— — — — — —
On the third-floor corridor, the young witches and wizards were already locked in a tense standoff. Glares flew back and forth, and the air felt ready to explode at the slightest spark.
There were seven Star Chambers in total. One had been reserved by Dumbledore for the professors, leaving six open for student use.
Six rooms might sound like plenty, but in the face of a swarm of thrill-seeking students eager to test their limits, it was nowhere near enough.
After all, there were students from seven different schools here. Even one room per school wouldn't cover it.
At first, Hogwarts students had tried to play the gracious hosts. They offered to take only three rooms and let the other schools share the remaining three.
Durmstrang and Beauxbatons didn't object.
Ilvermorny, however, had other ideas.
A blond boy stepped forward, arms crossed, sneering openly. "Hogwarts takes half the spots, and the other six schools split the rest. And you expect us to be grateful? You really do get all the best deals, don't you?"
That line instantly drew angry looks from every Hogwarts student present, regardless of house.
Then a girl chimed in to back him up. "Why are you glaring at Kent? Is he wrong? If you really had any manners, as hosts you should give each of the six schools one room. When we're done, then you can use them."
"Exactly. The Star Chambers aren't going anywhere," another added.
"And if that's not enough…" a boy started to suggest having Riddle make more, but after recalling Tom's rather terrifying reputation, he wisely swallowed the rest of that sentence.
"Getting bold, aren't we?" Draco Malfoy stepped to the front, face dark, with Crabbe and Goyle looming behind him like bodyguards. "Figures. Descendants of criminals, no sense of upbringing at all."
"No one else complained. Just you lot whining about fairness. And you admit we're the hosts? Then how we handle things isn't for you to decide."
Harry had never imagined a day when Malfoy's sharp tongue would actually feel satisfying to hear. But looking at the Ilvermorny students' increasingly ugly expressions, he found himself siding with him for once.
"Come on, Malfoy, you don't get it," Harry added with a grin. "When someone's been driven out before, of course they're desperate to come back and play host."
The two of them might have been sworn enemies, but their insults lined up perfectly. They both went straight for the sore spot and twisted hard.
Judging by how the Ilvermorny students' faces shifted from black to red, and how the temperature in the corridor seemed to spike, the tactic worked beautifully.
Both sides were breathing hard, glaring at each other.
Then, almost as if by unspoken agreement, fists started flying. No one could tell who threw the first punch, but within seconds, the corridor descended into chaos.
"Ilvermorny students are fighting us! Come help!"
A Hufflepuff boy burst into the Great Hall, sweating and shouting at the top of his lungs.
The entire hall exploded into motion.
Tom shot to his feet, grabbed Astoria with one hand, and stuffed an entire sausage into his mouth with the other before forcibly Apparating away.
If you weren't quick to catch the drama, you had a problem. Every second wasted was a moment of excitement missed, and that simply wouldn't do.
Astoria hadn't even processed what was happening before screams and furious swearing rang out in her ears.
Tom, meanwhile, slipped seamlessly into spectator mode, watching with great interest.
The fight was intense, mostly close-quarters brawling. Not because they didn't want to use magic, but because the corridor was too cramped and packed with bodies.
Tom watched as an Ilvermorny student tried to pull out his wand, only to have his arms pinned by two Hogwarts students. Two uppercuts landed cleanly, and blood spurted from his nose as his wand flew out of his hand.
In terms of numbers, Hogwarts had the overwhelming advantage. It was their home turf, after all.
And yet, somehow, the fight looked evenly matched.
…Wait.
Tom spotted the problem.
Why were Uagadou students in the mix?
And why were they helping Ilvermorny against Hogwarts? That wasn't fair.
Tom lifted a finger slightly. The air around a nearby Uagadou student tightened instantly, forming invisible restraints that locked him in place.
A few Hogwarts students rushed over and got in a couple of punches and kicks before backing off. Only then did Tom pull the restrained boy over.
"Isn't this between Ilvermorny and Hogwarts?" Tom asked calmly. "Why is Uagadou getting involved?"
The restrained student looked furious, clearly itching to lash out. But the moment he realized who was questioning him, all that anger deflated into something much more subdued.
"We're… getting revenge," he muttered.
"Revenge?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "What does Uagadou have against Hogwarts?"
"Not exactly Hogwarts," the boy admitted, shaking his head. "But back during the triangular trade, Britain hit us the hardest. A lot of our people were captured and sold across the world as slaves."
"The British were also the ones who stole our resources, forced us into labor, and killed millions of us."
Tom stayed silent.
He knew it wasn't exactly wrong—but still… that wasn't a reason for "revenge." At least, not here, not now.
"Wasn't this something Muggles did to Muggles? What does it have to do with you?" a Castelobruxo asked, confused.
"And even if you want revenge, why help Ilvermorny?" a Beauxbatons girl chimed in, covering her mouth with a silk handkerchief as she laughed. Her tone was teasing. "For all you know, their ancestors were also the ones enslaving yours. Isn't that siding with the enemy?"
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
"Alright, alright, help whoever you want." Tom shook his head with a chuckle, then raised his voice to the onlookers. "Everyone step back. Give them some space so they can really enjoy themselves."
"Mr. Riddle, aren't you going to help?" a Mahoutokoro girl asked, puzzled. She had assumed that the moment Tom showed up, Ilvermorny and Uagadou would be finished. Instead, he was just… watching.
Tom smiled. "You're calling me 'Mr. Riddle.' Would it really be appropriate for me to jump in?"
"Besides, I trust my classmates. It's just Ilvermorny and Uagadou. They can handle it."
Tom wasn't exactly known for having moral scruples. Beating up people his own age didn't bother him.
But this time, stepping in really wasn't appropriate.
Even if he crushed Ilvermorny and Uagadou here and now, once things settled, people would just say Hogwarts only won because of him. That without Riddle, the rest were nothing.
That would sting a lot more.
Better to let them fight it out themselves.
If they lost, he could deal with the aftermath externally, while Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape handled the humiliation internally. Perfect division of labor.
Hearing him say that, the surrounding students looked at him with newfound respect. Even some who hadn't liked him before started to rethink their opinions.
Mr. Riddle… what a noble heart.
With the crowd stepping back, the students finally had enough space to cast spells instead of just throwing punches.
In an instant, the corridor lit up with flashing magic. Red and blue bolts collided with the walls, bursting into showers of sparks.
In the chaos, no one could tell friend from foe anymore. Wands swung on instinct, spells fired without hesitation. It was pure mayhem.
Thoughtful as ever, Tom raised a protective barrier so everyone could watch safely. He even provided live commentary.
"Malfoy's playing dirty. Using Crabbe and Goyle as shields. Look at their faces, they're already swollen. Still, it's working. He's taken down five people."
"Potter's hopeless. Too soft. Instead of attacking, he's helping fallen teammates. This is a fight, not a charity drive."
"Oh my~ Malfoy and Potter teamed up? They're making history!"
Unfortunately, Tom didn't get to enjoy himself for long before the professors arrived.
"Make way! Move aside!"
Professor McGonagall pushed through the crowd, her face dark as she flicked her wand repeatedly, forcing people apart with sheer magical pressure. Behind her came the headmasters and professors from the other schools.
The moment she saw dozens of students brawling, spells flying everywhere, her vision went black. She nearly fainted on the spot, and Professor Sprout had to quickly steady her.
Uagadou's headmaster, Okoye, looked equally stunned. The report he'd received mentioned only a conflict between Ilvermorny and Hogwarts. No one had said his own students had joined in.
"How are my students involved in this?"
Spotting Tom among the crowd, McGonagall stared at him in disbelief. "Riddle, it's come to this and you're just standing here watching?"
"I wasn't just watching," Tom replied honestly. "I was explaining things to everyone. Breaking down fighting styles. They've learned quite a bit."
The surrounding students nodded enthusiastically.
"Enough, Minerva. Tom isn't in any position to intervene," Dumbledore said quickly, cutting him off before he could say something that would only make things worse.
Tom shrugged and lowered the barrier.
With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore conjured streams of golden ropes that shot out like living snakes, binding the fighting students in moments.
It didn't take long before dozens of them were restrained, the chaos brought to a sudden halt.
As the students came back to their senses and met the furious gazes of their respective headmasters and professors, their hearts sank.
…They were in serious trouble.
"Everyone else, please disperse," Dumbledore said, keeping the situation under control as he addressed the surrounding crowd. "We will handle this matter fairly and impartially. There's no need for speculation. I believe this was simply a misunderstanding, nothing more."
Reluctantly, the students began to leave.
Within moments, the third corridor fell quiet once more.
.
.
.