She had agreed to help, yes—but that didn't mean Tom had agreed as well.
Even though she would help Neville look for Trevor no matter what Tom decided, if Tom refused to go along, she would have to carefully consider which snacks to leave behind for him.
As for leaving all of them?
They'd be eaten clean. Absolutely wiped out! They definitely would!
(￣▽￣)~*
While she wasn't sure whether Tom would actually do something like that, she knew one thing for certain—if it were her, she definitely wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of those snacks.
"What a big cat! Is it your pet?"
Only then did Neville finally notice the enormous cat sitting quietly beside Hannah. He hadn't even had time to wipe away the tears at the corner of his eyes before curiosity completely took over.
[Do I really look that much like a pet?!]
Tom was utterly baffled. It was one thing when Hannah had misunderstood earlier—after all, he had been staying beside Luna at the time, and from the outside he really did look like her magical pet.
But now?
He was wearing a wizard's robe!
"Didn't you read The Quibbler?" Hannah quickly jumped in to explain before Tom could lose his temper. "A recent issue mentioned that a cat would be enrolling as a first-year this year. Tom is that new classmate!"
She spoke quickly, clearly not wanting anyone else to repeat the same mistake she had made earlier.
"Eh? A classmate?!"
Σ(°mouth°)
Neville froze completely. His mind simply couldn't connect the words cat and classmate together.
As for The Quibbler, he'd heard his grandmother mention it before—but wasn't that supposed to be a magazine full of strange jokes and ridiculous stories? Since when did it report real news?
[Exactly! Didn't you notice the wizard's robe I'm wearing?!]
Tom finally couldn't help complaining inwardly. He was genuinely impressed at this point. Apparently, it wasn't just Neville's memory that was unreliable—his eyesight wasn't much better either!
What kind of young wizard dressed their pet in proper school robes?!
"S-sorry… I didn't notice…"
Neville lowered his head, his voice getting quieter and quieter as his confidence visibly shrank.
Looking at the timid, nervous boy in front of him, Tom helplessly spread his paws.
What could he even say?
The future Gryffindor Swordmaster was, at this moment, nothing more than a confused child who severely lacked self-confidence.
[Fine. I forgive you. Your pet is lost, right? I'll help you look for it too.]
"R-really?! Thank you!"
Neville's eyes lit up instantly.
Ignoring Neville's overflowing gratitude, Tom shook his head and began thinking seriously about how to find the missing toad.
His memories of Harry Potter were already blurry at best. He couldn't remember where Neville eventually found Trevor in the original story at all.
(And even if I did remember, it wouldn't matter much anyway. In the original timeline, it was Hagrid who found Trevor on the boat.)
As for using magic?
Setting aside the fact that Tom was still experimenting with how his magic even worked, even if he could cast spells normally, Accio was a charm taught in the fourth year. It wasn't something he could possibly use right now.
Hannah noticed Tom's thoughtful expression and watched him with curiosity. Although she felt a little unhappy about his obvious "differential treatment," she didn't say anything—after all, helping Neville find Trevor came first.
She wondered whether this mysterious magical classmate really had some kind of special method.
A moment later, Tom's eyes suddenly lit up.
He clenched one paw into a fist and tapped it against his other paw.
[I think I've come up with a way to find Trevor!]
It wasn't that he could find Trevor—but that didn't mean no one else could.
"Do you know where we should go to help—"
Hannah stopped halfway through her sentence, suddenly realizing something important.
"…Wait. I don't think I know your name yet."
She turned toward the boy standing by the door.
"My name is Neville. Neville Longbottom," he said softly, though a hint of happiness crept into his voice. "You can just call me Neville."
"Oh! Right. So, you're helping Neville find Trevor?" Hannah asked, tilting her head.
She knew it! This magical giant cat definitely had hidden talents!
[I don't know where Trevor is.]
Tom replied confidently.
"(・_・)? Then what did you mean by having a way?"
[I mean—I know where to go to find Trevor.]
Under their confused stares, Tom calmly pulled out a small slip of paper and scribbled a few lines on it. Then, to their complete shock, he reached into his belongings and produced a large birdcage.
Inside it sat an owl that looked as though it had already given up on life.
"Meow~"
(George, be a good boy and help me deliver this letter to Trevor~)
Yes. That was Tom's solution.
Since they had no way of searching for a tiny toad throughout the entire train, they would simply leave the task to a professional.
After all, regardless of how they did it, owls were among the most magical animals in this world. Their talent for finding people—and paths—was practically maxed out. As long as the target wasn't deliberately hiding, they could deliver letters with uncanny accuracy.
Tom wasn't entirely sure whether this ability extended to non-human creatures, but there was no harm in trying.
What if it worked?
Hannah and Neville stared blankly.
(○´･д･)ﾉ
Under their gaze, George shot Tom an annoyed look, as if questioning why he was being used for such a ridiculous task. Still, he obediently picked up the slip of paper in his beak, spread his wings, and flew off in a specific direction.
"C-can owls even be used like that?!"
Hannah was completely stunned.
No—was this even logical?
Weren't owls meant to deliver mail? Finding people… or animals? Was that really reliable?!
[We won't know unless we try. Follow him!]
With that, Tom leapt out of the compartment, looking unusually excited, and ran after George.
"W-wait for me!"
Neville hurried after him, his earlier despair replaced by hope. Just as Tom had said—no matter whether it worked or not, this was far better than wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly.
"Wait for me too!"
Hannah glanced back at the snacks on the table, then at the two figures disappearing down the corridor. After hesitating for only a moment, she scooped everything up and chased after them.
Soon enough, under George's guidance, the group stopped outside one of the train's restrooms.
Inside, sitting innocently by the corner—
Was a toad.
The moment George spotted it, he swooped down, dropped the slip of paper directly onto the toad's head, then gracefully flew back to Tom's side. He perched there proudly, one claw on each of Tom's shoulders.
"Trevor!"
Neville rushed forward and carefully scooped the toad up, holding it close as though he were afraid it might vanish again. His face lit up with pure relief and joy.
"Thank you! If I hadn't found him, I really wouldn't have known how to face Great Uncle Algie…"
[You're welcome. But… shouldn't you keep Trevor in a terrarium with some water?]
Listening to the toad's desperate croaks and watching it struggle in Neville's grip, Tom's expression grew complicated.
He finally understood why this toad always ran away.
Being clutched like this all day was pure torture for a toad.
Moreover, toads required a damp, dark environment to survive properly. Neville clearly didn't have anything suitable.
"S-so… Trevor running away is actually my fault?"
Neville stared at the toad in disbelief after hearing Tom's explanation.
Everyone else raised their pets like this—so why was his toad so troublesome?
Fortunately, Neville wasn't stubborn. Once he realized his mistake, he immediately began reflecting on his behavior and thinking seriously about how to give Trevor a more comfortable living environment.
Only…
"I can't prepare a terrarium for Trevor right now…"
Looking down at the constantly struggling toad in his hands, Neville's face filled with worry.
[($ω$) Leave this to me!]
The moment Tom saw Neville's expression, he keenly caught the unmistakable scent of money.
His eyes instantly transformed into shining symbols of profit.
What Neville needed was simple—a portable container with water, suitable for a toad.
And as long as the payment was right, what couldn't he make?
Forget a small fish tank.
As long as the price was high enough, he could personally craft a custom-made luxury terrarium without any problem at all.
A perfect business opportunity had just presented itself.