In an instant, Tom felt somewhat moved. Doraemon had once said that a person's luck is like a rope, with good and bad luck alternating. But Tom had come to believe that his luck was more like a rubber band—all bad luck. However, today, he finally hit a stroke of good luck! Three draws, all gold, and none were duplicates! He had become quite skilled at predicting the system's draws.
Tom decided that next time, he would follow his heart's decision when drawing cards.
The boost Dumbledore provided was unparalleled as well. This time, Dumbledore boosted his talent points in curses and dark magic!
[Talent in Dark Magic has reached the maximum level. Would you like to convert the talent into theoretical knowledge?]
Tom's eyes lit up. Theoretical knowledge? Since it's dark magic, could it be converted into defensive spells related to dark magic? He chose "Yes."
The system then presented another option: Overflowing talent in dark magic can activate knowledge theories in dark magic and dark magic defense. Tom thought for a moment; it was undoubtedly a good idea to choose dark magic defense. Dark magic might be unlocked in this school year, but dark magic defense would likely have to wait until the third year.
Without hesitation, he chose Dark Magic Defense, and the knowledge theory section now included [Dark Magic Defense 0 Level (???)] along with a location where he could find a "key" to help him study this subject—an invaluable learning experience left behind by some senior student, which would effectively aid him in gaining knowledge during the lower grades.
In the following weeks, Tom spent his time either studying in the library, completing homework, and gaining experience in his subjects, or practicing spells in the Room of Requirement to increase his experience and proficiency. Soon, Christmas arrived.
Tom's system panel also took on a completely new look.
[Tom Yodel (Wind)
Profession: Wizard Apprentice
Title: Rookie
Magic Skills: Ironclad Charm 0 Level (99+/100-27%), Illumination Charm 1 Level (187/200-71%), Healing Charm 0 Level (99+/100-29%), Levitation Charm 1 Level (158/200-69%), Wandless Casting (99+/100)...
Knowledge Theories: [Charms 1 Level (46/200)], [Transfiguration 0 Level (99+/100)], [Alchemy 0 Level (24/100)], [Dark Magic Defense 0 Level (99+/100)]...
Magical Items: Wand (Golden Acacia Wood, Thestral Hair Core, 13 inches) Compatibility: 98%, Borgin's Soul Ring (Witch, Three-Headed Dog, Phoenix, Remaining Slots: 2), Quill (Refined 2)
Magical Pets: Serpentbird (Juvenile), Messenger Pigeon (Adult)
Talents: Charms: 4 (Average Person's Figure), Herbology: 5 (Innate Talent)
Divination: 3 (Innate Talent)
Transfiguration: 5 (Innate Talent)
Alchemy: 1 (Average Talent), Herbology: 4 (Average Person's Figure)...
Dark Magic: 9+ (Azkaban)
Magic Stones: 30120]
Through hard work, he had become stronger, but his magic stones were on a continuous decline, approaching the rather dangerous thirty-thousand mark.
The weather became colder, and snowflakes frequently fell from the sky. With Christmas approaching day by day, everyone's mood gradually became more cheerful. However, one piece of news disrupted the good mood of Tom and Hermione: the exact timing of their detention had still not been determined. For ordinary students, when they got into trouble, it was usually dealt with promptly to facilitate repentance. However, Tom and Hermione were facing a detention not for punishment but to "acquire knowledge," making the situation more complex. Hagrid still hadn't prepared—this gamekeeper needed to prepare his "lesson" content properly.
The delay in the detention time was not a good thing for them. It was like a class where, at the beginning of the semester, the teacher told you there would be a quiz at the end of the month, but then said it was postponed to mid-term exam week. When mid-term came, they would tell you it was postponed to the week before the final.
However, the most frustrating situation was when, during the final exam week, the teacher had completely forgotten about the quiz...
In mid-December, a heavy snowfall occurred, and the snow accumulated to several feet. It was said that Gryffindor's Weasley twins received severe punishment because they urged several snowballs to chase Professor Quirrell around, and one snowball even hit him hard on the back of his head, knocking him out on the spot.
However, the intense cold outside could not penetrate the thick walls of the castle, affecting the little wizards inside. Robust fires blazed in the common rooms, and students enjoyed sitting by the fireside, warming themselves, doing their work. In winter, the warmth of the fire, the crackling sound of wood in the flames creating a pleasant white noise, and the howling of the cold wind outside could effectively boost one's happiness index.
However, the owls had a tough time. Even in the midst of a snowstorm, they still had to work. The cost of hiring a school owl for sending letters had multiplied several times—using the school's owls was not entirely free. These clever little creatures demanded some compensation from the young wizards, either in the form of food or a few knuts. This way, after delivering a letter and returning, they could exchange these for some extra snacks.
Now it wasn't working well, and with the heavy snow outside, very few school owls were willing to go out for jobs. They preferred huddling together in the shelter, waiting out the snowfall, unless you offered them a truly tempting reward. Of course, private owls didn't enjoy such treatment.
Hogwarts' Christmas holiday began on December 20 and lasted until January 3. Since December 20 was a Monday and January 3 was a Friday, the actual vacation was from December 18 to January 5, a total of 19 days. This was the most enjoyable time for the young wizards aside from the summer vacation.
The last class for Ravenclaw first-year students before Christmas was the flying class. When the class was canceled due to heavy snow, they had effectively entered holiday mode. The entire school was filled with joy because they could go home! However, Tom faced a very practical problem: he had no home and no family.
But when Professor Flitwick came over to count the students staying at Hogwarts, Hermione stopped Tom.
"Come home with me for Christmas?" Hermione extended an invitation, and Tom hesitated. It was a family reunion day, and inserting himself into the picture—was it appropriate?
But in the midst of his hesitation, Professor Flitwick had already sped away—Ravenclaw had almost no students staying at school. Hermione then pulled out a letter, breaking through Tom's psychological defenses.
"Tom, look, my dad really wants me to invite you!"
So, what else was there to say? On Monday morning, Tom and Hermione appeared on Hogsmeade's platform, then took the
Hogwarts Express back to London together.
When the train pulled into the station, Mr. Granger and Mrs. Granger were already waiting on the platform.
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(End of this chapter)