To our little moon, happy tenth birthday.
In the quiet countryside of Ottery St. Catchpole stood a peculiar house shaped like an oversized magical carriage. Its curved walls and whimsical windows glowed warmly in the afternoon light, and inside, laughter echoed through the air.
Three members of the Lovegood family sat around the dining table, celebrating their darling daughter's tenth birthday.
"Meow~"
From the kitchen padded a dignified blue British Shorthair, walking upright on his hind legs with remarkable balance. Cradled in his forepaws was a massive birthday cake decorated with silver stars and floating sugar moons. He placed it carefully at the center of the table, not so much as wobbling.
"Thank you, Tom~"
Pandora Lovegood smiled gently and reached out to pat the cat's head. Her movements were affectionate and practiced, as though this were the most natural thing in the world. Then she turned her gaze to the girl sitting opposite her.
"Luna, sweetheart, make a wish and blow out the candles."
The elfin-faced girl leaned forward, her pale blond hair slipping over her shoulders. Luna Lovegood clasped her hands together, her wide, dreamy eyes unfocused as she thought very seriously about her wish.
After a moment, she spoke it aloud with complete sincerity.
"I hope I can go to Hogwarts and study together with Tom."
With that, she drew in a breath and blew. Every candle went out in a single puff, smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling.
"Silly girl," Xenophilius Lovegood said, shaking his wild mop of white hair. "Wishes don't come true if you say them out loud."
He looked torn between lecturing his daughter and slipping away to fetch his camera, as though this were an event that desperately needed documenting.
"Besides," he added, "you'll definitely be going to Hogwarts next year anyway. A wish like that is rather pointless."
"I didn't say I wanted to take Tom as a pet," Luna replied seriously, shaking her head. Her dirigible plum earrings swayed gently with the motion. "I said I want to go with him."
She turned to the cat beside her.
"Don't you agree, Tom? You want to study there too, don't you?"
"Meow~"
Tom reached out, pulled the chair opposite Luna with practiced ease, hopped up onto it, and sat down as elegantly as any gentleman. He gave a lazy, unbothered meow, tail flicking once.
"I knew it!" Luna declared happily.
Watching the scene unfold, Xenophilius and Pandora exchanged a smile filled with warmth and indulgence.
"Well then," Pandora said softly, drawing Luna into her arms, "since it's our little moon's wish… Mummy and Daddy will look forward to both of you receiving Hogwarts letters."
Tom's ears twitched.
"┐(─__─)┌ Yeah, right," he muttered silently to himself. "Even if I could go, I'm way over the age limit. Cats may live a long time, but I'm already an eleven-year-old senior."
His gaze lingered on the loving family scene, and his thoughts drifted.
"(´･_･`) I still don't get it. Turning into a cat—I can accept that. But why dump me straight into the Harry Potter universe?"
Indeed, Tom had not always been a cat.
Once upon a time, he had been human.
One ordinary night, while lying in bed and doom-scrolling through short videos on his phone, fate had quite literally punched him in the face. When he woke up, the world was no longer the same.
He had crossed dimensions—and somehow ended up in the animated world of Tom & Jerry, reborn as the iconic Tom Cat.
At first, he hadn't been able to accept it. Panic, confusion, and denial had followed in quick succession. But after a while, he adapted. And once he did, he discovered that life as a cat was… surprisingly blissful.
The only real problem was Jerry—that infuriating brown mouse—and the terrifying old hag who passed for his owner in the original series.
Still, with human intelligence intact, Tom managed to catch Jerry more than a few times. But after realizing how dangerous Jerry's extended family was—and after growing oddly fond of the mouse—Tom proposed a "gentlemen's agreement."
They would put on a show for the owner now and then. No permanent harm. Mutual survival.
(Definitely not because he was afraid of Jerry's freak-show relatives. Absolutely not.)
From then on, life was perfect. Eat. Sleep. Lounge. Repeat.
Until one morning, when everything fell apart.
He woke up not in his familiar basket, but somewhere else entirely.
At first, he blamed Jerry. But once he realized he was in Britain, he knew that even Jerry couldn't have managed an international relocation without being noticed.
Only after wandering for a while—and eventually meeting Luna by pure chance—did he understand the truth.
He hadn't just changed locations.
He'd changed worlds.
From Tom & Jerry… into Harry Potter.
Years of living as a cat had taught him resilience. Rolling with the punches was second nature by now. Besides, Luna was kind, fair, and gentle. Being her companion was far better than living with that old hag.
(Definitely not because Luna was the only human who could understand him. No way.)
During his years with the Lovegoods, Tom hadn't wasted time. Pandora being alive and well for Luna's tenth birthday was proof enough.
When her experimental magic had gone out of control, Tom had squeezed through the lab door and swallowed the rampaging magical energy himself. He'd spent days playing dead afterward—mostly because Luna insisted he needed rest—but it was worth it.
Since then, the Lovegoods had treated him as true family. A seat at the table was only natural.
Pulling himself out of his memories, Tom gazed at Luna's dreamy smile.
"Hogwarts, huh…" he thought. "Maybe I can sneak into a few classes with her. After ending up in a magic world, it'd be criminal not to learn a few spells."
"And magic here looks wild," he continued mentally. "If I'd known spells back then, fights with that mouse wouldn't have trashed the house…"
(╯°□°）╯︵┻━┻ Wait, why am I still thinking about that rodent after three years here?!
Tom flicked his tail irritably, trying to banish the image from his mind.
That was when—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A steady knocking sounded against the window.
Everyone turned at once.
Outside hovered a large owl, wings beating rhythmically in the air. Clutched in its beak was a cream-colored envelope, its golden eyes locked firmly on the people inside.
"(・_・?) A letter?" Xenophilius muttered. "Luna's friends live nearby, there's no holiday, and we didn't order anything…"
A beat passed.
"Could it be an extra submission for The Quibbler?! (✧∇✧)"
The moment the thought struck him, Xenophilius shot to his feet and dashed to the window with alarming speed.
Pandora watched him fondly.
"Hehe," she said, smiling. "Your father's still the same. Mention The Quibbler and off he goes."
Though she sounded exasperated, her eyes sparkled with affection.
"It is Dad's life's work," Luna said serenely. "Of course he's excited. His articles are wonderful."
Assuming it was ordinary owl post, the others relaxed—until Xenophilius froze.
His voice rang out, stunned.
"Wait… a Hogwarts letter? Why are they writing now? Don't tell me they want me to be a professor?!"
He placed the envelope on the table.
The wax seal bore a shield: lion, serpent, badger, and eagle encircling a large, ornate H.
When he flipped it over and read the addressee, the room fell completely silent.
"Mr. Tom Lovegood."
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