— — — — — —
By the time Vinda Rosier finished explaining, Tom had a clear picture of what was going on.
Someone had put a price on his head — 50,000 Galleons — and they wanted him alive.
Judging by how quietly it was done, whoever was behind it clearly didn't want the Ministry to catch wind of it or tip Tom off, so it was strictly under-the-table, not a public bounty.
There were only three middlemen on the black market who ran shops like Borgin and Burkes, and the six wizards who attacked were sent by them — two each. Apparently, they planned to split the reward.
Fifty thousand Galleons. That kind of money probably hadn't been seen on the black market in decades.
But instead of being flattered, Tom frowned.
Only fifty thousand?
Bloody hell, even Harry— Undesirable No. 1— had a Ministry bounty of ten thousand Galleons on his head. Tom figured he should at least be worth ten times that.
Vinda noticed Tom's frown and thought he was furious that someone had dared put a bounty on him. She immediately promised, "Master Riddle, give me a little time. I'll find out who issued this bounty, and I swear those three old bastards won't get away with it."
"Relax," Tom said with a small laugh, snapping out of his thoughts. "I'm not that short-tempered. Now that we know who's after me, we just take care of it. By the way, where's Vogel today?"
"He went to call in someone more… suitable for the job." Vinda then gave him a rundown on who Grimmson was.
Tom nodded. He'd heard the name often enough from Grindelwald — always with admiration.
Gunnar Grimmson wasn't just strong. The real reason Grindelwald respected him was that he was one of the few people who could actually make life difficult for Newt Scamander. When Grimmson showed up, Newt didn't dare unleash his entire zoo of magical creatures — that would just be sending them to their deaths. The title of "greatest magical creature hunter" wasn't just for show.
Of course, that didn't mean Grimmson could easily take Newt down either.
After all, Newt had bodyguards — Tina, his brother Theseus, and sometimes even a summoned Dumbledore for good measure.
No wonder Newt and his friends hated Grimmson's guts. The man was a nightmare to get rid of.
Tom sighed. "Shame I won't have time to meet this time. I'd like to see for myself just how strong a man has to be to suppress an Obscurial."
After finishing things with Vinda and the other Roisers, Tom returned to Flamel Manor, completely exhausted.
Yesterday's fight had taken nearly everything out of him. Not because he had to go all-out offensively, but because he had to restrain the Obscurus and keep it from killing those wizards. There were fewer and fewer opponents who could challenge him now. Aside from the two old men in the study space and that other old man at school, maybe only Aberforth and Grimmson were still worth going all out against.
After feeding and settling Usaki back into his usual deep sleep, Tom left and headed to the Delacours'.
It was Saturday, so Monsieur Delacour was home. And judging by the look of despair on the man's face, Tom had once again whisked away his two little angels.
The only consolation for Monsieur Delacour was that Tom would be heading back to Britain in a couple of days.
And so, Tom didn't even bother with the lab during those final days. Instead, he spent them taking Gabrielle and Fleur to every amusement park in Paris, and even made a trip to the Vosges Mountains to visit their grandmother, Polena.
Polena was delighted to see them, but when she found out they were heading back to Paris the very same night, she was furious, almost enough to trigger her transformation.
Tom could only laugh helplessly. 'Veela really are just big kids,' he thought.
Then again, Polena was only about 120. For Veela, that was basically human thirty-something — hardly old at all.
When they returned from the Vosges, they brought back fresh fruit and beautiful flowers.
...
Finally, it was time to return to Britain.
On the day of departure, Tom transplanted five Whomping Willows into his pocket dimension.
"Are you sure Dumbledore will be fine with you treating his school like a vegetable garden?" Nicolas Flamel asked suspiciously. "Those trees are still dangerous for students. I remember when he first planted the one at Hogwarts — the parents' complaint letters piled up like snow on his desk."
"Hogwarts is full of things far more dangerous than a tree," Tom said with a grin as he sealed the container. "Last year it was Quirrell, then a Horcrux diary… compared to that, a Whomping Willow is practically harmless."
"Besides, the headmaster already asked me for help. If he can ask me for favors, I can ask him for one too. Fair's fair."
"Just be careful."
Even as Dumbledore's friend, Flamel couldn't help but warn him. "He's a good man, but… well, just keep your guard up."
"Protecting yourself comes first. If you're ever unsure about something, ask me, not Newt."
He shot a meaningful glance at Newt, who just smiled awkwardly. "That boy can barely take care of himself. If it weren't for Tina, he'd be missing a few limbs by now."
"Got it," Tom said with a nod and a smile. "I'll just stop by to see Madame Perenelle, then I'm off."
"Go ahead."
---
Meanwhile, in the black market, a middle-aged wizard with a round-topped hat and a harmless smile stepped into a shop. His dimples appeared as he spoke softly to himself. "This should be the place."
After making sure he had the right location, he traced a circle with his wand. A shimmering barrier wrapped around the entire shop like a curtain of water.
Nothing would get out: not blood, not screams.
---
Back in Britain, the air instantly felt heavier.
Typical London. The fog clung to the sky like a wet bandage, refusing to leave.
A few hours later, a violent storm broke out. Lightning flashed, thunder rolled, wind howled — and finally the air felt fresh again.
Tom took out his Codex. After reaching out to Astoria and Daphne and finding they were both busy, he sent a message to Hermione.
『Tom Riddle』: Yo~ I'm back.
『Hermione Granger』: Already? I thought you'd only be back right before term started.
『Tom Riddle』: My place is still a mess. If I put it off any longer, I'll just end up cleaning it during summer break.
『Hermione Granger』: Need a hand?
『Tom Riddle』: I'd be thrilled.
『Hermione Granger』: I'll be right there.
An hour later, Hermione was standing outside the gate when the iron gate swung open by itself.
...
Inside the living room, Hermione immediately noticed the scattered frames and elegant decorations on the floor.
Tom gestured at them. "Most of the heavy lifting's done. Now it's just details and decor. I figured we could use these pieces to brighten the place up, and I want your opinion."
"You really trust my taste?" Hermione crouched down, picking up a tapestry with intricate floral designs. "What if you hate my suggestions?"
"Then I won't take them," Tom said with a grin. "But two people will still work faster than me on my own."
Hermione gave him an exaggerated eye roll. "You're awfully blunt."
Still, she grabbed the tapestry and headed toward the stairs. "Let's put this here."
Hermione took her task seriously. She spent ages considering each placement, even holding up several pieces in different spots to compare before deciding what worked best.
But like a lot of girls, she still had a hard time choosing, so Tom ended up making the final call most of the time.
Working together made things fly by. They still managed to decorate the entire first floor and both stairways by late afternoon.
Hermione wanted to keep going, but Tom stopped her.
He hadn't invited her over to turn her into free labor — he just wanted some company.
"We won't finish it all today anyway," he said with a smile. "Come back tomorrow and we'll do the rest. For now, let's eat. I'll walk you home after dinner."
The fridge was always stocked and the house-elf kept everything fresh, so Tom roasted a chicken and made beef stew. Hermione contributed two dishes of her own.
The next few days fell into a comfortable rhythm. Mornings were spent at the Greengrass estate helping Daphne cram her assignments, afternoons were for decorating the villa, and evenings were split between dinners together or popping over to Hermione's house to "borrow" a meal. Hermione, meanwhile, was already halfway through next term's material.
At night, Tom would spend time in his study space with Ariana, watching Tom & Jerry.
Lately, Ariana had taken to challenging Grindelwald every few days. She wasn't scared of him anymore and loudly swore to bring this Dark Wizard to his knees — though she still lost every single time.
It wasn't that she wasn't talented. Ariana had a frighteningly good knack for dark magic, but Grindelwald had been a magical prodigy too. Surpassing him at the same age was no small feat. She'd need to explore darker, forbidden magic to catch up... but Ariana wasn't ready to take that step.
---
On the morning of term, Tom woke up early. Outside, the world was a fresh sheet of white. It had snowed heavily overnight, leaving a thick layer even on the windowsill.
He dressed, took the Floo to the Greengrass estate to drag Daphne out of bed for breakfast, and after eating, left with a girl on each arm before heading to the Grangers' to collect Hermione.
Mr. Granger drove them to King's Cross. He started to tell them to bear with the cramped space, but Tom casually expanded the back seat with magic.
Mr. Granger was quiet for a long moment before muttering, "If regular people could do that, house prices would never get this ridiculous."
Hermione sighed. "Dad, Extension Charms are advanced magic. Very few wizards can use them properly, don't assume every wizard is like… him."
The Greengrass sisters nodded vigorously in agreement. Tom only smirked and shot Hermione a look.
"Like him, you say? You mean genius?"
The little witch pouted. "Real geniuses don't break common sense like you do."
Tom pinched her cheek. 'Fine, one day we'll have a whole bunch of little weirdos together,' he thought.
Snow made the roads slippery, so Mr. Granger drove carefully. They had left early but still only reached the station half an hour before departure.
"Take care of yourselves, and write often," Mr. Granger said, watching the kids disappear onto the platform. He stood there for a long time afterward, sighed, then turned back toward the car park.
The magical world… it really was something to dream about.
He wondered if he would ever get the chance to witness the wonder of magic.
.
.
.