If you immerse yourself in something for more than two hours, you will start to feel irritated and your efficiency will further decline until you can't concentrate at all.
Except for the time for lunch, Tom studied from three o'clock to ten o'clock, but the most efficient time was the more than two hours before dinner. In the evening, he read the textbook just to read it, not in a true learning state at all.
The learning points gained in one day were only thirty, the same as the three hours last night.
I can consider the extraordinary state later when I have more credits. I can't save money now, and I need to use the study space efficiently.
After making his plans, Tom fell asleep quickly.
For the next month, he did not go to Diagon Alley again and studied magic at home every day.
Five hours a day, he went into the learning space to study with Andros, and the rest of the time he practiced freely in the real world.
In a blink of an eye, it was the day before school started.
...
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"Are we finally going to Hogwarts? I've been waiting for this day for so long."
It wasn't Tom who spoke, but Andros.
During this period, Andros had also learned a lot about the development trajectory and major events of the magic world and could be considered a half-qualified modern magician.
The people he admired most were the four giants who had founded the magic school. He often sighed that he did not live in the same era as these four heroes.
Andros couldn't judge specifically what level of wizards the four were, but he was sure that they were at least at the same level as him, that is, Kings of the Century.
Tom also asked Andros how he evaluated his talent but ended up getting an ambiguous answer.
There was no doubt that Tom had great talent and definitely met the standards of a Great Man of His Generation.
But there was a huge gap between a King of the Century and a Great Man of a Generation. Andros could not make an accurate judgment based on the simple magic Tom had learned so far.
Maybe Tom is a late bloomer?
In fact, this already showed what Andros meant—Tom was still a little bit short, at a level between the two.
Tom was not discouraged by this. His talent was not static. Now he had obtained Andros's magical talent, right?
He would have more and stronger talents in the future, so there was no need to rush.
He glanced at the system panel and saw that his relationship with Andros had been getting better and better these days. His approval rating had reached 46 and would soon reach 50, giving him another chance to win a lottery.
In fact, what shocked Tom the most was that Andros had another name—Hercules.
When Tom found out, he thought there was something wrong with his ears, but that was the truth.
In the eyes of the ignorant ancients, powerful wizards were no different from gods. Their deeds were passed down and, after artistic processing and changes, naturally became myths.
However, after reading the Greek myths of later generations, Andros repeatedly emphasized that he did not have a father who liked to turn into a bull or a swan. His father and mother were just ordinary wizards, and it was only with him that they produced a super genius.
"Tom, you can now try to learn the Patronus Charm."
Andros patted the boy's shoulder, eager to teach Tom his unique skills.
The Patronus Charm is undoubtedly a high-level spell. It requires high magical power and even higher requirements for willpower and character.
Tom's character was not comparable to his peers; he had already reached this standard.
The second thing was magic, and since he had acquired Andros's magical talent, there was nothing to worry about.
"I've been looking forward to this for a long time, Andros." Tom was envious of the giant guardian.
"Let me demonstrate it for you first."
Andros stepped back, wand raised high:
"Expecto Patronum!"
Silvery-white mist threads flowed out from the tip of the staff, interweaving to form a huge Patronus.
Tom's eyes widened in shock.
"Is this a Patronus?!"
The Patronus in front of him was over ten meters tall, and what shocked Tom the most was that Andros's Patronus was actually himself!
"Hahahahaha!"
Andros laughed heartily, very pleased with Tom's expression. "Surprising, right? Usually, Patronuses are in animal form, which suits the caster's personality and inner reflection."
"But I believe that the only thing that can protect oneself is one's own strength and belief."
"Perhaps this is why my Patronus is so unique. After my continuous development, it has gained many more uses and has a strong restraining effect on dark forces."
Andros smiled confidently, "Tom, if you train according to the method I taught you, you will have a high chance of obtaining an anthropomorphic Patronus. How about it, are you interested?"
Tom nodded vigorously.
Who could stay calm facing this? Compared to animals like sea otters, swans, and stags, the human guardian was definitely more handsome!
If he could reach the size of Andros's, it would be like piloting a Gundam!
Tom's enthusiasm for learning was completely aroused. He left the study space reluctantly, only stopping when it was almost time to leave the next day. He ate two pieces of bread casually and carried his suitcase to King's Cross Station.
The suitcase didn't look big, but it had been cast with an Undetectable Extension Charm—this spell was indeed difficult, and it took Tom two days to master it. It expanded the volume inside the suitcase by three times. Any more space would become unstable.
And the space expansion was not permanent. The spell needed to be repeated every month to maintain the effect, but it was enough for now.
As for the fact that using the Undetectable Extension Charm privately violated the laws of the Ministry of Magic, Tom didn't care at all. He was just a freshman and didn't know such a sophisticated spell.
Someone must have wanted to frame him, so they used this spell on his box!
...
Ten o'clock.
Tom arrived at King's Cross Station. As the most important transportation hub in London, the station had a huge flow of people. The original meaning of King's Cross was to commemorate George IV, who could not be described as a benevolent and wise king but was extremely foolish.
Even his closest attendants were disgusted with him and commented that no dog was more despicable, cowardly, and insensitive than this king. There might not be many good monarchs in the world, but he was definitely the worst one.
Tom really couldn't think of anything worth commemorating about this monarch. Apart from King's Cross Station, there are many statues of George IV in the UK.
Following the crowd, Tom came to the area between platforms nine and ten and pretended to bump into the wall naturally.
A new world emerged.
A crimson steam locomotive stood beside a platform packed with passengers, with a sign reading 'Hogwarts Express'.
Separated by a wall, there were two worlds.
Tom took a deep breath, boarded the train, and began another magical journey as Tom Riddle.
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The Hogwarts Express was scheduled to leave at eleven o'clock. Tom arrived early, and there were not many students on the train when he boarded.
However, he still walked towards the last carriage to avoid being disturbed by people passing by the compartment door when boarding.
Arriving at the second-to-last carriage, Tom randomly found an empty compartment and went in. He put his luggage on the rack, took out a book called "A Thousand Magical Clever Responses," and began to read.
Andros's voice rang out in his mind.
"The Hogwarts Express is actually hidden inside the Muggle station, and it's not afraid of being discovered."
Tom smiled. "After all, this is the largest recorded use of the Muggle-Repelling Charm in wizarding history. Now the Ministry of Magic sends people to perform the spell every year. I guess the Repelling Charm has become the most proficient magic of all Ministry employees."
"We didn't have such a department back then," Andros sighed. "It's so much more convenient. Most importantly, it can also restrain those evil dark wizards."
"Restraining dark wizards is actually saving yourself."
Tom pointed out the crux of the matter: "The Muggles in modern society are not comparable to those in the past. Once the magical world is exposed, most wizards will not have a good ending."
Andros was silent.
Although Andros did not discriminate against Muggles, he was also arrogant as a wizard, even more so than others. After all, he was the strongest of his time.
But Andros would never have thought that those Muggles who regarded wizards as gods would develop to this point today, enough to threaten the survival of wizards.
It was no wonder that the book said the original intention of establishing the Ministry of Magic was to ensure that the existence of the magical world would not be discovered by Muggles.
As Andros fell silent, Tom also stopped talking and read the book contentedly. He didn't have much time to study with Andros today, so he had opened the space just to let this "ancient man" take a look at today's society.
Just as the train was getting more and more lively and about to depart, the door of the compartment was opened.
A cute girl with golden curly hair, long eyelashes, and big blinking eyes was startled by Tom. She obviously didn't expect that there was someone else in the compartment.
But she still walked in and asked a little awkwardly, "Can I sit here?"
"Of course."
Tom nodded and gentlemanly helped the girl put her luggage on the rack.
While stowing the luggage, Tom keenly noticed that although the suitcase looked very ordinary, it was embroidered with dark gold edges, and there was an intricate and gorgeous emblem in the corner.
It looked like the other family's crest.
Tom immediately understood that this was most likely the eldest daughter of a pure-blood family.
After thanking him, the girl sat down opposite Tom, secretly looking at Tom, who had continued reading.
He's so good-looking!
When this thought came into her mind, the girl was startled. A blush appeared on her chubby face. She quickly looked away, but her body was honest enough to secretly move her eyes back.
As everyone knows, people named Tom Riddle are all good-looking.
His black hair had some natural curls, and his dark pupils were concentrating on the book. The girl's eyes were firmly attracted by Tom's delicate facial features. She admired him but also felt a little jealous.
Why does a boy have more delicate facial features than a girl like her, comparable to her sister?
Seeing that Tom had no intention of speaking, the girl shifted uncomfortably and took the initiative to start a conversation. "Hello, I... I'm Daphne Greengrass, a first-year student at Hogwarts."
"Riddle."
Tom didn't expect the pure-blood lady to initiate a conversation. He closed the book and responded, "Tom Riddle, also a freshman this year."
Riddle?