— — — — — —
Tom cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself and Hermione, then quietly followed Harry and Malfoy into the shop.
To make sure they could hear the conversation clearly, they stayed close.
"Potter, Sirius is my cousin once removed. Is it really that strange for me to buy him a birthday present?"
Harry snorted. "Yeah, right. How do I know you're not planning something? Maybe you've cursed the gift."
"Potter, you…" Malfoy huffed. "Fine, I'll let you watch me buy it. Once I've paid, you can take it straight to Sirius yourself."
Malfoy looked ready to explode.
Potter was like a Flobberworm glued to his side. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't shake him.
Finally, he growled, "I already told you. If Sirius wasn't the president of the Astra Abyssum Guild now, do you really think we'd acknowledge him as a relative? He's practically an embarrassment to the family."
"Sirius works for Tom now. My father and I would have to be insane to try anything against him. So could you stop following me around already?"
"..."
Hidden nearby, Hermione and Tom exchanged looks.
Both saw the same speechless disbelief in each other's eyes.
So that was why those two were together... Well, it wasn't bad—they had almost thought these two had become lovers.
"Malfoy," Harry immediately looked disgusted. "Your whole family really are experts at changing sides whenever the wind shifts. You look down on Sirius, and you expect us to appreciate your gift? You're wasting your time. I'm going to tell him exactly what you said."
"Go ahead." Malfoy shrugged. "You tell him whatever you want. I'll still give the gift. Whether Sirius accepts it or not is his business."
That made Harry frown. "Then what's the point? Don't tell me you're trying to use Sirius to get closer to Tom."
Malfoy let out a mocking laugh. "Potter, you really are an idiot."
"We're not giving this gift to make him happy. We're doing it so Tom sees our attitude. Even someone we dislike, like Sirius, is worth making peace with, now that Tom is involved. Well… doesn't that show sincerity?"
The logic was a bit too advanced for Harry.
His straightforward Gryffindor brain stalled for several seconds as he tried to follow the twists and turns behind the argument.
Eventually, he managed to grasp part of it.
"Malfoy, your plan isn't going to work. Tom will definitely see through what you're doing."
Malfoy shook his head. "Stop trying to make sense of Slytherins with that embarrassingly simplistic Gryffindor brain of yours. Honestly, it's exhausting. There's no point arguing with you."
"Potter, if you want to keep following me, fine. If you want to take the gift yourself, fine. Either way, our intentions have already been conveyed."
With that, Malfoy began browsing the shelves.
Once Tom and Hermione understood what was going on, they quietly left the shop.
"What do you think?" Hermione asked after they stepped outside.
"About what?"
"About what Malfoy said… would something like that actually please you?"
Tom nodded. "Of course. Like he said, it's the thought that counts. It's a gesture, an expression of intent. As long as they've made that clear, why would I be unhappy?"
Hermione frowned slightly. "But it feels so calculated. And the Malfoys are famous for being opportunists."
"Hermione, every kind of person has their own value." Tom smiled. "Take the Malfoys. As long as you're winning, they're the most obedient followers you could ask for. The moment things start going wrong, they'll get nervous and start hedging their bets."
"But that's normal. You can't expect everyone to be absolutely loyal. Even the knights in all those old stories couldn't live up to that standard."
"All I need to know is what kind of people they are. Once I understand that, I can put them in the right place."
"..."
"Whatever."
Hermione decided not to dwell on it any further.
Malfoy was a textbook bully in some ways. Around people with no influence, especially non-purebloods, he could be arrogant and insufferable. But whenever he dealt with Hermione, the girls close to Tom, or even Hannah Abbott, whom Tom's circle got along with well, he behaved like a perfectly normal person.
Because of that, Hermione didn't actually dislike him very much.
...
The two then headed toward a newly opened café.
Mentioning Sirius naturally led them to think about Lupin.
By now, Lupin had successfully infiltrated the circles of various dark creatures and had been feeding Tom a steady stream of information.
As for the legendary vampire Lester, Lupin had heard rumors as well.
The group of vampires capable of using magic seemed to be directly connected to him.
From the information Lupin had gathered, it seemed that by drinking wizard blood, Lester could absorb magical power. Then, by sharing his own blood, he could grant other vampires the ability to cast spells.
From that perspective alone, Lester posed no less of a threat than Voldemort or Herpo for the wizarding world.
After all, Voldemort and Herpo were still wizards. If either one conquered the world, only some wizards would suffer.
But Vampires and wizards were entirely different species.
Lester's ability could be viewed in a very simple way: He was taking the gift of magic away from wizards and transferring it to vampires.
In other words, he was trying to replace wizardkind altogether.
If Lupin had already discovered Lester's location, or if Tom had been able to find him through the power of time, Tom would have eliminated him long ago.
Not out of justice. Not out of heroism. Simply to preserve the dominance of his own species.
As Tom was considering how to track down the vampire, something suddenly leapt out of his pocket.
His iCodex.
It floated into the air, glowing with a crimson light.
Tom's expression immediately turned serious.
"What happened?" Hermione asked, her voice tightening.
Tom tapped the mirror.
Only a single word appeared on its surface— HELP.
"Professor Lupin is handling something for me," Tom explained. "Looks like he's run into trouble."
He quickly began typing a response.
The iCodex's alert system had several threat levels.
Red was serious, but it wasn't the worst-case scenario.
Black was the highest level, reserved for situations with virtually no chance of survival.
A red alert meant the situation was dangerous, but the sender was still free to move and communicate.
As expected, Lupin's reply arrived a moment later. And with it, the reason he was asking for help.
.
.
.