— — — — — —
Faced with Dumbledore's helpless frustration, Grindelwald looked positively delighted.
At last, he understood just how satisfying it was when Tom annoyed people on purpose. No wonder that boy was always in such a good mood.
Everyone else was left fuming, so how could his mindset not be rock-solid?
Should he go to Snape next?
"Gellert. Are you trying to tear up our agreement?" Dumbledore asked. "Don't forget, we sealed a blood pact."
"No, Albus. I've never had any intention of breaking it."
Grindelwald set down his fork and tilted his head slightly. "Why are you always watching me so closely? They're the ones coming to me of their own accord. Just a bunch of pitiful souls huddling together for warmth. At a time like this, shouldn't you be asking yourself why the International Confederation of Wizards is so unpopular that so many countries are dissatisfied with it?"
"There is dissatisfaction," Dumbledore replied calmly. "But there is far more ambition. Your return has stirred people who were previously content. The world could have continued running in a stable state."
"Albus, you're sticking your nose into far more than you used to."
Grindelwald shot him an annoyed look, idly turning the blood pact they had only recently signed over in his fingers. "If you wanted to rule the world and suppress others, that would be one thing. But you're just a headmaster. On what grounds, exactly, do you think you have the authority to interfere with the choices of other Ministries of Magic?"
"Ambition? There are countless ambitious people in this world. Why do you keep singling me out? Those ministries are simply chasing greater benefits and higher status. If that's the case, why shouldn't they side with me?"
Dumbledore's gaze deepened. Faced with Grindelwald's questioning, he found himself unable to argue back. In the end, he could only say softly, "Our lives are nearing their end. Don't leave the world in ruins."
"Relax," Grindelwald said with a light laugh. "The future is still very long. You can take your time and enjoy watching it."
Dumbledore's eyes sharpened. He heard something different beneath those words. But Grindelwald gave him no chance to dwell on it, smoothly changing the subject.
"Albus, my students don't come here often. They're not just here to compete, they want to experience your teaching methods. Don't hold back."
"What are you getting at?"
"I mean…" Grindelwald drawled, "a half-giant really isn't very presentable. Why not invite Scamander over and have him give my students a few open lectures?"
"If he does well, I might even consider hiring Scamander to teach at my school."
Dumbledore fell silent.
Did he really have to hold onto this grudge forever?
You're over a hundred years old. Couldn't you be a little more broad-minded?
---
In Charms class, Tom finally got a moment to breathe.
He hadn't gone far with Fleur when Cassandra came over to stir things up again. The smile that had been on Fleur's face vanished instantly. She made a few pointed, snide remarks, and before long, she and Cassandra were arguing all over again.
Naturally, Tom took Fleur's side.
Cassandra noticed his bias immediately. Furious, she stormed off, cursing Tom under her breath for turning on her so easily.
The men chasing me could line up from Ilvermorny all the way to New York. And do you have any idea how much money I've made for you these past few months? Hmph! Backstabber.
The complaints didn't stop there. As she walked away, her muttering only grew sharper, every step filled with fresh curses aimed squarely at Tom.
In truth, Tom really hadn't paid attention to how much Cassandra had earned for him lately.
Once a task was completed, he barely cared about the numbers on the books. They were just numbers. There was very little in the wizarding world that money could actually buy. The truly good things were never measured in Galleons. Having a channel for bartering goods was already more than enough.
"..."
Professor Flitwick was demonstrating the Melting Charm, turning the podium into a lump of living slime. He shaped it into all kinds of goofy expressions, sending the students into fits of laughter.
Meanwhile, Tom sat there frowning, lost in thought.
"No. This can't go on."
Sure, maybe it would be fun later. But right now, girls did nothing but slow down his progress in magic.
If he kept getting dragged around like this by one girl after another, he wouldn't get any real work done at all. Worse, they might get used to it and start making scenes in front of him whenever they felt like it.
Daphne and Hermione had been sneaking glances at his expression the whole time. They naturally knew what was bothering Tom. Daphne's eyes darted around as she turned something over in her head.
As soon as class ended, she grabbed Hermione, who had been about to follow Tom, and pulled her aside, whispering her analysis in a rush.
After listening, Hermione nodded repeatedly. "I thought something was off yesterday too. She was going a bit overboard. She could have handled it in private… But Daph, did you really come up with this yourself?"
Hermione stared suspiciously at Daphne's face, trying to spot any clues.
"If it wasn't me, who else would it be?" Daphne replied confidently, hands on her hips.
Besides, Astoria was her little sister. Her sister's ideas were basically her ideas, right?
At least, in Daphne's logic, that made perfect sense.
"Hermione, that woman is way too scheming. She's clearly trying to lure Tom over to Beauxbatons. You don't want to end up video chatting every day and seeing Tom hugging her in your contact list, do you?"
That last line was straight from Astoria.
Sure enough, Hermione's expression darkened. Fleur's looks were flawless. Aside from starry-eyed fangirls, most girls instinctively felt wary of someone like that.
So Hermione believed Daphne without much hesitation.
The two exchanged a look. Nothing more needed to be said. A tacit agreement had already been reached.
---
By the end of the day's classes, Tom was still thinking about how to get himself out of this mess. Even so, he faithfully carried out his duties as a guide for Fleur.
...
At the evening feast, the already long high table had one more seat added.
A middle-aged man sat there, dressed in a sharp suit, his beard groomed to perfection. He wore a serious expression.
Percy, practically vibrating with excitement, introduced the man to the students around him.
"This is Mr. Barty Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation! He's been named a model Ministry official by the Daily Prophet for seven years straight! My dream is to work under him after I graduate!"
He looked exactly like Wood had when he first saw Krum.
Once more people had arrived, Dumbledore stood and formally introduced Crouch, along with the reason for his visit.
"The Ministry of Magic also places great importance on this tournament. Director Crouch is here to ensure that the competition proceeds smoothly and fairly. He will be serving as one of the judges."
Barty Crouch rose at the right moment and nodded to the hall. Applause broke out. Percy clapped so hard his hands were nearly sore.
Grindelwald smiled faintly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. Crouch's reason for coming sounded perfectly reasonable, and nothing seemed out of place. Still, Grindelwald had a strong intuition that Crouch was here because of him.
He was curious to see when Crouch would come knocking, and what exactly he wanted.
...
That evening, Tom finally came up with a solution. He spoke to the girls separately. Once they weren't all together, even Daphne proved quite reasonable.
He explained that wizarding guild affairs were piling up, and his magical research had reached a critical stage. He simply didn't have much time to spend with them. Each day, he would set aside two hours to show Fleur around the castle. When he had free time, he would do his best to make it up to the others.
Honestly, it wasn't much of an excuse. He truly did have a lot on his plate. Every time he saw Astoria, it was like a reminder of the blood curse hanging over him. And after merging with the phoenix bloodline, there was still so much untapped potential to explore.
---
Starting the next day, the noise around Tom finally quieted down.
Of course, the drama didn't stop. Following Astoria's advice, Daphne kept testing her tactics. And every time she ran into Fleur, the two of them traded barbs.
Hermione sometimes joined in as well, and a few casually timed remarks were often enough to leave Fleur struggling to respond.
Two against one, on the opponent's home turf. The odds were not in her favor.
The rest of the students were having a great time. There was fresh drama every day, and Hogwarts was livelier than it had been in ages.
— — —
Before anyone knew it, Friday had arrived.
The first duel was scheduled for the weekend, and for the moment, everyone's focus was on it. Students rallied behind their school's champions, eager to cheer them on.
Ginny became something like a national treasure of Gryffindor. Wherever she went, she was surrounded by people. All she had to do was reach out, and snacks would be pressed into her hands.
...
But on Friday night, Tom received a message. It was the first one he'd gotten since adding this person to his contacts.
『Borgin』: Mr. Riddle, I have some information you might be interested in.
Tom raised an eyebrow and tapped the message. His reply appeared instantly.
『Tom Riddle』: Old Borgin, I hate it when people speak in riddles. Do I need to come over myself and use my wand to pull the answer out of your mouth?
On the other end, Old Borgin seemed thoroughly intimidated. It took a while before he replied honestly.
『Borgin』: Ahem, Mr. Riddle. The truth is, many people in Knockturn Alley have reached the limit of their tolerance toward the Astra Abyssum Guild.
『Borgin』: They're planning to take action tonight.
Oh?
Tom wasn't alarmed at all. Instead, a smile spread across his face.
After bottling things up for nearly a week, he finally had a chance to let it all out.
.
.
.