"What a beautiful day."
Finally free from that dreadful loop, Cassandra couldn't help but feel refreshed.
However, her good mood vanished the moment she saw Tom in the common room.
"Isn't it dear Cassandra? Did you have fun in the loop?"
Could he not mention the loop? He truly was a dreadful Dark Lord; nothing good ever came from encountering him.
Cassandra forced a smile that was uglier than a cry, giving a dry chuckle: "It…it was alright."
"Alright?" Tom looked at Cassandra with a half-smile.
'Wait, what is the Dark Lord going to do? No! Let me use Occlumency first!'
Cassandra unconsciously took a step back, but it was already too late.
Legilimency!
"Hmm…hmm…so Hogwarts has such a dating spot. I'll report it to Snape today."
"Dumbledore and Grindelwald are actually like that, how shameless! And Grindelwald's card skills are terrible."
"I truly am amazing, to come up with such a brilliant idea as the Hogwarts Matchmaking Fair. It must be implemented, absolutely implemented."
Cassandra watched helplessly as Tom flipped through her memories, powerless to resist.
Indeed, nothing good ever came from encountering the Dark Lord; this was the most important and valuable lesson Cassandra learned during her year in the loop.
After a while, Tom finally stopped and spoke to Cassandra in a pleasant tone: "Isn't this quite interesting? If it were me, I definitely wouldn't bear to leave the loop; I'd have to play until I was thoroughly satisfied."
'That's you! I wouldn't be surprised if you tore Hogwarts down the next day, but I don't have your power to cause trouble everywhere.'
Cassandra suddenly felt as if she was back in the loop, a surge of irritation growing within her.
But the next second, Tom's words instantly calmed her down: "However, you just escaped the loop, so I need to give you a thorough physical examination."
'Wait, what are you going to do now? Don't come over!'
Cassandra desperately tried to retreat, but found her body, like a countless number of times she had experienced as a guinea pig in the loop, was once again unable to move.
"No! Let me go! Help!"
Cassandra watched helplessly as Tom carried her out of the common room with a Levitation Charm, her entire being distraught. Now she was truly going to become famous at Hogwarts.
And what was with those students passing by who not only didn't help, but also showed those ambiguous smiles? This really wasn't part of her and the Dark Lord's 'play.'
Dumbledore, or Grindelwald, anyone, please save her!
Unfortunately, Merlin did not hear her plea. Tom directly took her into an empty classroom, then laid her flat on a desk.
"The magic outburst, soul growth, and body match very well. It seems to have been properly sorted out. The power left by Ravenclaw has also vanished, so it seems the loop has truly ended. But in this state, why does it feel a bit like a scene from a Cherry Blossom Country action movie? It's actually a little embarrassing."
Tom muttered to himself while casting spells on Cassandra.
'So what exactly is a Cherry Blossom Country action movie scene?!'
Cassandra, who wasn't being treated as a guinea pig for the first time, listened to Tom's words and felt like she was going crazy again.
Finally, when the examination was over, Tom patted Cassandra's shoulder, as she had regained her mobility: "Alright, everything is normal. Go on and enjoy your school life. Oh, by the way, the first class today is Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Class. Don't be late."
'With you around, I can never truly enjoy school life.'
Cassandra cursed inwardly and swiftly fled from Tom's side. This time, she should be able to temporarily escape this dreadful life... right?
"Cassandra, hee hee hee, hee hee hee…"
After two peaceful days, Cassandra was once again startled awake from a nightmare in the middle of the night.
'Why would I dream of the Dark Lord, and laughing so… um… demonic? It must be that I've been too tired lately, which is why I'm having such nightmares.'
Cassandra wiped the cold sweat from her face, preparing to lie back down and sleep, but then she saw a figure dimly staring at her from beside the bed.
"Ah~~~"
Cassandra involuntarily shrieked, but strangely, Pansy and the others in the same dormitory showed no reaction whatsoever.
"Stop screaming, it's me." Tom said testily, looking at Cassandra's bullied expression.
"What did you do to Pansy and them?" Cassandra asked Tom nervously, who knew what the erratic Dark Lord would do.
"Just threw a few Stupefy spells. Alright, now change your clothes and come with me. I'm waiting for you outside."
Tom's self-righteous demeanor once again made Cassandra grit her teeth.
After Tom left the dormitory, Cassandra, intimidated by Tom's oppressive power, quickly changed her clothes. She also checked on Pansy and the others, and only after confirming they were alright did she feel relieved and go out to find Tom.
"What kind of Dark Lord is he, sneaking into a girls' dormitory in the middle of the night? And he said Diggory likes to sneak into girls' dormitories; I think he's the real repeat offender."
"What are you muttering about?"
Watching Cassandra muttering softly as she walked towards him, Tom couldn't help but ask, feeling that she wasn't saying anything good.
"Nothing… nothing!"
Cassandra flinched, quickly shaking her head in denial, but Tom didn't believe her.
Legilimency!
Cassandra once again regretted not activating Occlumency.
"So that's how you see me, huh? What respectable person would sneak into a girls' dormitory for no reason? Hmph, I'll remember this grudge! Now, come with me."
Tom snorted coldly, petty and secretly making a note against Cassandra.
Dominated by the fear of Tom's petty vengefulness, Cassandra dared not say anything and quickly followed Tom's footsteps.
"So you called me up in the middle of the night, not to sleep, just to make me brew this Potion?"
Cassandra wore a look of utter despair as she brewed the Dark Lord's nth version of his exclusive Potion in the Room of Requirement.
"No choice, who else is as familiar with this job as you are?"
Tom flipped through the 'Dragon Ball' manga he had subscribed to from the Muggle world, while supervising Cassandra at work.
Once the Potion was finished, Cassandra, as if by instinct, bottled the liquid, cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself, went into the kitchen next to the Hufflepuff dormitory, skillfully administered the Potion, and then safely withdrew, all in one fluid motion, as if she had rehearsed it countless times in the loop.
However, after doing all this, Cassandra suddenly realized that she had already escaped the loop, so everything she was doing now...
Thinking of this, she looked at Tom, who was beaming with satisfaction, with a horrified expression, and asked in a choked voice, "What exactly do you want to do?!"