Misha had never been this nervous in her life.
This was the very first time she had sought Hermione out on her own initiative.
Would Hermione kick me out? Would she refuse to let me see Tom?
The more Misha overthought it, the more chaotic her mind became. Her long, pretty hair seemed to share her anxiety, as she kept anxiously twirling the ends around her fingers.
Her dark eyes stayed fixed on the peephole.
Thankfully, the door opened.
A well-dressed Hermione and Tom appeared before her.
Hermione stood in front, looking poised and elegant. Stripped of her wizard robes, Hermione was beautiful—the kind of stunning beauty that made people stop and stare. She wore a simple white dress that didn't look cheap in the slightest; instead, it carried an air of aristocratic grace.
Misha couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Miss Hermione is so pretty. When she grows up, she'll probably be even more striking.
The hem of Hermione's dress fell to her calves, revealing legs that were toned and completely free of excess fat. Misha was incredibly envious.
She had prepared a whole speech, but now, standing face-to-face with Hermione and Tom, Misha completely forgot how to start.
After Misha stammered for a good while, Hermione was the first to speak. "Misha? How did you find this place? Oh my goodness, hurry up and come inside! It must be freezing out there. Are you okay?"
Flattered by the sudden warmth, Misha hurriedly waved her hands. "No, it's not too cold. It's like this every winter."
Ignoring Misha's protests, Hermione ran her hands over the fabric of Misha's coat, frowning deeply. "This... how are you dressed so thinly? Tom, you should have sent some money back to the orphanage!"
I did send money... Tom sighed inwardly.
By the looks of it, Misha had probably given all that money to the other kids so they could have a good winter, while keeping nothing for herself. The coat she was wearing was several years old.
"Misha, have you eaten anything?" Hermione asked, taking Misha's small hands in her own, trying to pass on some warmth.
"I-I ate," Misha lied weakly.
Tom glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. "Let's go get something to eat first, and then we'll buy Misha a new set of clothes. Oh, by the way, do you need to buy a set too?"
Hermione looked at Tom, confused. "Me? I don't need any. I have plenty of clothes. More than I could ever wear."
"I wasn't asking you."
Tom shifted his gaze to the patch of shadow on the floor.
"I do!"
The shadow instantly burst out from the ground, soaring past Misha and Hermione to tackle Tom. She wrapped her arms securely around his neck and hung off him like a koala.
Finally! I finally get to see Tom! The shadow couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning up into a massive grin.
All that hard work brainwashing Misha finally paid off. That idiot almost gave up!
"Tom, I've already learned several spells! Watch me!"
After aggressively cuddling Tom, the shadow finally dropped to the floor and spread her arms wide.
Outwardly, the shadow looked exactly like Misha, except her skin was a shade darker—like she'd just come back from a sunny vacation with a healthy, wheat-colored tan. If a Muggle saw them, they'd just assume they were identical twins. They wouldn't connect it to mysterious magic at all.
"Tom, look! Lumos!"
"Incendio!"
"Softening Charm!"
One after another, the shadow flawlessly demonstrated her wandless magic.
She was different from Misha.
Misha was the kind of good kid who would watch other children eat candy, constantly swallowing her own saliva, but absolutely refusing to ask Tom for any so she wouldn't cause him trouble.
The shadow, on the other hand, never hid what she wanted.
Even if Misha didn't speak up, Tom could still see the longing in her eyes. But if the shadow didn't speak up, no one would ever know what she wanted.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
"Not bad at all," Tom said, ruffling the shadow's hair.
"I even picked out a name for myself! It's Isabelle. And my last name is... Riddle."
Both Misha and Hermione instantly went on high alert.
"Misha, who is that kid...?" Hermione asked.
"She's my magic," Misha bit her lip. "You can just think of her as... as my little sister."
Misha originally wanted to say "think of her as another me," but realizing that would absolutely ruin her own reputation, she decided against it.
Shameless! Absolutely shameless! Misha thought furiously. Taking the last name Riddle? Why don't you just call yourself Mrs. Riddle while you're at it?! As Misha fumed, she caught the shadow shooting her a highly provocative smirk.
Despicable! Shameless! Bastard!
"Ahem." Hermione coughed loudly. "Anyway, so... am I to understand there are basically two Mishas now?"
"Nope." The shadow patted her chest proudly. "From today on, I am Isabelle. I am absolutely not the same person as that idiot Misha. Sure, we share similar memories, but we are not the same! Besides, I know all her secrets, but she doesn't know a thing about mine."
"Alright, enough chitchat. Let's go eat," Tom declared.
An hour later, as the four of them walked out of the restaurant, Hermione finally realized something was very, very wrong.
The shadow was way too clingy with Tom!
She had stuck to him like an octopus the entire time, even making Tom feed her during the meal.
Was this right? No! This was not right!
The spots to Tom's immediate left and right had already been completely claimed by Misha and the shadow. There was no room left for Hermione.
Gritting her teeth, Hermione genuinely started to feel jealous.
"Tom, there are still a few spells I haven't quite mastered. Can you teach me?" the shadow asked.
"Sure," Tom agreed instantly.
In Tom's eyes, both Misha and the shadow were his little sisters. Why would he ever say no? Plus, he was already planning to use this holiday to help the two Mishas overtake their future classmates. If they were willing to put in the work, that fit his plans perfectly.
"But before we do that, there's a place we need to go."
---
Diagon Alley. Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Tom withdrew a massive amount of Galleons.
371 Galleons, to be exact.
The sheer amount of money left Hermione completely stunned.
Misha and the shadow had no concept of how much 371 Galleons was, so Hermione helpfully explained it to them. When they learned it was equivalent to over 1,600 British pounds, both girls froze in shock.
That much?!
"T-Tom... did you rob a bank? We can't do things like that!" Misha asked nervously.
"Yeah, exactly!" the shadow chimed in. "Let's hurry up and pin the blame on Misha and turn her in! I'm sure she'd be thrilled to go to prison for you."
"Why don't you go?! If you go to prison, you can just slip right back out anyway!" Misha argued, her face flushing red.
This bastard shadow! She just wants to monopolize Tom! I won't let her get away with it!
"Once you become a wizard, money stops being a major issue. Anything that can be solved with money is just a minor inconvenience." The corners of Tom's mouth suddenly ticked upward into a sly grin. "By the way, do you guys want to... make 1,000 Galleons in a month?"
A thousand Galleons?!
Misha and the shadow's eyes lit up simultaneously.
Isn't that over 5,000 pounds?!
Only Hermione remained on high alert.
She knew Tom. She knew he was about to start plotting something chaotic.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Especially not when Tom was the one offering it.