— — — — — —
Tom's Oscar-worthy performance hadn't been for nothing.
At least until Daphne's brain fully caught up. He figured he could survive until then.
While Daphne turned away to get some water, Tom rubbed Astoria's head gently and lowered his voice. "Astoria, do you remember what you promised me before?"
The girl nodded obediently. Tom had already given her a heads-up last year, asking her to help keep Daphne in check when necessary.
"Good girl." Tom let out a long breath. Astoria really was the sensible one.
After coaxing Daphne for a while longer, Tom claimed he was tired and escorted both sisters back to the common room before returning to his own dorm.
Of course, he couldn't actually sleep.
If he did, tomorrow would be a disaster.
There were still several young witches he hadn't soothed yet. Sleep was a luxury he didn't have.
Especially Fleur—he couldn't let her sleep just like that. At the very least, he had to make it clear that he'd never really cared about the Veela blood; if anything, he had always seen it as a bonus.
...
Meanwhile, Astoria didn't go back to her own dorm. She followed Daphne into her room instead. The other roommates barely reacted. The sisters were close, and Astoria was practically a regular here.
As long as those two didn't start a pillow fight tonight, everything would be fine. And given their mood, that seemed unlikely.
Still, the roommates were itching to gossip. What exactly had they talked about with Riddle? How did Daphne's temper cool down so fast? Unfortunately, curiosity lost out to fear, and they all behaved themselves and went to bed.
~~~
Late at night.
Daphne was fast asleep, breathing evenly. Astoria stared at the ceiling for a long time. After some hesitation, she worked up the nerve to shake Daphne awake.
"Sis, wake up.... sis. Sis."
"Mmm… is it an earthquake?" Daphne mumbled, completely out of it.
"No. I think that woman is plotting something. Fleur did it on purpose today. She's trying to make Tom dislike you."
"WHAT?!"
Daphne snapped fully awake in an instant, shooting upright so fast that she startled Astoria.
Her eyes practically glowed. "Astoria, what do you mean?"
She didn't bother lowering her voice. Astoria hurriedly gestured for her to quiet down so she wouldn't wake the roommates.
Daphne got the hint. She jumped out of bed and casually tossed a Stunning Spell at each roommate, making sure they slept extra soundly. Only then did she turn back. "Now you can talk. How exactly is Delacour trying to make Tom dislike me?"
"Sis, don't rush."
Seeing how serious Daphne was, Astoria felt a little nervous herself. She calmed her first, then explained, "I looked into Beauxbatons. Their teaching style has always emphasized royal etiquette. Even if Fleur is impulsive—"
"Call her Delacour. Or old woman," Daphne cut in.
Astoria was speechless, but she went along with it. "Even if Delacour is impulsive, why would her headmistress just sit there and do nothing? That means it was planned."
Daphne's brain churned for a good while before she nodded stiffly. "That… makes sense?"
"But why would they do that?"
"They want you to get angry," Astoria said calmly. "When you're angry, you throw a tantrum. Then Tom has to comfort you. Once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, forget Tom. Even Mom would end up spanking you. He'll get impatient with you, and that means he'll seem closer to her instead."
This was what clarity felt like.
Daphne entered a full state of enlightenment. Everything suddenly made sense.
"That's disgusting!" Daphne trembled with anger. "That woman is not only old, she's vicious!"
"I'm going to tell Tom right now!"
She was already pulling out her mirror to complain when Astoria stopped her. "Sis, we don't have proof. She can just make up an excuse and brush it off. She might even turn it around and say you're being unreasonable. And the insult about her bloodline? That just adds to her points against you."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Daphne felt like she was swelling up like an overinflated balloon.
She was being schemed against and couldn't even strike back. She'd never suffered this kind of grievance in her life.
"Sis, listen to me," Astoria said gently.
She laid out the plan she'd already thought through. "Your conflict with Delacour can't be taken to Tom. This has to be settled between you two."
"So what you should do now is..."
Astoria went on and on, methodically explaining different tactics. Daphne's eyes grew brighter by the second. She nodded repeatedly, and in the end she even hugged the little white-haired girl and rubbed her cheek against her.
"Astoria, you're the best sister ever! Once I drive that awful woman away, I'm taking you out for a huge meal!"
Being hugged so tightly, Astoria felt a little embarrassed. A flicker of guilt passed through her eyes.
Sorry, sis.
This isn't just for you. It's for me too.
I'm really a Slytherin.
---
The next morning, Tom was dragged out of bed early.
Fleur stood gracefully at the entrance to the Slytherin common room. The moment she saw Tom, her face lit up with a radiant smile that seemed to brighten the dim surroundings.
Just then, a Slytherin boy happened to walk out. One look at Fleur and he froze, tripped on the stone steps, and went down hard with a thud, his face burning red with embarrassment.
But neither Tom nor Fleur paid him any attention.
Tom walked straight over to Fleur. Standing behind her, he smoothed the corner of her robes.
"You found our common room on your very first day at Hogwarts? I have to say that's impressive." Tom really meant it.
"Is that difficult?" Fleur blinked. "Ask any Slytherin and they'd be thrilled to tell me your password."
"Fine, you win. You're charming—hands down the most charming girl in the world," Tom said, sounding helpless. "But did you really have to show up this early? We were just together a few hours ago."
"Yes," Fleur said, looping her arm through his. "You promised to give me a full tour of Hogwarts. The school's huge. We need to make good use of the time."
"You'll be living here for a month and a half," Tom reminded her.
Fleur already had her excuses prepared. "I'll be busy training later. These first couple of days are the only free time I'll have. Madame Maxime gave us a few days to adjust. Honestly, it's so much damper here than Beauxbatons. I woke up feeling like my clothes were already starting to mold."
At that point, what could he say?
Arm in arm, the two of them became an instant spectacle wherever they went.
"This is the Echo Wall. It absorbs nearby conversations and randomly plays them back around six or seven in the evening. Sometimes what you hear is from ten years ago, or even earlier. That's why students try not to talk when passing by. No one wants their words becoming future blackmail."
"Mwaah!"
Fleur kissed Tom soundly on the cheek, then turned to the wall and said brightly, "Fleur Delacour kissed Tom Riddle right here."
Tom smiled helplessly, leaned in, and kissed her back, leaving his own message. Only then did Fleur walk away, satisfied.
"This is the Herbology Greenhouse. The temperature stays perfect year-round. See those lounge chairs? Lots of students come here for afternoon naps."
"This is Sir Cadogan. What he likes most is…"
"Coward! Craven fool! You dare stand before me again! This time you won't escape. Duel me!"
Tom shrugged. "See? He loves challenging people."
"Then why does he call you a coward?" Fleur asked curiously.
"Last time he challenged me, I borrowed a few fire dragons from other portraits. Burned off his beard and his clothes."
"You're terrible," Fleur laughed, covering her mouth.
"This is a trick step. Don't step on it or you'll fall through."
"This is the Thief's Armor. It picks up clutter from the floor and stuffs it into its helmet. Once a student claimed the armor stole his homework. Then more people said the same thing, and that's how it got the name."
"And that's Mrs. Norris. A cat who's exceptionally good at catching rule-breakers."
"And that's Severus Snape. Not important. Let's go."
Snape: "???"
Watching Tom and Fleur stroll past him without a pause, Snape's face darkened to the color of a cauldron bottom. If it had been anyone else, he would've made sure that person no longer existed at Hogwarts.
But Tom…
Just you wait, Riddle.
He shot a vicious glare at Tom's retreating back, swept his robes around, and stalked off. It was safe to say the students unlucky enough to have Potions next were in for a rough time.
...
While Tom and Fleur were roaming the castle, Grindelwald gathered the six students he'd brought into his quarters.
Old Dumbles had been surprisingly generous. Grindelwald's room was a suite converted from a classroom, spacious and fully equipped.
Grindelwald sat behind his desk, leisurely sipping coffee. Vinda stood behind him, posture immaculate. The students stood with their heads bowed, not daring to look up.
All except Viktor Krum.
Despite the nerves twisting in his gut, Krum refused to show even a hint of fear toward the man before him.
"This competition is important," Grindelwald said at last, setting down his coffee. "Not just for your pride, or the school's reputation, but also as a silent shackle between Dumbledore and me."
His gaze landed on Krum. Grindelwald's voice softened.
"Viktor, do you feel confident?"
.
.
.
(A/N: Hello! I've seen the complaints about the last few chapters, and I'm really sorry. I guess I got a bit too absorbed in planning the future—like the resurrected teachers from the study space, the 10th trial, and so on. I'll take this as a lesson and do better in my future writing.
...I hope you're still enjoying the story ^‿^