— — — — — —
The sun was already setting, and the air had cooled by the time the girl finally stirred from her nap.
A light breeze brushed against her face as Daphne slowly woke, memories of what had happened earlier quickly returning.
When she glanced at the obvious wet patch on Tom's robes, her cheeks turned as red as the sunset. She wished she could just bury her head in her chest and disappear.
Tom exited the study space, slowly opening his eyes and stretching like he'd just woken up. "Wow, I can't believe I slept that long. Daphne, why didn't you wake me? What a waste of such a nice afternoon."
"Huh? I just woke up too. It was... really comfy," Daphne mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. She was dying to pull out her wand and erase the "evidence" of her little accident.
Tom, acting like he hadn't noticed a thing, casually patted the dust off his robe.
"Let's head back before it gets too cold. We don't want to catch a cold, do we?"
"Mm-hmm," Daphne nodded quickly.
She followed him with her hands clasped behind her back, and as they walked, a quiet, happy smile formed on her lips.
This was exactly why she liked being around Tom.
The clever little witch had figured it out—there was no way Tom had actually been asleep. If he had, he'd have shown at least some signs of waking up. No sluggishness, no grogginess… nothing.
He was only pretending to sleep. He'd done it to save her from embarrassment.
Compared to other kids their age, Tom felt more like a grown-up. Not in a "trying to look cool" kind of way, but in how he always seemed to be in control, always thinking of her feelings.
For someone like Daphne, who had left her mother's care and come alone to Hogwarts, Tom's presence gave her a rare sense of safety—and helped her adapt quickly to this new world.
Staring at his back, Daphne found herself thinking she ought to do something for him for a change. She couldn't keep relying on him all the time.
But the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.
Tom picked up anything he studied instantly—even that nosy Gryffindor girl couldn't help being jealous of how effortlessly he learned. There wasn't much Daphne could help him with, academically speaking.
And as for everyday life… well, she wasn't qualified to help there either.
Wait— what about money?!
Her eyes lit up. She remembered how Tom had "borrowed" thirty Galleons from a roommate. Judging from his background, he was probably struggling a bit financially.
That was it! She could help him in that area—ease some of his pressure.
Now that she had a plan, Daphne's smile brightened. She caught up to Tom and started chatting and laughing with him as they headed into the castle.
The moment she got back to her dorm, she pulled out parchment and started writing a letter to her mother, coming up with some excuses to request five hundred Galleons.
That should be enough for now… right?
— — —
Meanwhile, Tom had no idea that a small, kind gesture had boosted Daphne's affection for him.
He was simply pleased he could study wherever he wanted in the study space.
He certainly wasn't expecting to be treated to his very first "sugar mama" experience.
Back at the dormitory, the moment Tom entered, his three previously noisy roommates fell completely silent. He gave them a glance but didn't pay them much attention. Instead, he pulled out a herbology book and began to read.
They had been surprisingly well-behaved lately. Tom wasn't sure if they'd genuinely calmed down or were just plotting something else.
— — —
Saturday
After having breakfast with Daphne and finishing up next week's assignments with Hermione, Tom made his way to the seventh floor in search of the Room of Requirement.
The study space was great—it gave him a hyper-real second-world feeling.
But in the end, it was just his spirit entering the space. Spells cast there didn't use up any real magic power, so it didn't provide the kind of feedback he needed to train properly.
A wizard duel wasn't just about raw magical power or spell proficiency. Real fights relied on experience, reflexes, awareness—and sometimes, pure dumb luck.
That's why Andros had been urging him lately to train more in the real world. Only by practicing with his actual body could he develop true muscle memory and reach the level where spells flowed instinctively.
After considering his options, Tom decided the Room of Requirement was the best choice.
Located on the same floor as the Headmaster's Office—but on the opposite side of the building—the room was hidden in the main tower, far from the South Tower where Dumbledore's office sat.
He wasn't too worried about running into Dumbledore here—unless the old man got lost looking for a toilet.
There weren't many rooms on the seventh floor. Tapestries lined the hallway walls, and Tom walked slowly past them one by one until he found what he was looking for: the famous tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy getting beaten with a club by a group of trolls.
Barnabas had tried to teach the trolls ballet. They weren't having it. The scene was pretty ridiculous—trolls chasing him while he desperately tried to explain his intentions.
After watching for a moment, Tom turned his gaze to the smooth wall across from the tapestry. He took a deep breath, focused, and began pacing back and forth.
"I need a room with dynamite," he thought.
"I need a room with dynamite."
"I need a room with dynamite."
Three passes later, the wall gave a slight shudder… but no door appeared.
"Seriously?" Tom sighed. "Fine. I need a room with RPGs."
He tried again—three passes. The wall trembled once more.
Then he tried, "I need a room with a hundred AKs."
This time? Nothing. Not even a wiggle.
"What kind of 'Room of Requirement' is this supposed to be?"
Disappointed, Tom shook his head and gave up on his dreams of stocking up on firearms.
Maybe his requests were a little over the top. Or maybe the original enchantments on the room were just that limited.
Inside the study space, Andros was speechless.
He'd followed Tom for a while now and understood perfectly how outrageous those requests had been.
"Cut it out. You're here to find a training ground, not a weapons depot," Andros chided.
"Fine, fine."
Tom shrugged and resumed pacing. This time, he focused on needing a proper training room.
Sure enough, after three more passes, a door suddenly appeared on the once-solid wall—as if it had always been there.
Tom quietly pushed it open and stepped inside. As soon as he entered, torches lit up around the walls, illuminating the entire space.
It was a large, open area—roughly half the size of the Great Hall.
Spread throughout the room were dozens of training dummies made of all kinds of materials: wood, metal, and more.
Perfect.
.
.
.