The rhythmic clatter of the train echoed softly beneath us, steady and unchanging.
The Hogwarts Express cut through the countryside like a blade—inevitable, unstoppable.
Much like the future I intended to create.
I sat comfortably within the compartment, posture relaxed, expression calm.
Perfectly composed.
Across from me sat Abraxas Malfoy, his pale features carrying that same aristocratic confidence I remembered.
Beside him—
Avery,Lestrange,Rosier,Mulciber,and Nott.
The Knights of Walpurgis.
Not yet feared.
Not yet legendary.
But they would be.
For now…
They were simply boys.
Talking.
Laughing.
Planning futures they barely understood.
And at the center of it all—
Was me.
"…and of course, the Ministry continues to fumble anything of real importance," Abraxas was saying, a faint smirk playing at his lips.
I chuckled lightly, swirling the conversation with ease.
"They always have," I replied smoothly. "Power without vision is little more than decoration."
Avery leaned forward slightly. "And what would you suggest instead, Tom?"
Ah.
There it was.
Interest.
I allowed a brief pause—just enough to draw their attention fully before answering.
"Structure," I said simply.
"Control. Not brute force… but influence. The kind that shapes decisions before they're even made."
They listened.
Of course they did.
Because I wasn't forcing them to follow.
I was making them want to.
Lestrange's eyes gleamed with interest. "You make it sound easy."
"It isn't," I replied calmly. "But difficulty has never stopped us before, has it?"
A quiet agreement settled over the group.
Subtle.
Unspoken.
This was how it began.
Not with fear.
Not with domination.
With belief.
I leaned back slightly, observing them as they continued the discussion, occasionally guiding it with a word here, a suggestion there.
Small nudges.
Tiny adjustments.
Already, I could see it.
The loyalty.
The admiration.
Crude, for now.
But malleable.
"They followed him out of fear…"
I thought quietly, recalling the future.
A flawed approach.
An unstable foundation.
Fear created obedience.
But belief?
Belief created devotion.
My gaze shifted briefly toward the window, watching the landscape blur past.
This time…
I would build something stronger.
Behind me, the compartment door slid open slightly.
A presence lingered.
Familiar.
I didn't turn immediately.
I didn't need to.
Albus Dumbledore.
Of course.
Curious.
Observant.
Always watching.
"Tom."
His voice was calm. Measured.
Now I turned.
Slowly.
Respectfully.
"Professor."
Our eyes met.
And for a brief moment—
The world seemed to still.
He was studying me.
Not openly.
But carefully.
Searching.
For what?
Madness?
Darkness?
Ambition?
He would find none of it.
Not today.
Only perfection.
"Enjoying your journey?" he asked.
"Very much," I replied, offering a polite, composed smile. "It's always… enlightening to return."
A flicker of something passed through his gaze.
Interest?
Suspicion?
Good.
Let him wonder.
"Indeed," he said softly. "I imagine this year will be… significant for you."
"It will be," I answered.
Truthfully.
Just not in the way he expected.
There was a pause.
A silent exchange beneath the surface of words.
Then—
He nodded slightly.
"I look forward to seeing what you accomplish, Tom."
"As do I, Professor."
And just like that—
He was gone.
The door slid shut.
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then Abraxas spoke.
"…He watches you."
I smiled faintly.
"Let him."
Because watching…
Was all he would be able to do.
For now.
I turned back to the group, seamlessly rejoining the conversation as if nothing had happened.
But inside—
Everything had already shifted.
Hogwarts was no longer just a school.
It was a battlefield.
A stage.
A proving ground.
And every person within it…
Was a piece waiting to be moved.