Tom's words were carefully chosen.
He didn't spell out his conclusions, leaving plenty of room for everyone's imagination to do the work.
But the facts were right there.
At the exact moment MACUSA should have been stabilizing the situation, the entire organization had vanished. The building was completely deserted.
What did that imply?
That the American Magical Congress had known in advance? Maybe they'd even reached some kind of agreement with Herpo and worked together to create this disaster.
Maybe exposing the wizarding world had been the goal all along, all for some hidden purpose.
And Herpo himself... what if he'd been one of theirs from the start?
For a moment, every gaze in the room turned hostile as they looked at Fontaine.
Fontaine quickly raised his hands. "Hold on. I'm only the headmaster of Ilvermorny, not some high-ranking MACUSA official. I know as little as the rest of you."
"Sorry, Headmaster Fontaine," Tom said calmly, though his tone carried unmistakable pressure. "That's not very convincing."
"The relationship between Ilvermorny's upper ranks and MACUSA is hardly a secret. Anyone here who knows the slightest thing about America is aware of that. And you're a close friend of President Quahog."
Tom's eyes stayed fixed on him. "Honestly, if we let you return to America right now... do you really think we'd feel safe about it?"
He had voiced exactly what everyone else was thinking.
Cornelius Fudge immediately jumped in. "Mr. Riddle is right. America's situation is far too strange right now. No one knows what's really going on. For everyone's safety, Professor Fontaine, I think it would be best if you stayed at Hogwarts for the time being and observed how things develop."
The others quickly voiced their agreement.
Right now, everyone was desperate for some sense of security, and Fontaine was the person most likely to know something.
Seeing his expression darken, Tom spoke again before Fontaine could argue. And in one stroke, he blocked every excuse.
"Professor Fontaine, America's exposure is already a done deal. When I left, New York had fallen completely into chaos. People are on high alert now. They know wizards exist. That means a lot of concealment and confusion spells have already stopped working."
He leaned forward slightly, "With America in that kind of mess, if you and a handful of professors tried to take several hundred students back there and something happened... could you take responsibility for it?"
That killed the argument entirely.
Even if Fontaine wanted to insist, no one in this room would let him take that risk.
Grindelwald gave a cold snort, "Why waste so much breath? Just lock him up."
He turned toward Dumbledore, "Dumbledore, do you still have Veritaserum at Hogwarts?"
"Grindelwald, what exactly are you planning?" Fontaine asked sharply, pulling out his wand at once. If Grindelwald made a move, he was ready to strike back immediately.
Dumbledore frowned. "Grindelwald, Professor Fontaine is not a criminal. Everything involving him is still speculation."
He paused. "Keeping him and the Ilvermorny students in England is protection, nothing more."
"Spare me the act." Grindelwald scoffed and stood. "I don't have time to waste here. I need to get back to Berlin... And if Berlin erupts the way New York did, don't blame me for slaughtering my way through it."
He looked at Vinda Rosier. "You're coming with me. The rest of the students and professors stay at Hogwarts. It's safer here than anywhere else."
With that, Grindelwald strode out of the room.
Vinda followed without hesitation.
Dumbledore stared after them, stunned. Was Gellert treating Hogwarts like some kind of emergency bunker now?
But the thought had clearly inspired the headmasters of the other schools.
More than one of them looked tempted. And honestly, they had a point.
With Dumbledore and Riddle both here, if the world truly fell into chaos, Hogwarts would probably be the safest place on earth.
Of course, unlike Grindelwald, they couldn't make that decision on their own. They'd have to discuss it with the students' families first.
Still, staying a few extra days was well within their authority.
The Ministry officials continued questioning Tom about New York. But there wasn't much else to tell.
He'd gone there, beaten cops, blown up tanks, taken down aircraft, and, for free, treated the entire city to a horror movie.
As for his conversation with Herpo in the middle of all that, there was no way he was sharing that in public.
Before long, realizing they weren't getting any more useful information, the officials took their leave. Like Grindelwald, they had to return home as fast as possible to stabilize their own countries.
The top priority was simple: Keep every wizard silent. Keep them hidden. Do not let them be exposed and protect them.
"Minister Fudge." Tom looked helplessly at Fudge, who was still sitting there in a daze, like his soul had left his body.
Having a Minister of Magic like this really was Britain's... blessing.
Officials from every other country had already rushed home to take control.
And as the host, Fudge had it easiest. The trip from the Dream Arena back to London was practically nothing.
Yet here he was, sitting around waiting for Tom and Dumbledore to tell him what to do.
Tom and Dumbledore exchanged a look, and both saw the same thing in each other's eyes: exasperation.
Dumbledore smiled faintly and gestured for Tom to handle it.
He was too tactful to say it bluntly. That was better left to the young.
"Ah." Fudge snapped back to reality and looked at Tom.
"..."
"Minister Fudge, at a time like this, as Minister of Magic, you should be standing at the center of it all. Return to the Ministry, take command, and make sure every wizard in Britain stays hidden and avoids exposing themselves."
"At the same time, send Aurors and Hit Wizards to the major wizarding communities. Make sure Muggle-Repelling Charms and Confundus Charms are still functioning."
Tom looked at him, "That sounds right, doesn't it?"
Fudge blinked like he'd just woken from a dream, nodding furiously. "Yes, yes! Mr. Riddle, you're absolutely right. I'll head back to the Ministry at once."
Grabbing his hat, Fudge's round figure finally disappeared from Tom's sight.
Now, only Tom and Dumbledore remained in the room.
Even Fontaine had gone out to calm his students. After all, this had happened in America. The Ilvermorny students and professors were the most terrified.
...
Only then did Dumbledore speak, "Tom, I suspect there were things you didn't say earlier."
His sharp eyes rested on him. "Can you say them now?"
Tom gave him a thumbs-up. "Professor, you really are wise with age."
Dumbledore's face darkened. That did not sound like a compliment.
"Wait a moment," Tom said. "I need to call someone."
He snapped his fingers. Fawkes appeared before him in a burst of flame.
Tom leaned down, muttering a few quiet words to the phoenix.
A second later, Fawkes vanished again in a blaze of fire.
.
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