— — — — — —
The two generations of Dark Lords shared one thing in common: absolute control over their subordinates. No matter how many private thoughts or schemes people harbored, under overwhelming power, no one dared to step out of line during their prime.
Because of that, Ariana's succession didn't stir up much open trouble, though some quiet scrutiny was unavoidable.
Grindelwald wasn't worried about it. Ariana was more than qualified for that position.
What mattered most now was helping the girl reawaken and develop the Obscurus within her, turning it into a powerful weapon at her side.
---
Meanwhile—
After Ariana left, Tom headed straight to Privet Drive.
Knock knock knock!
"Coming!"
At Number Four, Privet Drive, Petunia was in the kitchen preparing lunch when she heard the knock. She pulled off her gloves and hurried to the door. Dudley, as if deaf, stayed sprawled in the living room playing the latest video game, not even glancing over.
"Are you one of Dudley's classmates?" Petunia asked uncertainly when she opened the door.
Standing outside was a handsome teenage boy. She'd never heard Dudley mention having a friend this good-looking.
What kind of parents did he have?
Tom smiled politely. "No. I'm Harry's classmate. I'm here to see him."
Petunia's expression changed instantly. She was about to say something, but her mind suddenly went blank. In a daze, she stepped aside and let him in.
"Thank you," Tom said courteously as he walked past her.
"Who are you?" Dudley finally noticed Tom's presence and glared at him with open hostility.
He hated any boy more popular than himself. At school, he relied on his size to bully people like that mercilessly.
But with his mum still around, and him being the "good boy" in his parents' eyes, he could only swallow his temper for now.
"None of your business, piggy," Tom said lazily, flicking him a glance.
In the next moment, Dudley's eyes glazed over, just like Petunia's.
"Harry! Harry!"
Tom had no idea which room Harry stayed in. He shoved Dudley aside and made himself comfortable on the sofa.
Upstairs, Harry was reading Quidditch Tactics when he heard someone calling his name. He almost didn't believe it.
"Tom?"
He jumped off the bed and rushed out, poking his head over the banister.
"Tom? It really is you!"
Harry hurried down, delighted. "What are you doing here all of a sudden?"
"I need your help with something. Also, happy birthday."
Tom produced a gift box as if by magic and placed it on the coffee table.
"Thanks," Harry said, a little overwhelmed.
Today was July thirty-first. His birthday. Tom always gave him presents, and Harry never forgot Tom's birthday either, but this was the first time Tom had come all the way here in person.
What really stuck with him, though, was what Tom had said before. So much so that Harry wondered if he'd misheard.
"Tom, did you just say… you need my help?"
Him? Helping Tom?
That felt backwards.
"Yes." Tom nodded and got straight to the point. "I heard you have an invisibility cloak. I need to borrow it for a while."
"No problem," Harry agreed instantly.
He ran upstairs and brought down the cloak.
He didn't ask what Tom needed it for, or who had told him about it. To Harry, Tom was already someone who could do anything. Nothing he did felt surprising anymore.
The Invisibility Cloak, one of the Deathly Hallows.
Running his fingers over the fabric that flowed like liquid, Tom's thoughts drifted.
As a Deathly Hallow on par with the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, the cloak's performance in the original story had honestly been pretty disappointing. It got exposed more times than he could count.
Some of that was Harry's own fault. He hid his body but left his feet sticking out.
But part of it was the cloak itself.
What Tom couldn't understand the most was how Moody's magical eye could see straight through the cloak's concealment, letting Barty Jr exploit it again and again.
If that eye was so amazing, why wasn't it a Deathly Hallow too?
This time, Tom had borrowed the cloak so he could use a Time-Turner to go back to yesterday and fully observe Ariana's resurrection.
And, while he was at it, to study the cloak itself.
Was the problem the cloak?
Or the person wearing it?
While Tom examined the invisibility cloak, Harry got bored. He kicked Dudley twice for fun, then picked up the gift box on the table and opened it.
Inside was a stack of colored cards.
Harry blinked. "Tom… what did you give me?"
"Oh, those are magic cards," Tom said casually. "I created them after drawing inspiration from Eastern talismans. Don't use them randomly—each one has its purpose written in the lower corner."
As he spoke, Tom pulled out a single card, the Armor magic Card, and slapped it onto Harry, activating it. A layer of golden light immediately spread over Harry's body.
"This works like a Shield Charm. It can block more than a dozen Disarming Charms without a problem. There is a time limit, though. It'll wear off in about thirty seconds."
'Dude, this is awesome!'
Harry's eyes lit up. He hurriedly tucked the remaining cards away, already deciding that he'd give them all to Sirius that night.
Sirius and Lupin had been going wild lately, heading out on missions every day. Not long ago, they'd even gone abroad.
It was exciting, sure, but also dangerous.
With these magic cards, they'd be a lot safer.
Still, Harry wanted more. "Tom, have you ever thought about selling magic cards at the Elaina Workshop? You'd make a fortune."
Tom shook his head. "Can't do that. Didn't you read my earlier articles? This is a closely guarded technique from the East. Powerful families in China and Japan protect it fiercely. Making a few to give away is fine, but selling them would be a slap in the face. That would cause trouble when I start building guilds there in the future."
Harry laughed awkwardly.
He'd skimmed those articles when he was bored, treated them like fun trivia, and forgotten them almost immediately. There was no way he remembered the details.
Besides, the talismans didn't look as cool as these "Yu-Gi-Oh" cards—neither in shape, function, nor power.
Just then, an owl suddenly flew in through the dining room window and dropped a letter squarely onto Harry's head. Without stopping, it turned around and flew off.
Tom noticed the seal on the envelope. "A letter from the Ministry of Magic?"
'Huh! The Ministry sent me a birthday present?'
With that thought, Harry opened the letter, and his face immediately turned white.
It was a warning letter.
He'd received the same thing last summer because of that strange house-elf. This one was even harsher, since he was a repeat offender.
The letter said the matter would be reported to the school, which would decide his punishment. If it happened again, he'd be expelled on the spot.
But he hadn't used any magic just now!
Unless…
Harry looked at Aunt Petunia and Dudley, both still standing there in a daze, then slowly turned his head toward Tom.
Case closed.
Tom gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, Harry. I forgot about the no magic outside school rule. Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
"Tom," Harry couldn't help asking, "why didn't they send you a letter?"
"Because I blocked the Ministry's monitoring spells. Like this."
Tom snapped his fingers. The wand tucked in Harry's pocket flew out on its own. Tom brushed a hand over it lightly.
"There. You won't have to worry about that anymore."
"I'm heading to the Ministry anyway. Just pretend you never got that letter."
Tom stood up, handed the wand back to Harry, and packed away the invisibility cloak.
He left the Dursleys' house and headed straight for the Ministry of Magic.
When he appeared in Crouch's office, he was startled by Crouch's condition.
Crouch used to be sharp and energetic. Not exactly an old man, more like an older middle-aged one.
But now his white hair had multiplied several times over. His face looked drawn, his eye sockets sunken. He looked like someone who'd… seriously overindulged.
Who was heartless enough to do this to him?
"Boss," Crouch said, forcing a smile.
Since it was just the two of them, he used the private form of address.
Tom felt a little guilty. "Hang in there a few more days. I'm already looking for help. They'll be in place soon."
Crouch shrugged. "It's fine. I actually feel pretty good. Very fulfilled."
He wasn't just putting on a brave face. With the issue of Barty resolved, even though he was exhausted to the brink of death, the weight on his heart was gone.
"You're here for the Time-Turner, right?"
Crouch opened a drawer and took out a silver pocket watch.
It was a hassle for outsiders to apply for a Time-Turner. Tom didn't want to storm into the Department of Mysteries and take one by force, so he'd had Crouch handle the application.
As a high-ranking Ministry official, and with how busy he'd been lately, Crouch had plenty of justification. He'd gotten the Time-Turner without much trouble.
"Yeah. That's why I'm here." Tom slipped the pocket watch into his pocket, then briefly explained Harry's warning letter.
"Small issue. I'll go find Hopkirk later and have the record erased."
"Then I won't keep you any longer."
Tom waved goodbye. He didn't even stay to mooch a cup of tea before leaving.
He couldn't help it. He was too soft-hearted to watch an overworked workhorse keep grinding like that.
.
.
.