— — — — — —
Aberforth's nose practically twisted out of shape from anger. The veins at his temples throbbed, and with a loud thud he dropped his luggage onto the ground.
Gabrielle jumped at the sudden noise and immediately shrank behind Tom. She only dared peek out from his side, half her small face visible, her big watery eyes filled with nervous curiosity as she secretly studied the furious Aberforth.
He did look about fifty percent like Dumbledore.
But unlike Dumbledore's gentle grandfatherly warmth, Aberforth was perpetually unkempt, forever scowling, radiating an aura that screamed keep your distance.
"Brat, can't you fix that foul mouth of yours for once?"
"Why should I?" Tom shot back without missing a beat. "Beat me in a duel, pin me down, force me to change. Otherwise don't complain."
Aberforth was so irritated he almost laughed. Grumbling, he finally explained why he was leaving.
Tom had been standing for a while and was getting tired. With a casual flick of his hand, two streaks of green light shot out. The thick wooden posts by the roadside twisted and reshaped themselves into two wicker chairs woven with soft vines.
Tom sat down with Gabrielle.
"I see… you're going to look for a phoenix."
Tom nodded slowly. Grindelwald had thought this through and given him a reminder. And ever since Ariana had been resurrected, Tom hadn't given her any real gift.
"But I don't think your chances of catching one are great," Tom added bluntly.
Aberforth didn't argue. He just sighed in defeat. It was the truth. He didn't have much confidence himself.
A phoenix's greatest talents were healing and near-impossible-to-counter Apparition. So far, no wizard had developed a reliable way to restrict a phoenix's teleportation.
The only option was brute force: violently disrupt the surrounding spatial currents.
But how many people could pull that off?
Aberforth wasn't even sure he could. He could only hope that the Dumbledore blood in his veins might help.
The odds were slim. If a phoenix had been willing to acknowledge him, it would have come long ago. Why would he need to hunt one down?
"I have to try," Aberforth muttered.
Tom was silent for a moment, then suddenly called out into the air, "Fawkes."
The moment the name left his lips, a burst of dazzling golden flames ignited midair. From the brilliant blaze came a clear, melodious cry like a song.
A second later, Fawkes spread his magnificent red-and-gold wings and emerged from the fire, landing neatly on Tom's shoulder. He rubbed his head affectionately against Tom's cheek.
"Waaah!"
Gabrielle's eyes went round as saucers. She eagerly reached out to touch the phoenix's warm feathers, only for Fawkes to loftily sidestep her hand.
Tom gently patted her head and addressed the stunned Aberforth. "Take Fawkes with you. They're the same kind, after all. Maybe he'll draw the wild phoenix out. You don't do anything. Just let them talk."
"If it works, great. If it doesn't…" Tom glanced up at the sky. "I'll forcibly bring that phoenix back and train it properly."
Honestly, once the wild phoenix was brought back, Tom wouldn't even need to try very hard. He could charm it into utter devotion, even more so than Fawkes now.
"O-Okay," Aberforth stammered.
He'd heard from Dumbledore that Tom and Fawkes got along well.
He just hadn't realized it was this well.
...
After watching Aberforth board the Knight Bus with his luggage, Gabrielle tugged on Tom's sleeve and looked up at him with pleading eyes.
"Tom, I want to touch the phoenix."
"Alright." Tom smiled and ruffled her hair. "When Fawkes comes back, I'll have him make friends with you. Make friends, okay? You're not to treat him like some ordinary pet and poke at him whenever you want. Got it?"
"Mhm. Like a Veela," Gabrielle said solemnly.
Tom paused. Well… that wasn't entirely wrong.
Gabrielle wasn't fully human to begin with. She didn't carry that instinctive sense of superiority humans often had toward magical creatures.
The two of them stepped into the bustling streets of Hogsmeade. Gabrielle flitted through the crowd like a lively little butterfly, weaving effortlessly between people. Her wide eyes darted everywhere in wonder. Whenever she spotted something new or interesting, she'd stop to stare and tug on Tom's hand, chattering nonstop with questions.
When Fleur had visited last term, Tom had brought her to Hogsmeade too. He'd even video-called Gabrielle so she could tour the village virtually.
But in the past six months, Hogsmeade had changed drastically. Even Hogwarts students who had visited countless times found it unfamiliar.
With the local branch of the Guild completed, Hogsmeade began drawing in more and more people. It was gradually becoming the second-largest wizarding hub in Britain outside of London.
On top of that, Grindelwald was stirring up chaos across continental Europe. The relatively remote British Isles had become a natural refuge for witches and wizards looking to lie low. And when people sought safety, they gravitated toward places with more of their own kind.
..
Hogsmeade had long outgrown the scale of a village. It was turning into a small town. The main road stretched farther than before, new side streets branching off in all directions.
New shops were everywhere, either freshly opened or still under construction.
Of the newly developed land, Tom owned eighty percent.
He was practically the town's biggest landlord.
Come on. Who understood the power of real estate better than he did?
Hogsmeade's boom had happened because of him. Taking a modest cut of the profits seemed only fair.
"Tom, does this look cute?"
Gabrielle stood there with a pair of enchanted bunny ears perched on her head. They reacted to her expressions. When she frowned, they drooped. When she smiled, they perked straight up. If she burst out laughing, they wiggled side to side.
Adorable didn't even begin to cover it.
"It's cute. How much?" Tom asked with a smile.
"Mr. Riddle, you're too kind! It's just a little trinket. Please, consider it a welcome gift for the young lady. Just take it!" The shop owner, a middle-aged wizard, hurried over the moment he saw Tom. His grin was wide, his attitude excessively respectful.
"Alright. I'll accept it."
Tom picked out a few other small items as well, and again, no one asked for payment.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford it. He just enjoyed this feeling.
He had walked on thin ice for years. Now he was finally stepping onto solid ground.
From being an unknown nobody to flashing his face and getting things for free. These past three years had really been…
Tom paused, staring at the glowing toy in his hand.
Actually… had he ever really suffered?
---
After lunch at a newly opened pizza shop, Tom carried the drowsy Gabrielle back toward Hogwarts at an unhurried pace.
"Tom, I want to come to Hogwarts to study. Do you think that's a good idea?"
Gabrielle snuggled into his warm arms, her small head resting against his shoulder. Her voice was soft and sweet.
Tom adjusted his grip, lifting her slightly so she'd be more comfortable.
"That's not something you ask me. You ask your parents."
"But if you really want to study in England, your English needs to improve."
Gabrielle could handle simple spoken conversations now, but when it came to writing, she was basically clueless. She wouldn't survive classes like that.
"Then I'll work hard on my English. Will you help me convince Mama and Papa?" The little schemer immediately tried to negotiate.
Tom chuckled. "Fine. If you still want to come when the time comes, I'll speak to them."
"Hehe, deal!"
It wasn't that Gabrielle disliked Beauxbatons. In fact, she thought Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was even prettier than Hogwarts, full of flowers and fountains everywhere.
But she was a little scared of Headmistress Olympe Maxime, who could be very strict. And Beauxbatons had far more rules than Hogwarts. Everything revolved around etiquette and proper conduct, which made Gabrielle feel constrained.
Hogwarts students, on the other hand, were friendlier. When they saw her, they smiled so warmly. Just yesterday she'd received piles of sweets from older girls.
She loved it here.
---
Back at school, the moment Gabrielle saw the students from Uagadou still busy building their houses, her sleepiness vanished. She dragged Tom over, and the two of them watched with great interest for a full hour.
Honestly, those students had serious talent when it came to manual work. Setting up frames, chopping wood, assembling structures. You could tell from their movements they weren't amateurs.
Tom also paid attention to their wandless magic.
They handled basic spells just fine. But when it came to more complex Transfiguration, their hand movements became extremely elaborate. Combined with their speed, it almost looked like they were doing some kind of flashy hand dance.
...
After settling Gabrielle in a carriage for her afternoon nap, Tom finally returned to the castle and collapsed onto a couch in the Slytherin common room.
Astoria briefly reported on the day's registration numbers. When Tom heard that Durmstrang and Mahoutokoro had only one participant sign up, he raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
"Where's your sister?"
"She went to have tea with the girls, saying that's what a proper British lady should do."
Tom clicked his tongue. "The competition's about to start and she's still in the mood for tea… fine. I'll let her enjoy herself for one more week."
Astoria's expression didn't change.
She was used to it. Tom always softened halfway through scolding. It was exactly this indulgence that had spoiled her sister rotten. Daphne was practically incapable of taking care of herself now.
"Oh, right."
Tom suddenly sat up and leaned close to Astoria's ear, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear.
"Come to my room tonight. I need your help with a small experiment."
Astoria's cheeks immediately flushed a faint pink. She nodded gently, a flicker of anticipation passing through her eyes as she quietly began looking forward to the evening.
.
.
.