— — — — — —
In Charms class
Professor Flitwick didn't start teaching right away. Instead, he pulled out his Codex Deluxe Edition, adding each student as a contact one by one before creating a group chat.
He typed the group name himself: {Third-Year Slytherin and Gryffindor Students}, then beamed at the class. "Mr. Riddle's invention is truly wonderful. From now on, if any of you have questions, you can message me directly and I'll reply as soon as I can."
"If I forget to mention something important during lessons," he added cheerfully, "I'll post it in the group chat so everyone can stay updated."
The more Flitwick looked at Tom, the more he liked him. If only this boy were a Ravenclaw student, he thought wistfully.
The Codex had saved the professors a ridiculous amount of time and effort—especially the Heads of House. Flitwick had already added every prefect and sub-prefect into one big group, so messages could now spread instantly instead of through a chain of students.
Communication between staff had also become easier. Every evening lately, the Heads of House would chat for a while; even Snape occasionally joined the conversation.
"Whoa~" Hermione's eyes shone with delight. The thought of being able to ask professors questions anytime thrilled her. But she also knew it would eat into their rest, so she restrained herself.
As for why she didn't just ask Tom for help… well, she didn't want him to think she was dumb.
Flitwick was just about to officially begin the lesson when Tom raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Riddle? Do you have a question?"
Tom rose gracefully, voice smooth and unhurried. "Professor, I believe you missed something."
Flitwick blinked. "Missed something? What do you mean?"
Tom smiled. "You could also add the students' parents as contacts. That way, parents could keep up with how their children are doing at school—academically and behaviorally."
The classroom fell into dead silence.
Every student turned to stare at him, wide-eyed. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
'How could someone say something that cold with such a warm, innocent smile?'
'We're all students here—how could you betray us like this?'
Neville looked horrified, sweat beading on his forehead. He could already picture Professor McGonagall exchanging updates with his grandmother and the scolding that would follow.
Daphne's eyes widened too. She strongly suspected Tom had just invented a new form of punishment—getting your mother to smack you through magical communication.
Tom, however, looked utterly unbothered. He was an orphan. He had no parents to contact, no one who could embarrass him. So why would he care?
If adding parents meant more sales, then so be it. And even if someone got angry—who would dare scold him to his face?
"Hehe~"
A burst of laughter suddenly broke the silence. Everyone turned toward the sound. Lavender Brown was giggling uncontrollably.
"What's so funny?" Ron asked, confused.
Still snickering, she finally managed to reply, "Both my parents are Muggles. They can't use Codex."
The whole class fell quiet again.
For the first time ever, Slytherin students looked at a Muggle-born with genuine envy.
"Well… I'll think about it," Flitwick said after an awkward pause. "But Mr. Riddle's idea is quite helpful. Ten points to Slytherin!"
Of course, he had no intention of actually doing it. He knew full well that adding parents would drive the students to collective despair. Still, ten points seemed a fair reward, and with that, he moved on to the day's lesson.
Tom sighed in mild disappointment. Still, ten points weren't nothing. A small consolation prize.
[Achievement Points: 4963]
Only thirty-seven points to reach five thousand. The thought made Tom grit his teeth. He'd published two academic papers over the summer, but neither had made enough of an impact. His points were creeping upward at a snail's pace—it was maddening.
He decided he'd pay Dumbledore a visit that evening. Maybe he could earn a few points and return the stone gargoyle while he was at it. The "first legendary professor" was long overdue.
...
Flitwick's lesson covered no new material. Instead, he led the class through a review of last term's spells—Engorgement, Scouring, and the General Counter-Spell—all in preparation for the upcoming exam in three days.
Before the bell rang, he added that the top ten scorers on the exam would each receive a small gift from him.
Unfortunately, no one in class was thrilled about that; they'd rather skip the gift and the test both. But McGonagall had decided, and no one could change her mind.
...
In the following classes, nearly every professor praised Tom and Codex again—but no one handed out any more points, to his mild irritation.
Then... Word of what had happened in Charms spread quickly through the castle, and panic followed. Students whispered in horror about Tom's "evil idea" of letting professors add parents as friends. More than one person was tempted to throw their Codex out the window—though no one could quite bring themselves to do it.
By lunchtime, half the school was giving Tom odd looks.
Astoria tugged on his sleeve. "Tom… you're so mean."
He ruffled her hair affectionately. "How come even you're saying that? You're a good girl. Even if Professor Flitwick added your mother, she'd only hear praise, not complaints."
Astoria's cheeks turned bright pink at the compliment, her voice soft as she murmured, "Ginny spent an entire class calling you names. She said you've been possessed by an evil Slytherin spirit."
Oh, really?
Tom's eyes narrowed across two long tables, locking onto Ginny Weasley, who instantly dropped her gaze, pretending to study her lunch.
---
That afternoon, the third years only had one required Herbology class. After collecting a vial of Bubotuber pus, Tom left the greenhouse. Instead of heading back to the castle, he walked to Hagrid's hut, where he handed over the "supplements" for the spiders.
He carefully explained the dosage: {adjust according to size, never exceed ten drops, and feed only once every two weeks.}
To Hagrid, that sounded simple enough. The half-giant readily agreed.
But as Tom turned to leave, Hagrid hesitated, rubbing his massive hands together.
"Tom… uh… tomorrow's my first class. D'you have any advice for me?"
His tone was a mix of excitement and nerves. Ever since Dumbledore made him a teacher, Hagrid had been walking on air—but the thought of messing up terrified him. If he bungled his lessons, it wouldn't just reflect badly on him; it might make Dumbledore look bad too.
Tom bit into an apple, eyeing him calmly. "Which year's class are you teaching? And what creature did you pick?"
"Sixth years," Hagrid said, perking up a bit. "I'm thinkin' of teachin' them about kelpies! There's one livin' down by the Black Lake. The students can watch it while we walk by the shore. I'll bring some fish for feedin', then have 'em help clear the lakeweed afterward!"
Tom froze mid-bite, then sighed. "No. Too dangerous."
Hagrid blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Dangerous? Kelpies? They're docile if yeh treat 'em right!"
"Don't measure students by your standards," Tom said flatly. "You have to follow the curriculum, not your own whims."
He flicked the apple core into a bin with perfect accuracy, clapped his hands clean, and continued, "Tell me, what are sixth-years supposed to be studying right now?"
Hagrid scratched his head, muttering as he counted on his fingers. "Er… Tree Frogs, Doxy Fairies, Fire Crabs, Snidget birds…"
"Stop." Tom cut him off immediately. "Go with the Snidgets. They're harmless, round little things—cute, even. The girls will love them. Perfect way to win the class over."
"But the other are also cute," Hagrid grumbled under his breath, looking deeply offended.
Tom didn't even blink. "Doesn't matter what you think. Matters what I think."
He leaned forward, tone brisk and commanding. "You asked for my advice, right? Then don't argue. Just try it. If it doesn't work, go back to your kelpies."
There was no point reasoning with someone like Hagrid. One—he didn't think things through. Two—he was a Gryffindor.
So Tom resorted to the only method that worked: firm, unapologetic authority.
Sure enough, faced with Tom's calm dominance, Hagrid wilted. "Right, right. I'll give it a go," he mumbled, nodding hurriedly. After all, it was just one lesson—no harm in trying.
When they finally stepped outside, Tom headed back toward the castle while Hagrid disappeared into the Forbidden Forest to find a Snidget.
[Ding!]
As Tom passed the Quidditch pitch, the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind.
[Major Quest: "A New World" has reached 10% completion. Partial rewards granted…]
[Congratulations! You've earned 300 Achievement Points, 1,500 Credits, and one Intermediate Summon Gacha.]
Tom's eyes lit up. His steps faltered midair, then he landed lightly and began walking faster.
Returning the stone gargoyle to Dumbledore could wait. He had more important things to do—like summoning his next legendary teacher.
He practically sprinted back to the dormitory. The room was empty; his roommates were all out. Perfect.
He stretched out on his bed and let his consciousness slip into the study space, calling the others to join him.
"Come on, everyone! Time to welcome my new teacher!" he said, rubbing his hands together with an eager grin. "I've been saving up for this moment forever."
Andros's eyes gleamed. "Finally!"
Grindelwald and Ariana both looked intrigued. They were clearly eager. Tom had told them that the next summon wouldn't just be another great wizard—it would be an SSS-tier legend, someone beyond even them.
To be so far above two century-defining wizards that they'd willingly admit inferiority—there couldn't be many people like that in all of history.
Even Andros, usually the picture of confidence, found that hard to believe. He'd lived his whole life unmatched, his strength unchallenged. To him, such a being barely seemed possible—maybe not even among Hogwarts's four founders.
But the idea of meeting one stirred something fierce inside him.
"I just hope they're strong enough to give me a real fight," Andros said, exhaling slowly. His aura flared, a storm of power pulsing in the air.
"I hope it's a woman," Ariana said, clasping her hands with a bright smile. "Then I'll finally have another girl around here."
"I don't care who it is," Grindelwald muttered, glancing sideways at Andros. "As long as it's not another muscle-brained duelist."
"Hey! Watch it, Grindelwald, that's an insult!" Andros snapped.
Tom grinned at their banter. The tension only made the moment more electric.
Finally, under everyone's expectant gaze, he reached out with his will and touched the glowing SSS Legendary Summon button.
Achievement points vanished like a draining hourglass.
The entire space began to quake.
The fog at the edges rolled violently, receding faster than ever before. The ground stretched and warped as the space expanded—twice, three times, four times its original size—until the horizon disappeared entirely.
By the time it stopped, the study space had grown larger than Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest combined, an endless, barren landscape that felt eerily real.
"Where's the newcomer?" Tom murmured, scanning the distance.
All four of them activated Eagle Vision, their eyes sharpening as they peered into the mist.
Then the system's voice came again, cold and clipped:
[Error detected…]
[Summoned target's soul and memory incomplete. Repair in progress…]
[Residual soul erased...]
[Restoring target's complete memory… Restoration complete. Resummoning in progress…]
Tom blinked, dumbfounded. "…Wait. What do you mean, erased?"
He stared at the glowing air in disbelief.
"I told you to summon a teacher, not kill one!"
.
.
.