Capítulo 251: Chapter 251: Dumbledore's Mission (Edited)
The phrase came to Tom, without thinking of using Occlumency at all, and staring into Dumbledore's eyes. He was trying to express his displeasure.
"Why? A frightened Hermione huddled like a scared rabbit was the perfect reason.
"Professor, you always appear in unexpected places," Tom said, feeling worse than when Snape had seen a closed-eyed Harry in Potions class. "Don't Muggles suspect your attire?"
"Muggles have become much more tolerant of costumes in recent years, making it easier for wizards to move around," Dumbledore replied. His gaze swept over the thin bracelets on Tom and Hermione's wrists, with a subtle gleam of delight in his eyes. "It seems you and Miss Granger have spent an entire summer together."
Tom suddenly became alert: that dreadful old Dumbledore wasn't trying to do the same as the professor in class, was he? He began to recall the rules of Hogwarts in his head, to see if there was any rule about falling in love.
"I am pleased that you have come to understand the magic of love." Dumbledore had no intention of meddling with Tom; he simply felt relieved and glad that this time he hadn't made a serious mistake again.
Dumbledore had two knots in his heart. One was his youthful indiscretion of getting too close to Grindelwald, which ended up killing his sister, and the other was watching Tom Riddle rise to become the next generation of the Dark Lord.
When Tom Yodel started school, he caught Dumbledore's attention, who turned a blind eye to some of the younger Tom's "transgressions" and merely guided him from the shadows. Today, when he saw the thin bracelets on Tom and Hermione's hands, he finally felt relieved.
Those two bracelets held a very profound magic, a magic called "love." Magic is based on emotions, like the Patronus Charm, which is born from joy and happiness, or the Killing Curse, which uses the darkness of the human heart to be powerful. But magic born from love is the most mysterious and powerful of all, even rebounding Voldemort's Killing Curse and remaining strong for the next seventeen years. Not even Dumbledore could claim to fully understand the magic of love. However, he knew that a wizard who understood the magic of love would not follow the path of the Dark Lord.
Now that Tom and Hermione had taken such a happy turn, Dumbledore decided...
to burden them both.
So he appeared, bursting into Tom and Hermione's world.
"Kids, can you do me a small favor?" he asked with a smile.
"No." Tom rejected Dumbledore with a clear and crisp voice. He knew all too well that Dumbledore's missions were like cockroaches in the kitchen—once he sent you on one mission, he had hundreds of missions ready to follow.
Once you took them, you became a tool, just like Old Newt. Tom didn't want to be a tool; he just wanted to go to Hogwarts with Hermione and have a good time. The task of saving the magical world would then be in the hands of the boy who survived the disaster.
In a word, being lazy makes me happy!
Hermione was willing to help Professor Dumbledore with some things, but since Tom had refused, she felt too embarrassed to say anything more.
"Of course, then let's talk about the adventures of Dr. Hal Hunter in Egypt," Dumbledore said, pulling out a copy of the Muggle newspaper and pointing to the headline on it.
Tom and Hermione: ...
Tom sighed grumpily; it seemed Dumbledore had mastered the essence of communication with him.
"Everything is an equivalent exchange." Tom consoled himself.
Dumbledore saw that Tom was as "good" as a husky in a corner after breaking something at home, and he knew he was ready to take the next step.
"It's actually a trivial matter; I wonder if you would be willing to lend an old man a hand," Dumbledore sat on the small couch, like a grandfather talking to his grandchildren.
"It's Harry," this time Dumbledore didn't wait for a response from the two before revealing the details of the task, "I need both of you to help me protect him."
Dumbledore then briefly explained to Tom and Hermione the relationship between Sirius and Harry. Hermione was surprised to learn that Sirius, the madman, actually had his sights on Harry. At the same time, she realized a small problem: was this mission being exaggerated?
This was the dark wizard who had escaped from Azkaban, Voldemort's loyal servant, a madman who had killed twelve people. Could they really protect Harry from his attacks?
Hermione had faith in Tom's strength but didn't want to put him in danger. So she replied to Dumbledore in an extremely rare move, a move she couldn't believe she had made.
"Isn't it too dangerous?"
Dumbledore gave her an interested look. "Not for you to go immediately, but to follow him as he heads to King's Cross."
The task seemed so easy that Tom and Hermione had no reason to resist.
So Tom took on Dumbledore's task.
Once they agreed, Dumbledore stood up satisfied and winked at Hermione before leaving. "I recommend velvet socks for the colder weather in Scotland once classes start. Although, I would actually prefer to recommend wool socks, but Mr. Yodel might not like them."
Tom: I'm not, I'm not, don't talk nonsense!
Hermione also lowered her head, not daring to look Professor Dumbledore in the eye at all. It felt as though the old man had seen through her innermost thoughts.
After teasing the young couple, Dumbledore was in a good mood, and looking at the spirited pair made Dumbledore feel a little younger, and his steps seemed to lighten as he walked away. Soon, Dumbledore's tall figure was lost in the crowd.
Tom and the others left the store long after Dumbledore had gone.
Dumbledore's sudden appearance had fluctuated their mood a bit, but Hermione's mood gradually improved after a few shops. She went back and forth between fitting rooms and racks, picking out different styles of clothes, each stuffed into a shopping bag with a double-digit "Eraser" on the back.
Soon, Tom was loaded with large and small shopping bags, and he even silently put some magically expanded clothes into the bag.
When they returned home, Hermione had completely restored her normal self. She kicked off her little leather shoes at the door and ran upstairs to change clothes.
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