Tom didn't immediately answer Grindelwald's question, instead glancing down at the unicorn nuzzling his leg. "Do you remember this old man?"
"Hoo~" The unicorn responded, its breath misting as a clear warning to Grindelwald.
Tom seemed pleased. "That old man is cunning; best to keep your distance."
"..."
Grindelwald's expression soured at the remark. "If you don't want to talk, then don't. It's not as if any of your pets have a legitimate background, anyway."
"They're all perfectly legitimate," Tom said with a smile. "Shall I have Fudge issue a certificate of authenticity?"
"...Heh."
This kid is truly insufferable.
Deciding he'd rather not spar with Tom, Grindelwald turned his attention to searching for Dumbledore.
...
While the three most powerful wizards in the world were discussing a unicorn, Harry and Malfoy had tracked down Hagrid and initiated a conversation on the subject of Grawp.
"Hagrid, you actually brought that giant back?" Malfoy circled Grawp cautiously. "I haven't seen him since we got back to school. I thought you were joking."
Hagrid shook his head, his expression turning somber. "Grawp's always been bullied by the other giants 'cause of his size. Even… his own mum didn't like him much. We're all each other's got, really."
Harry was silent for a moment, then offered a small, complicated smile. "You're not alone, Hagrid. You've got us to help you, remember?"
"Harry…" Hagrid's eyes widened, and he dabbed at the corner of his eye with a large, calloused hand, clearly moved.
"Hey! Grawp!"
Harry approached the giant, who had been watching Malfoy with mild curiosity. "We're friends, aren't we?"
"Fren…" Grawp repeated the word clumsily, then seemed to grasp the meaning, seizing Harry's hand with a jolt of excitement. "Fren!"
A wave of putrid, fishy stench washed over Harry, nearly causing him to gag.
"Grawp… like… fren…"
Lost in his excitement, Grawp remained oblivious to Harry's discomfort.
"Oi!" Seeing Harry in danger of being crushed, Malfoy kicked Grawp lightly on the foot. "Put him down, you oaf! Get away from him!"
The "Big Three" of the wizarding world watched the scene with undisguised amusement.
Tom, in particular, found something strangely familiar about the whole situation.
...
Hagrid stepped forward, adopting a stern posture. "Grawp! Behave yourself! Put Harry down this instant!"
Hearing Hagrid's stern voice, Grawp scratched his head with his free hand, then gently lowered Harry to the ground.
Harry, still slightly dizzy and unsteady, managed a weak smile. "As… a friend, I suggest you… brush your teeth more often."
"Looks like I'll have to adjust my lesson plans tomorrow," Grindelwald mused, stroking his chin. Harry was one of the stronger students, and even he was nearly incapacitated by the giant. What would the others do against a fully grown giant in the Forbidden Forest? They need at least some self-defense knowledge.
Grindelwald had initially planned to teach some advanced techniques, but with two classes scheduled for tomorrow, he could easily dedicate one to the art of dealing with giants. That should make things easier for Albus.
"Tom, curfew is approaching. Ensure Harry and the others return to the castle," Dumbledore said, turning away from Grawp. "Gellert and I will head back now."
As he turned to leave, Dumbledore noticed the unicorn staring intently at him.
Suddenly the old wizard felt as if decades had melted away, back to a time when he, too, had regarded such a creature with longing.
He expected, as he had before, that the unicorn would bow its head in reverence.
Smiling kindly, Dumbledore said, "You understand already, don't you? You should choose…"
Before he could finish, the unicorn turned its head and trotted back to Tom's side.
"..."
Dumbledore's expression was conflicted. He did want the unicorn to resist bowing to him, but did it have to snub him so blatantly?
Grindelwald, who had been observing the exchange, burst into laughter.
Dumbledore gave Grindelwald an annoyed nudge in the ribs, then looked up from the unicorn to meet Tom's smug gaze with a hint of playful reproach.
"..."
Tom offered no explanation.
Dumbledore had no inkling that the cunning Tom had struck a deal with the innocent unicorn.
Until the unicorn decided whether to bow to Tom, it would remain by his side.
And until it finished considering Tom, it would not even consider a second person.
In Tom's words, "You must focus on the task at hand. One cannot achieve greatness while constantly distracted. You wouldn't want your late mother to think you're just a useless little unicorn, would you?"
The naive little unicorn had fallen for it, and Tom had successfully convinced his pet to shun everyone else.
"..."
Seeing Tom's triumphant smirk, Dumbledore wordlessly led Grindelwald away from the Forbidden Forest.
For some reason, his pace quickened as they left.
...
The next morning, Tom ascended the spiral staircase to the second-floor Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
Upon entering, he found Grindelwald already inside, studying his specially prepared notes.
The "Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5" and "Defensive Magical Theory," intended for fifth-year students, were carelessly discarded to the side.
Clearly, just as when Tom was teaching, they found these so-called textbooks more amusing than enlightening.
Not entirely useless, but mediocre.
No doubt, the authors of these textbooks possessed significantly less knowledge than these two Dark Lords.
"Morning, Tom." Grindelwald finished packing his things. "Are you here so early? A young man needs his sleep to maintain energy."
"I have more energy than you, old man," Tom retorted as he walked to his usual seat near the podium, over in a quiet corner where he could read and observe the entire classroom.
Maybe he'd even catch a few students from other houses misbehaving and dock some points.
Apart from a few Gryffindors and the majority of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff—who were mostly Death Eaters—the other three houses were essentially Tom's followers.
But Tom thought with amusement, one must do as one is told for the master's reward.
---