Seeing Jim gazing sadly at the sky at a 45-degree angle, Malfoy sat next to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"It's alright. If we can't be wizards, we can still be warriors. I'll teach you how to swing a hammer later."
Jim, normally quick to laugh, cheered up somewhat but remained a little depressed. "Looks like I need to work out more, but I probably still won't be like you guys."
He knew that Harry and his friends' "physical abilities" were better than werewolves, but he attributed it all to magic.
Tom, overhearing their conversation, suddenly had an idea.
He remembered that the Combat Transformation Case he'd obtained was a set, and he had only given Harry and Malfoy two of them.
Thinking of this, he didn't hesitate to summon a green box from his system space and casually tossed it to Jim.
Harry and the others were stunned.
Jim, just by looking at the box, knew it was something special. "Boss, what's this?"
Tom didn't answer, knowing Harry and the others would explain it to Jim.
After hearing their explanation, Jim was overjoyed. He finally understood what their previous "transformation" had meant.
Even though it involved cross-dressing, at least he'd be a "superhero" afterwards!
Cross-dressing is fine, Sailor Moon is still a warrior!
If he couldn't be a wizard, he could be a warrior, and one with superhuman powers! Jim had no other requests!
Seeing this, Tom chuckled. He'd given Jim the third treasure box because he thought it might be amusing.
While Jim didn't possess magic, the box's augmentation wouldn't be as significant as it was for Harry and the others, but it would still offer some improvement.
Add to that the defensive bonus from cross-dressing and the indestructible weapon—becoming a "Batman" rather than a "Superman" wouldn't be a problem.
In high spirits, Jim immediately prepared to swear fealty to Tom, just like the knights on TV!
Then he reverted to his usual talkative self, "Boss, I'm curious, what's this Ministry of Magic that Gilderoy Lockhart mentioned?"
"Ask Lockhart."
Tom had lost interest in chatting with his curious Muggle protégé.
"Okay!"
Jim, being sensible, then went to bother Gilderoy Lockhart.
...
Beneath the dark curtain of starlight, a huge but somewhat eerie-looking castle sat by the lake.
Judging from the light shining through the castle windows, people dwelled within.
A Thestral-drawn carriage flew down from the sky, followed closely by a large three-wheeled motorcycle.
"Malfoy, you're right..."
Upon landing, Harry took off his helmet and rubbed his hair. "It's definitely a little uncomfortable riding this for the first time."
Even Harry, a Quidditch Seeker with exceptional flying talent, felt somewhat unsettled riding a flying motorcycle without any safety measures and flying at breakneck speed for the first time.
"Tom."
Cassandra followed closely beside Tom, looking at the enormous castle before them. "Shall we go in and take a look?"
Tom didn't answer, but his actions spoke volumes.
Seeing Tom head towards the castle, Gilderoy Lockhart and his assistant, Jim, rushed to the massive castle gates, intending to help Tom push them open.
However, they couldn't budge them, realizing the gates were enchanted.
Gilderoy Lockhart was about to attempt "Alohomora," but Tom had already reached the gates.
The gates then swung open automatically with a loud bang!
The interior was dimly lit, and black-robed wizards or strangely dressed people occasionally strolled through the hall.
Of course, there were also some who weren't even human.
Seeing these "dangerous" beings, Hagrid instinctively shielded Harry and Jim behind him.
"Who dares to be so disrespectful?!"
An angry male voice echoed in the hall, and a jet-black bat wreathed in red smoke flew out from the back. "Don't you know my inn requires reservations... Tom Riddle?"
Hearing the bat's voice, the people in the hall instinctively scrambled to the side. Several Death Eaters, upon seeing it was indeed Tom, were about to rush forward and kill the bat that dared "attack the Dark Lord."
Fortunately, Tom raised his hand, signaling them to stop.
The bat landed and transformed into a middle-aged man with pale skin, wearing a black and red robe and sporting a slicked-back hairstyle.
This was Caelan Tepesh, the owner of this castle, and a pure-blooded vampire.
"Mr. Riddle, why didn't you inform me of your impending arrival? That would have given me time to prepare and better serve you, wouldn't it?"
Caelan followed a step behind Tom, his obsequious attitude tinged with fear. "I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner. I would have secured the best rooms for you immediately. You must be exhausted from your journey. Don't worry, everything is complimentary! It's my honor to have Mr. Riddle as my guest!"
Caelan, feeling that he had nearly offended Tom Riddle earlier, just wanted to make amends.
"Then I shall accept your hospitality."
Tom, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke, which allowed Caelan to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
If the Dark Lord had destroyed her castle over a single sentence, she would have been utterly ruined.
"Then please wait in the lobby, gentlemen. I'll be right there!"
With that, Caelan turned, transformed into a bat, and flew away.
Meanwhile, Tom was still observing everything in the lobby.
Harry and the others were doing the same; it was the first time they had ever seen a hotel run by vampires.
Jim, in particular, would have loved to touch the decorative skulls to see if they were real or fake, had he not been worried about embarrassing Tom.
The castle's decor leaned towards a European classical style but with certain morbid embellishments, such as the use of bones, horns, or claws of magical creatures as decorations.
"A ghost!"
Jim exclaimed, grabbing Gilderoy Lockhart's arm. "See that? Mr. Lockhart! That's a real ghost!"
A ghost dressed as a waiter passed through the wall and appeared before them.
"..."
Seeing Jim's "naive" expression, Gilderoy Lockhart didn't even bother to respond.
"Distinguished guests, please follow me..."
Before the ghost waiter could finish speaking, another bat, noticeably smaller than the one Caelan had transformed into, flew out from behind.
"Has someone broken in?"
The voice sounded like a young woman's.
The little bat turned its head from left to right, looking around excitedly. "I'll help Daddy!"
"Miss, these are important guests."
The ghost waiter's voice sounded somewhat helpless. "Mr. Tepesh already instructed me to take them to their rooms."
"Hmm, alright."
The little bat landed on the ground and transformed into a young girl in a black short skirt.
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