"Calm yourself, Albus. We genuinely came to purchase a wand this time."
Tom brandished the Elder Wand, pointing it carelessly at the cabinets behind Ollivander, showing no hint of embarrassment at returning to the scene of his earlier crime.
"Could you please put that thing away? It's unsettling," Ollivander said, staring at the Elder Wand with a dark expression. He then seemed to realize something. "Huh? This wand… could it possibly be the legendary…"
Ollivander's eyes widened, excited, eager to get a closer look.
But the jet of green light at the wand's tip snapped him back to reality.
A calculating look flickered in his eyes. "Ahem… how about this: allow me to examine that wand more closely, and I'll simply give you the wand you desire."
"Avada Kedavra…"
"Sell! Fine, I'll sell it to you, alright?!"
Ollivander, looking utterly defeated, spun around to retrieve a wand from the cabinet.
"Oh no!"
Just then, Tom seemed to recall something.
"What's wrong, Professor?" Cassandra asked, looking at Tom with confusion.
"I neglected to ask Dumbledore for the key to Harry's vault."
Tom felt somewhat played, but upon further thought, he realized someone as cunning as Dumbledore wouldn't forget to give him the key, nor would he have any reason to envy Harry's meager fortune, unless… Dumbledore didn't want him going to Gringotts right now.
The Philosopher's Stone! Tom immediately realized, Dumbledore still doesn't completely trust me.
The Philosopher's Stone only extended life, it couldn't slow aging. Tom Riddle had no interest in such shallow immortality.
Harry's question pulled Tom back to reality. "My family has a vault?"
Cassandra explained, "The Potter family is one of the ancient pure-blood families; your parents left you a considerable amount of wealth."
"I see..."
Harry stroked his chin, appearing thoughtful. "Then, could I use this money to recruit more Death Eaters...?"
Most of the new Death Eaters will be recruited by me; with my achievements, being second-in-command wouldn't be unreasonable, right?
Harry nodded, pleased with his own brilliant idea.
Just then, Ollivander approached, holding a wand case. "That wand from your previous visit clearly wasn't the right match for you… Try this one."
Ollivander opened the case and presented the wand.
Tom glanced at it. The wand was brown, the handle resembling a gnarled tree stump, and the shaft was unadorned.
[Item: Wand]
[Wand: Holly Wood]
[Core: Phoenix Tail Feather]
[Length: 11 inches]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Compatibility: 54%]
Perhaps because the core of this wand comes from the same phoenix as his original wand, the compatibility isn't particularly low.
Tom watched with interest as Harry took the holly wand.
Seeing Harry pick it up, Ollivander quickly backed away, wary of it being pointed at him.
Harry rolled his eyes at Ollivander before waving the wand, creating a gentle breeze.
"That's it! This is it!"
Ollivander exclaimed excitedly. "I never imagined it would find its owner today!"
This was just his typical spiel, and Tom and Cassandra didn't react.
But Harry, who didn't know Ollivander well, grew curious. "Is this wand special?"
"It isn't about the wand itself, it's about the core, which comes from the same phoenix as another wand, and the owner of that other wand…"
Ollivander glanced furtively at Tom.
Harry noticed Ollivander's look and immediately perked up. Fate has ordained me, Harry Potter, to become the Death Eaters' second-in-command!
Harry carefully put away the wand he treasured.
"How much?"
Cassandra asked Ollivander; after all, Tom only had a few coins in his pocket, and she would have to pay.
"No, no! What are you saying? No need to pay! Consider it a small gift from me to… Mr. Potter."
Though he said that, Ollivander was already planning to ask Dumbledore for the money later.
With the Dark Lord standing right in front of them, what if he demanded money and they lost their lives?
Tom didn't stand on ceremony with the old man and turned to leave with his apprentice and Harry.
Click.
Ollivander breathed a sigh of relief as the shop door closed. "Merlin's lacy stockings, that devil is finally gone."
...
"...Master..."
A female voice suddenly echoed within his mind, causing Tom to stop abruptly.
Cassandra and Harry also paused in confusion.
Tom, whose knowledge of souls was unmatched, recognized it instantly: a resonance, the voice of a soul closely connected to his own.
What the devil… a Horcrux? But why a feminine voice? Could it be… that another Voldemort had split from him and transformed into… her?
A chill ran down Tom's spine. If that were the case, he had to eliminate the other party swiftly, or his reputation would be ruined.
Although his reputation wasn't exactly spotless to begin with…
Thinking this, Tom pulled out a twenty-pound note and stuffed it into Harry's hand. "Harry, return to the Leaky Cauldron. I will seek you later."
He then grabbed Cassandra's shoulder. Space twisted, and he Apparated.
"…"
So, I'm merely a dispensable character, am I?
Harry silently vowed that he would surpass Cassandra's status in his Professor's eyes and become the true second-in-command of the Death Eaters!
...
Albanian Forest.
Space twisted again, and Tom appeared with Cassandra.
Normally, Apparition couldn't cover such a distance.
But this wasn't normal; the Apparition user was now Tom Riddle.
"Professor, what are we doing here?"
Cassandra crossed her arms, regarding Tom with a dubious look.
But Tom didn't respond; instead, he stared intently at her.
"Professor?"
Cassandra called out again, puzzled.
Tom still didn't respond.
Observing Tom's intense gaze, Cassandra seemed to understand something. She let out a soft gasp and blushed, averting her eyes.
Could it be… the Professor intends to… But here… it isn't appropriate…
Cassandra squeezed her eyes shut, her face flushed crimson.
But she waited in vain for what she anticipated. Opening her eyes, she found that Tom had walked past her and was standing behind her.
"Nagini!"
Before Tom stood a massive, sinuous python. Tom reached out and stroked its head.
The snake didn't flinch; instead, it narrowed its eyes contentedly.
I lost to a snake…
Cassandra stared wide-eyed, incredulous at the scene.
Tom, however, had no idea what his apprentice was thinking. He was overjoyed; he had acquired another snake.
He should have realized that the voice calling him was the Blood-Bind Curse Beast - Nagini, one of the Horcruxes.
"However… I still need to remove Voldemort's remnant soul for you."
Tom looked at Nagini, pondering for a moment. "I shall take you back first."
---