already on them. They'd heard enough.
Aside from Luna, the rest all looked at Daphne with eyes full of betrayal.
So that's how it is, Daphne with the thick eyebrows and honest face.
You were planning to sneak ahead of everyone?
Even Astoria was angry now, her cheeks puffed out. Why should her half be subtracted? She could help Tom too.
"I'm talking about making money, not… not…" Tom struggled to find the right word. "It's too early to talk about that. Be good, eat your lunch. I'll think some more."
Daphne looked thoroughly displeased, but seeing Tom drift back into thought, she didn't dare disturb him. She could only vent her frustration on the food.
Such a perfect chance…
Failed again.
When would she finally manage to kidnap Tom and drag him home for good?
[ Ding! ]
The sudden system prompt snapped Tom out of his thoughts.
[Summary complete. Please review your academic year evaluation and claim your rewards.]
With a thought, Tom opened the details.
[Congratulations to the host for completing a fulfilling second year. During this year, you fearlessly confronted authority to eliminate harmful elements within the teaching staff, fully demonstrated your academic abilities, sparked a reevaluation of pureblood standards across the wizarding world, and led Slytherin to claim the House Cup with unprecedented points.]
[Chain Mission "Hogwarts' Greatest Student in History" Stage Two completed.
Completion Rating: Perfect (Record-breaking House point increase).
Rewards: 1,000 achievement points, 5,000 House points, one Legendary Lottery Draw.]
Yes!
Tom clenched his fist internally.
He knew breaking records would come with benefits. Not only did he get another thousand achievement points, he also scored a legendary draw.
[Host: Tom Riddle
Identity: Hogwarts (prospective) third-year student
Credits: 11,863
Achievement Points: 4,784
Unclaimed Rewards: One Legendary Lottery Draw]
Seeing that he was only a little over two hundred points short of five thousand, Tom's head nearly exploded.
A year and a half of grinding, and he was still two hundred short?
No.
During the summer, he had to publish more papers. No matter what, he was summoning his first Immortal Legendary Professor.
The long whistle echoed through Platform Nine and Three-Quarters as the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled in under the eager gazes of waiting parents.
Students rushed toward their long-missed families, warm scenes unfolding all over the platform.
"Remember to message me," Ginny said, pointing at WhatsApp, before pulling Luna along toward that unmistakable sea of red hair.
"Mum!" The girl threw herself into Mrs. Weasley's arms.
"My darling." Molly stroked her hair lovingly, then asked, "Was that the boy you were just talking to? Riddle?"
"That's right. That was Tom."
"What a good child. Handsome, kind, and well-mannered."
Molly did not hold back on her praise, leaving the rest of the Weasleys dumbfounded.
Percy clearly remembered Molly writing to him earlier, telling him to stop Tom and Ginny from getting close. Now her attitude had done a complete turn. He blurted out in disbelief, "Mum, didn't you say, "
"Percy, that's enough!" Molly cut him off.
"I looked into it later. Riddle is a good child. He even received a First Class Order of Merlin. Such an incredible achievement, isn't it?"
"Being friends with such an outstanding boy will only make Ginny better. Don't interfere in your sister's affairs anymore."
Ginny pulled faces smugly at her brothers.
Why had Molly changed so drastically?
Because Ginny had come clean.
She told Molly everything about the diary and Voldemort, emphasizing Tom's role in it all. Certain… details were naturally omitted.
Molly had been terrified after reading it. Gratitude toward Tom came naturally.
Six sons and one daughter. Ginny's favored status in the Weasley household went without saying. Tom was practically their family's savior.
What was wrong with getting closer to their savior? Absolutely nothing.
Of course, for Ginny's privacy, Molly would not reveal the truth to George and the others, leaving them to remain confused.
On the other side of the platform, Tom quickened his pace and precisely intercepted Malfoy.
"Mr. Lucius. Long time no see."
"Riddle… Mr. Riddle." Lucius Malfoy forced a smile, subtly positioning his wife and son behind him. Even after all this time, he still couldn't forget the indifferent look Tom had once given him.
"Care to set aside some time tomorrow for a chat?"
Tom smiled, as if he hadn't noticed Lucius's small movements, his voice lowering slightly.
"Let's talk about the diary."
Lucius felt as though he'd plunged into an icy abyss.
He nodded mechanically.