After seeing Draco out, Tom thought about it and ultimately decided to lock his door.
He couldn't help it; he had to be on guard. Even though he knew Draco's target wasn't him today, who knew what could happen at night?
What if the guy suddenly awakened some terrifying kink in the middle of the night?
Just picturing it made Tom shudder.
Nope. No way. I'm sleeping with one eye open tonight.
The Next Morning
Draco headed to London. After half an hour, he found the bakery Tom had mentioned.
The girl running the counter was young, graceful, and had a completely different vibe from anyone Draco had ever met.
After paying for his pastries, Draco casually mentioned, "Tom says hi, by the way."
The girl instantly lit up. She pulled Draco to the front of the store and chatted excitedly about Tom for half an hour. Finally, she offered Draco a 70% discount, saying that was the price Tom usually got.
Draco was caught totally off guard. He slammed the full amount in British pounds on the table and practically ran away.
Accept the discount? Yeah, right.
He paid in full. A Malfoy heir doesn't lack pocket change!
Besides, if he took her discount, wouldn't that just prove Tom had him beat?
Draco flat-out refused.
He spent the rest of the day picking out a book.
He figured if he was going to give Isabelle something meaningful, he needed to read it himself first. He'd only give it to her if he actually found it interesting.
The week flew by.
Draco hadn't realized picking a book would take so much effort. He skimmed through more than a dozen before finally settling on one he actually liked:
Hamlet. It was famous enough. Even though it wasn't exactly a traditional storybook, Draco thought it would satisfy Isabelle perfectly.
He also bought a fresh cake and a new bouquet of roses.
99 of them, to be exact!
With his mission accomplished, Draco headed home.
To his surprise, Tom hadn't left for the godforsaken Momo Mountain Range today.
"Tom, are you feeling okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."
Of course, the person answering Draco wasn't actually Tom.
It was Hermione Granger.
It was time for their mandatory weekly event: the body swap!
"What are you looking for?" Draco noticed "Tom" acting really weird today, rummaging through every corner of the room.
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."
That damn Tom! Hermione slowly clenched her fists.
How could he leave absolutely nothing behind?! I write in my journal religiously every single day for him! He's so irresponsible! What am I even supposed to do while I'm stuck in his body?! Wait... Draco just asked why I didn't go out today. Does Tom usually leave the house? Where does he go? What does he do? It was enough to make her brain hurt.
"By the way, Tom, since you aren't going out today, want to come with me to Hogwarts?"
Only then did Hermione notice the massive bouquet of roses in Draco's arms. She couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing with all those flowers?"
"Didn't you say Isabelle loves roses? And I spent forever picking out this book. Hamlet. Do you think I have a shot?"
A shot? Hermione had no idea what Draco meant by a "shot," but since she had absolutely nothing else to do today, tagging along to Hogwarts didn't sound like a bad idea.
"Sure, let's go."
Seeing Tom agree, Draco mentally pumped his fist.
If Tom approves, Isabelle agreeing is only a matter of time! Today's the day! It's happening today! I, Draco Malfoy, am finally getting a fiancé just like the other proper wizards! Draco straightened his collar and changed into something a bit more formal—something that made him look mature, not like a little kid.
A man's maturity starts with his wardrobe!
Of course, Hermione found this whole display completely baffling.
Her head was already spinning. First, she woke up in a strange, massive bed. Now, a ridiculously dressed-up Draco was carrying a giant bouquet of roses and... Hamlet?
And from the looks of it, he was going to give them to Isabelle.
Hermione knew exactly who Isabelle was: Misha's shadow.
She debated whether to tell Draco that she had also already gifted Misha a copy of Hamlet.
Whatever. I'll just follow him and watch. Since Tom didn't leave me any missions, I might as well treat this as a vacation. ---
The Weasley House
Tom woke up.
He was already used to the inherent physical weakness that came with this body.
Every week, he woke up as Hermione.
Hm? Tom rubbed his eyes, feeling a soft, warm presence beside him.
Why does this feel exactly like when Misha used to sneak into my bed at the orphanage? He opened his eyes and realized there was someone lying next to him.
Actually, this person had been sharing the bed with him all night.
Ginny!
Seriously? Do the Weasleys not have a single spare bed in this entire house? Tom was speechless.
Right. With so many kids, and Molly and Arthur not exactly swimming in Galleons... it made sense.
Not everyone was like the Malfoys, keeping half a dozen empty guest rooms ready at all times.
Rich people were just different.
Careful not to wake Ginny, Tom quietly slipped out of bed.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he headed downstairs.
"Mrs. Weasley, you look as radiant as ever this morning."
"Good morning, Hermione! You're looking lovely yourself. I can only hope Ginny grows up to be as outstanding a witch as you."
After exchanging a round of smooth commercial pleasantries, they sat down for breakfast.
"Do you have any plans for today, Hermione?"
Tom shook his head. "Not yet."
He had already read through Hermione's journal entries.
Her daily routine at the Weasley house basically consisted of:
Wizard's Chess. Eating. Sleeping. Wizard's Chess. And more Wizard's Chess!
That was it.
Tom had never expected Hermione to get so addicted to the game.
"Why don't you take Ginny out for the day?" Mrs. Weasley suggested. "She ran into you at Diagon Alley the first time. It's a shame you girls can't go to Hogsmeade yet; that would be much more fun for kids your age."
"We could go to Diagon Alley?"
"Mhm," Mrs. Weasley confirmed. "It might not be as exciting as Hogsmeade, but it's still a wonderful place. Plus, I'd feel completely safe with you looking after Ginny."
Tom thought about it for a second and nodded. "If you think it's a good idea, Mrs. Weasley, then I'll just wait for Ginny to wake up."
Since Ginny was still asleep upstairs, he could hardly drag her out of bed and haul her to Diagon Alley right this second.
"You are always so thoughtful, Hermione. You're going to make a wonderful wife someday."
Sorry, I'm only going to make a wonderful husband. The wife thing isn't happening. Tom just smiled politely. "Thank you for the compliment."
"You might need some extra Galleons for the trip. I have a little bit here—"
Tom wasn't about to take her money.
He was a Potions Master! Taking money from them would be humiliating.
Besides, he had savings.
Or rather, Hermione had savings.
As for how Tom knew... the money was sitting right in his pocket.
Poor Hermione never learns. She always leaves her Galleons in her pockets. Does she not realize I'm a ruthless Dark Lord? Heh heh heh. It was nearly mid-morning by the time Ginny came rubbing her eyes down the stairs.
"Good morning, Mum."
"Morning, Ginny. Eat up."
"Good morning, Hermione."
"Morning."
While they ate, Mrs. Weasley asked Ginny if she wanted to go to Diagon Alley with Hermione.
Without skipping a beat, Ginny enthusiastically agreed.
She'd never turn down a chance to hang out with Hermione. Plus, Diagon Alley held a special place in her heart—it was where she first learned about Hermione's sheer power back in the bookstore.
"Head out as soon as you're done eating. And Ginny, be mindful. Don't spend too much."
Ginny pouted slightly but didn't argue.
The Trip to Diagon Alley
On the train, Ginny sat with her face propped in her hands, watching the scenery roll by.
"Still thinking about what your mom said? Don't worry about it. My money is your money," Tom said smoothly.
It's Hermione's money anyway... Obviously, Tom kept that part to himself.
"You're acting a little weird today, Hermione," Ginny suddenly noted, looking right at him. "Usually by this point in the ride, you'd be talking my ear off about Tom. You'd be telling me about the first time you two rode the train together and what happened..."
Tom: "?"
Hermione talks to Ginny about that kind of stuff?! "That's nothing worth repeating, Ginny," Tom smoothly pivoted, dropping into his best philosophical tone. "You have to understand, everyone encounters a few truly precious friends in their lifetime. It's no big deal. You'll have that too someday. He might already be quietly present in your life; you just haven't met him yet. Anyway... when you finally get to Hogwarts, I just want you to have a happy life."
Hearing Tom's impromptu chicken-soup-for-the-soul, Ginny blushed furiously. She covered her face, her cheeks burning red, and mumbled, "Thank you. I'll... I'll try my best."
"No, don't 'try your best,'" Tom corrected her smoothly. "When he appears, you'll just know. You don't have to go out of your way looking for it. Do you know what I mean?"
"Hermione, you sound exactly like Prince Charming."
"Close enough. It's essentially the same thing." Tom didn't bother denying it.
They soon arrived, making their way into the wizarding hub.
It was as bustling as ever. Thanks to the Christmas holidays, the streets were packed shoulder-to-shoulder with witches and wizards.
Tom kept Ginny close by his side, shielding her from the shoving crowds.
Being so close, Ginny could clearly smell the light, fresh scent radiating off Tom—or rather, the natural scent of Hermione's body.
For some reason, Ginny found herself leaning into it, instinctively stepping closer to Tom. She secretly wished time would just freeze.
"Is there anything you want to buy?"
"I want to get some books!" Ginny chimed.
Books—especially magical ones—weren't cheap. In fact, they were usually quite expensive.
But Tom had money.
Never mind one book; he could buy ten, or a hundred for Ginny without batting an eye.
Coincidentally, he also wanted to see if he could find any books on ancient runes.
He still hadn't made any sense of that ancient text on the stone wall at the Momo Mountain Range. Sure, the System's proficiency tracker meant he'd eventually learn it, but that was taking too long. Unlike regular magic, Tom felt like he wouldn't crack this without at least ten to fifteen days of hardcore grinding.
Flourish and Blotts Tom immediately started scanning the shelves.
He wasn't just looking for language books, but history books too.
Ideally, something specifically about the Momo Mountain Range!
His eyes swept over rows of spines.
"Hermione, you look like you're really searching for something. Need help?"
"No, babe. You just go pick out whatever books you like. Oh—remember that guy Tom I told you about? He has a ton of money. He's a Potions Master, after all. And luckily, I have full access to his vault."
"Is that... okay?"
"It's totally fine," Tom smiled effortlessly. "Tom and I are incredibly close friends. He told me I could use his funds however I wanted. Besides... I think you're underestimating Potions Masters. To them, Galleons are just numbers on a page."
Ginny's jaw dropped slightly, and she nodded in awe.
Her curiosity about this "Tom" was growing by the second.
Rich, handsome, incredibly gifted, an absolute genius!
She really wanted to meet a guy like that!
Seeing Ginny happily wander off to find her own books, Tom relaxed and focused on his research.
Ancient runes... Ancient runes... A Study of Ancient Dragon Script. Tom pulled the book and flipped through it quickly.
Nothing.
Dragon script actually looked like written characters. But the stuff carved into that mountain was basically unintelligible scribbles—it looked nothing like actual text!
Useless. Tom searched for another half hour, still coming up empty-handed.
Just as he was about to give up, a specific title caught his eye.
The Alps: The Legendary Wizarding Mountain Range. Yes! This is it! This is the one! Tom reached out to grab it off the shelf.
But right as his hand extended, it bumped into someone else's hand reaching for the exact same book.
What kind of cliché anime rom-com trope is this? Tom rolled up his sleeves, ready to see who dared to steal his book.
He turned his head—
Oh, it was Ginny.
Realizing she was being stared at, Ginny's face instantly went crimson. "S-sorry—"
"Uh, no need to apologize. Do you want this book?" Tom smoothly stepped back.
"No, I just noticed you looking at a lot of books about mountains and ancient text earlier, so I thought you might need this one. I've actually read it before..." Ginny lowered her voice to a whisper. "It doesn't just talk about the history of the Alps. It also has a section on this really weird, incomprehensible text. It's been around for years and nobody has ever been able to decipher it, so most wizards just treat the book as a joke."
Tom: "?"
Did I seriously just find it?!