— — — — — —
The four founders' relics were all pretty interesting, each one showing a bit of their personality.
Gryffindor's sword represented strength: Godric Gryffindor himself loved solving problems through duels, the most battle-hungry lion of them all.
Hufflepuff's cup symbolized abundance: Helga Hufflepuff was a peace-loving soul who cared far more about her students' daily lives than any glory.
Slytherin's locket stood for lineage. Only families with deep, ancient roots adore these impractical, low-key showoff pieces.
And Ravenclaw's diadem… the diadem didn't stand for wisdom. It was a crown, a symbol of power worn by rulers, supreme and untouchable.
Deep down, Ravenclaw never really considered all witches and wizards her equal. Only those with talent impressive enough to make her actually look twice, or others on her level, qualified as "the same kind."
So saying Ravenclaw was the proudest of the four founders? Not wrong in the slightest.
And now, not only had someone turned her relic into a Horcrux, they'd even carved their own name right next to her motto. If that didn't make her furious, she wouldn't be Rowena Ravenclaw.
"TOM RIDDLE!"
The woman gritted her teeth so hard it sounded painful, fury rolling off her in waves. Of all the people to piss off, a woman should be your last choice. And the worst possible woman to provoke is one smarter than everyone else in the world.
Tom's scalp tingled. He rushed to calm her down. "R-Rowena, could you… maybe just call him Voldemort instead? When you say Tom Riddle I feel personally attacked."
"You mean I can't say his name?" Ravenclaw shot him a look.
'Damn it, I shouldn't open my mouth.'
Tom looked like he'd just bitten into a lemon, feeling as if Voldemort had dragged his own reputation through the mud along with him.
"...Tom." Ravenclaw fixed him with a serious look. "No matter what you do, do not kill Voldemort. You have to revive me first. I'm going to have a proper talk with him."
She'd never cared much about resurrection before. She was quite comfortable here. Tom continually expanded the library, she got to run experiments, life was rather pleasant.
But now? No. She had to give Voldemort a punishment so miserable he'd regret ever touching what was hers.
"I'll… try my best," Tom said with a strained smile. He actually felt a little sorry for Voldemort now, though he was also curious what torment Ravenclaw might invent. Maybe he could learn a few things.
"Hurry up and destroy the Horcrux. Just looking at it makes me sick," Ravenclaw urged.
"Hold on." Tom turned the diadem in his hands, trying spells to scrub away the dark corrosion and restore its shine.
"Ravenclaw, don't you think destroying it is a shame? This is a thousand-year-old artifact with your name behind it. Easily a world-class treasure."
"Tom, I can teach you how to make it. You can have as many diadems as you want." Ravenclaw was surprisingly agreeable now, her voice turning a little tempting. "Even Rowena Ravenclaw herself is yours. Why cling to a useless diadem?"
"Just let me try, beautiful sister. I also want to try something."
Tom set the diadem on a cabinet and tapped it with his wand. A flicker of deep black energy flashed. A normal Horcrux was hard to detect, but with the Cruciatus Curse or any spell affecting soul or mind, it would react.
...
After some time, Ravenclaw frowned. "Tom, what exactly are you researching?"
"Do you want to use the diadem to make a Horcrux too? But you just ate a Golden Apple. You don't even need one."
"Of course not." Tom shook his head, as if Ravenclaw was being too shallow. "I just want to turn Voldemort's Horcrux into mine. The object and… the soul."
His idea was insane. A soul wasn't just personal property, it was practically the definition of a person. But Tom's plan was to turn Voldemort's soul fragment into one of his own unofficial soul shards. Which would mean the Horcrux would also become his.
No soul-splitting required. Not just powerful, but the magical equivalent of freeloading.
Ravenclaw wanted to shoot down his wild fantasy, but magic was the road to miracles. No matter how many iron laws existed, as long as you had a wand in your hand and magic in your body, anything was possible.
"Confundus," Tom said, revealing his idea. "If I can change the soul's self-perception, it might work."
Ravenclaw hadn't crafted artifacts before, but she pinpointed the hardest part instantly. "You need to break through the Horcrux's outer defenses first. Only then can the Confundus Charm affect the soul."
"We'll take it slow. And I can make another mind avatar anyway, let him handle the research."
Tom wasn't worried in the slightest. After eating the Golden Apple, the number of avatars he could maintain increased from three to four, and once his mind stabilized he could increase it even more.
But of course, his real focus was still on leveling up his strength.
Grindelwald was no longer his target. The one he wanted to surpass now was Andros, a magic monster.
---
Meanwhile… In the Headmaster's office
Even though it was already late at night, Dumbledore still sat behind his desk, expression grim, quill flying across parchment as he engaged in a fierce correspondence with Babajide Akingbade, President of the International Confederation of Wizards.
『Albus Dumbledore』: Babajide, don't be impulsive. Grindelwald is too intelligent. Bulgaria's secret maneuvering won't escape him.
『Babajide Akingbade』: Albus, I'm certain he suspects nothing. This afternoon, Oblansk received a personal reply. Grindelwald agreed to travel to Bulgaria before the weekend to take over their Ministry.
Oblansk was the Bulgarian Minister for Magic, the one who proposed surrendering to Grindelwald.
The truth was that Oblansk genuinely wanted to join the Acolytes. Bulgaria was in a bad spot. Most young witches and wizards left the country after graduation to live and work elsewhere. Their magical community was dead water.
Give it another few decades and the Ministry might not even be necessary.
So why not gamble? Choose a new boss, get better resources, maybe even revitalize the country through war and conquest.
So yes, Oblansk wanted to defect, but many Ministry officials refused. A lot of them were families who came to power after the Acolytes fell. If they bent the knee to Grindelwald, what good end would they meet?
So this faction secretly contacted Akingbade and several other Ministries. Together, they decided to seize this chance to eliminate Grindelwald once and for all.
Today Babajide was basically trying to lock Dumbledore in. Grindelwald would never bring many followers outside his territory. With hundreds of elite Aurors plus Dumbledore, they could keep him in Bulgaria forever.
『Albus Dumbledore』: I have a bad feeling. He must have sensed your plan. He's going along with it.
『Babajide Akingbade』: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Dumbledore, we need you. You're the strongest wizard in the world. If you don't stand up now, all the Aurors risking their lives will die for nothing.
That was blatant moral blackmail. Hundreds of Aurors' lives, and Dumbledore wouldn't help?
This kind of threat would mean nothing to Tom or Grindelwald, but for Dumbledore it struck straight home.
The two argued for a long time, until dawn began to break. Dumbledore finally gave in, helplessly.
If he couldn't stop these madmen, he could only join them.
...
Across the ocean, Babajide practically erupted with joy as he laid out the plan he'd prepared.
Dumbledore had to appear publicly that day, and not anywhere near Bulgaria, in case Grindelwald caught wind of it. Then he would use Fawkes and a prepared Portkey to rush to the battlefield.
During that time gap, which might be thirty minutes to an hour, the Aurors in ambush would have to keep Grindelwald occupied.
Some casualties were expected, but neither Babajide nor the other Ministers believed Grindelwald could defeat hundreds of Aurors in under an hour.
Hundreds against one. The Advantage was with them.
.
.
.