Chapter 405: Can You Still Study Well? (Edited)

Seeing Mr. Granger hurrying away, the quiet and obedient Hermione sitting in her place doing her homework, and Mrs. Granger putting utensils in the dishwasher while humming, Tom felt overwhelmed.

Don't get your hopes up too much, they only have a close father-daughter relationship. Tom comforted himself in his mind. He was sure Hermione wouldn't yell at him.

He opened the History of Magic book, took out a roll of parchment, and picked up a quill to start writing quickly. Tom planned to start with his History of Magic essay.

Time passed second by second, and in the spacious dining room, only the scratching of the quill on parchment and the sound of pages turning could be heard. Oh, and Crookshanks' purring.

"Hermione, what was the name of the Minister who was dismissed due to the goblin rebellion?" Tom searched the History of Magic book for a long time but couldn't find the answer, so he turned to Hermione Granger for help.

"There were two Ministers, Albert Boot and his successor, Basil Flack. They..." Hermione knew the answer, and just as she was about to tell Tom in detail about the lives of those two Ministers and their role in the goblin rebellion, a noise interrupted her words.

It was six owls. They all carried a long package in their talons.

After some effort, the owls finally delivered the package to the Granger's house and left it on the table.

Tom and Hermione guessed what it contained just by looking at the shape of the package. The only doubt was which model of broomstick it was.

Tom opened the package.

Harry opened the package.

"Oh my, a Firebolt!"

"A Firebolt!"

In different places, different people expressed the same admiration.

Harry stared in amazement at the broom in front of him, so stunned that he found it hard to breathe.

The broom was extremely beautiful. Harry thought it was the culmination of human aesthetics, it even glowed!

Harry recognized it immediately; it was the Firebolt he had seen in Diagon Alley once and had fallen in love with.

However, it was too expensive. Although Harry's parents had left him a considerable inheritance, he had grown up being poor and had developed a thrifty character, spending money very cautiously, so he had not dared to buy it.

Harry grew up in an environment where he didn't have pocket money. It's rare for such a man to be able to stay afloat when he suddenly receives a lot of money and doesn't spend it.

A Harry raised in that environment didn't have money for small luxuries in life. If asked directly, Harry would never have mentioned his good qualities. The real reason he didn't spend money freely was fear. He feared spending all his parents' inheritance and having to ask the Dursley family for money to live.

The reason was quite realistic.

But the money left to him by James was not something a young wizard still in school could squander. It was a vault full of Galleons!

3 / 3

Harry chose to live frugally, restraining his desires. But Sirius wouldn't. The motto of Sirius Black, the wealthy heir of the Black family and the most handsome and wealthiest bachelor in the wizarding world, was: "Live as you dress, always full of color and magnificence."

Saving money? That didn't exist!

Did his godson lose his broom due to an accident? Buy him one, the best one! And he also bought one for Tom, as a token of gratitude.

Finally, Harry had the opportunity to see and touch the Firebolt up close.

It was identical to the one he had seen in Diagon Alley. When Harry held it in his hands, he could feel it trembling slightly. When he let it go, it floated in the air without any support. The most amazing thing was that the height at which the Firebolt floated was perfect for Harry to ride it.

Harry opened his eyes and, from the golden number at the top of the broomstick, he followed how it glided smoothly towards the rear of the broom, which was completely smooth and aerodynamic.

"Thank you, Sirius." Although there was no personal information in the package, Harry guessed it was from Sirius.

"Do you like it?" Sirius, with his arms crossed, leaning on the door, lazily asked.

"It's the best Christmas gift." Harry's eyes welled up with tears.

...

"It's a good Christmas gift, isn't it?" Hermione said bitterly.

Tom always thought he wasn't particularly interested in broomsticks. He now admitted he was wrong. Just like with firearms, armor, blades, Gundam, machinery, and similar objects, boys might say "I don't like it" or "I'm not interested" out loud, but when they saw these beautiful machines, they would always reveal their true nature.

Precision gears, sharp blades gleaming coldly, exoskeletons full of strength... All of that was fascinating.

And the same went for broomsticks.

When Tom truly saw this beautiful broom, he was captivated. His supposed lack of interest in broomsticks before was only because his own broom wasn't exquisite enough.

Even Hermione had to admit that this Firebolt was truly beautiful.

But here was the problem. When comparing the Firebolt to the scarf she had given herself, she felt a sense of inferiority. And seeing Tom's ecstatic look, she felt a little envy. Her current mood was similar to seeing your boyfriend receive a supercar as a gift while you only gave him a handmade scarf.

"Well... it's just an expensive item, there's not much sentiment in it," Tom instinctively responded with a "well" that revealed he had perceived something wrong. Suddenly, an alarm signal appeared in his mind, and he hurriedly added the other half of the sentence to round it off.

"This Firebolt is truly valuable," Hermione said softly. In her mind, she calculated the price and realized she couldn't afford that broom.

"Scarves will get old too," Hermione said, though inside she felt comfortable with Tom's words.

"Do you want to try riding it?" Tom pushed the broom slightly toward Hermione.

Hermione looked at the aerodynamic broom in front of her and felt a slight temptation.

So, she approached and tried to sit lightly on the broom, but the Firebolt moved slightly and made her lose her balance, falling to the ground.

In the kitchen, Hermione's mother listened to her daughter and Tom's voices and put her hand to her forehead. "Will they ever be able to focus on studying instead of that?"