My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 318, Section 315: Tom's New Life

"What should I do next?"

Tom asked irritably. He had been quite nervous before, but now he felt no tension at all.

Lynn shrugged, holding the instruction manual, and said, "Just like I said, you soak it in, I'll put the lid on, and then soak it for exactly three hours. Then open the lid, and a brand new Tom will be born."

"It sounds like strawberry milk stew," Umaru commented, biting her finger. "It sounds delicious. I can ask Kira to make some when I get home."

Lynn commented expressionlessly, "You can tell it's a culinary disaster just by the name."

He continued to instruct Tom, who was about to jump into the pot, while holding the instruction manual in his hand.

"You probably won't feel the time while you're inside, but you'll have to open the pot lid yourself when you come out, so we'll set an alarm for you outside."

Lynn held up a mechanical alarm clock and gestured to Tom, saying, "Whenever you hear the alarm ring, remember to get out of the pot. Otherwise, if you stay in there, you'll likely suffocate again. If you're lucky, you might become a ghost; if you're unlucky, you'll just die."

"It would be so stupid to suffocate like that," Tom complained.

"So if you don't want to die such a stupid death, you must pay attention to the sounds outside."

Lynn earnestly instructed him, "You won't feel any pain during the physical remodeling process. I don't know exactly what it feels like, but Dumbledore's instructions to me didn't mention that you would feel pain, so you can rest assured about that."

"It's okay, I can bear even if it hurts a little more."

"And most importantly, while you're inside the cauldron, you must always keep in mind your own appearance, so that the final body formed is truly your own. Remember, don't think about anything else nonsense; I don't want to see a grotesque, deformed creature emerge from the cauldron."

Lynn closed the instruction manual in his hand.

"That's all the precautions. It's a completely foolproof procedure. As long as you follow the steps, you definitely won't have any problems. Do you have any questions now? Ask them before you go in. This medicine is most effective when used within one hour after the pot boils. If you use it after that time, it might cost you an arm or a leg or something."

Upon hearing this, Tom immediately became nervous again.

"Then we can't delay any longer."

"No rush. I've been keeping track of the time, and less than half an hour has passed. Now, you need to make sure you have no other questions. Once you go in, you can't come out if anything happens. The body-shaping process is irreversible. If something goes wrong in the middle, there's a high probability that you'll become a half-spirit, half-physical being. If that happens, there'll be no way to help you anymore."

Tom thought about it seriously for a moment, then said firmly, "I have no questions. We can begin."

"Step into the pot, relax a bit. This is your rebirth, you should be happy."

Lynn encouraged Tom.

"When you become human, I'll treat you to Kira's barbecue when we get home."

Umaru also clenched her fist to cheer him on.

Tom took a deep breath and nodded to them. Then, under the watchful eyes of Umaru and Lynn, he stepped into the cauldron filled with potions.

After he went inside, Lynn immediately put the lid back on for him and then set an alarm to ring three hours later.

"How big is Tom after he turns back into a human?" Umaru asked curiously, looking at the cauldron that could easily fit three of her.

"He's the same age he subconsciously believes he is. When I first caught him, he seemed to think he was 10 years old. It's been more than a year since then, which means he should be the same age as you."

Umaru hugged her two little legs and shook her head as she spoke.

"Tom will definitely be living with us soon, so we'll have to figure out who's older. When it comes time to rank them by age, you'll have to help me out! Just say I'm older than Tom and let me be Tom's older sister."

Lynn tapped her on the head.

"With so many clever ideas, why not use them in the right way? All you do is play petty tricks all day long."

"Also, if Tom were 11 years old now, would he be going to Hogwarts this year just like me? Would he still be called Tom Riddle?"

The question asked by Umaru was quite intriguing, and Lynn tilted his head and thought about it.

"Tom Riddle can't be called that anymore. Hagrid, Myrtle, Snape, and the others at school all know what that name means, so a name change is necessary."

Xiaomai immediately perked up.

"Since he's changing his name, let him take my surname, Bashat!"

"This is not a decision for you and me to make; it depends on Tom's own choice."

Tom, who had already stepped into the pot, was completely unaware that Lynn and Umaru outside had started discussing what his last name would be in the future.

The boiling potion didn't make him feel any heat at all; instead, after immersing his body completely in the potion, he felt as if he were taking a milk bath.

Lynn then closed the lid, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

Tom sat quietly at the bottom of the cauldron, his hands clasped around his knees, letting the potion wash over his head.

He was already in a spirit state, so there was no need to worry about not being able to breathe.

Tom recalled the steps Lynn had told him before, trying his best to remember his own appearance.

But no matter how hard he tried to recall, his mind remained blank.

Tom started to panic!

He now realizes that he has absolutely no memory of his own appearance.

In other words, he has no memory of what he looks like!

Tom stood there helplessly, staring blankly at the crucible.

If you told anyone, no one would believe it, but he didn't even know what he looked like. But now there was no way to conjure up a mirror for him to see what he actually looked like.

He remembered what Lynn had emphasized: once inside the potion, he absolutely could not come out until the three hours were up, or he might become a bizarre creature that was half spirit and half flesh.

Tom could only stand there in the dark, stunned. He was afraid that he would become some kind of weird, deformed creature after he went out, just like Lynn had said.

Time passed slowly, and Tom's mind was in turmoil. As he grew fearful, he thought of that figure that haunted his mind every day.

She must have felt this same fear when she was imprisoned inside her own body, right?

(End of this chapter)