"Very good. The doors of Hogwarts are forever open to every student who desires to learn magic. Once you enroll, you'll be a member of Hogwarts."
Seeing this, Dumbledore's face also showed a gratified smile.
"You just need to prepare your enrollment items. I'll handle the other problems."
To him, regardless of whether the other party was a cat, a werewolf, or even an Obscurial, as long as they were willing to enter Hogwarts, as long as their name was engraved in the Book of Admittance, they were his students. As long as he remained headmaster, he would never refuse any student!
Then he looked toward the Lovegood couple nearby.
"So, Mr. Lovegood, do you need me to help you apply for a student loan for Tom?"
Considering that Tom was nominally still this family's "pet," and with Luna's clear magical power flowing within her, Dumbledore thoughtfully added this.
"That won't be necessary, Professor."
Pandora smiled and shook her head, reaching out to gently embrace Luna, who looked tense beside her.
"Tom is Luna's best friend and also our family member. We'll prepare everything for him. Even if Philiius had such thoughts, Luna and I wouldn't allow it!"
Xenophilius: (;´д｀)
Xenophilius sighed on the inside. He didn't have such thoughts either!
Rather, after Tom saved Pandora, he genuinely considered the cat as family! Otherwise, where did you think Tom's surname "Lovegood" came from!
"In that case, I won't disturb you further."
Seeing how deep the bond was in this family, a trace of nostalgia flashed through Dumbledore's eyes. He paused, looking at Xenophilius who was being held back by Pandora and couldn't explain himself.
"If you're willing, you can also publish this matter in The Quibbler. With your help, I think the pressure of handling subsequent issues on my end will be much lighter. (・‿<)ゞ""
As he spoke, he playfully winked at them.
"Of course, Professor! I definitely won't disappoint you!"
Hearing this, the gloom on Xenophilius's face was instantly replaced by excitement. He almost jumped up and turned to rush toward his upstairs writing room.
"I'll go prepare the next issue of The Quibbler right away!"
"My apologies for the embarrassment," Pandora said, watching her husband's back with affectionate exasperation and apologizing to Dumbledore. Although understandable, his behavior was still somewhat improper.
"It's fine." Dumbledore waved his hand dismissively. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."
With that, he took out his wand and elegantly waved it lightly, then disappeared from everyone's sight as if merging into the air.
"Truly worthy of being Professor Dumbledore!"
Pandora softly praised, while Luna also looked up, her lively eyes were sparkling with admiration.
Time passed, and with the publication of the new issue of The Quibbler, news about a cat about to enter Hogwarts to study spread like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples throughout the wizarding world.
However, given The Quibbler's unique position in the wizarding world over the years, most wizards simply classified it with the magazine's past news, treating it as after-dinner gossip.
However, this "rumor" would soon become reality. Because today was the day Tom would shop for his necessary school supplies.
However, all beginnings are difficult, and they were currently stuck at the first step—how to get to Diagon Alley.
Everyone gathered around the fireplace, the atmosphere somewhat stagnant.
"So, you really can't use Floo Powder?"
Pandora looked at the cat sitting nearby with a depressed expression, her own expression was somewhat complex.
[(╯﹏╰) I don't think Floo Powder can understand cat language like Dumbledore can]
Tom pulled out a whiteboard from who-knows-where with these words written on it, holding it up dejectedly with his paw.
He had anticipated many difficulties like not being able to buy robes that fit, not finding a suitable wand, and so on. But he never expected the first problem would be stuck at leaving the house!
Floo Powder had very clear requirements: clearly speak the destination's name. If pronunciation deviated even slightly, you'd be transported to the wrong exit, just like Harry Potter in the original story.
But the problem was... he was a cat now!
Having a cat clearly pronounce "Diagon Alley"?
Wasn't this making things difficult for Tom?!
Although in the cartoon, Tom indeed seemed to have the ability to speak human language, as the real Tom, he could definitively state: although he had many magical abilities, "speaking human language" was something he genuinely couldn't do!
"How about... I take you on the Knight Bus?"
Xenophilius tentatively suggested.
"MEOW!!!"
[ (≡｀д´≡)ﾉ ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! ]
Hearing this familiar term, Tom's fur instantly stood on end!
Although becoming a cat for over a decade had caused his memories of Harry Potter to dwindle to vague impressions like "the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor causes trouble every school year," the Knight Bus was an exception.
Not because he still remembered the name, but because he had actually ridden it once!
That time, he vomited for however long the bus traveled.
It could be said that experience became the greatest trauma of his cat life. Aside from Jerry's outrageous relatives, he had never suffered such a loss!
"Then what do you suggest?╮(°︿°)╭"
After all, Ottery St. Catchpole was a small village in Devon, nearly 400 kilometers from the Leaky Cauldron on Charing Cross Street in London!
Without Floo Powder and without taking the Knight Bus, how were they supposed to get there?
[(＞ω＜*) Can't you use magic? Like what Dumbledore used when he left?]
"Apparition? Well..." Xenophilius looked somewhat embarrassed at his wife. Although both were wizards, his magical accomplishments were far inferior to his wife's.
"Taking an ordinary pet would be fine, but Tom..." Pandora looked at Tom with some hesitation. If Tom were an ordinary cat, it would be one thing, but the problem was he was a cat with magical power!
Just like with Floo Powder, if you brought a pet without magical power you could pass through together, but with magical creatures, the passage could only allow one person through.
[(°ー°〃) Then forget it!]
Hearing this, Tom immediately held up his sign, refusing decisively. He didn't want Pandora, whom he had worked so hard to save, to have an accident over such a small matter!
'Looks like I can only rely on myself. Teleportation ability... I should have that, right(・–・;)?'
Thinking this, Tom began searching through his vast and chaotic "skill library." Just like Marvel Superheroes, his skill list was similarly long and messy with all kinds of abilities. But to specifically search for a certain ability—he really couldn't do that on short notice.
Fortunately, many of his abilities were more like instincts that would automatically activate when needed. Therefore, even if he couldn't find them, it wasn't a big problem. Probably?
'If I can't find it, forget it. Let me just try!'
Too lazy to search anymore, Tom greeted Luna, then began attempting: 'Let me think... I want to go to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron on Charing Cross Street in London!'
As this thought and the image of the Leaky Cauldron surfaced in his mind, Tom's paw seemed to have a mind of its own, fiercely clawing at the space beside him—a pitch-black "thing" that seemed capable of swallowing everything was forcibly pulled out by him!
When this thing appeared, the Lovegood family felt everything go dark before their eyes, though it only lasted an instant. The next moment, light returned, and Tom, who had been in front of them, had now disappeared from his spot.