Hasty footsteps echoed outside the classroom door.
"Has class started?!"
"Huff, huff, huff… Where is Professor McGonagall?"
Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom, panting heavily, burst into the room, their eyes immediately locking onto Tom. They stood awkwardly in the doorway, as if waiting for him to speak. Tom gestured towards the podium.
"Huh? What's that cat over there?" Neville asked, looking puzzled at the tabby cat perched on the podium.
Ron, ever impulsive, started forward to pet it, but as he approached, the tabby cat gracefully leaped down and transformed into Minerva McGonagall. The transformation stunned the young wizards.
"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, do you realize you are late?" Minerva McGonagall's tone was stern, her displeasure evident.
"I'm sorry, Professor, the stairs… they move, and we got lost…" Neville stammered. Even Ron seemed taken aback.
"Perhaps you should dedicate yourselves to Transfiguration, so you might transform yourselves into a map or a compass next time. Then you would not be late." Minerva McGonagall stepped aside. "Considering this is your first offense, I will not deduct House points… Copy the school motto ten times each, then return to your seats."
"Oh…" Ron and Neville trudged dejectedly toward their desks.
"Wait!" Tom called out. He stood and walked over to them. "Why should points not be deducted? Mistakes warrant punishment."
He glanced down at Neville and Ron, then pointed at Neville. "Being late for class, Gryffindor loses ten points!"
"What?!" Not only Neville and Ron, but Minerva McGonagall was astonished.
Ron glared angrily at Tom, but remembering the professor's reputation, he remained silent.
"Hey? You dare glare at me? You're losing another twenty points!" Tom would not tolerate such disrespect. Is this unfair? Of course. But if I were fair, would I truly be the Dark Lord?
Minerva McGonagall, however, was undeterred. "Professor Tom, the deductions must be reasonable, and there aren't that many gems in the hourglass."
Tom had anticipated this. "Then deduct ten points. Deduct twenty points. It is settled."
Ron protested, "Why do I get ten points deducted?!"
Tom replied calmly, "Deduct another thirty points."
"I'll fu—"
"Alright! Mr. Weasley, you should return to your seat." She feared that if Ron spoke again, Gryffindor would be left with nothing.
With Minerva McGonagall's intervention and Neville's urging, Ron grumbled and went back to his seat.
Minerva McGonagall sighed in relief when they were seated. Tom told the Slytherin students to clean the toilets earlier. They should all be present. But upon closer inspection, she noticed two people were missing.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed again outside the door.
"Sorry, Professor! We're late!"
"It's all Malfoy's fault! He missed his mother all night and didn't sleep!"
"Damn it… Potter! You can eat whatever garbage you want, but you can't say whatever garbage you want!"
Seeing Harry and Malfoy arguing in the doorway, Minerva McGonagall rubbed her temples. "Twenty points each! Go to your seats!"
"Oh..." Harry and Malfoy lowered their heads and walked to their seats.
"Wait!" Tom gestured for them to come over.
You again? Minerva McGonagall looked at Tom with displeasure, but after thinking about it, they were Slytherin. She could hardly deduct points from her own House.
Tom feigned confusion. "Draco, which foot did you enter with first?"
"Uh… left foot," Malfoy answered honestly, though confused.
"Excellent! Slytherin, one hundred points!" Tom seemed delighted, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"Wait… why?" Minerva McGonagall could hardly believe her ears. Could this preferential treatment be any more outrageous?!
"I did a fortune-telling this morning, and my lucky direction today is left," Tom stated matter-of-factly. "You know, I am quite superstitious."
"…" Fine, I cannot argue with that. Minerva McGonagall resigned herself and stopped wasting time.
"Harry, and you?" Tom asked.
"Sorry, Professor, I entered right foot first." Harry still acted like an obedient child; he didn't want to lie to Tom.
"Excellent! You are honest and do not fawn, remaining true to yourself, even when it might please the professor." Tom patted Harry's shoulder with satisfaction. "Because of your honesty, Slytherin gains another two hundred points!"
"Whoosh!" The Slytherin students cheered enthusiastically.
Minerva McGonagall was speechless. She had underestimated Tom.
"Alright, return to your seats, class is about to begin." Tom urged Harry and Malfoy to return to their desks, lest Minerva McGonagall realize what was happening.
"...Sigh." After a long silence, Minerva McGonagall finally sighed and said nothing.
Seeing this, Tom was secretly delighted. At this rate, winning the House Cup will be a piece of cake. However, he had to be wary of Dumbledore; only that old coot would add random points, sometimes hundreds at a time.
Now that all the students were present, Minerva McGonagall began her lesson.
She stood solemnly on the podium. "Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts."
Minerva McGonagall took out her wand and casually transformed the podium into a wild boar, which charged straight at Tom. It was intentional, revenge for Tom's ruthless treatment of Gryffindor.
Just as the boar was about to charge, Tom lightly snapped his fingers.
The boar exploded, transforming into butterflies, then gathered and reformed into the podium.
Minerva McGonagall pursed her lips. Her revenge backfired, and Tom had pulled off a stunt. Judging by the young wizards' gleaming eyes, Tom's act was a success.
"As you just witnessed, using Transfiguration without proper instruction is dangerous. Therefore, you must listen carefully. Anyone who disrupts the class will be punished accordingly."
With that, Minerva McGonagall retrieved a box of matches. "Professor Tom, please distribute these."
Tom nodded slightly, then tapped the matchbox with his Elder Wand.
The matchbox opened automatically, and matches flew out, landing in front of each young wizard.
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