Despite the many small incidents along the way, Tom finally left Ollivander's Wand Shop with a dogwood wand in his possession.
Strictly speaking, after what had happened at the end of the fitting, he could probably use his own tail to cast spells instead of a wand. But the identity of "Hogwarts' first-ever cat student" was already eye‑catching enough. If he actually started waving his tail around during lessons…
(￣ω￣;) I really don't want to be stared at like some rare monkey in a zoo.
Because he had been unable to provide Tom with a truly suitable wand, Ollivander refused to take payment. Instead, he plucked a tuft of fur from the tip of Tom's tail as compensation.
According to the old wandmaker, since Tom's tail could already function like a wand, perhaps the fur itself could serve as a wand core.
"If this really works," Ollivander had said with unconcealed excitement, "I'd be more than willing to craft an exclusive wand for you—free of charge."
Under Ollivander's enthusiastic persuasion, Tom steeled himself and decisively pulled out a small handful of fur from his own tail, handing it over.
[Writing up to this point, I hope readers will remember our domain: Read Taiwan Good Books, Select the Best]
Tom didn't care much about the bald patch left behind. Before he had reached an understanding with that stinking mouse, his tail had often been plucked bare, and the fur always grew back on its own after a while. To him, it was no big deal.
But just because he didn't care didn't mean others felt the same.
The Lovegood family was fine. After spending so much time together, they had long since grown used to Tom's uniqueness. Hannah, however, was different.
Having only known Tom for a short while, she still saw him as nothing more than a small cat who knew some special magic and was about to become her classmate.
Treating Tom as a friend, she stared at the bald section of his tail with genuine concern. The snacks in her hand suddenly lost all flavor.
"(｡ó︿ò｡) Tom, is your tail really okay? Mr. Ollivander went too far—he plucked it bald!"
As she spoke, Hannah reached out, wanting to touch the exposed patch.
Unfortunately for her, Tom's tail had a temper of its own. Having just been plucked, it had no intention of being touched again. With a nimble flick, it dodged her hand, radiating a very clear message:
(－‸ლ) Don't touch me!
In the end, Tom couldn't stand it anymore. With a bit of effort, he triggered his ability and forced the fur to grow back early, finally putting an end to the farce.
However, he had clearly forgotten the price of arousing Hannah's curiosity.
Before, Ollivander had stepped in to divert her attention. Now, there was no one to save him.
Staring at the suddenly restored tail, Hannah locked her gaze onto Tom once more, her eyes shining with undisguised interest. She didn't blink even once, making Tom extremely uncomfortable.
"[(;ﾟДﾟ) W‑what are you staring at?!]"
"(•ω•)✧ Tom, we're friends, right?"
"[I… I suppose so. What exactly do you want?]"
"Then can you teach me the spells you just used? I can trade snacks for them!"
After getting Tom's confirmation, Hannah grew even more excited. Both of the abilities Tom had just displayed—whether it was enlarging parts of his body or instantly regrowing fur—were things she desperately wanted to learn.
Even if she didn't personally need the latter spell, her father certainly did.
At the thought that this magic might finally cure Old Tom's baldness, Hannah nearly vibrated with excitement.
She had never been able to understand why her beautiful mother had married her father. Every time she asked, her mother only smiled and said that her father had been very handsome when he was young.
What he had looked like with hair had become the question Hannah wanted answered most.
And now, as long as she could learn Tom's "hair‑growing magic," that long‑standing mystery could finally be solved. How could she not be excited?
Unfortunately, her wish was doomed from the start.
"[Sorry. Those aren't spells. They're just my instincts.]"
In truth, after obtaining the wand, Tom could vaguely sense that magic might be able to replicate some of his abilities.
But what could he do? He was still a complete novice.
If something went wrong during his experiments like it had with Pandora back then, the consequences would be serious. When something happened to Pandora, he had been there to save her. But if something happened to him, who would he rely on?
Of course, all of that was just a convenient excuse.
The real reason?
He was lazy.
As a retired cat, I just want to rot away peacefully (～﹃～)zZ
If Luna had been the one asking, he might have helped out for the sake of his "poop scooper." But Hannah… at their current level of familiarity, they simply weren't that close yet.
As for the future? I'll let future me deal with it. ╮(๑•₃•๑)╭
To completely crush Hannah's hopes, Tom decisively rejected her request on the grounds of instinct.
"(;´д｀)ゞ I see… okay then."
Since Tom had already said so, Hannah couldn't push the issue further. Besides, she could accept his explanation. Magical creatures really were full of wonders, after all.
She quickly adjusted her mood, as if she had forgotten the matter entirely. Once again, she crowded around Tom, firing off a rapid series of questions—where he came from, whether he had any relatives, and if he had friends back home.
Clearly, Hannah was deeply tempted by the magical Tom.
Since Hogwarts allowed students to bring a cat as a pet, why couldn't her pet be a Tom?
Unfortunately, by the time they reached the entrance of the pet shop, she still hadn't received any concrete answers.
To be honest, Tom didn't know how to respond either.
Should he tell her that he was a cat who had wandered in from a neighboring world, and that there were no others like him in this one? Even in a magical world, that explanation was far too outrageous.
In the end, having gained nothing, Hannah left with lingering regret. Although she was curious about what kind of pet a cat like Tom would choose, she already had her own pet. Since she had no intention of buying another, she naturally didn't follow them inside.
After seeing off the overly enthusiastic Hannah, Tom followed the Lovegood family into Eeylops Owl Emporium.
Although Hogwarts allowed students to keep toads or cats as pets, neither option appealed to him.
Toads went without saying—Tom had absolutely no fondness for slimy creatures.
As for cats, he had briefly considered getting one. A pet he could communicate with would certainly be more convenient than one he couldn't.
That thought was immediately crushed by a single comment from Pandora.
"(¬‿¬) So, does Tom want to find himself a child bride?"
Having once been human, Tom had no interest whatsoever in getting intimate with a cat—catgirls notwithstanding. Pandora's teasing perfectly extinguished that idea.
Disliking toads and unwilling to keep a cat, Tom was left with only one choice.
An owl.
Naturally, he had a small ulterior motive.
(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ If I pick the biggest eagle owl, could I ride on its back and use it as a flying mount?
Everyone knew that Hogwarts owls were magical. As long as they knew the recipient's name, they could deliver letters anywhere.
If he could ride one, wouldn't that mean he could go wherever he wanted?
With that thought in mind, Tom decisively chose the largest eagle owl in the shop. It stood nearly half as tall as he did, its feathers thick and its gaze sharp.
Of course, there was also a far more practical reason for his choice.
If he picked a smaller owl, he was genuinely worried that one day he might get hungry—and end up stewing it instead.
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