Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 189 Let's Make Friends

Tom had been troubled by questions about who he was and what had happened with his lost memories for a long time.

He had asked the dean before, but had not received any useful information.

But this is a world of magic. With the help of the Book of Guidance, if he can improve his magic faster, he might eventually find a way to regain his memories and figure out his identity.

He was brimming with confidence, and his notes were updated once again.

Side Quest: Make a Friend. You don't want to be all alone on the path of life and magic, do you? Make a few little wizard friends and cure your reclusive habit.

"Mission Objective: Make two friends. Current Progress: 0/2"

"Quest Reward: Aphrodisiac Recipe. (It might come in handy if you want to go beyond a friendship.)"

Tom frowned. What kind of ridiculous task was this?

And, aphrodisiacs?

It doesn't sound like a good thing.

He returned to the carriage and found that everyone had already changed into their school uniforms.

"Tom, we're almost at Hogwarts. You'd better get dressed quickly."

Hermione was the only girl present, so she went outside to avoid the commotion. Tom took clothes out of his suitcase to change, while Ron said, "I'm definitely going to Gryffindor. All my brothers are there—Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, and Fred. I don't know why, but our family is always in Gryffindor. What about you, Harry?"

"I don't know yet. Sirius didn't tell me much. He said everywhere is great, but I also want to go to Gryffindor. Sirius used to be there. He said my dad was also a Gryffindor. But Sirius wouldn't tell me how they sorted into houses, so I don't know if I can go."

"Anywhere is fine, as long as I'm not assigned to Slytherin. It's full of dark wizards, even Vander is a Slytherin," Ron said.

Tom changed his clothes. "Who exactly is this mysterious person you've been talking about? Doesn't he have a name?"

Harry is now living with Sirius Black, and with an elder in the wizarding world, it's not as unfamiliar to him as it used to be. Hermione has also been reading a lot of books during the summer vacation. On the other hand, Tom only went to Diagon Alley today and really knows nothing about the wizarding world.

"The Mysterio, the one who almost destroyed the British wizarding world," Ron said. Compared to Harry, who grew up in a wizarding family, he was practically a wizarding encyclopedia. "He was terrifying, he killed a lot of people, but in the end, Harry defeated him! That's why Harry is so famous."

Tom looked at Harry. "That sounds like a really powerful wizard. How did you do that?"

Harry rubbed the scar on his forehead. "I don't know. I was only a year old then. Sirius said—I mean, I mean, the Man from Nowhere—killed my parents, but for some reason, he messed up when he tried to kill me. I think maybe his wand went off or something?"

"Voj? Do you know the mysterious man's name? What's his name?" Tom asked.

For some reason, he was very curious about this demon.

"Don't say it." Ron looked terrified.

"It's Voldemort." Hermione suddenly walked in. "His name was mentioned in 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts'."

"Oh! How dare you barge in!" Ron yelled.

"I saw Tom had changed his clothes." Hermione ignored him. "I overheard you guys talking about the houses. I want to go to Gryffindor; I heard it's the best house. Ravenclaw isn't out of the question either..."

"Nobody asked for your opinion..." Ron muttered.

"Tom, what about you?"

Tom was somewhat dazed. When he heard the name Voldemort from Hermione, he had a very strange feeling, as if he was very familiar with the name.

But how is that possible?

"I haven't decided yet..." Tom said.

Information about the four colleges flashed through his mind.

Impulsive Gryffindors, self-proclaimed clever Ravenclaws, useless Hufflepuffs, and glorious Slytherin.

Slytherin...

He felt an instinctive liking for the college.

But then he thought of the Guidance Book's mission. If he wanted to be friends with Harry and the others, wouldn't Gryffindor be a better fit?

Suddenly, the cubicle door was pushed open again, and three boys appeared in the doorway, one of whom was pale and was clearly the leader.

"Everyone on the train is talking about it, saying Harry Potter is in this compartment." He looked at Harry. "So, it's you?"

"Yes, it's me." Harry nodded.

“My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy,” the boy said, glancing at the others in the carriage. “Who are these people? Potter, you should know some real friends. They all come from ancient families and are all preparing to enter Slytherin. Seriously, Potter, come on, I’ll introduce you to them.”

He extended one hand in an inviting gesture.

But Harry ignored him; the boy's attitude struck him as arrogant. "I know who my real friends are, thank you."

A slight blush rose on Malfoy's pale face. He withdrew his hand. "You need to be careful, Potter. If I were you, I wouldn't hang out with shady people. You'll be affected."

Ron stood up abruptly, but Tom suddenly reached out and put his hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Draco Malfoy?" he said.

"And who are you?" Draco asked warily.

"Lucas Tom Brettson. You can call me Tom." Tom said, extending a hand. Malfoy hesitated for a moment, then took the hand.

Tom suddenly pulled the other man closer with a forceful movement, embraced him, and patted him on the back like an old friend. Malfoy was stunned, his body stiffening for a moment. He tried to push the other man away, but Tom was so strong that he couldn't break free.

"Let me teach you something good, my friend," Tom whispered in the other's ear. "Calmness makes you look strong, while anger only makes you look like a loser."

After he finished speaking, the force binding Malfoy disappeared, and the latter immediately broke free, his heart pounding, looking at Tom with shock and fear.

"You, you..."

Tom, however, still smiled and said, "Goodbye, my friend, we'll meet again."

After saying that, he closed the cubicle door, leaving Malfoy outside.

"I don't know what you did, but you seem to have terrified him." Ron looked at Tom in surprise. "But you actually hugged that guy, ugh, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up."

"He just wanted to make a friend," Tom said. "I know which house I want to go to. I want to go to Slytherin."

"What?" Ron's mouth dropped open. "You don't like guys like that, do you?"

"I wouldn't say I like it, but I don't particularly hate it either," Tom said. "Others are always different from us, aren't they? Besides, I don't think it's my style to just follow the crowd based on other people's opinions. I find Slytherin very interesting."

People like Malfoy are too naive; they seem easy to manipulate.

Tom smelled a familiar scent in him: the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest. As long as he was strong enough, he could definitely have a good life in Slytherin.

Moreover, he was also eager to know what was going on with Voldemort and why he felt that sense of familiarity with him.

"You won't hate me just because I became a Slytherin, will you?" Tom asked.

Harry shook his head. He realized that his friend, who shared many similarities with him in terms of magic and wands, seemed to have significant differences with him in some areas.

But this actually relieved him.

"If you go to Slytherin, I don't think I hate it that much anymore."

Meanwhile, Hermione Granger fell into deep thought.

She hadn't really thought much about the academy before, but felt that Gryffindor seemed better.

But now, Tom, whom she considers much smarter than Harry and Ron, is not choosing the best house, Gryffindor, but instead intends to go to Slytherin, which makes the little girl begin to doubt her decision.

When in doubt, she consulted a book. Remembering that she had a copy of "Famous Wizards of Modern Times" in her suitcase, she decided to take advantage of the time before arriving at school to flip through it and seriously reconsider the college issue.

(End of this chapter)