Stepping off the Tide Messenger onto Indian soil, Malfoy inhaled deeply. "This... is India! Whew!" He spread his arms wide, eager to embrace the exotic air.
"Moo!"
The bellow of a cow, mingled with a symphony of unfamiliar odors, snapped him back to reality.
"Gah!"
A look of utter disbelief washed over Malfoy's face as he scanned his surroundings, eyes wide with horror. "What in Merlin's name is going on?!"
"Cows? Where did all these cows come from?"
"And why is the ground black? Is that garbage? No! That's—that's dung?!"
"And what's that bloke doing, baring his arse in the street?! What's that black stuff? Blimey!"
The young master was beyond baffled, utterly gobsmacked by the chaos. The sight of the exposed posterior truly stunned him; Malfoy's jaw dropped low enough to swallow a Fire Slug whole.
A group of Indian men, witnessing his reaction, exchanged knowing glances as they stared at Malfoy, which only added to his confusion. "Why are they staring at the young master?"
"Never you mind; just don't stray too far from me." Tom, having heard whispers that his companion was prone to misinterpreting certain gestures, discreetly used magic to "guide" Malfoy back to his side. Soon, they realized passersby were giving them a wide berth, though their expressions suggested they didn't even notice them.
...
Harry tiptoed gingerly along the road. "Sir, this..." He glanced up at Tom and noticed the man's feet weren't touching the ground! Noticing wisps of black mist emanating from Tom Riddle, he understood immediately.
"..."
Looking around, he noticed Cassandra and Nagini were similarly levitating.
"Flying Charm! The Flying Charm!" Harry gave a wry smile. Next year! I'll master the Flying Charm next year! His magic was stronger than others his age. Although he wouldn't be of age next year, he was only a little over a year away, and his magic should be close to B-rank (adult wizard), allowing him to try learning the Flight Charm.
"Scarface, I've never asked you for anything in my life." Malfoy clutched Harry's shoulders, staring earnestly into his eyes. "Can you carry me?"
"Get stuffed, Malfoy, or you can carry me!"
"Okay!"
"..."
Even Snape, outwardly composed, was secretly relying on the Flight Charm. While Severus had encountered foul odors aplenty in his potions research, this was different; this was a war on his very soul.
Oblivious, Ashok led the way, cheerily introducing this "magical" place to everyone. But apart from Harry, everyone else remained indifferent.
Ashok's guiding duties didn't last long. After only a short walk, he ran into a former colleague from the Ministry of Magic, who had come to collect him at the port. The colleague showed Ashok some documents; his face paled. He then ushered the Petil sisters forward to apologize to Tom, who merely shrugged.
After a curt nod from Tom, Ashok hurried off with the Petil sisters and his colleague. Before departing, he gave Tom directions to the accommodations he had arranged, as well as the location of the Indian Ministry of Magic. Tom and the others could visit the Indian Ministry on their own time after sightseeing, or notify him to be picked up. And of course, he would foot the bill for their sightseeing.
With a crack, Ashok and his entourage Apparated away.
"..."
Tom turned away, facing Harry and the others. "So, what shall we do next?"
"Sir!" Malfoy shot up his right hand, quivering with anticipation. "I just heard someone selling ox-fist biscuits. Maybe I misheard, but I'm going to give them a try." Perhaps due to the port's proximity, the vendors were shouting in English, albeit with thick accents.
"..."
Snape gave his godson a complicated look. Perhaps I'll have to have a word with Lucius when we return.
Aside from Tom and Cassandra's astonishment, even Harry was skeptical. "No way? Malfoy, are you mad? You actually want to eat... that?"
"Come on, Scarface, use your head. Who would actually eat it if it wasn't a local delight?!" Malfoy had a "seen it all" look on his face. "Look at that crowd; it must be delicious! It'd be a crime to come all this way and not try it!"
"..."
Harry looked thoughtful, then nodded slowly. "You know what? You're right. I'll get one too."
"You actually want to eat it?!" Cassandra was stunned.
She glanced around; it wasn't exactly spotless, but it was certainly far from pristine. Cassandra looked troubled. "The... stuff here?"
"Yeah, just like Malfoy said." Harry didn't seem bothered. "It'd be a tragedy to come all this way and not try the local specialties!" And with that, he chased after Malfoy in the direction he'd headed.
"…"
Tom placed a hand on Cassandra's shoulder, shaking his head slightly and wearing a serious expression. "Some fates, we simply cannot avert."
Hearing this, Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Tom, are you doing this on purpose?" However, she didn't chase after Harry and the others to stop them. After all, let the idiot play if he wants to—as long as he's not playing me... well, it's not entirely impossible.
Nagini glanced at Cassandra, who was distracted by her usual lascivious thoughts, then looked away and asked Tom, "Um, ox-fist bread? What's it made of?"
Hearing this, Snape's posture changed slightly. Although it was the first time he'd heard of such a thing, how could it possibly exist…
"Hay, and…" Tom calmly spoke the "unpleasant" words, "Fresh ox-dung."
"…"
Snape's eyes widened. He didn't doubt Tom's word; Tom Riddle was unlikely to be lying. In other words... my godson, and Lily's eyes, are about to ingest…
"Ugh." Cassandra reached out, covering Tom's mouth, her face pale. "Tom, please, no more!"
A strange sound behind her made her turn around. Harry stood rigid a short distance behind her, eyes wide, mouth agape; a half-eaten biscuit lay on the ground. He was petrified, clearly having heard Tom's words.
"Hey! Scarface, did someone just touch my bum? Or was I imagining things?" Malfoy, who had lagged behind a step, was munching on a biscuit and slinging an arm around Harry's shoulder. "What is this stuff made of? The taste is so weird, the texture is so weird, all gritty... How could anyone like this?"
Harry remained stiff and motionless.
"..."
Sensing something was amiss, Malfoy felt a twinge of fear. "What's wrong with you...?"
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