Harry Potter: I, Tom Riddle, am not the Dark Lord Chapter 139: Tom’s Newest Invention

So it wasn't the elder sister who ca, but the younger one?

"I ca to listen to a story…"

Astoria's delicate toes curled together like little flower buds, and she kept blaming herself inwardly for arriving too early. If her sister had been here, it wouldn't have been a problem — but right now, with her sister absent, it was just her brother-in-law and herself alone in a room…

Just as she was wondering whether she should find an excuse to slip away, the door swung open again.

"Tom~ Ah!"

Daphne had barely called out his na before she spotted Astoria, and the shock made her let out a little scream.

Had she gone into the wrong room?

No… she had opened the correct door, not the one opposite.

"Am I… coming at the wrong ti?" Daphne asked blankly.

"No, you're right on ti," Tom said with a breath of relief. "Astoria found out you ca yesterday to hear a story, and she wanted to join in too. I was just waiting for you so we could start."

Daphne's face flushed crimson.

Yesterday she'd snuck over precisely so her younger sister wouldn't know — and yet here she was, caught red-handed.

But since she'd been found out, there was no avoiding it now.

She hopped onto the bed in a quick little run and waved at Astoria. "Tom's stories are so interesting, co on, Astoria."

Faced with her sister's invitation, Astoria's heart fluttered shyly, but she still obediently went over and lay down on the other side of the bed — perfectly sandwiching Daphne between her and Tom.

Tom cleared his throat, repeating the earlier parts of the tale so Astoria could catch up. Before long, she was fully absorbed, and Tom moved on to the new chapter.

"After countless hardships, Sun Wukong finally found the Great Mage Bodhi, under whose tutelage were many disciples — each with the potential to beco an Auror."

"Yet Sun Wukong refused to learn this or that, frustrating the Great Mage so much that he rapped the monkey's head three tis with his wand. In truth, this was a secret signal, and at three o'clock the next morning, Sun Wukong went to the back gate to find him."

"This monkey is really clever," Daphne couldn't help remarking. Astoria nodded her small head in agreent.

"And then? What spell did the monkey learn?" Daphne urged Tom to continue.

Tom took a sip of water before spinning his next fabrication. "The Great Mage Bodhi led Sun Wukong to the Crescent-Moon Three-Star Cave and asked:

'I have a Stupefy spell here — one hit and the target falls unconscious, letting you do whatever you wish. Do you want to learn it?'

The monkey said, 'Not if it won't grant immortality. No, I won't learn it.'

'Then I have a Disarming Charm to snatch away anyone's weapon at will. Want to learn that?'

The monkey still said no.

'Well,' the Great Mage grew irritable, 'I have here the Killing Curse — one strike, instant death. Do you want it?'

The monkey perked up imdiately. 'That one! I'll learn that one! But I still insist on immortality.'

So the Great Mage waved his hand and prepared to teach him the thod for creating the Philosopher's Stone as well."

"What kind of 'Great Mage' is that?!" Daphne burst out angrily. "That's just a dark wizard!"

Tom chuckled, noticing that Astoria had already drifted off to sleep. He lowered his voice, and soon even Daphne couldn't hold on any longer. Only then did he stop, close his eyes, and slip into his learning space to continue his studies.

Over the next few nights, the two sisters ca without fail to hear more stories, and each ti, they refused to leave afterward — lingering in his bed until morning. Mrs. Greengrass had no idea that her precious little darlings now preferred the bed in Tom's room to their own.

During the day, Tom threw himself entirely into Alchemy and the Flight Charm.

His flight work made steady progress, but alchemy soared ahead under the generous "feeding" of expensive materials — it truly was a gold-burning craft. In just a few short days, Tom had gone through nearly 3,000 Galleons' worth of supplies.

"What a beautiful bracelet," Daphne said the mont she saw the piece Tom had just completed. It could be called a bracelet or perhaps a bangle, about three centiters wide.

The bright silver band was covered in intricate, delicate patterns and inlaid with several vivid crystals — the kind of thing that demanded to be studied up close.

The girl clung to his arm with a pitiful look. "Tom, could you make one too? You can swap the crystals for gemstones — that would be even prettier. I have so here."

Tom smiled. "This is just a prototype. I'll add more embellishnts later, I promise it'll be even prettier."

"You ca at the perfect ti, actually. Want to help test it?"

Curiosity sparkled in Daphne's eyes. "Tom, what's it for?"

"A wand-retention bracelet."

Tom slipped it onto her wrist. The material was adjustable, automatically tightening by two and a half loops to fit her slender wrist perfectly.

The more Daphne looked at it, the more she liked it. She shook her pale arm slightly. "It's gorgeous."

"A beautiful person makes anything look good," Tom said, ruffling her hair. The complint made Daphne beam with delight.

"So… what do I do for the test?"

"Just hold your wand and stand still. When it's disard, focus on willing it back into your hand — the sa ntal focus you use when casting spells."

"Oh, I get it." Daphne instinctively reached for her wand — but today she was wearing a pretty little dress without a wand pocket, so she quickly called for a house-elf to fetch it from her bedroom.

Tom couldn't help but smile wryly.

A wand was a wizard's second life; most kept it within arm's reach even in bed. But Daphne? She went out without hers entirely.

Once the elf returned with her wand, Daphne stood ready. Tom stepped back several paces to match the standard starting distance for a formal duel.

It wasn't that Tom feared being hurt — in fact, he would be the attacker here. Thanks to his "iron body" gift, even without magic power behind a spell, Daphne would probably be unable to knock his wand away. He also planned to control his strength so as not to hurt her.

"Expelliarmus."

Tom spoke softly, suppressing the spell's force as much as possible.

A surge of irresistible power struck Daphne's hand, forcing her to let go. The wand spun away, but she rembered his instructions — she focused, willing it to return. Within seconds, the wand, still spinning, was yanked back by an invisible force.

Tom frowned slightly — he had felt his own wand being tugged at the sa ti. The pull had been faint, not enough to hinder him, but it ant the bracelet's magic was being spread too thin. If the disarming force were stronger, it could easily fail.

He would have to add an authentication step, so it only worked for the wand it was bound to. That would also conveniently prevent resale on the second-hand market.

After all, if everyone just bought used ones, who would buy his new stock?

No — the durability needed work too. For friends and allies, he'd use the best materials and the most careful enchantnts. For the open market… well, there would be a clear distinction.

That, after all, was called product differentiation — keeping an edge in every price range.