"Dumbledore, it's time to discuss compensation," Dumbledore said with a calm expression but a firm voice.
Tom: !!!
"Uh, this, is this what I have to pay?" He began to play dumb.
Dumbledore simply looked at him calmly until Tom lowered his head in guilt.
"Well, alright, I'll compensate for it," Tom said, bowing his head in surrender. After thinking it over carefully, it seemed reasonable to him: he had accidentally damaged the school facilities, and it seemed like he really should pay. However, many schools would exempt the payment of compensation.
"But, Professor Dumbledore," Tom suddenly raised his head and looked at Dumbledore seriously, "Please inform the whole school! And how much money will be needed approximately?"
Dumbledore almost chuckled at Tom's request.
"Not much money is needed... it's not really a money matter, I'm genuinely intrigued by how you did it," Dumbledore said as he looked at the hole that went through two floors in the ground, amazed.
"This situation is really rare," he said as he took out his wand. Seeing Dumbledore's wand, Tom's eyes widened: Dumbledore had taken out the Elder Wand!
The legendary Wand of the Deathly Hallows!
"Reparo!" Dumbledore performed a repair spell and fixed the hole in the floor.
Hermione, Harry: ...
That seems quite simple, doesn't it?
Dumbledore seemed to have deciphered the two young wizards' internal thoughts, so he explained a bit to them. It was then that they understood that although the repair seemed simple, it required Dumbledore's powerful magical skill and the power of the Elder Wand. Only by combining both could the floor be easily repaired.
Tom felt a bit uneasy; he didn't know how Dumbledore would punish him. He wasn't worried about the fine, as he had earned quite a bit of money since impersonating Lockhart. But Dumbledore was clear in saying that it wasn't a money matter.
Troubles that couldn't be solved with money were usually complicated.
Tom was worried that Dumbledore would deduct points from Ravenclaw. It wasn't because he was possessed by Hermione, but because Ravenclaw really had a chance to compete for the House Cup this year.
If at this crucial moment, a large number of points were suddenly taken away without apparent reason, Tom might experience the hostility of Ravenclaw.
It wasn't pleasant to be in a position of enmity! Tom clearly remembered what happened in the original timeline when Harry got caught for sending a dragon and hundreds of points were deducted from Gryffindor. During those days, there was no Gryffindor student, except for his fellow troublemakers, willing to talk to Harry. Even on the Quidditch team, everyone called him "that Seeker" instead of his name.
If it weren't for the final showdown and Quirrell's departure, Voldemort's plans being thwarted, and gaining hundreds of points, Harry probably would have been completely ostracized at Hogwarts.
Tom dared not imagine what might happen if a large number of points were deducted from Ravenclaw. Hogwarts didn't have another Quirrell waiting for him to eliminate! This year's protagonist at Hogwarts, Sirius, was also not here; where was he going to earn points?
Just when Tom was restless, Dumbledore spoke: "Yodel, I haven't decided your punishment yet. I will note this incident for now and inform you when I've made a decision."
Tom: ...
Is this possible too? For a moment, Tom didn't understand what Dumbledore was planning.
"Go get some rest," Dumbledore said without further explanation, dismissing the three of them, who were puzzled.
Harry, Tom, and Hermione continued on their way, but before they could take a few steps, they heard Professor McGonagall's voice from upstairs.
"Are the two of you ready for the OWLs? Out wandering the school at such late hours instead of studying and sleeping...".
The three immediately understood: they had caught a student out at night.
They didn't know who the unlucky one was, but since the professor said "the two of you," probably...
It was Fred and George.
When they saw the three approaching, their eyes quickly darted.
"What are you looking at?" Professor McGonagall said threateningly. "You two, unlike them, out and about at night, that's very well, detention! And Gryffindor loses fifty points!"
Tom looked sympathetically at the Weasley twins. The two brothers were in trouble now.
The three acted as if they hadn't seen anything and hurried silently past Professor McGonagall. Tom held his breath, fearing that his breathing would draw McGonagall's attention and divert her focus to him.
Professor McGonagall was full of authority and quite intimidating. Hermione and Harry also behaved the same way, not daring to utter a word, keeping silent, and escaping quickly.
Although Professor McGonagall imposed severe punishment on them, she didn't scold Fred and George for long. When Tom reached the fourth floor of the castle, the two pranksters caught up with him.
"So, it was you who made that sound?" Fred nudged Tom and asked with a mischievous smile.
Tom nodded and told them everything that had just happened.
"Awesome!" Fred gave Tom a thumbs up. "Too bad I couldn't witness you conjuring the lightning... Otherwise, it would be worth being punished with detention."
"You two should be more careful. You should seriously consider how to deal with Gryffindor students tomorrow. Besides, what Professor McGonagall said is true, you really should start preparing for the OWL exams," Hermione advised them seriously.
"Hermione, if you keep this up, you'll turn into Professor McGonagall," Fred made a face at Hermione. "We've arrived, see you tomorrow!"
The two found an excuse and quickly fled. Now they were overwhelmed seeing Hermione. This primary school girl really gave them a similar feeling to Professor McGonagall, and with Tom by her side, they didn't dare to argue with her, so they could only run away.
After saying goodbye to Harry, Tom and Hermione returned to the Ravenclaw Tower.
However, in front of the eagle door, Tom suddenly stopped and didn't ring the bell.
"That tongue-tying curse you cast on me, it hurt my tongue a lot," Tom turned his head and looked into Hermione's eyes. "Ah... what are we going to do about it?"
"Ah?" There was a nervous look on the pretty girl's face. "Then... what should I do?"
"I need a little compensation."