Chapter 12: The Wizarding Martial Arts, Unstoppable

They searched in vain, finding nothing. However, when they returned to their compartment, Neville was already waiting for them. The three of them chatted for a while, and Tom learned from Neville that he was a member of the Longbottom family but had been raised by his grandmother since he was young.

After a few conversations, Tom felt that Neville was a bit introverted but fundamentally good-hearted. He appeared dull on the surface, likely due to a lack of self-confidence.

At that moment, the sliding door to their compartment was pushed open once more, and Tom inwardly wished he could add a lock to the door or learn a locking spell. The compartments were like public restrooms, with no privacy whatsoever.

Three boys entered this time, led by a pale, slender, blond-haired boy. Standing on either side of him were two stocky boys with unattractive features. They were not tall but seemed robust, resembling guardian beasts at a grave site.

"I heard that if you deliver this, you can learn about a hidden location?" The blond boy, Draco Malfoy, gestured to the chubby boy on his right, who was holding a toad.

Though Draco looked decent and well-dressed, his speech was slow and drawn-out, making him incredibly irritating.

"Oh, this is Crabbe, and this is Goyle." Draco introduced his companions after noticing Tom was looking at them. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Neville!" Neville exclaimed with surprise, recognizing his own toad's name.

His exclamation drew Draco's attention, and he noticed the presence of two other people in the compartment.

"Longbottom?" He looked at Neville and made a strange noise with his nose. "I see. Who else but a Longbottom would bring a toad to school? After all, if you want a toad, you can find a hundred of them in the Potions classroom. But it's not surprising for you."

"Alright," Tom interrupted his sarcasm. "The hidden location is on the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle. There's an entrance with a gargoyle that spouts water. You need to answer a password to get in, and the password is usually the name of a sweet treat."

Upon seeing Draco, Tom had no intention of revealing the location of the school's kitchen.

"That sounds interesting," Draco agreed to the deal. He glanced at his henchmen, and the chubby boy, Crabbe, handed Neville's toad back to him. Neville's head hung low, refusing to make eye contact with Draco.

The three of them prepared to leave, but before they did, Draco remembered something and, in his irritatingly slow manner, asked Tom and Hermione, "I still don't know your names."

"I'm Tom Riddle."

"I'm Hermione Granger."

Draco pondered for a moment, realizing that he had never heard of these surnames before, at least not in the British wizarding world. Riddle sounded somewhat more German.

"Are your parents Muggles?"

After receiving confirmation, Draco's expression turned cold, and he spoke with disdain to Neville, "It seems that the Longbottom family is following in the footsteps of the Weasleys? Mixing with Muggles every day. Tsk, tsk."

"But it's also good," Draco continued, "If your parents have Weasley blood, maybe they'll have a few more children. Even if one of them turns out to be a fool, it won't matter."

As soon as these words left Draco's mouth, Neville suddenly shouted and tried to pounce on Draco, but he was kicked back into his seat by Crabbe before he could reach him. Hermione quickly assisted Neville, making sure he didn't hit his head on the window.

"Idiot," Draco sneered, calling Neville a fool. Then, he turned to Hermione. "I understand your feelings, wanting to establish connections with pure-blood families. That's reasonable. But you seem to be too desperate. This guy here inherited the idiocy of his parents, not very bright..."

Neville suddenly yelled again, attempting to lunge at Draco, but this time, both Crabbe and Goyle were ready. Draco's provocations had pushed Neville to his limits.

However, Draco's words weren't finished yet. He turned to Hermione and said, "I know, I understand your feelings, wanting to establish connections with pure-blood families. That's reasonable. But you seem to be too desperate. This guy here inherited the idiocy of his parents, not very bright..."

Before Draco could finish his sentence, Tom suddenly spoke up, pondering to himself, "Malfoy, Malfoy..."

As if he had just recalled something, Tom clapped his hands and said, "I remember! I've heard this surname before!"

Draco: ???

"I saw the ancestor of the Malfoy family, Lucius Malfoy the First, at the British Museum. He wrote love letters to Queen Elizabeth I!"

Draco: !!!

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue for him. Lucius Malfoy was from one of the twenty-eight pure-blood families, and the Malfoys were strong advocates of pure-blood supremacy. Now, someone was telling them that their family's ancestor had written love letters to a Muggle, and those letters were on display at a Muggle museum?

Draco's face turned as red as the Weasley family's hair. He widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Are you making baseless accusations?"

"What baseless accusations? I saw the letter with my own eyes a few days ago in the British Museum's Museum of Britain," Hermione chimed in, supporting Tom's claim.

Draco's face turned even redder as he spluttered, "How could you defame my family like this..."

"What defamation? I saw the letter with my own eyes a few days ago in the British Museum's Museum of Britain," Hermione added, backing up Tom's statement.

Draco's face turned even redder as he sputtered, "How dare you slander my family like this..."

"What slander? It's true!" Hermione continued, not letting up.

Draco's face turned as red as a tomato, and his forehead veins stood out.

"Bastard!" He finally managed to spit out this word before lunging forward as if he intended to attack.

Tom immediately reached for his pocket, but Draco was faster. Instead of drawing his wand, he extended his left hand, and a ring on his index finger suddenly lit up.

"Disarm!"

In an instant, Tom's wand was sent flying.

Draco looked triumphant as he patted his ring. "This is an alchemical magical device my father gave me. Just so you know, even adult wizards who aren't Aurors or Duellers can't resist it."

Crabbe and Goyle also approached with ill intentions.

"Let's strip them. Who wants to see the color of their underwear?" Draco asked with a malicious grin.

Tom shook his head. Why did wizards always have the misconception that once someone was disarmed, they were helpless?

As the two bulky boys closed in, Tom took a step forward and swiftly threw a left hook, followed by a right elbow strike, landing them directly on Crabbe's nose and Goyle's abdomen. Both let out a grunt

  and collapsed, unexpectedly turning the tables.

Feeling victorious, Tom couldn't help but think that wizards often underestimated their physical abilities as soon as they were disarmed.

Seeing the approaching Draco, he took a step forward and threw a powerful left kick, aiming straight at Draco.

"Left front kick!"

Tom's kick knocked Draco to the ground.

In just three moves, the enemy had been defeated.

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(End of this chapter)