Chapter 252: Tom Down (Edited)

Upon hearing the knock, knock, knock in his ears, Tom shook his head helplessly, adjusted Hermione's little shoes, and sat down at the kitchen table, dazed.

Tom's system, for the first time in a long time, had given him a mission. The last time he had completed a mission was after the last time: when Tom had destroyed two of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and the hidden quest had been completed. The previous time in Egypt, the system hadn't appeared to review his existence, only occasionally popping up to unlock an achievement, unlock a [World Traveller] travel anchor, or evaluate some magical objects.

And this time, after Dumbledore handed over the task of protecting Harry, the system refreshed the mission.

[Dumbledore's Test (I): Send Harry Potter to Hogwarts safe and sound]

[Mission note: A test from Professor Dumbledore, there is no system reward for passing it, but it will increase Dumbledore's goodwill towards you, and you may receive a reward from Professor Dumbledore when your goodwill reaches a certain level.]

"It seems like a series of missions," Tom thought for a moment, but it didn't seem too difficult. Harry would be perfectly safe during his stay at Privet Drive, and Lily's magic would always protect him. Tom thought the biggest danger might come from the Ministry of Magic...

Tom closed the system window, took a deep breath, and pulled out a scroll of parchment. He was going to write a letter to his friend Yuri; after all, the team he had sent had been annihilated in the desert, and he needed to explain what had happened to Yuri. After writing the letter, Tom thought he could work on the summer assignments assigned by the professors.

Yes, wizards also had to do summer assignments. And they're huge, without answers, and meticulously graded by the professors... it's really sad to hear, and it's really sad to see.

But fortunately, Tom had the smartest girl in class, and he had already decided to take Hermione's turn during the holidays.

Just as Tom was unrolling his parchment, a voice came from above.

"Tom, can you come up and help me with these new outfits I bought?"

Tom's determination to communicate with his allies and study was as strong as steel, and he rolled up the parchment and rushed to the first floor in ten seconds.

...

First day back in London, bathing, sleep.

Second day back in London, stomachache after breakfast, rest.

Third day back in London, shopping with Hermione, looking at the new clothes she bought.

Fourth day back in London, fishing.

Damn it, Tom, are you going to let yourself go? You have to fight! You have to practice magic! The entire magical world is waiting for your salvation, your goal is the stars.

Day 4 in the afternoon, Hermione looks great in the black silk, hehehe!

...

Whoosh!

"The sun is shining! It's time to get up!" Hermione hurried to Tom's room, pulled back the curtains, and let the sunlight shine in.

She frowned upon seeing Tom huddled under the blanket.

"We'll start studying after breakfast. It's good to combine work and fun, but don't relax too much. We've had four days of rest, it's time to get up and do some work. If we take too long, we won't finish the professors' assignments."

Hermione seemed to have recovered from her trip to the desert and was completely rejuvenated. With those words, Hermione went downstairs.

Tom also grabbed the Time-Turner from the nightstand and hurried downstairs. Tom and Hermione hadn't used the Time-Turner since they acquired it because they were afraid of time. The consequences of randomly traveling through time could be very serious. They had reversed time before, and a small unnoticed action could have affected the future, so even though they had the Time-Turner at hand, they didn't use it indiscriminately.

When Tom came downstairs, Hermione had already prepared the cereal.

After eating, Tom opened his copy of "A History of Magic" by Bathilda Bagshot, searching for some words that would help him with his thesis.

His thesis was titled "The Origins of Sorcery: The Rise and Fall of Wizards in Ancient Egypt," and Hermione's thesis was also related to Egypt: The Development of Magic in Ancient Egypt.

It was clear that Hermione was interested in the various forms of magic in ancient Egypt. The trip had been very beneficial for her.

They had been working on their assignments for a while when they were interrupted by two unexpected visitors.

Two owls flew in, one after the other. A common owl, which was nothing but adorable, brought today's Daily Prophet, and the other owl, a Hogwarts owl, delivered two letters.

Tom and Hermione's friendship with others at school was light, and there was little correspondence during the holidays: a few letters from Hermione's friends and two letters from Fred and George, selling their latest prank toy to Tom.

Tom opened the envelope with the Hogwarts crest and took out three letters, the first of which said:

[Dear Mr. Yodel,

We hereby inform you that the new school year will commence on September 1st. The Hogwarts Express will depart from King's Cross Station, Platform 9, at eleven o'clock.

Third-year students will be allowed to visit Hogsmeade on selected weekends. Please have the enclosed permission form signed by your parents or guardians.

Attached is a list of books for the new academic year.

Yours sincerely,

Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.]

Tom took out the second letter, which contained the Hogsmeade permission form. At that moment, he wondered what he should do in his situation. Could he be his own guardian?

Hermione grabbed the letter directly, as the school owl seemed a bit impatient and was about to spread its wings and leave but was stopped by Hermione, who put both letters, hers and Tom's, into one envelope and quickly wrote a letter.

"Tutor, we'll use my father's name." She spoke as she quickly filled in the addressed envelope, "There's no need to be polite."

She tied the sealed letter to the owl's leg, lightly stroked the owl's slightly ruffled feathers on its head, and grabbed a toast from the table as a reward for its delivery.

Watching the owl disappear into the sky with the envelope, Tom grabbed Hermione's hand.

"Thank you, Hermione."