After his morning classes, Tom returned to the Room of Requirement, idly chatting with the System as he fed the remnants of Voldemort's remnant soul to Nagini.
"System," he mused, "do you think Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's legacies might include something they themselves were unaware of, beyond what those two Gryffindor relics revealed?"
Though Tom had restored what the founders had left at Hogwarts, he had done so solely based on Albus Dumbledore's and Godric Gryffindor's limited knowledge. Perhaps Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff had left behind hidden elements, now forever lost thanks to that fool Lanlock.
"Even if they did exist, Tom, they wouldn't be of much use to you now."
The System's words mirrored the truth. Having surpassed the four founders, their legacies offered Tom little of practical value.
"I know... but it's still a bit of a shame."
Tom ignored Voldemort's remnant soul's futile struggles, feeding it to Nagini. "I had hoped to collect all their legacies." After all, some people were obsessed with completing collections. Tom stroked Nagini, who was "eating" with gusto. "But since it's impossible, let's just forget about it."
As the System stated, his current desire to obtain the founders' legacies was driven more by a collector's impulse than any genuine need. If it was unattainable, he wouldn't force the issue.
"But Tom," the System asked, "if the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff things are useless to you, why bother repairing them?"
Tom retrieved another remnant soul of Voldemort's remnant soul from Hufflepuff's Cup and wordlessly tossed it to Nagini. Finishing the task, he patted the snake. "I don't need it, but Harry Potter and the others can try."
"But didn't you alter everything when you rebuilt it, Tom? The original legacies aren't there anymore, are they?"
Tom's lips curled into a slight smile. "They can't access the legacies of the founders directly... but I did leave some interesting little obstacles. To get what I left there, they'll have to solve my puzzles… isn't that amusing?"
"Tom's going to play with them again."
"..."
Tom casually returned Nagini to her purple bottle. "No, I'm meticulously nurturing them."
"Fine, whatever you say." The System didn't care about the students; to the System, no one except Tom was worth much attention. Besides, those younger generations have acquired quite a few good things recently. Maybe I should go buy some more to help Tom grab... ah, I mean, borrow some rewards.
...
In the afternoon, in Charms class, taught jointly for Slytherins and Ravenclaws.
Professor Flitwick's lesson today focused on the Vanishing Charm. This relatively difficult spell from the Standard Book of Spells could make a target disappear, whether living or non-living.
While impressive in theory, the Vanishing Charm was somewhat impractical. The more complex the living creature, the more difficult it was to vanish. Vanishing a snail, for instance, was exponentially harder than vanishing a mouse. Furthermore, against magical creatures, magical resistance reduced the spell's potency.
Vanishing non-living objects was simpler and, in certain situations, could have unexpected results. However, the Vanishing Charm was less effective against magical non-living objects.
In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" described how the original owner's son tried to vanish it without success.
The Vanishing Charm was also one of the most difficult charms on the Ordinary Wizarding Levels (OWLs).
"Please open your spellbooks," Professor Flitwick said, perched on his stack of books. "Today we will learn the Vanishing Charm."
"The incantation is, Evanesco." Professor Flitwick waved his wand slowly. "The wand movement is like this..." Experienced, the professor knew how to identify key learning points and offer helpful reminders. Finishing his explanation, Professor Flitwick turned to Tom. "Professor Riddle, would you demonstrate for them?"
"Of course."
Tom, who enjoyed a cordial relationship with Professor Flitwick, rose, withdrew the Elder Wand, and cast the Vanishing Charm on the podium. "Evanesco."
Students blinked in astonishment as the large wooden podium vanished completely.
"Excellent! Absolutely... a textbook Vanishing Charm!" Professor Flitwick clapped happily. "If Professor Riddle were still a student, I would award Slytherin ten points!"
Tom chuckled and shook his head. "Or rather... if I had become a professor earlier, perhaps I would have had a chance to award Professor Flitwick extra points."
"..."
Professor Flitwick was startled, realizing he often forgot that Tom had attended Hogwarts even earlier than he had. Tom's current appearance made it hard to believe he was the same person from decades ago.
"But it's alright," Tom changed the subject. "You still have a chance to earn points for Slytherin." As he spoke, he magically distributed the snails Professor Flitwick had prepared. Then, before Professor Flitwick could react...
"Evanesco."
The blonde girl in the front row skillfully vanished the snails.
"Alright... Slytherin gains ten points!" Professor Flitwick said, shrugging helplessly under Tom's gaze.
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