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Game of Thrones White Dragon Rising
Game of Thrones The Sun Dragon Descends
Lucius stood outside the door, hand raised to knock, when it suddenly swung open from the inside.
Tom rubbed his eyes, looked at the man standing there, and gave a respectful noble bow. "Good evening, Lord Lucius."
"Mm." Lucius gave a slight nod. "How are you settling in? Has Draco pulled any stunts?"
"No, Young Master Draco and I have been getting along great."
Lucius nodded. "Get some rest early."
After leaving Tom's doorway, Lucius watched him head to the bathroom, then return to his room where the lights soon went out.
This kid… doesn't seem nearly as terrifying as everyone made him out to be.
If anything, was Tom really that much of a genius?
Lucius had met plenty of geniuses in his life.
As someone from a mixed-blood wizarding family, he'd grown up around them and kept running into more as an adult.
He'd been bullied by geniuses and had bullied them right back, but without exception, every single one had that unmistakable spark of arrogance in their eyes.
In Tom's eyes, though…
Lucius only saw calm.
No smugness, no conceit. It was like everything the boy did was simply for the sake of "peace and quiet."
That was rare.
Especially for a young man who was now experiencing pure-blood wizard life for the first time.
There wasn't even a trace of longing or envy in his eyes for this lifestyle. And here he was, still studying late into the night.
At this rate, did Lucius even need to keep pushing him harder on potions?
Lucius rubbed his forehead.
He decided not to pressure the boy anymore.
Tom had his own rhythm. Letting him live his life his way was probably for the best.
Just then, Lucius's eyebrow twitched. He glanced at the room next door.
Draco's room.
Why the hell was that little idiot still awake at this hour?!
He pushed the door open and found Draco sitting in front of a chessboard, looking utterly miserable.
Tears shimmered in the boy's eyes.
When he saw his father burst in, Draco sniffled. "Father… you're back."
"Why are you still awake?!" Lucius growled angrily, then spotted the wizard's chess set on the table. "Don't you have time tomorrow? You had to play tonight?"
Draco lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Father… but I got crushed today. Do you believe someone who'd never even learned wizard's chess—didn't even know the rules—could lose to me twice and then I never won again after that?"
Wizard's chess…
Draco had lost?
He hadn't named his opponent, but Lucius knew immediately.
Who else but Tom!
"How is that possible?" Lucius frowned.
He actually had a pretty high opinion of his son's wizard's chess skills.
Before learning magic—and even after—Draco's favorite thing had always been wizard's chess. He'd poured years into it.
Whenever Lucius took him out to socialize with other noble wizarding families, Draco would often challenge the others to a game.
How could someone like that lose to Tom?
"Did he cheat?" Lucius asked, finding it hard to believe. "A kid who just learned wizard's chess…"
Wizard's chess was incredibly complex. It took at least ten games just to fully grasp the rules.
"I don't think so," Draco sighed. "Because… I was the one who cheated."
Draco picked up the monocle lying on the floor beside him. "I suspected him at first too, but after I put this on and watched his magic closely…
There were no magical artifacts, and he wasn't using any spells. He beat me fair and square with nothing but his brain.
Father… is the gap between wizards really that huge?"
It felt bigger than the difference between a human and a dog.
Draco's fragile young pride had been completely shattered that day.
For the first time, he truly understood the power of a "genius."
Ordinary people could never defeat a genius—no matter how hard they tried, no matter how many magical tools they used.
"You idiot. Why didn't you just try something else with him? His grades are insane, so of course he's better at brainy stuff. Switch it up!
The wizarding world isn't just wizard's chess. Tomorrow, I don't want to see you like this again. Pull yourself together."
Lucius couldn't bring himself to be harsher. He quickly left the room without even reminding Draco to get some sleep.
Having his pride trampled like that… hopefully the boy would feel better by morning.
---
The next day.
Morning.
By the time Draco woke up, Lucius had already left.
Just like he'd said, Lucius would be extremely busy these next few days—gone before sunrise, back late at night for a few hours of sleep, then rushing out again.
Tom was already awake too, though he'd gotten up a bit earlier.
When Draco got out of bed, Tom had already finished his daily morning routine.
In the winter chill, Tom was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. His shirt was off, proudly showing off his ripped, muscular physique without a hint of shyness as he stood right in front of Draco.
"Your body… is that built? You're a wizard! Why are you working out so much?!" Draco's mouth trembled. "What do you even do every morning?"
"Three hundred push-ups, a hundred pull-ups, crunches, and a twenty-kilometer morning run. Usually from four until seven or eight. It starts slow, but I pick up the pace later on."
Draco: "———— Demon. No—I'm asking why you push yourself this hard. You're not going to fight other wizards with your bare hands anyway. Wizard fights are won with magic! Only magic wins!
No matter how much you work out, it's useless."
Tom shrugged. "Who knows? What if some new spell comes along someday—like a barrier that blocks all magic inside it? Then it'd be my time to shine.
Besides, working out isn't a waste of time or energy. It gives you a strong body and wipes away a whole day's fatigue. On the battlefield, you might even survive longer just because you can run faster."
Tom draped a towel over his shoulder. "I need a shower. Where's the bathroom?"
"Over there." Draco pointed.
After showering and changing, Tom stepped out looking refreshed, his impressive muscles now hidden neatly under his clothes.
But Draco still kept getting flashbacks.
It was like his eyes could see right through the fabric to those muscles underneath.
No wonder Tom looked good in anything he wore…
With a body like that, of course he did!
Maybe I should start working out too. Would I look that sharp in clothes then?
Would Hermione…
Draco cleared his throat loudly, yanking his thoughts back.
"Where do you want to go today?"
Tom: "Breakfast first."
He wasn't in any rush to head out and waved off Draco's question. "Food comes before everything. I worked out all morning—I need to refuel."
Tom's appetite shocked Draco all over again.
No wonder the guy wanted to stay at Hogwarts so badly!
The food there was all-you-can-eat. He could stuff himself silly.
Eating out at a restaurant? One of Tom's meals would easily cost two Galleons!
Who eats like that? He'd cleared more than a dozen plates!
"Let's go. What do you feel like doing today?" Tom asked, sounding like a little adult as he brushed a strand of long hair behind his ear. His face looked as sharp and handsome as a mature, artistic young man.
"Hmph. There's no way I'm losing to you today," Draco muttered under his breath. "I was just off my game yesterday. It's been forever since I played wizard's chess. My real specialty is something else."
Draco was feeling confident again!
Tom gave him an amused glance.
This guy really never gave up.
Should I go easy on him today?
Nah. Opportunities to bully kids didn't come around often—especially when it wasn't Hermione. Those chances were even rarer.
Better let Draco experience what a true all-rounder could do.
After all, getting this far… every step had been earned with blood, sweat, and tears!
System, give me some points!
Oh, right. This system didn't work like that. Never mind.
---
At the Burrow.
Hermione seemed distracted.
"Hermione, you're amazing," Ginny said with a bright smile. "I can't believe how quick you picked all this up. Wizard's chess is one of the hardest games out there, but you caught on so fast. I can barely keep up with you now."
Ginny thought for a second. "But Ron loves wizard's chess. Want me to get him over here?"
Hermione shook her head.
She stood by the window, gazing out at the lush green woods.
This place really was like a little paradise. Hermione liked it a lot.
When she was older, she could picture herself buying a house in a quiet spot like this and living a peaceful, carefree life.
—As long as she was strong enough.
Strong enough that no one could ever bother her!
"Hermione, have you ever played wizard's chess with Tom?" Ginny suddenly asked.
She'd been hearing Tom's name constantly these past few days, so the name had stuck.
She was sure that anyone Hermione called a "genius" couldn't possibly be sloppy like Ron.
From Hermione's descriptions, Ginny had started building up an image of Tom in her head.
Handsome, tall, and powerful.
Plus incredibly talented!
Basically perfect.
Maybe just a little less impressive than Harry…
Of course, Ginny had only seen Harry once—when she watched from afar as Ron left for Hogwarts the first time. He was the most handsome boy she'd ever seen. She figured Tom was probably around the same level.
"No," Hermione shook her head, pulling Ginny out of her thoughts. "Neither of us knows how to play wizard's chess. And Tom's always so busy anyway. He doesn't have time for stuff like that."
"Oh! So once you get back to Hogwarts, you can play with Tom, right?"
Exactly!
Hermione's interest was instantly piqued.
She could use this month to practice hard. Then she could completely crush Tom at wizard's chess!
He'd probably beg her to teach him how to play.
Just imagining the scene made the corners of Hermione's mouth turn up.
This was the perfect chance to bully Tom!
Maybe they could even make a bet. She could win all his Galleons!
No, wait—Tom was a master at potions. He wouldn't be short on money. She needed a better stake.
Like…
A favor.
The loser would have to grant the winner one unconditional request. Anything at all!
Hermione sat on the floor and patted her cheeks. "Ginny, I've changed my mind. I'm going to study wizard's chess seriously. I have to master it! I'm going to become the greatest wizard's chess master in the world!
Is Ron really good at it?"
Ginny nodded. "Definitely. He loves it. For a long time, he used to play against himself with the chess set. I'll go get him for you."
Ginny hurried out of the room.
Sure enough, just mentioning Tom got Hermione excited.
Ginny let out a little giggle.
She was getting more and more curious about this "Tom" Hermione kept talking about.
She wanted to see what this supposedly perfect guy actually looked like.
Before long, a sleepy Ron was dragged out of bed by Ginny.
His messy red hair was all over the place. He yawned as he sat down in front of the chessboard. "You two really think you can beat me at wizard's chess? That's impossible.
Hermione's smart, sure, but she doesn't know the first thing about wizard's chess."
Ginny planted her hands on the table and glared. "That's not true! I just taught her the rules, and it won't be long before she beats you!"
Beating me after just learning the rules?
Ron took it as them joking around.
If wizard's chess was that easy, it wouldn't be known as one of the most difficult board games around.
He'd go easy on them. Couldn't let them lose too badly.
Otherwise Harry might chew him out later.
---
Draco sat on the ground, hugging his knees in disbelief.
How is this possible? How?!
"Tom, are you even human? Are you actually human?! A genius… even a genius shouldn't be like this!"
Today's score: 1-0.
Of course, Draco was the zero.
In every possible way, he'd been completely defeated by Tom.
At first Tom had held back a little. Now he wasn't even pretending anymore.
Even with things he'd never tried before, he'd watch for just ten minutes, then pick them up and be just as good as Draco—if not better.
"You're going to end up with no friends like this, Tom!" Draco's neck was flushed red. All pretense of noble dignity was gone. Right now he was just a stubborn, frustrated kid.
"Uh… want me to go easy on you?" Tom scratched his head. "This stuff doesn't seem that hard. Maybe you just haven't played much?"
"I've been playing for ten years!" Draco sat down hard. "I don't need you to go easy. Do you think I'm still a little kid? Show me your real strength! I want to see where your limit is!
Tom, this time… I'm getting serious."
Draco suddenly stared at Tom with deadly seriousness, his tone completely solemn.
It would have been a lot more intimidating if there weren't still tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.