Tom didn't refuse Dumbledore's kindness. Though his instincts warned him the man might have hidden motives, what did it matter? Dumbledore had genuinely brought Ariana out of that place called the Mist-Enveloped Realm. For that alone, asking for a small "thank-you gift" was only natural.
As for any ulterior motives—'Heh, who cares? I'll just swallow the sugar-coating and throw the cannonball back (ˉ▽￣～).'
Besides, the old man wasn't a bad person at heart. Even if he had a request, it probably wouldn't be too difficult for a cat like Tom. 'Considering he did provide a tiny bit of help, helping him fulfill a small wish isn't out of the question.'
And so, the man and the cat walked down the quiet corridor, each lost in their own thoughts. The silence was unusually heavy.
"By the way, Tom," Dumbledore finally spoke as they reached the entrance hall on the first floor.
(What is it?) Tom perked up. Sure enough, just as he had sensed, this old bee was still holding something back.
'If it's a troublesome request, like wanting me to bring back your parents' souls, that's not something I can do right now,' he thought.
From Tom's perspective, for a man like Dumbledore—one who craved familial love but had always been roundabout in his methods—this probably wasn't something achievable either. And Tom couldn't help with that.
If there were a way to locate those souls, it would have been one thing; at most, he might have "borrowed" some souls again. But finding Ariana in the Mist-Enveloped Realm had been a complete coincidence. Even Tom couldn't understand why he had entered it after dying once from eating chocolate—it wasn't like he had intended to find Ariana.
Fortunately, Dumbledore had not thought along those lines either. Although he longed for family, his deepest regret and the source of his pain had been Ariana's death. His parents? A hundred years had passed, and the emotions tied to them had long since faded.
After a brief hesitation, Dumbledore looked at Tom solemnly.
"Though it's a bit forward, I want to know if the process you used to knock the Sorting Hat's soul out and then put it back in can be replicated on other living beings. Especially the part about putting the soul back."
(Huh? (ﾟ⊿ﾟ)ﾂ)
Tom had already drafted a mental script to refuse the request, but Dumbledore's question caught him off guard.
'If it's just that, you could have asked me directly. Why drag it out?'
Although he didn't fully understand Dumbledore's thought process, Tom puffed out his chest with pride.
(Of course I can!)
As a gag character, Tom wasn't even aware of all his abilities. Something as simple as removing a soul and returning it was just a drop in the ocean of his skillset. If Voldemort had asked, he might have hidden it, but with Dumbledore, there was no need.
"Then…" Dumbledore pressed further, "does there need to be a connection between the soul and the body? For example, can a soul only enter a body that once belonged to it?"
Hearing this, Tom's eyes widened in surprise. He roughly guessed what Dumbledore was thinking. He hadn't expected the old man from the original story—someone who could calmly face death and even calculate his own demise—to consider such a possibility.
'(￣ω￣) But compared to that noseless socket, Dumbledore looks much more pleasing to the eye. Helping him out isn't out of the question~'
Thinking this, Tom first nodded, then shook his head.
(It's obviously best if the soul originally belonged to that body. But even if it doesn't, it's not a huge problem. As long as the difference isn't too ridiculous—like putting a human soul into an animal body or a male soul into a female body—there won't be major issues. Appearance-wise, the soul will slowly influence the flesh until it aligns with itself.)
Tom wasn't making this up. He wasn't fully sure how things worked in this world, but this knowledge was part of his abilities. Whenever he used a skill, such knowledge naturally entered his mind, preventing him from having power he didn't know how to use.
"Is that so?!" Dumbledore's mood swung like a roller coaster. Half of him sank in despair, but upon hearing Tom's explanation, his heart raced with excitement. For the first time since locking Grindelwald in Nurmengard, he felt hope—the hope of bringing Ariana truly back to life, rather than her lingering as a ghost.
'But… where can I find a suitable human body?'
After the initial thrill, Dumbledore sank into deep thought. Family had always been his highest priority, his guiding principle, yet the notion of sacrificing an innocent life for Ariana's resurrection was unthinkable. He couldn't do it, nor would he accept it.
Dumbledore even knew that if he told Aberforth, his brother would likely seek out a random Muggle to sacrifice. That was unacceptable. Ideally, he would have been willing to trade his own life—but Tom had made it clear his body could not be used.
"Sigh…" Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh.
(Are you thinking about how to truly bring Ariana back to life?) Tom asked.
Dumbledore merely glanced at him, nodding silently. His usually composed mind had melted; all he could think about was resurrecting Ariana. He wasn't even aware that his questions exposed his deepest desires.
And now, seeing that it was possible, Dumbledore was filled with regret. He had hope, yet he could not act.
"Yes, but unfortunately, I cannot use someone else's life to bring Ariana back."
(What if you don't need to take someone else's life?)
Dumbledore froze as if struck by lightning. His mind, briefly calmed, surged with renewed energy. "How? And what do I need to do?" The words left him without hesitation.
Tom's method was simple: cloning. He could clone a soulless body for Ariana, and her soul could occupy it, restoring her to life.
In this era, cloning technology had progressed, but only with non-human animals; replicating humans was still too advanced. Yet the technological limits of the era mattered little when Tom's abilities were taken into account.
Although building a cloning device would present challenges, the greater difficulty was the lack of materials.
'However, since it's for resurrecting a dead person, Dumbledore must provide the materials.'
"Leave it to me," Tom said confidently.
Hearing this, Dumbledore accepted the task without another word. Before Tom could specify what he needed, Dumbledore had already stopped walking.
"We'll discuss the details later. For now, I'll tell you how to get back to your dormitory."
They had unknowingly arrived outside the Hufflepuff common room.
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