"Garfield, can I have a bowl?"
"No."
"Your Majesty, what is this?"
"It smells delicious."
"Cat food mixed with rice."
Horace did not expect Garfield to answer him like that.
Come to think of it, Garfield was a cat.
It was not wrong for his food to be called cat food.
Watching Garfield shovel the food into his mouth with a spoon, Horace suddenly felt that the steak in front of him did not smell so good anymore.
Dumbledore, having known Garfield for a longer time, beckoned Shrek over.
He pointed to Garfield, who was munching on mutton stew.
"Is there still any of this?"
Shrek nodded.
"Yes."
"His Majesty prepared a lot of ingredients for his demonstration."
"If you would like, I will make it for you now."
Dumbledore said, "Make sure it is a large portion."
Horace called out to Shrek.
"I will have one too."
McGonagall looked at her fried egg, sighed, and turned to Shrek.
"I will have one too."
"A small bowl."
Armando Dippet looked helplessly at the desserts on his plate.
He regretted that he had eaten dinner too early.
His stomach was already full.
Dumbledore asked, "Headmaster, what is wrong?"
Armando Dippet replied, "I regret eating so much."
Dumbledore suggested, "How about we have some for supper?"
Armando Dippet brightened.
"Supper seems like a good choice."
"Thank you, Albus."
After receiving the teachers' orders, Shrek quickly returned to the kitchen and began a new round of cooking.
As house elves who had worked in the kitchen for many years, their skill in controlling the heat was far superior to Garfield's.
Three delicious bowls of mutton stew were served.
Dippet chose to leave immediately upon smelling the aroma.
He knew he could not eat anymore, yet he could not resist the temptation of the food.
If he ate it all back, he would have to suffer the stomachache himself.
The teachers' table was just a minor incident.
If Snape and Harry came to school in the future, they would find their Hogwarts quite different, especially when it came to food.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Garfield's unexpected return, or rather his sudden reappearance, excited Tom greatly.
His good behavior these past two days had earned him Horace's respect.
If he performed even better, perhaps he could join the legendary Slug Club.
Once he went in, he believed that entering the upper echelons of the wizarding world, even becoming a minister, would not be a dream.
Then the entire wizarding world would be devoted to him.
Sitting at the Slytherin dining table, Tom saw a pair of cat eyes staring at him.
It startled him.
Coming to his senses, he looked at the orange cat in front of him and respectfully greeted him.
"Professor Pendragon, hello."
Garfield crossed his arms and looked at him with a serious expression.
"Little Tom, I sense some unpleasant thoughts in your mind."
Tom quickly denied it. "No, I did not have any ideas, Professor."
Garfield replied, "The more you think you are wrong, the more likely you are."
He was joking.
Tom Riddle would never admit to having any bad intentions. If he were expelled, his dreams would be shattered.
Knowing that their little Voldemort was not so easily swayed, Garfield glared at him and then beckoned for him to follow.
As Garfield flew through the air toward the Great Hall's exit, Tom Riddle pondered whether to follow.
What kind of punishment would he receive?
Would not following result in a harsher punishment or even expulsion?
While Tom was now more knowledgeable than Harry had been after six months of school, knowing the circumstances under which students were expelled, he was undeniably ambitious and intelligent.
But he was still only eleven years old.
He had many things he did not understand.
For example, he worried that if he disobeyed Garfield, Garfield would expel him.
Garfield was not only a professor but also a member of the school's Board of Governors.
He was also a king with diplomatic relations with the Ministry of Magic.
Under the curious gazes of a group of Hogwarts students, Tom Riddle stood up from his seat and followed Garfield, trembling with fear.
He walked out, forgetting for a moment his ambition to become a great wizard and his dream of crushing Garfield.
His only worry now was how Professor Pendragon would deal with him.
He hoped he would not be expelled, even if it was a harsher punishment.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Garfield led his little Voldemort classmate out of Hogwarts Castle and walked toward the frozen lake.
The sky was overcast.
The wind was biting.
Patches of snow on the lakeshore had been blown away, revealing ice beneath the surface.
The lake was deep and unfathomable.
Occasionally the ice rippled.
A dark shadow flashed by.
Standing by the lake, Tom's face stung from the cold wind.
He shivered and looked at Garfield, who floated in mid air completely unaffected.
Not even a flick of his fur.
Tom thought to himself, so powerful.
Completely unaffected by the weather.
"Tom, do you know why I called you out?"
Our little Voldemort was unaware that Garfield wanted to teach him a lesson.
He thought his ambition had been exposed.
He silently lowered his head, contemplating whether admitting his ambition would lead to his expulsion.
So he lied.
"I do not know, Professor."
Without turning around, Garfield could hear little Voldemort's heart racing and his breathing becoming heavy from the lie.
"Little Tom, lying is wrong."
"Especially in front of a powerful being."
"Your subtle changes are as conspicuous as an ink stain on this pristine lake."
"Now I will give you one last chance."
"Speak your true thoughts."
Garfield released a wisp of his cosmic beast aura.
Tom Riddle's small body could not withstand the pressure.
He instantly knelt on the ground.
Kneeling, Tom looked down and saw his silhouette reflected in the snow by the faint sunlight.
A silhouette so powerful.
So terrifying.
"Professor, I want to become powerful."
"I want people to respect me."
"I want people to fear me."
"I want a high position and power."
His ambition ultimately succumbed to Garfield's pressure.
He voiced his desires.
Hearing the little enchanter's words, Garfield slowly withdrew his pressure.
He turned and flew to him.
Lowering his voice, he warned him in an even more serious tone.
"Little Tom, remember."
"Pursuing power is fine. Pursuing authority is fine too."
"But power and authority are external things."
"What matters most is having a strong heart."
"Otherwise, you will eventually be swallowed by darkness and become a monster."
Garfield raised his paw and summoned a sky full of lightning.
The lightning swept across the lake.
In an instant, all the snow on the lake turned to dust.
"If you wreak havoc on humanity, I will kill you with my own paws."
"Just like this lake."