Harry Potter: I, Tom Riddle, am not the Dark Lord Chapter 147: Ferrets Don’t Impress Unicorns

"I told Rolf the sa thing," Tina said. "Once he's at Hogwarts, he should just focus on living his own life. Don't get too close to the people Dumbledore keeps an eye on—otherwise, he's bound to attract attention."

Tom nodded.

No wonder. With soone as talented and well-bred as Rolf Scamander, it was strange Dumbledore hadn't tried to draw him into the fight against Voldemort. Turns out his family had already warned him in advance.

Judging from Tina's attitude toward Dumbledore, Tom suspected she hadn't just warned Rolf—she had probably sent a polite but pointed warning to "dear old Albus" as well.

"This woman… clever," Grindelwald muttered in the study space after hearing Tina's words, letting out a sigh.

Even he had to admit—the Scamander couple were remarkable people. Oh, right, there was also Newt's brother, Newt's sister-in-law… and even Newt's Muggle friend.

Damn it, the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got.

Tom gave Tina a warm smile. "Actually, my relationship with the Headmaster is… decent. I've noticed the 'guidance' you ntioned, but I already have my own plans for my growth. I won't be swayed so easily. If you're worried about Rolf, I can keep an eye on him for you at school. If anything changes, I'll send word imdiately."

He very much wanted to witness Dumbledore and Tina facing off—it promised to be quite the show.

Tina's eyes lit up.

Tom was far shrewder than her grandson. Having him as a little spy was much more reassuring. She agreed without hesitation.

"Then I'll trouble you with this, Tom."

"Oh, don't ntion it. It's nothing at all. As long as I'm at school, no one will bully Rolf. I heard that when Great-Uncle Newt was at school, things weren't exactly easy for him."

"Ah… it wasn't the Hufflepuffs' fault—they were all good students. The problem was the Headmaster at the ti. Dumbledore, for all his scheming, at least wouldn't expel a student for no reason. Your Great-Uncle Newt was just too honest and fell victim to a honey trap."

"Really? Please, tell more…"

Newt gave a helpless smile as the two grew more animated in their conversation.

Dumbledore, I've done my best to salvage your reputation… but alas… I don't think it's working.

…

By the ti the clock struck eight, Tina finally stopped sharing gossip with Tom, still a little reluctant to part.

She had work to deal with and went upstairs to her study, while Newt shooed the plates into the sink to wash themselves.

Tom thought for a mont, then followed. "Great-Uncle Newt, want to co check on the unicorns with ? I'm not sure if I've been taking proper care of them."

"To Hogwarts? But aren't you still—"

Newt stopped mid-sentence. His eyes lit up, and he lowered his voice. "You… brought them out?"

"Mm. The little ones were too clingy. I had no choice but to make a space to bring them along."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Clang!

Two plates dropped into the sink, both cracking clean in half. Newt didn't care in the slightest—he grabbed Tom and headed for the door.

In the front yard, Tom found an open spot and took out his card case. Enlarging it, he popped open the lid and stepped inside, motioning for Newt to follow.

Once they were both standing on the platform, the wooden floor beneath them began to lower automatically.

Newt's breath quickened. "Of course! Automatic lift—why didn't I think of that…?"

"What?" Tom asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, nothing," Newt said with a forced smile, though inside, he was practically weeping.

His own suitcase still had the most primitive stairs, and at his age—over ninety—he had to climb them multiple tis a day. It was exhausting. But he couldn't tell Tom that; he didn't want the boy thinking he was an old fool.

Originally, Newt had planned to take Tom into his own portable world tonight, but now… no. He would have to spend the evening upgrading his entrance so it wouldn't look pitiful in comparison.

…

They soon landed on a grassy lawn. Tom whistled, and within monts, the unicorns appeared before them.

The mont he saw the three of them, Newt's eyes sharpened like an X-ray scan, his expression growing more and more animated.

"Coat perfectly white, build elegant… These two adult unicorns are the healthiest I've ever seen. No—wait—their horns have grown longer. Their magical capacity must have increased as well."

"And this little one… pink? A mutation?"

Completely absorbed in his observations, Newt muttered to himself while Tom busied himself petting each unicorn in turn. Between his alchemy work, flight training, and spending ti with the Greengrass sisters, he'd been busier than when school was in session—he hadn't had proper ti to play with the unicorns in days.

Newt's expertise answered many of Tom's questions, but there were still plenty he couldn't explain. In the end, he attributed all the changes to Tom—specifically, to the influence of his Patronus.

"Tom, could you feed them so of your Patronus magic now?" the old man asked hopefully.

It was a small request, and Tom was happy to oblige. White light burst from him, and the three unicorns hurried over to absorb it eagerly.

Newt watched, eyes wide, determined not to miss a single detail.

The Patronus' magic matched the unicorns perfectly—but it still shouldn't have been enough to trigger such evolution, or perhaps… a reversion to so ancient bloodline.

Even after the little ones had finished, he hadn't figured it out.

So he released his own Patronus—a snow-white ferret.

It hopped over toward the unicorns, but the three didn't move. They rely gave it a single glance before looking away, their big eyes showing nothing but… disdain?