"It's truly magnificent!" Tom, blended in with the Muggle crowd, gazed at the Great Pyramid of Khufu before him.
A 40-story tall structure, with a sense of historical weight that assailed him—it was indeed worthy of being one of the "Seven Wonders of the World."
Tom took out his camera, stepped forward, and tapped a boy in front of him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, buddy, could you please help me take a picture?"
"Of course, no problem, hand me the camera."
The boy immediately agreed, turning around to take the camera, but then froze the next second.
"Tom Riddle?" the boy asked, uncertainly.
"Cedric Diggory?" Tom was also stunned when he saw the boy's face; he truly hadn't expected to see an acquaintance in far-off Egypt.
Hearing Tom say that, Cedric knew he hadn't mistaken him, and a bright smile appeared on his face.
"Riddle, what are you doing here?"
Tom returned Cedric's smile.
"Just traveling. I've always wanted to see the pyramids. Oh, by the way, it's too formal to call me Riddle; you can just call me Tom."
"Alright, Tom, you can just call me Cedric too," Cedric readily agreed, then looked around Tom with a hint of confusion, "Traveling? By yourself?"
"Yes, Cedric, I am alone. After all, it's no secret at Hogwarts that I'm an orphan."
Tom's frank answer, however, brought a trace of sympathy from Cedric.
Although Tom didn't think there was anything wrong with being an orphan, the sympathetic looks he received whenever the topic came up were truly uncomfortable, and he immediately frowned slightly.
Cedric observed Tom's expression and recalled the rumors about his junior; how could he not know that his hint of sympathy was an offense to Tom?
"I'm sorry, Tom."
Tom hadn't expected to hear an apology; truly, it was Cedric. He immediately waved his hand.
"It's fine, it's fine, you don't need to apologize. I actually don't mind. Oh, by the way, Cedric, are you also here traveling with your parents?"
"Yes, I'm with my parents." When talking about his family, a look of happiness spread across Cedric's face.
Tom, however, now showed a mischievous grin: "What about Cho Chang? Didn't she come with you?"
Cedric's face immediately flushed, and he stammered, "She… she didn't come. She and I aren't in the kind of relationship you're thinking of."
Tom gave him a disdainful look: "So, when school starts, should I faithfully relay what you just said to Cho Chang?"
Cedric immediately dropped to his knees after hearing that: "Please don't! I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Just then, a middle-aged man hurried towards them.
"Cedric, why are you still here? Your mother and I have been waiting for you for ages."
When he got closer and saw Tom, who was chatting happily with Cedric, he showed a hint of confusion: "Cedric, who is this?"
Cedric quickly introduced Tom to him: "Father, this is Tom Riddle, a Hogwarts student, my junior."
"Tom, this is my father, Amos Diggory."
Tom stepped forward and shook Mr. Diggory's hand: "Hello, Mr. Diggory, it's a pleasure to meet you. Cedric is the best student at Hogwarts, and I've always been curious about what kind of excellent parents raised him. Seeing you today, it's truly extraordinary."
Tom's praise, especially when it concerned Cedric, made Mr. Diggory beam, and he quickly responded modestly: "Oh, no, no. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tom. I'm sure you'll grow into an excellent Wizard as well. Oh, by the way, what were you two just talking about?"
This made Cedric's face flush with embarrassment, and he quickly tugged at Mr. Diggory's clothes, signaling him to stop talking.
Tom, however, seemed not to notice his small gesture and continued from Mr. Diggory's words.
"We were talking about your future daughter-in-law..."
Before Tom could finish his sentence, Cedric covered his mouth, making him muffle "Wuwuwu" and unable to speak, along with an apologetic smile.
"It's nothing, Father."
Then Cedric whispered a few words into Mr. Diggory's ear.
A moment later, Mr. Diggory winked at Tom and invited him: "Tom, since you're alone, would you like to spend this pleasant holiday with us?"
Tom had no objection to this and simply followed Cedric and Mr. Diggory.
After meeting up with Mrs. Diggory, Mr. Diggory led them to the back of the pyramid, where a man, completely wrapped up, was sitting bored, counting grains of sand.
Seeing Tom and his party approach, he lazily opened his mouth: "Where are you from?"
"England."
"Tickets, 10 Galleons per person, please."
After receiving the four tickets, the man took out his wand and lightly tapped it, and a small door appeared out of thin air on the wall.
After leading Tom through the door, Mr. Diggory explained to him: "The large entrance over there is for Muggles; the inside of the pyramid they see is merely fictional. This is the true interior of the pyramid that only Wizards can enter."
Mr. Diggory had clearly been here before and willingly acted as a guide, leading Tom on a tour.
"This is the sacrificial area. The sacrifices four thousand years ago were too bloody; this place originally accumulated a large number of vengeful spirits, and it wasn't cleaned up until the late 18th to early 19th century."
"The murals in this corridor originally had magic and recorded the history of that era, but as time passed, the magic dissipated, and the murals became unidentifiable."
...
Under Mr. Diggory's explanation, Tom, who was visiting ancient ruins from a Wizard's perspective for the first time, initially found it fascinating, but soon felt a bit bored.
"By the way, isn't there anything more special here? I feel like these aren't worth the 10 Galleons entrance fee."
While admiring a mural, Tom's casual question inadvertently drew a mysterious response from Mr. Diggory.
"Special? Of course there is. I guarantee you'll feel the 10 Galleons entrance fee is more than worth it."
Tom's expression shifted slightly. It was an unintentional question, and he hadn't expected to get a response from Mr. Diggory, so he carefully asked: "Could you take me to see it?"
"Of course, no problem. The timing is just right to go in now," Mr. Diggory readily agreed.
...
"So, the 'special' Mr. Diggory mentioned is this kind of special. Although it's a bit different from what I expected, it's truly beautiful."
Tom sat below, clapping and admiring the beautiful woman, like Cleopatra, performing a captivating belly dance, which made Tom feel that experiencing this inside the pyramid was truly worth the price.
"Isn't she beautiful, Tom?"
"Yes, truly beautiful."
Hmm, that voice doesn't sound like Cedric and the Diggorys.
Tom looked to the other side and realized it was an old acquaintance: the eldest son of the Weasley family, Bill Weasley.