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[Hogwarts] Ch 92: A Foreign Language Lesson
🕑 Added 2025-07-15 00:21:11 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Dinner Time
Truth be told, Fleur's cooking skills weren't anything remarkable. On top of that, she was a vegetarian and made a massive bowl of salad. But Tom wasn't here to critique—he was freeloading a meal. He ate his fill and stopped without complaint.
Not long after, Polana arrived. After thanking him once again, she brought news: half of the Veela had already been sent out to search for the fire dragon's whereabouts. And not only were they looking themselves, but they'd also enlisted allies—namely, the centaur and goblin tribes living in these mountains.
Tom raised an eyebrow. "The goblins? Those stingy gold-hoarders are willing to help?"
Polana chuckled softly. "I promised them a piece of gold as a reward. With goblins, as long as you have money, you can make them do anything."
Veela, after all, were a very wealthy race. They were the most sought-after cheerleaders in every country. Big events and ceremonies loved to feature Veela dance performances to open the show—and the price for that was steep.
So, dropping a bit of gold to get the goblins' help in searching for the fire dragon? Not even worth mentioning for Polana. And none of the other Veela objected either.
"Well, I appreciate it," Tom said, now realizing she was using the power of cold, hard cash.
Polana smiled. "Compared to saving Fleur and our people, this is nothing. If you need anything during this time, just let me know—I'll do my best to help."
Tom thought for a moment, then added, "Then could I trouble you to also keep an eye out for those hunters? They're after the same target I am—the fire dragon."
If he couldn't find the dragon, he could at least take out the competition first. Classic Slytherin logic.
Polana paused for a second, then nodded. "Mr. Riddle, please be careful around poachers. They're not just dangerous—they're cunning."
"Don't worry," Tom replied calmly, "I will."
Satisfied with his answer, Polana gave a small nod and left the room.
As soon as she was gone, Fleur glanced at Gabrielle, who was still locked in battle with her vegetables, then scooted closer to Tom. So close, in fact, that when she spoke, her breath tickled his ear.
"Tom... why do you have to find a fire dragon?" she asked softly. "If you need materials from one, I could ask my dad for help. He's got some decent connections in the magical world."
Fleur knew how powerful Tom was—that blue fire magic of his still gave her chills just thinking about it—but fire dragons were a whole different league. In her mind, no wizard could take one down solo.
"I do need the materials," Tom admitted. "But the challenge itself is part of the goal. I'm not giving up either."
He had considered taking a shortcut.
Next semester, Quirrell would try to get past Fluffy using a bribe—specifically, a dragon egg given to Hagrid. That egg would hatch into Norbert, a Norwegian Ridgeback.
A baby dragon was still a dragon, so maybe it would count as a Trial.
But... even if he did kill that baby dragon, he'd be risking the wrath of Harry and Hagrid. Not that Tom cared about their feelings, but they'd definitely make a scene. And then it wouldn't just be Hogwarts he'd have to worry about—it'd be the Ministry of Magic getting involved too.
Not to mention, the quest required him to bathe in dragon blood. And since Harry's Invisibility Cloak could cover the entire baby dragon when it was smuggled away, that thing was tiny. Even if he drained it dry, it probably wouldn't be enough.
So, better to face a full-grown dragon head-on. This was the perfect opportunity—he had the power, and now he had the excuse.
That was the real strength of dark magic—it didn't matter if your power wasn't superior overall. As long as you could kill your target, that was enough.
Fleur saw how firm his attitude was and offered another suggestion. "Then… how about getting more people to help?"
"Nope."
Tom shook his head slightly. But because he and Fleur were already leaning in so close to avoid Gabrielle overhearing, that tiny movement brought their faces even closer—so close that Fleur's soft lips brushed against his lips.
Both of them froze, wide-eyed.
Fleur quickly pulled back, while Tom hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his face with a look of horror. "My first kiss...!"
"Your first kiss?!" Fleur snapped, her face bright red. "Mine's the one that just got stolen!"
And he wiped it off?! Like he was disgusted by her or something?
Wait—hold on a second. It was barely a graze! There was no actual saliva!
As Fleur's emotional temperature skyrocketed, Tom quickly cast a temperature-regulating charm and changed the subject. "Besides, bringing more people won't work. Hunting dragons without a permit is illegal. The more people involved, the faster we'll get exposed."
That successfully distracted her from her embarrassment and redirected her focus.
She hadn't even realized hunting dragons was against the law.
But then again, after witnessing how dark the magical world could be—those poachers who chased down the Veela, clearly obsessed with their beauty—she was still shaken. If Tom hadn't shown up when he did, even if they'd managed to escape, they would've paid a heavy price.
That's why, after Tom wiped out every last one of those bastards, Fleur didn't feel fear—only gratitude.
Still, seeing so many people die right in front of her had shifted her views on life. If those wizards could die, why not the dragon?
She'd even forgotten about the law entirely.
"Don't worry," Tom added, "This mission was given to me by my family's elders. They know my strength, which is why they sent me. If something really goes wrong, they'll step in to help."
Seeing she still looked worried, he tossed in another excuse.
Andros was his teacher—so that made him a family, right? If things got too dangerous, he'd just let the old man take over. Safety guaranteed.
Finally, Fleur looked reassured.
If Tom was already this much of a monster, then his elders had to be even scarier. That made her feel better.
...
So, Tom stayed in the Veela village for the time being. Starting the next day, half of the Veela would go out daily to search for both fire dragons and signs of poacher activity.
And if there was one thing Veela hated with a burning passion, it was poachers.
On the very first day, they tracked down a gang of over ten wizards. Tom Apparated nearby, then used a Disillusionment Charm to sneak in—only to find out they'd set up alert wards around their camp. The moment he crossed a certain line, they sensed him.
So much for stealth.
With no other option, he switched to Plan B: wipe them out.
The ambush became a bloodbath. Tom was forced to kill them all.
The last two tried to flee via Apparition, but Tom pursued them like a shadow and cut them down before they could get away.
In combat, unless you're a top-tier wizard, using Apparition to escape is extremely difficult. The farther you want to go, the longer you have to concentrate—doing that in the middle of a fight is almost impossible.
From the bodies, Tom looted over two thousand Galleons, plus some potions and magical materials—not a bad haul. Guess the old saying is true: 'No wealth comes without windfalls and where there's muck, there's money.'
...
When Tom returned to the Veela village carrying more than a dozen captured wands as war trophies, he instantly became the most popular guy around.
One after another, the gorgeous and enchanting Veela women began doting on him—asking if he was cold, if he'd eaten, if he was tired. They even treated him to beautiful dances right in front of his dinner plate.
Only the finest entertainment you'd expect from a magical harem-worthy novel!
Tom, for his part, decided to treat this as a challenge to his mental fortitude—an exercise to strengthen his will against temptation.
If his enemies ever tried to use beauty as a weapon against him in the future? Ha. Joke's on them.
For several days straight, his mealtimes were accompanied by live dance performances. Tom, ever generous, even invited Grindelwald and Andros to enjoy the show with him.
Grindelwald? Barely reacted. Just gave that 'I see' look.
Andros, on the other hand, looked deeply troubled.
"Tom! You're supposed to become the greatest wizard in the world! How can you let yourself get caught up in soft beds and pretty faces?!" He paused, then mumbled under his breath. "...Why didn't I ever think of getting a bunch of Veela to dance for me back in the day? Merlin's beard… if only I were alive now..."
"You're unbelievable..." Both Grindelwald and Tom twitched at that final comment.
That was the part that really mattered to him, huh?
But Andros wasn't the only one disturbed by how comfortable Tom's life had become lately.
Fleur showed up with a serious expression and made a request.
"I want to learn English!"
"English?" Tom blinked, still munching on an apple. "But we can already understand each other just fine. Why do you want to learn English all of a sudden?"
Fleur puffed out her chest, totally confident. "Didn't you say learning more languages opens more doors? I've suddenly gotten really interested in English—and with you here as my personal tutor, how could I not take advantage of that?"
Tom scratched his head. "But I still need to find the fire dragon..."
Fleur gave him that look—the one filled with judgment and disappointment. Yeah, okay, maybe he'd been slacking off a bit lately. But hey, it's not like he wasn't trying—half the Veela were out searching for him!
Plus, the Blood Trace Charm he'd been relying on had become basically useless. There were way too many predators in this forest. As soon as he cast it, the map just exploded with red dots—it looked like a horror film radar screen. Grindelwald had roasted him for that one for a solid hour.
Tom had even tried asking Grindelwald to use his prophetic abilities to locate the dragon, but the old man just sighed and said he was so weak these days he was barely clinging to life. Predict the future? He could barely manage a simple Transfiguration spell.
So yeah... Tom had kind of given up for now, counting on the Veela to carry the search.
"Fine, we'll do English lessons," he finally agreed, and Fleur's eyes lit up with delight.
From the next day on, Tom would take a walk outside the village every morning—just in case he ran into the dragon by sheer luck—and spend his afternoons teaching Fleur English.
At first, Gabrielle joined them enthusiastically. But kids don't have much patience—she quickly got bored and ran off to play by herself.
That suited Fleur just fine. When Gabrielle was around, Tom focused entirely on the little one, which drove Fleur crazy with jealousy.
Besides English, Fleur also asked about magic and dueled with Tom every day. After everything that had happened, she now understood how important real power was.
The real world wasn't like Hogwarts—it was dangerous, and being strong was the only way to survive.
And Tom had to admit, Fleur was extremely gifted. No wonder she'd become a Triwizard Champion of Beauxbatons later on. She had an exceptional knack for mind-affecting magic—likely thanks to her Veela bloodline.
---
One day, Polana returned to the village with a huge smile on her face. As she entered, she spotted Gabrielle sitting alone in the garden, bored out of her mind, poking at a pair of puffskeins with a stick.
"Gabrielle, sweetie, why are you out here all by yourself? Where's your sister?" Polana asked gently.
Gabrielle instantly put on her best sad-little-girl face, lips pouting dramatically. "Sis is off learning a foreign language with Big Brother! She won't play with me!"
Polana blinked. Oh. A 'foreign language lesson,' huh...
She didn't think too much of it at first. Just reminded Gabrielle not to wander too far, then headed toward Tom's place to find them.
But before she even reached the house, she heard... noises. Rhythmic ones. With occasional soft moans.
"Ooh~"
"Ah! Ugh! Tom, I can't… it's too much!"
Polana's expression darkened.
She wasn't some clueless old lady—she had two kids. She knew what those sounds meant. Just hearing their voices back and forth, her brain started filling in the blanks with very inappropriate images.
Sure, the two of them were beautiful, and honestly, they did look like a good match.
But still... they were just kids!
Wait, no! The important thing was to stop them before things went too far! What if they ended up making Gabrielle a little aunt to someone five years younger than her?!
Fueled by maternal panic, Polana stormed toward the garden, ready to intervene—only to freeze in place when she rounded the corner.
Fleur was sitting on the grass doing a perfect middle split, while Tom knelt beside her, helping press down her legs. His voice was calm and matter-of-fact.
"Once your muscles open up, your flexibility will improve a lot. You'll move faster in duels and react more efficiently."
"Tom, I really can't. That's my limit."
Then Fleur spotted her grandmother and blinked in confusion. "Grandma? What are you doing here?"
Polana, looking slightly dead inside, replied robotically, "I... Gabrielle told me you were studying a foreign language with Mr. Riddle. Foreign languages are good. Yes. Everyone should learn one."
"Ooh~"
Fleur let out a small shout as Tom pushed down a bit more.
"You don't have to be so formal with Tom," she said. "Just call him by his name."
Tom nodded in agreement. "She's right. No need to be formal, Miss Polana."
Polana raised an eyebrow. "Then you don't need to call me 'Miss' or 'Chieftain' anymore either. Just 'Polana.' Or..."
She glanced meaningfully at her granddaughter and smirked. "You could call me 'Grandma' too. That works."
"Grandma! What are you even saying?!" Fleur shrieked, blushing from the tips of her ears to her cheeks.
Polana smiled knowingly at Tom—then suddenly slapped her forehead."Oh, right! I almost forgot why I came. Tom, we found the fire dragon."
Tom immediately stood up, practically tossing Fleur's leg aside in his excitement. "Where?!"
Polana sighed. "We got tricked by that sneaky treehorn. It only showed itself briefly in the Vosges Mountains and then disappeared—turns out, it crossed the Rhine River and flew into the Black Forest, Germany."
"If you head northeast from the village and cross the river, then go about two hundred kilometers east, it's in the valley between the two tallest peaks. Both mountains are covered in silver fir trees—you can't miss them. The goblins found it on their way to trade with some German wizards."
Tom's eyes lit up.
Game on.
.
.
.
