— — — — — —
The moon hung cold and sharp, spilling its icy light across the earth. Even the birds, usually noisy at night, had fallen silent. Not a sound, not a wingbeat. Just stillness.
"..."
Tom stepped onto the balcony with half a bottle of rum dangling from his hand.
Against the pale moonlight, the boy leaned on the stone railing and took several deep swallows.
He didn't like drinking, especially not rum, the sugary stuff favored by pirates. But tonight his mood was a mess, and whatever was nearby was good enough.
"It isn't really your fault."
A calm, wise voice—Ravenclaw's—floated through his mind, soothing the agitation behind his ribs.
Tom let out a long breath and finished the bottle. "I was too busy before and missed Astoria's problem. I thought we'd be safe until she came of age, maybe even longer. Looks like I oversimplified things."
Astoria's condition was uglier than he'd expected. The strengthening potions had kept her body at a normal level, but what he hadn't anticipated was that the blood curse was getting stronger too.
A blood curse didn't drain life at a fixed rate. As it absorbed more, it grew. By the time a victim reached adulthood, the curse had developed enough to end their life completely.
And Astoria, with all that life energy he'd been pouring into her, had grown healthier… which meant the curse had been feasting. Its current rate of consumption no longer matched her age at all.
They still had the Philosopher's Stone's elixir and various potions as a safety net. She wouldn't die. But at this pace, she would weaken day by day. And one morning, she might wake up right back in the same agony she'd suffered in childhood. Maybe even worse...
"Do you think my idea holds water?"
Tom's consciousness slipped into the study space, arriving at Ravenclaw's villa and garden. He didn't want to think about anything else. Astoria's problem needed a clean, final solution before he could relax.
His plan was simple in theory: break the balance of her bloodline. The curse targeted the Greengrass heritage specifically. In Muggle terms, it was a hereditary disease written straight into the DNA.
If he fused her with a magical creature bloodline, reshaping her fundamentally, the concentration of Greengrass blood would drop. The curse's influence should weaken as a result.
And if the bloodline he chose was powerful enough, maybe it could even overwrite and eliminate the curse from within.
But his main worry was the instability during fusion. A collapse of the bloodline could easily occur, and unlike other problems, he had no experimental subjects.
The only known carriers of a similar curse were Nagini and Astoria. But their conditions were nothing alike. No chance of comparing them, let alone experimenting. Tom felt like he was tiptoeing on a cliff.
Ravenclaw's eyes shimmered with shifting light as she performed her own calculations. After a moment, she said softly, "I'm inclined to agree with you. But I have the same concerns. Ending a life is easy, saving one is hard. After centuries, even the caster might not understand what their spell has become."
"So I can't promise it's foolproof. The best way to verify would be…"
Ravenclaw lifted her head and looked at Tom with a faint smile. "Create a blood curse with similar effects."
Tom's expression didn't change. He nodded at once, without a trace of hesitation.
Unkind? Maybe. But when Astoria's life and health were on the line, morality could take a step aside.
And so the two of them spent the entire night constructing the blood curse.
Two brilliant minds working together made for frightening speed, sparks of inspiration flying nonstop. But to replicate the Greengrass blood curse as accurately as possible, they didn't rush.
---
Dawn paled the sky by the time Tom left the study space. After several Apparitions, he arrived at the Reichstag in Berlin.
The grand chamber had long since been cleared. Only Grindelwald remained, seated alone behind the podium, staring blankly at the rows of empty chairs. He looked lost in memories of old battles and long-gone faces. He didn't stir until Tom appeared.
"Oh?" Grindelwald blinked back to the present, glanced over, and immediately picked up on the boy's unsettled state. One brow arched. "Trouble?"
"Something like that." Tom didn't bother hiding it and explained the mutation in Astoria's blood curse.
When he finished, Grindelwald nodded in sudden understanding. "You still have time. Don't rush. The most important thing in learning magic is your mindset. I made many mistakes when I was young because I wanted results too quickly."
He twirled his fingers absently while saying something that would chill anyone else. "And don't worry about materials for your experiments. Most people in this country welcome my return, but a few stubborn fools still resist. Some even tried taking shots at my followers after I was imprisoned. For the sake of your little girlfriend, their sacrifice is worthwhile."
Tom nodded. He understood.
His mood was shaken, yes, but it wasn't catastrophic. His cheat-like advantages and current achievements gave him enough confidence. He had manpower, he had resources. If he kept researching, he'd find a solution.
"By the way…" Grindelwald shifted topics. "I found a few bugs crawling around. Not Dumbledore's."
Tom wasn't in the mood for small fry. "Why tell me? Just deal with them."
"I'm planning to move on a few neighboring countries." Grindelwald finally revealed his plan. "This stalemate is tedious. Might as well hit them hard, crush their morale, and force Dumbledore to negotiate."
"Oh?" Tom caught on immediately. "You want to dig a hole and wait for him to jump in? Don't accidentally bury yourself."
The King of the Century was powerful, no doubt. But even he couldn't stand alone against several hundred trained Aurors. In the end, they were all flesh and blood, and a direct hit from an Auror's spell could kill anyone.
"That's exactly why I'm telling you." Grindelwald's smile deepened with mischief. "Interested in joining the fun? Your human-transfiguration magic is already perfected. Tell me, if two Grindelwalds suddenly appeared, how do you think people would react?"
Tom paused.
This old man… was surprisingly creative.
Him disguised as Grindelwald… that would be easy. Even if Dumbledore showed up, he wouldn't notice right away.
And it wasn't every day one had a chance to fight a hundred Aurors at once.
"Fine. Contact me beforehand," Tom said. "Preferably push it to next month. I'm starting the trial soon. If things get too noisy, Dumbledore will drag Fawkes around the world again."
Grindelwald nodded and handed the unconscious Nagini to him. Then they went their separate ways.
---
Back in London, Tom found Daphne still asleep. He scooped her up and gave her a vigorous shake. The girl flopped back and forth like a rag doll. She woke up but stared blankly for several seconds.
Only after a long, foggy moment did she realize what was happening. Her lower lip trembled. "Tom, what was that for? You can wake me normally, you know."
Tom tapped her between the brows. "When have I ever woken you up in under an hour? I don't have time today. Up. Wash your face. We're going to the station."
"Look at Astoria. She's been ready for ages. Breakfast eaten. She's the older sister here."
"That's not true. I'm the older sister," Daphne muttered miserably, but she still got out of bed to change.
A little later, Lady Greengrass arrived to take the three of them to King's Cross.
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was already bustling. The moment Tom passed through, conversations died mid-sentence. People stepped aside instinctively, leaving him a clear path. They tried to look away but couldn't stop glancing at him.
In the wizarding world, killing carried far more weight than in the Muggle one.
Tom hadn't struck the fatal blows himself, but he'd forced more than a dozen wizards into corners they never escaped. A flourishing pure-blood family had collapsed practically overnight. That kind of power inspired awe… and fear.
Well... Exactly the effect Tom wanted. Not from the students, but from the parents behind them.
The last Tom Riddle could slaughter entire families. This one could too.
Oppose me if you want, but check whether your family tree can survive the consequences.
...
Once aboard the train, the three found an empty compartment. The trip went by quickly with chatter and laughter.
Then they were at Hogsmeade... But at the oak doors, the students froze. Standing there, arms crossed and expression as sour as ever, was Snape.
Most of them were genuinely terrified. Snape gave them the worst trauma of their lives during exams.
Fortunately, the old bat wasn't there for them. When he saw Tom, he jerked his head toward a small side building, and walked inside.
Puzzled, Tom followed.
As soon as he entered, Snape shut the door and got straight to the point. "I hear you have a large number of Inferi. Give me some. I don't need many. A hundred or two will do."
Tom almost laughed. "Professor, a hundred or two counts as 'not many' to you? Then how about giving me some instead?"
.
.
.