38 Chapter 38: Padma's Chai Tea

( Vote Stones Plz )

The bird-serpent was a magical creature commonly found in the Far East and India. It had the appearance of a snake with bird-like feathers and wings. Despite its snake-like form, it also had two legs and could grow up to 15 feet or 4.5 meters long. Bird-serpent eggs contained pure silver and were one of the ingredients in Felix Felicis, making them highly sought after. Due to this, their nests were often targeted by hunters, leading to the bird-serpents being very territorial and aggressive towards humans who approached their nests. Bird-serpents had a magical ability to stretch and shrink their bodies, filling all available space or condensing to fit into smaller areas.

Such magical creatures were extremely rare in the British wizarding world, but Tom happened to possess a bird-serpent egg. Although he didn't know how to hatch it, the recent quest had provided him with a Magical Creature Incubation Elixir that could assist him.

Tom arrived at the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor. He paced back and forth in front of the tapestry, silently repeating, "I need a place to hide things," and a new door appeared on the wall. Tom entered and followed the system's directions to find two red bottles.

"How do I use this?" Tom wondered. The system had provided the location of the magical creature incubation elixir but didn't offer any instructions. It simply marked the quest as complete and remained silent. Tom shook his head, pocketed the elixir, and left the Room of Requirement.

For the next few weeks, Tom focused on his studies, attending classes diligently. He continued to participate actively, answering questions, and after classes, he spent time either playing cards or participating in games like Werewolf with his classmates. When he was in the library, he devoted his attention to books about magical creatures, trying to find information on how to use the incubation elixir.

This routine continued until the eve of Halloween when a small change occurred—a cup of chai tea. The idea for this cup of tea originated from the first flying lesson of the school year. After Tom had saved Padma from falling during their flying lesson, she had a thought: Tom is my savior; maybe I should show my gratitude somehow. This idea took root in her mind like a wildflower and quickly became uncontrollable.

When Padma shared her thoughts with her sister, Parvati Patil, she received immediate support. Parvati even suggested a unique way to express her gratitude: why not make Tom a cup of hand-brewed chai tea?

This suggestion captivated Padma. She and her sister hailed from India, where spices and black tea were abundant. The chai tea from their homeland was renowned and considered the best. To Padma's eyes, Indian chai tea was superior to any other. While India was also famous for its curry and masala, these options weren't practical gifts to offer at Hogwarts. Chai tea, on the other hand, was both practical and meaningful.

"Think about it, what gift could be better than a steaming cup of authentic hand-brewed chai tea?" Parvati's words resonated with Padma. From that moment on, Padma began contacting relatives and friends back in India, asking them to send her the authentic ingredients needed for Indian chai tea. As pure-blooded Indian Brahmins, they knew what constituted genuine chai tea. While curry and masala were also famous in their homeland, they weren't suitable gifts to send to a school like Hogwarts. Therefore, their only choice was chai tea.

"Consider what kind of gift could compare to a hot and fragrant cup of hand-brewed chai tea?" Parvati's words had a profound impact on Padma. Over the next month, she tirelessly collected authentic Indian chai tea ingredients from her family and friends back home, including tea leaves from the east market, white sugar from the west market, clay pots from the south market, and milk from the north market. She then had everything sent to her by owl post. Because all the ingredients were imported from India, Padma's progress in showing her gratitude to Tom was delayed.

This delay continued for over a month, until the final piece of the chai tea-making puzzle—the holy waters of the Ganges River—arrived at her doorstep. Now, Padma was ready to brew the chai tea.

Halloween Eve was somewhat similar to Chinese New Year's Eve, occurring on October 31st each year. In 1991, Halloween Eve fell on a Thursday.

On Halloween Eve, the hallways were filled with the aroma of roasted pumpkin early in the morning. Ravenclaw students had two classes in the morning: Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Flitwick hadn't yet delivered the modified broomsticks to Tom and his team, but it wasn't a problem. The first Quidditch match of the season was scheduled for November.

Today, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms class that he believed the students were ready to attempt the Levitation Charm. After explaining the theory and casting elements of the spell, he divided the class into pairs for practice. Tom was paired with Ron, while Harry was working with Hermione. It was clear that Professor Flitwick had intentionally separated the top students to mentor their classmates.

Professor Flitwick, as usual, stood on a pile of books and exclaimed, "Don't forget the wand movement: a swish and flick. Pronunciation is also crucial. French wizard Baruffio accidentally pronounced 'f' as 's' in the incantation, turning 'swish and flick' into 'swish and flick.' As a result, he found himself lying on the floor with a buffalo in front of him."

Easy to say, hard to do. Harry practiced the wand movements repeatedly, but the feather remained motionless on his desk. Seated beside him, Seamus accidentally set his feather on fire while attempting the spell. Luckily, Tom was quick to extinguish the flames with a "Aguamenti" spell. However, the wet feather proved even more difficult to levitate.

Tom's partner, Ron, was also struggling. He loudly chanted, "Wingardium Levio-SA!" while waving his arms like a windmill. Tom shook his head and said, "Your pronunciation is off. It should be 'Wingardium Levi-O-sa,' with a longer emphasis on 'O.' Watch me—'Wingardium Levi-O-sa!'" Tom demonstrated the correct wand movement, and his feather levitated above his head.

Tom's successful spellcasting earned him Professor Flitwick's praise. "Well done! Everyone, take a look at Mr. Riddle; he has succeeded!"

Ron nodded and tried to replicate Tom's spellcasting. His feather trembled slightly.

**[Received Flitwick's Praise Magic Stone +10]**

**[Fire Prevention (Extinguishing Seamus Finnigan's Flames) Magic Stone +10]**

**[Trailblazer (Becoming the First Freshman to Successfully Cast the Levitation Charm) Magic Stone +10]**

**[Triggered Quest: Good Samaritan (Help Ron Weasley Successfully Cast the Levitation Charm Before the End of Class)**

**Quest Reward: Randomly evolve one organ.**

Tom's eyes gleamed at the prospect of evolution. Was he finally breaking through to the next stage of life?

  He felt he was getting closer and closer to becoming the ultimate creature. He thought excitedly, "If my eyes evolve, could they gain abilities like the Sharingan? Would I be able to learn spells just by seeing them?"

He looked at Ron with intense curiosity, causing Ron to shudder.

(Note: In the original text, there was a reference to a French wizard named Baruffio who mistakenly cast the Levitation Charm, turning "swish and flick" into "swish and flick." However, the reference appears to be incorrect, and the corrected version is presented here.)

(End of Chapter)