"Meow~"
The big cat let out a perfectly timed, syrupy cry, its round eyes shimmering with exaggerated innocence. Hermione was conquered instantly. Without hesitation, she snatched the cat from Tom's hands.
"This one."
Decision made, she marched to the counter with decisive efficiency. The shop assistant informed her that the cat's name was Crookshanks. Hermione thought it sounded quite nice and did not bother changing it.
...
The moment they stepped outside, they ran straight into the Weasleys, freshly returned from Egypt.
"Tom! Astoria!" Ginny spotted them first and ran over happily.
Tom's hand twitched. He had just discovered another flaw in his enchanted paper. The image transmission, like newspapers, relied only on black, white, and gray. The loss of color information was severe. Otherwise, he would have noticed Ginny's transformation much earlier.
The rest of the Weasleys approached. Like Ginny, all of them had tanned several shades under the Egyptian sun. Molly pulled her daughter back and offered Tom a beaming smile.
"Tom, it is so wonderful to see you."
"The feeling is mutual, Mrs. Weasley. How was Egypt?"
"It was marvelous. If you ever get the chance, you must go." She began animatedly recounting amusing moments from their trip, even pulling out photographs to show them. Yet after speaking for a while, her tone gradually shifted into heartfelt thanks.
Back at the start of summer, she had been grateful to Tom for noticing Ginny's strange behavior and taking the diary, preventing her daughter from being manipulated by the Dark Lord.
This time, however, her gratitude stemmed from Peter Pettigrew.
Ron had been too mortified to admit that he had shared a bed with a grown man for nearly two years, so he had never told his family that Scabbers was actually Peter Pettigrew.
Only after the public trial concluded and the Daily Prophet published the full details did the Weasleys learn the truth. The real traitor had been hiding in their home for over a decade.
It felt as if the sky had collapsed.
Percy, upon finishing the article, had immediately rushed to the toilet and vomited. Ron had only owned Scabbers for two years, but before that, the rat had belonged to Percy.
The others had felt chills run down their spines. A Dark wizard who had blown up half a street and killed thirteen innocent Muggles had been living under their roof. No one could think about it without lingering fear.
Soon after, the twins suffered the most brutal beating they had received in years, second only to the time six years ago when they had tricked Ron into attempting to jump from a third floor balcony.
They had possessed the Marauder's Map for nearly two years and never once noticed anything strange about Ron's so called pet. Yet once it fell into Tom's hands, Pettigrew was exposed in no time.
The twins knew they were in the wrong. During the holiday, they treated Ron noticeably better and even stuffed his pockets with extra pocket money and experimental sweets.
...
Molly chatted with Tom for quite some time. It was not until Mr. Weasley reminded her that they still had errands to run that she reluctantly stopped.
"Dear, are you free tonight? We are staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Tomorrow we head straight to King's Cross. How about we all have dinner together?"
Tom glanced at the girls. Seeing no objections, he nodded.
Molly waved cheerfully. "Then it is settled. Five o'clock at the Leaky Cauldron. And do not fill up on too much junk food beforehand."
The twins lingered behind instead of following immediately. They exchanged exaggerated looks and turned back to Tom.
George spoke in a deliberately sour tone. "Quite the commotion you have caused. Creating such a grand invention. Tom, you are going to be a big name one day."
Fred glanced toward Helder's Magical Workshop, envy written plainly across his face. "What does it feel like to own a shop in Diagon Alley before even graduating?"
"What does it feel like?" Tom pretended to ponder for a few seconds before smiling. "Nothing special. I mean, it is not just Diagon Alley. I have branches in France's hidden quarters and Germany's secret enclaves too. So really, it is no big deal."
Fred laughed in exasperation and gave a thumbs up. "Brilliant, mate. Truly brilliant."
"You did not stay behind just to flatter me, did you?" Tom asked, well aware that the twins were not the type to waste time on empty praise.
"Such wisdom, Lord Riddle," George said with a grin. "We wanted to thank you. For rescuing Ron from the clutches of a grown man."
Tom remained expressionless. "And?"
"And... Lord Riddle, esteemed tycoon, might your 'paper' be a bit cheaper? We simply cannot afford it. Fifty sheets for eleven Sickles, and that is already discounted. Merlin's striped undergarments, it is outrageously expensive."
At last, they revealed their true objective. They wanted an even lower price.
Tom agreed without hesitation. "Of course. For you two, one Galleon for fifty sheets."
"Wait... what? That is the original price!"
The twins reacted instantly, realizing not only had he refused to discount it further, he had effectively raised it for them.
"We are your good brothers in Gryffindor!" Fred protested in disbelief. "And you are ripping us off?"
"Yes, good brothers." Tom tilted his head innocently. "Since we are such good brothers, would you really take advantage of me?"
The twins were speechless.
Their proud eloquence and famously thick skin seemed pitifully naive in front of Tom, as inexperienced as Neville in a duel.
Watching them retreat in defeat, the girls burst into laughter.
Trying to take advantage of Tom?
Such a person probably had not been born yet.