"Wow, this is way more convenient than Apparition!"
Light scattered, then reconverged. When Tom's vision cleared, he found himself standing on a familiar London street. Directly in front of him stood the Leaky Cauldron, its old wooden sign swaying gently, looking as shabby and unremarkable as ever.
'(￣▽￣*) I don't understand the principle behind it at all,' Tom thought cheerfully. 'But as long as it works, that's enough. Who cares how the skill actually functions?'
Most importantly, the experience of using this ability was far more comfortable than Apparition.
There was no sensation of being violently squeezed through a narrow rubber tube. Instead, there was only a brief moment of darkness, followed by light, and then—arrival.
Even better, since this clearly wasn't Apparition, it likely wasn't restricted by the Anti-Apparition Charms placed around Hogwarts.
That realization carried significant implications.
In theory, Tom could now travel freely between Hogwarts and the outside world whenever he wished.
While there might not be an immediate need to use such a skill, the difference between having an ability and not having one at all was worlds apart.
'Luna and the others should be arriving soon,' Tom thought.
With that in mind, he padded forward, pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron, and walked inside with what could only be described as elegant feline composure.
"Welcome—huh?"
The pub owner, Old Tom Abbott, had been sitting behind the bar, habitually glancing up to greet incoming customers. The greeting stuck in his throat when he saw what had entered.
"A… cat?" he exclaimed, eyes widening. "(ﾟДﾟ)"
An animal entering the pub alone was not unheard of—owls frequently delivered newspapers and magazines—but a cat strolling in without a wizard in sight was unprecedented.
"Are you here to deliver a letter for someone?" Old Tom asked uncertainly.
Before Tom could respond in any meaningful way, a clear, ethereal young girl's voice rang out from the direction of the fireplace.
"Tom!"
Old Tom instinctively turned toward the sound.
Green flames flared, and a girl of about ten stepped out gracefully. She had long, pale blonde hair and bright silver eyes that seemed to shimmer with curiosity.
"Meow~ (～￣▽￣)～"
(Don't worry, I'm fine!)
Seeing Luna, Tom immediately trotted over and pressed himself affectionately against her legs, clearly enjoying the attention as she knelt down to greet him.
"Oh, Tom!" said Pandora Lovegood, emerging from the fireplace right after her daughter. "Even though Luna said you went ahead, I truly didn't expect you to succeed!"
Her eyes were filled with amazement as she looked at the cat, curiosity sparkling within them.
"How on earth did you do it?"
As someone deeply passionate about researching and developing spells, Pandora found Tom's ability—long-distance teleportation without even possessing a wand—utterly fascinating.
Before Tom could bask in her admiration, the fireplace flared once more.
Xenophilius Lovegood stepped out, brushing soot from his robes. His gaze immediately fell upon Old Tom Abbott behind the bar.
"Tom," Xenophilius said warmly. "Long time no see."
"Oh! Mr. Lovegood!" Old Tom replied, snapping out of his daze. "It has been a long time."
He leaned forward eagerly. "Would you like something? Butterbeer? Brandy? Ah—look at me."
He slapped his forehead.
"You must be here to buy school supplies, right? For your child?" He gestured toward Luna. "She's a very lovely girl."
"No," Xenophilius replied calmly, shaking his head.
Under Old Tom's confused stare, Xenophilius raised a finger and pointed toward Tom, who was standing beside Luna, whispering something to her.
"I'm here to send Tom to school."
He paused, then added helpfully, "The cat."
"…?"
Old Tom's gaze moved back and forth between Xenophilius and the cat, his expression slowly growing blank.
In all his years running the Leaky Cauldron, he had seen countless strange things—actually, scratch that. He had never seen this.
Two wizards bringing their daughter and a pet to Diagon Alley… to buy school supplies for the pet?
Had Hogwarts expanded enrollment to include animals?
"Oh—wait," Old Tom suddenly said, eyes lighting up as if recalling something important.
He bent down and rummaged beneath the bar, eventually pulling out a recent issue of The Quibbler.
"'The Cat Admitted to Hogwarts,'" he read aloud. "This… wasn't fiction?"
"Of course not!" Xenophilius said proudly, puffing out his chest. "Everything published in The Quibbler is based on real events uncovered through my rigorous investigations!"
His confident declaration, combined with the extraordinary cat standing beside Luna, caused murmurs to ripple through the pub.
It was easy to imagine The Quibbler's sales skyrocketing in the coming days.
Seeing Old Tom still looking as though his worldview had been completely shattered, Xenophilius waved a hand dismissively.
"All right, we'll talk later. We need to take Tom shopping first."
"Ah—oh—right," Old Tom replied automatically.
Just as they were about to head through the back of the pub, Old Tom suddenly shouted, "Mr. Lovegood! Please wait!"
"?"
A short while later, Tom found himself staring at a blonde girl who had joined their group, his expression decidedly odd.
Her name was Hannah Abbott.
According to Old Tom, he was usually too busy running the pub to personally take Hannah shopping in Diagon Alley. Since the Lovegood family happened to be heading there anyway, he asked them to look after her.
Xenophilius saw no issue with it—after all, it was only one more child, and he wasn't expected to pay for her supplies—so he readily agreed.
And just like that, Hannah Abbott became part of their shopping party.
"Hey, hey!" Hannah chirped brightly, immediately looping her arm through Luna's. "Are you starting Hogwarts this year too? My name's Hannah Abbott! Let's be friends!"
She spoke quickly, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Is this cat your pet? I love cats too!" she continued enthusiastically. "Oh! Have you read the latest issue of The Quibbler? It says a cat will be attending Hogwarts with us this year!"
Hannah leaned closer, voice full of wonder.
"I'm so curious what kind of cat it'll be. I hope it's a Ragdoll—I love Ragdolls the most! But if it's going to be our classmate, it must be magical, right?"
Her eyes widened further.
"Could it be a Kneazle? Kneazles are really cute too~!"
She chattered nonstop as they stepped into the bustling streets of Diagon Alley.
Luna wasn't a lonely child by nature—she simply saw the world differently. Under the influence of Hannah's bright enthusiasm, she gradually accepted the other girl as a friend.
However, whether by coincidence or fate, every time Luna tried to explain that Tom wasn't her pet but her friend—and that the 'cat classmate' Hannah was so excited about was Tom himself—she was inevitably interrupted by another burst of excited speculation.
According to Luna, it felt as though Wrackspurts were buzzing around her head.
Thankfully, the problem resolved itself when they reached their first destination.
Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
"Hello, Madam Malkin!"
The moment they entered the shop, Hannah's attention was completely captured by the dazzling array of fabrics and robes. She released Luna's arm and rushed forward, calling out eagerly to the kindly witch behind the counter.
"I'd like to buy a set of Hogwarts school uniforms!"
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