— — — — — —
"...Mr. Riddle, I have a question."
Inside the Arena, Professor Joseph of Ilvermorny did not immediately step forward. Instead, he fixed Tom with a steady gaze. "Can you guarantee that the dragons assigned for the examination are all of equal strength?"
"Or am I simply unlucky?"
As soon as the question left his mouth, every professor present turned to look at the young boy.
The small "disagreements" between Riddle and America were common knowledge by now. Everyone wanted to know whether this was a deliberate attempt at targeting someone, or whether Tom had genuinely prepared an entire collection of such monsters.
"Looks like you don't have much faith in me, Professor Joseph. Or in yourself..." Tom's smile never wavered, though there was a hint of resignation in it now.
Joseph frowned, "Mr Riddle, I simply want a fair answer. Nothing more."
"Ah. I see." Tom let out a sigh. Casually tapping his throat with his wand, he amplified his voice so it carried across the entire arena. "My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. We've encountered an unexpected situation."
"Professor Saretta Joseph of Ilvermorny has raised concerns regarding the fairness of this competition. He believes the dragon on the field is significantly stronger than the dragons assigned to the other examinations."
"Therefore, on behalf of the organizers, I hereby announce the cancellation of Professor Joseph's participation. He may enjoy the remainder of the competition as a spectator, free from any concerns about getting hurt."
The moment Tom finished speaking, discussion erupted throughout the stands.
The announcement had caught everyone completely off guard.
..
Inside the headmasters' box, Agilbert Fontaine's brows knitted tightly together.
What the hell is Joseph doing? How did he suddenly end up clashing with Riddle?
If this had been part of the Inter-School Tournament, Fontaine had the authority to ask questions. He was one of the judges and headmaster of Ilvermorny.
But the Wizard Assessment was organized by the Astra Abyssum Guild. They were merely participants.
On the platform, Joseph's expression changed drastically, "Riddle, that's not what I meant."
"And what exactly does that have to do with me?" Tom replied without even bothering to lift his eyelids. "If you think it's unfair, then don't participate. I'm just helping you withdraw. What's the problem?"
Joseph's face flushed red with anger, "I never said I wanted to withdraw! Riddle, you're being completely unreasonable!"
Even without turning around, he could feel the strange looks directed at him from every direction.
After Tom's little announcement, most people probably assumed he was scared of the dragon. That he was stalling, making excuses, and too frightened to step onto the field.
But that wasn't it at all.
Yes, the Hungarian Horntail was terrifyingly powerful.
But in the end, it was still just a beast. It wasn't enough to make him lose his nerve.
He had only suspected that Riddle calling him up first might have been deliberate, so he had decided to probe a little.
Who could have predicted that the teenager's response would be this extreme? One question, and suddenly he'd been "voluntarily" withdrawn from the competition.
"I think wanting to withdraw is exactly what you meant." Tom waved a hand impatiently.
A cloud of black mist drifted from the sleeve of his robe.
Joseph's expression instantly changed. A crushing pressure descended on him from all sides, as though the surrounding space itself had become unbearably heavy.
At the same time, the air around him seemed to vanish. Breathing became difficult.
The black mist exploded with a sharp crack. Several thick black-patterned pythons dropped onto the platform and wrapped themselves around Joseph in the blink of an eye.
Tom stepped forward.
He reached out and lightly patted Joseph's face.
Then he began unloading every ounce of irritation he'd been holding back, "Seriously, who do you think you are?"
"You sign up for a competition and start running your mouth nonstop. No evidence, no proof, nothing. You just decide I'm targeting you?"
"Targeting you?" Tom gave a short laugh.
"The hell makes you so special? Look at the other professors. See how much class they have? If you don't trust me, then why the hell did you enter the competition in the first place? Ever heard of trusting first and questioning later?"
"Actually, forget it. If you understood basic manners, you wouldn't be acting like this. Get out."
"I'll have a word with Fontaine afterward. Next time, send someone with a little professionalism. What do you think this place is, a garbage dump? That you can just throw any random piece of trash in and call it a contestant?"
Tom's sudden explosion left both the audience and the competing professors stunned.
Everyone present was part of respectable society. Who had ever seen someone switch faces this quickly?
One moment he was all smiles, the next he was attacking someone in front of a worldwide audience.
And it wasn't just physical force. The verbal damage was just as brutal.
Joseph's face had already turned red.
Whether from rage or from the black-patterned snake tightening around his neck, nobody could say for sure.
At first, the professors' expressions had been rather unpleasant. After all, Joseph held the same status they did. For Tom to take action without warning felt disrespectful to all of them.
But the more they thought about it, the more understandable Tom's reaction became. Riddle had invested an enormous amount of effort, manpower, and resources into creating this assessment. It was obvious that he intended for it to become the universal standard of the wizarding world in the future.
Joseph's public accusation wasn't merely a complaint that Tom was making things difficult for him. Taken further, it was a challenge to the fairness and credibility of the entire assessment system.
Given Riddle's youth, pride, and uninterrupted success, it would have been stranger if he hadn't gotten angry.
Furthermore, Riddle had never really targeted Ilvermorny. Their champion, Jauncey, had won the last round as part of the Red Team, which at least proved there was some level of fairness in the competition Riddle had designed.
"Throw him out."
Tom had no interest in wasting any more time on Joseph.
The scolding had felt satisfying enough for now. Once today's competition was over, there would be plenty of time to settle the rest of the account.
The black snakes dragged Joseph away.
Joseph clearly looked like he wanted to argue. After all, things had escalated far too quickly. It was just a damn simple question that deserved a damn simple answer, nothing more. But under the pressure of the snakes' restraint, not a single word made it out of his mouth.
...
Once the nuisance had been removed, Tom turned back toward the remaining professors. The familiar shy smile had somehow returned to his face as though nothing had happened.
"My apologies for the unpleasant scene. Now that the unrelated party has left, we can continue."
"Hm..." Snape spoke up expressionlessly, easing the awkward silence. "Professor Joseph is getting on in years. It's understandable that he's become more cautious and protective of himself."
A classic Snape move.
One sentence, and Joseph was permanently nailed to the pillar of shame as a coward.
Flitwick joined in as well. "We all have to take the field sooner or later. I was first during the previous assessment, so I may as well go first again."
Tom blinked at the two professors.
These are really my dear professors.
One helped smooth over the situation. The other chose to step up personally and crush any lingering doubts.
Tom was so moved that he decided he would treat Snape better from now on. The book 'My Enemy Cucked Me Twice' would not be making an appearance next Christmas anymore.
"Thank you, Professor Flitwick."
Flitwick gave a small nod.
With a crack of Apparition, he vanished from the platform. The next moment, he appeared inside the Howling Abyss.
A Hogwarts professor versus a dragon… an apex-class dragon.
The battle was about to begin.
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