"Very good. The gates of Hogwarts are always open to every student who yearns to learn magic. Once you enroll, you will be a member of Hogwarts."
A gratified smile appeared on Dumbledore's face as he spoke. His tone was gentle, yet firm, as though he were making a solemn promise rather than a simple statement.
"You only need to prepare your school supplies. I will take care of the rest."
To him, it did not matter whether the student was a Cat, a Werewolf, or even an Obscurial. As long as they wished to learn magic and their name was recorded in the Book of Admittance, they were his students. As long as he remained Headmaster, he would never turn away a child who sought knowledge.
Dumbledore then turned his gaze toward the Lovegood couple standing nearby.
"Now then, Mr. Lovegood, would you like me to assist with applying for a student loan for Tom?"
Considering that Tom was, at least nominally, still the family's "pet," and sensing the clear surge of magic within the young Luna beside them, Dumbledore added thoughtfully, "It would be entirely understandable."
"That won't be necessary, Professor."
Pandora smiled warmly and shook her head. She reached out and gently pulled the slightly tense Luna closer to her side.
"Tom is Luna's best friend, and he is family to us. We will prepare everything for him. Even if Phileas ever entertained such an idea, Luna and I would never allow it."
Xenophilius Lovegood froze on the spot.
(;´д｀)
He hadn't had that thought at all! On the contrary, ever since Tom had saved Pandora's life, Xenophilius had truly regarded the Cat as family from the bottom of his heart. Otherwise, where did they think the surname "Tom Lovegood" had come from?
"In that case, I shall take my leave."
Seeing the deep bond within the family, a trace of nostalgia flickered in Dumbledore's eyes. He paused, then glanced at Xenophilius, who was being lightly teased by Pandora and clearly struggling to defend himself.
"If you are willing, you might also consider publishing this matter in The Quibbler. With your help, I believe the pressure of managing the follow-up issues on my end will be significantly reduced."
As he spoke, he gave a playful wink that was entirely uncharacteristic of his public image.
"Of course, Professor! I won't let you down!"
The gloom on Xenophilius's face vanished instantly, replaced by unrestrained excitement. He practically leapt to his feet and rushed upstairs toward the room where he drafted his articles.
"I'll start preparing the next issue of The Quibbler right now!"
"┐('～`;)┌♡ My apologies. Please forgive his behavior."
Pandora watched her husband's retreating figure with a mixture of affection and helplessness before turning back to Dumbledore to apologize. Though she understood Xenophilius well, his manners could occasionally be… unconventional.
"It is of no concern."
Dumbledore waved his hand dismissively.
"I still have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave as well."
With that, he produced his wand, flicked it elegantly, and vanished without a sound, as though he had simply blended into the air itself.
"Truly worthy of being Professor Dumbledore…"
Pandora murmured softly.
Beside her, Luna lifted her small face, her bright eyes shimmering with admiration.
Time passed.
When the newest issue of The Quibbler was released, the news of a Cat preparing to enroll at Hogwarts spread through the Wizarding World like a stone dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples in every direction.
However, due to The Quibbler's long-established reputation for eccentric reporting, most witches and wizards simply lumped the article together with its previous stories. To them, it was nothing more than an amusing rumor, perfect for idle tea-time conversation.
Yet this so-called "rumor" was destined to become reality.
Because today was the day Tom was scheduled to purchase his Hogwarts school supplies.
Unfortunately, as the saying went, everything was difficult at the beginning—and they were now stuck at the very first step.
How were they supposed to get to Diagon Alley?
The Lovegood family gathered around the fireplace, the atmosphere heavy and awkward.
"So… you really can't use Floo Powder?"
Pandora looked at the Cat sitting nearby, her expression conflicted. Tom, for his part, appeared thoroughly dejected.
[(╯﹏╰) I don't think Floo Powder can understand Meow-ish like Dumbledore can.]
Tom produced a small whiteboard from somewhere unknown, holding it up gloomily with one paw.
He had anticipated many challenges—robes that wouldn't fit, the possibility of failing to find a suitable wand, and other inconveniences. But he had never imagined that the very first obstacle would be something as basic as leaving the house.
The rule for Floo Powder was simple: one had to clearly shout the destination. Any deviation in pronunciation could result in arriving at the wrong fireplace, just as Harry Potter had experienced.
The problem was…
He was a Cat.
Expecting a Cat to clearly pronounce "Diagon Alley" was simply unreasonable.
Even though cartoons often portrayed cats speaking human language, Tom could say with absolute certainty that, despite all his magical abilities, "speaking human" was not one of them.
"How about… the Knight Bus?"
Xenophilius suggested hesitantly.
"Meow!!!"
[(≡｀д´≡)ﾉ Absolutely not!!!]
At the mere mention of that infamous vehicle, Tom's fur instantly stood on end.
Although more than ten years of living as a Cat had blurred many of his memories of Harry Potter into vague impressions—such as "the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is always suspicious"—the Knight Bus was a notable exception.
He didn't remember it because of the story.
He remembered it because he had personally ridden it once.
That entire trip, from beginning to end, had been nothing but relentless nausea and vomiting. It was, without question, the most traumatic experience of his feline life. Aside from Jerry's absurdly vicious cousins, nothing had ever inflicted such a crushing defeat upon him.
"Then what do you suggest?"
Xenophilius spread his hands helplessly.
After all, Ottery St Catchpole was a small village in Devon—nearly four hundred kilometers away from the Leaky Cauldron on Charing Cross Road in London.
If they couldn't use Floo Powder or take the Knight Bus, how were they supposed to get there?
[(＞ω＜*) Can't we use magic? Like the one Dumbledore used when he left?]
"Apparition, you mean?"
Xenophilius glanced awkwardly at his wife. Though both of them were wizards, his own magical skill fell far short of Pandora's.
"Taking an ordinary pet would be fine, but Tom…"
Pandora hesitated, looking at Tom with concern. If he were just a normal Cat, there would be no issue. But Tom was a Cat with magic.
Just like Floo Powder, Apparition only allowed one magical entity to pass at a time. Bringing a magical creature along introduced significant risks.
[(°ー°〃) Then forget it!]
Tom immediately raised his sign in firm refusal.
He had worked far too hard to save Pandora to risk her safety over something so trivial.
Looks like I can only rely on myself, he thought. Teleportation… I should have that ability too, right?
With that thought, Tom began rummaging through his vast and chaotic "skill library." Much like Ultraman Tiga, his list of abilities was long, disorganized, and filled with all sorts of bizarre powers. Trying to locate a specific one on demand was nearly impossible.
Fortunately, many of his abilities functioned more like instincts, activating automatically when needed.
If I can't find it, I'll just try it.
Too lazy to continue searching, Tom gave Luna a small farewell gesture before focusing his mind.
I want to go to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, on Charing Cross Road in London.
As the image formed clearly in his thoughts, his paw suddenly moved on its own. He reached into the air beside him and forcibly dragged something out—
A pitch-black "thing," as though capable of swallowing everything, tore open space itself.
For a single instant, the Lovegood family felt the world plunge into darkness.
Then, just as suddenly, light returned.
Tom, who had been sitting before them moments ago, was gone.
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