Tom stood still in the center of the venue, silently scanning the audience in the surrounding stands.
Seeing the young Wizard, who was clearly still a child, occupying Grindelwald's stage, the scene instantly quieted down before erupting into a clamor.
"Where did this little fellow come from, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, or Durmstrang?"
"Get down, this isn't where you should be standing."
"Get lost, little kid should go home and eat candy."
Some short-tempered individuals even pointed their wands at Tom.
'Damn it, as expected, compared to Grindelwald's 188cm height, the appearance of this small frame is much worse. Not only no applause, but also so much noise.'
'But the good news is that I'm still young and will continue to grow. In the future, my 191cm height will definitely surpass Grindelwald, as long as I pay attention to maintaining my hair and nose.'
Tom cursed inwardly, but maintained a polite smile on his face. With a wave of his wand, he disarmed all the wands pointed at him.
The unique aura of a great Wizard fully unleashed, suppressing the noise in the venue, yet he remained silent.
This was an important lesson Tom had learned from the little mustache—the power of silence.
When the atmosphere was suppressed to its breaking point, Tom finally bowed to the audience on all sides, and tonight's performance officially began.
"Good evening, my brothers, my sisters, and my friends."
"Today, we gather here following the desires and beliefs of our hearts, no longer bound by convention, but to seek something new together."
Grindelwald, who was about to come out and have a good talk with Tom about stealing his stage, stopped in his tracks when he heard his opening remarks.
This opening remark is so familiar, he was not sure, he needed to listen again.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Tom Riddle, from Hogwarts. You can also call me Mr. Lord Voldemort."
Grindelwald was very confused after hearing Tom's self-introduction. He, who constantly paid attention to Dumbledore, did not know that Hogwarts had produced another great Wizard. Could it be that Dumbledore liked this type of 'keeping a mistress'? Thinking of this, his fists involuntarily clenched.
"I believe many of you here dislike Muggles, or those who cannot cast spells."
"But I am very sorry to tell you all, I am not. I do not dislike them, nor do I intend to fight for so-called hatred."
"In my opinion, they are not useless. They are just a group of people different from us, and they possess different values."
"They should not be disposed of at will, but need to be treated specially."
Grindelwald listened to Tom's speech, feeling a sense of déjà vu. These familiar lines, shouldn't he be the one talking eloquently there? Something was not right, he needed to listen again.
"magic will only appear in a few souls, and will only descend upon those who have a higher pursuit of life."
"Our existence will benefit all humanity, because we will bring what humanity yearns for."
"It is freedom, it is truth, and it is love."
All his lines. Grindelwald watched Tom's speech with a strange expression, both appreciative and confused. Such a person, whose thoughts and ideals were so aligned with his own, actually came from Hogwarts, where Dumbledore was.
Could Tom have been taught by Dumbledore? If so, did that mean Dumbledore finally agreed with his ideals and wanted to reconcile with him? Thinking of this, Grindelwald's heart couldn't help but beat faster.
At this time, Tom's speech continued.
"Now it's time for everyone to see the future I've encountered. If we don't rise up and bring about the world we yearn for, then what will we encounter?"
After speaking, Tom's gaze turned to Veida Rosier, and Veida Rosier looked at Grindelwald at the same time.
Seeing Grindelwald nod slightly in agreement, Veida Rosier held the skull pipe and came to Tom's side.
Tom grabbed the pipe and took a deep puff, slowly exhaling smoke from his mouth.
A torrent of steel, roaring warplanes, tragic slaughter, scene after scene of World War II, finally froze on the image of nuclear peace.
Grindelwald's eyes brightened even more. The prophecy Tom made was no different from what he had seen.
At this moment, Grindelwald seemed to see the shadows of both Dumbledore and himself, Grindelwald, in Tom's features.
Look at this prophetic talent, it truly has his, Grindelwald's, style.
If Tom knew what Grindelwald was thinking, he would definitely burst into laughter. With his pitiful divination talent of 2, a complete weakling, it was impossible for him to see the future like Grindelwald. What he displayed was only the past.
Just as the crowd present was frightened by the world-ending scene Tom displayed, several members of the Saints, who had been placed under Imperio by Tom and scattered among the crowd, began to speak up.
"Oh my God, it's terrible, what should we do?"
"Mr. Lord Voldemort, can you stop all of this?"
"Please, Mr. Lord Voldemort, save us?"
That's right, Tom used Imperio on them precisely to make them shills, after all, how could a good performance not have shills?
Tom pressed his hands down, signaling everyone to be quiet.
"Of course, of course, I will not sit idly by and let such a terrible future happen. The Ministry of Magic's 'Statute of Secrecy' is making our Wizard living space smaller and smaller. Constantly giving in to Muggles will only cause us Wizards to disappear into the long river of history."
"Wizards are born noble. The magic in our bloodline, in our souls, should allow us to stand high above, guiding those Muggles forward, leading them into the stars."
"But now, look at what we are doing. Hiding, like rats, hidden in the shadows. Those high-and-mighty Ministry of Magic officials, for the sake of the so-called 'Statute of Secrecy,' stand with the Muggles, suppressing us, persecuting us."
"No, this is wrong. We Wizards should not be like this. Therefore, we must resist, fight against this injustice, and reclaim the honor and status that rightfully belongs to us Wizards."
At this moment, the shills Tom arranged spoke up again.
"Resist!"
"Resist!"
"Resist!"
...
The Wizards, whose emotions had already been stirred by Tom, began to shout hesitantly with the encouragement of the shills. As these shouts joined in, the fervent emotion gradually spread to others, and more people shouted.
"Resist!"
"Resist!"
"Resist!"
...
Tom pressed his hands down again, and the shouts in the venue gradually subsided.
"My dear brothers, sisters, and friends, join our great team fighting for this—STAR... *cough cough*... Death Eater!"
Tom was a bit embarrassed. He almost blurted out STARGAZER, but thankfully he stopped in time. STARGAZER is, after all, of the 'lawful good' alignment. This kind of 'good deed' should be left to the Death Eater.
Fortunately, with the shills leading the way, the scene became fervent again.
"Death Eater!"
"Death Eater!"
"Death Eater!"
"Lord Voldemort!"
"Lord Voldemort!"
"Lord Voldemort!"
...
Grindelwald looked at the fervent scene before him. Damn it, his home had been stolen.