"Happy tenth birthday to our little moon."
In the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, inside a house shaped a bit like an oversized wagon, a family of three sat around the table celebrating their daughter's tenth birthday.
"Meow~"
Beside them, a blue British Shorthair cat walked out of the kitchen, carefully balancing a large cake as he padded over and set it gently on the table.
"Thanks, Tom~"
The mother gave Tom a gentle pat on the head, then turned to the delicate, elf-like girl sitting at the table.
"Luna, make a wish and blow out the candles."
"Hmm… I wish I could go to Hogwarts with Tom!"
The girl—technically Tom thought of her simply as Luna—said her wish aloud and blew out the candles in one breath.
"You silly girl, saying your wish out loud means it won't come true."
On the other side of the table, Xenophilius shook his white hair impatiently. He looked torn—like he wanted to leave, but also wanted to stay and be there for his daughter.
"And besides, you're definitely going to Hogwarts next year. That's basically the same as not making a wish at all."
"I didn't say I wanted to go to Hogwarts. I said I wanted to go with Tom, not bring him as a pet!"
Luna shook her head, her dirigible-plum earrings swaying gently.
"Right, Tom? You want to go to Hogwarts with me, don't you?"
"Meow~"
Tom hopped onto the stool across from her with practiced ease and let out a lazy meow.
"I knew it!"
Watching this scene, Xenophilius and Pandora exchanged a smile full of affection and warmth.
"Well, since that's our little moon's birthday wish…"
Pandora wrapped her daughter into a gentle hug.
"…then Mom and Dad will just have to look forward to both of you getting Hogwarts acceptance letters."
┐(─__─)┌ Oh please. Even if I could go to Hogwarts, I'm way too old. Sure, I might live a long time, but I'm still an eleven-year-old senior cat.
Tom complained inwardly as he watched the happy family.
(´･_･`) And seriously, turning into a cat was one thing… but why did I get dropped into the Harry Potter world?!
That's right—he, or rather he used to be, human. One night he was scrolling through short videos when "good fortune" descended on him—literally—by punching him into unconsciousness.
When he woke up, he was in the world of Tom and Jerry, as the one and only Tom Cat.
It took some time to adjust, but eventually he realized being a cat wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was pretty great. If only Jerry wasn't such a nuisance—and if his owner wasn't that terrifying old lady from the early episodes.
Still, using his human brains, he had managed to catch Jerry a few times. But since peaceful living mattered more—and after bonding with Jerry a bit—they made a "gentleman's agreement": they'd just put on a show for the owner once in a while.
(Definitely not because he feared Jerry's insane extended family. Absolutely not!)
After that, life was cozy: eat, sleep, repeat.
Unfortunately, that bliss ended abruptly one morning.
When Tom woke up, he wasn't in his warm little bed anymore.
At first, he thought Jerry was behind it. But once he realized he was in England, he understood that those mice—even the insane ones—were not capable of smuggling him across the Atlantic.
After a string of mishaps, he eventually met Luna, and that's when he finally realized he'd wandered into the wrong franchise—from Tom and Jerry into Harry Potter.
But after living as a cat for years, Tom had mastered the art of going with the flow. Besides, Luna was adorable, sweet, and beautiful. Having her as his owner was way better than that cranky old lady.
(Not because Luna is the only person who can understand him. Absolutely not!)
And he wasn't entirely useless in the Lovegood household. In fact, Pandora being alive to celebrate Luna's tenth birthday was partially thanks to him.
When Pandora's experiment went out of control, Tom squeezed through the crack under the door and swallowed the rogue magic in one gulp. Sure, he collapsed for several days afterward (mostly because Luna thought he wasn't healed yet), but saving Pandora was worth it.
Because of that, the Lovegood family treated him like real family—letting him sit at the dining table was proof enough.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Tom looked at the ethereal, mischievous-looking Luna in front of him.
Hogwarts, huh… I wonder if I can sneak into a few classes with her. It'd be such a waste to come to a magical world and not learn any magic! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
And magic here is pretty amazing. If I'd known any back in my Tom-and-Jerry days, fighting that stupid mouse wouldn't have wrecked the house…
(╯°□°）╯︵┻━┻ No, no, no! It's been three years since I left, why am I still thinking about that stupid mouse?!
Tom gave his head a hard shake, trying to fling Jerry's face out of his mind.
Just then—
Knock, knock, knock!
A rhythmic tapping came from the window.
Everyone looked over. A large owl hovered outside, a letter clamped in its beak, staring inside intently.
(・_・?) A letter? Luna's friends all live nearby, there aren't any holidays coming up, and we didn't order anything… Who sent a letter?
Wait—could it be an extra order for The Quibbler?! (✧∇✧)
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Xenophilius shot up from his chair and rushed to the window with comical enthusiasm.
Pandora: (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡
"He's still the same, huh? Mention The Quibbler and he gets all excited."
Despite her words, her eyes were full of affection.
"Well, it is Dad's passion project. It's only natural he cares about it. And everything he writes is great anyway~"
Luna nodded earnestly. She trusted and respected her father completely.
Since it was just a delivery owl, the others didn't pay much attention—until Xenophilius suddenly gasped.
"(゜ロ゜) Wait—what?! A letter from Hogwarts? Why now? Are they inviting us to teach?!"
He placed the envelope on the table.
Stamped on the front was a shield-shaped crest formed by a lion, snake, badger, and eagle circling a large "H."
But what truly froze everyone was the name written in the recipient line on the back.
"Mr. Tom Lovegood."