Chapter 8: Tom Has Always Been Kind and Reserved Around Me

“Tom, leave this to me. You go back to your room and rest.”

Levi took the tattered rag from Tom’s hand and waved him off.

Tom suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at Levi.

Honestly, Levi had been acting strangely these past few days—single-mindedly doing good deeds.

It was one thing for him to lose his mind, but to force Tom to help was another matter altogether!

To be fair, Tom was quite grown up, and though he was also part of the orphanage, when had he ever done any work?

Even if he was assigned a task, he’d have other kids “volunteer” to help him!

But…

He simply couldn’t beat Levi.

What surprised him most was that after enduring humiliation and trailing behind Levi doing odd jobs for days, that bastard actually let him go back early to rest today?

Something was off! There had to be a scheme!

“No… I’m not tired at all, really. I can keep working,” Tom quietly took back the rag and forced a perfect smile.

Though he didn’t understand Levi’s intentions, he was sure that as long as he didn’t follow Levi’s orders, he wouldn’t lose out!

“Hm? I was just thinking about something and didn’t catch that. What did you say just now?” Levi looked at Tom.

Under Levi’s kind gaze, Tom’s smile gradually faded…

Alright, not following Levi’s instructions might not cause losses later, but right now…

It definitely would!

“I mean, I am a bit tired. So, I’ll leave the rest of the work to you.”

Tom sincerely returned the rag to Levi and quickly disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

Levi didn’t ask Tom to rest without reason. If Dumbledore wanted to see Tom later, it was better to do so in Tom’s room.

After all, Levi wanted to witness the famous scene of Dumbledore setting fire to the wardrobe.

Levi put down the rag and hurried to his own room.

To prevent Dumbledore from visiting his room first, he needed to relocate the bottles and jars hidden under the carpet. Such a high-level wizard could surely detect traces invisible to others.

In these past few days, the system’s shop hadn’t refreshed any valuable items—mostly potions and strange materials.

Since these were common in the wizarding world, Levi only selectively bought some potions for backup and skipped the rest.

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During these days, Levi also discovered something: when he did good deeds alone, the increase in merit points was negligible.

But if he dragged Tom along…

The result was entirely different!

Levi guessed that the more evil the person he forced to do good was, the more merit points he gained.

Perhaps it was because his actions reduced Tom’s chances of future wrongdoing?

After all, when the system gave him 100 merit points before, it hinted it might be because he had altered Tom’s life trajectory…

Of course, this was just speculation. Levi planned to try it with another villain later.

Because of this, after “reforming” Tom through forced labor, Levi successfully accumulated a full 300 merit points!

Oh… may Merlin bless Tom!

After hiding the potions, Levi casually returned to the stair corner and picked up the rag.

Just then, Mrs. Cole emerged from the office with a rosy face, and Dumbledore followed slowly behind her—obviously, their business was concluded.

“Oh… Levi,” Mrs. Cole called out upon seeing him.

Approaching, Levi caught a whiff of gin—her flushed complexion was due to the alcohol.

“This is Mr. Dumbledore… sorry, Albus Dumbledore. He’s here looking for you and Tom. He wants to tell you something… never mind, better let him say it. Where is Tom?”

Meeting Dumbledore’s gentle gaze, Levi replied, “Tom went back to rest in his room.”

“What excuse this time? Sigh… Ever since he started hanging out with you, he’s changed a lot… What else could I ask for? God, when have I ever seen Tom help other kids? Dear, this must be your doing,” Mrs. Cole said with deep emotion.

Since Levi’s arrival, the once solitary and strange Tom seemed like a different person.

Not only did he stop bullying others, but he even helped Levi assist other children in the orphanage!

They hadn’t missed any chores.

A bad kid undergoing such a drastic transformation in just days left Mrs. Cole puzzled but mostly comforted.

“Mrs. Cole, I haven’t really done anything. Tom was always kind; he was just a bit shy and didn’t know how to communicate with others before,” Levi said with a smile.

‘Yes, Tom has always been kind and introverted around me.’

Kind? Introverted? Was he really talking about Tom?

Mrs. Cole couldn’t help but purse her lips, but with visitors present, she said no more.

“I have many things to do. Since this gentleman is here for both of you, you should take him to Tom’s room…”

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“Mrs. Cole—”

Before she finished, Ellie’s call echoed from afar.

“I’m coming!” Mrs. Cole replied loudly, then looked at Levi helplessly. “Are you alright on your own?”

“Of course,” Levi nodded.

After Mrs. Cole hurried away, Levi faced Dumbledore. This was their first time alone together.

Just a glance at Dumbledore told Levi that although the man appeared gentle, he was not someone to be trifled with.

It was an instinctive feeling—like looking up at a towering mountain from its base, filled with an indescribable sense of oppression and unscalability.

Levi politely said, “Sir, please this way.”

He turned and led the way to Tom’s room.

Dumbledore followed closely, and Levi keenly felt his gaze fixed on him.

“Aren’t you curious why I came for you both?” Dumbledore suddenly asked.

“Of course.”

“Then why haven’t you asked me anything? You don’t seem like a shy child.”

Dumbledore was puzzled. Children at this age were usually full of curiosity.

Knowing he came for both him and Tom, the boy hadn’t uttered a word en route.

“Since you came for both Tom and me, it must be about the same matter. We can talk once I’ve found Tom, so you won’t have to repeat yourself.”

“Hmm… that’s true, but I don’t mind repeating it a few times. What I’m about to tell you isn’t something that can be explained in a sentence or two.”

Dumbledore watched Levi’s slight figure with interest. He’d seen many eleven-year-olds, but none as composed as Levi.

Mrs. Cole had said this child with an Eastern face was found on the street and never spoke of his past.

She guessed he must have endured unspeakable suffering and hadn’t probed further. Yet, his demeanor suggested an extraordinary background.

This piqued Dumbledore’s curiosity. Perhaps the boy came from a pureblood family in the East?

“I heard… Tom did many bad things before meeting you, but after meeting you, he suddenly changed? How did you manage that?”