— — — — — —
Back in the Great Hall, Ginny stepped onto the dueling stage at Tom's request. With casual ease, she fired off hex after hex, knocking down opponent after opponent. Even McGonagall and Laos couldn't help but take notice.
"Professor McGonagall, it seems Gryffindor has produced a real prodigy," Laos said with a smile.
McGonagall shook her head repeatedly in modesty, though the corners of her lips betrayed her. At the same time, she felt a twinge of regret.
The choice of shadow prefect had been made far too hastily. Ginny hadn't shown any skill at the time, so she had picked another girl instead. Looking at things now, there was simply no comparison. Ginny was easily the strongest of her entire year.
"…that's a flawless Bat-Bogey Hex," Laos said, watching as Ginny summoned another cloud of bats that sent her opponent fleeing. He couldn't help but sound impressed.
At Ilvermorny, the Bat-Bogey Hex wasn't taught until fifth year; at Hogwarts, it was a fourth-year spell. The difficulty spoke for itself.
But Ginny hadn't just learned it—she had mastered it. She could conjure nearly ten bats at once, directing them to menace without truly harming her opponent. That kind of control was rare.
Laos stole a glance at Tom, who was standing beside Luna, both of them quietly watching Ginny's performance.
Hmm... Could it be Riddle who taught her?
For once, Laos' guess wasn't wrong—but it wasn't this Riddle who had trained her. It was little Voldy.
And Ginny's talent was genuine, especially with hexes. Even Tom had to nod approvingly. With the right guidance, she'd grow into an excellent dark witch.
The Weasleys really did have something in their blood. Several of the children turned out to be gifted.
Especially Ginny. She might act timid around him, but her fiery nature was bound to erupt later—and that kind of temperament often unlocked stronger magic.
"..." x2
Ginny's performance soon caught the twins' attention as well. When she came down from the stage, Fred and George rushed over, wide-eyed.
"Ginny, what did you eat? You're suddenly this good?" George asked.
Fred grinned and nudged her. "Yeah, share the recipe with us, will you? We've been at the Shield Charm for ages and still can't get it right."
"I…" Ginny's eyes darted nervously. She couldn't possibly reveal the notebook.
On instinct, she pointed beside her. "It was Tom. He taught me."
The twins froze. Then, in perfect unison, their gazes snapped toward Tom, eyes brimming with betrayal.
'We treated you like a friend, and you went after our sister?! Ever heard of the bro code?'
Tom twitched at the corners of his mouth, feeling the weight of their resentment. But he couldn't very well throw Ginny under the bus. He needed a quick excuse.
"Ginny's always with Astoria, isn't she? My Astoria finally made a friend. What's wrong with me giving a little guidance here and there?"
Fred and George exchanged a look. They honestly didn't know if they should believe him.
Truth was, they hadn't been paying enough attention to Ginny. They hadn't even noticed who she spent her days with. That was the only reason Tom's excuse worked at all.
If they'd truly been keeping an eye on her, there was no way a whole year would pass without realizing she'd changed.
"Enough already," Ginny huffed, shoving them aside. "Tom isn't like Malfoy. Why would you need to worry?"
George opened his mouth, wanting to say, 'That's exactly why we're worried!'
What if she really got tricked?
No Weasley had ever gone out with a Slytherin before. And let's be honest—did Ginny really think she could outmatch the Greengrass sisters or even Hermione?
The twins gave Tom a long, loaded look, then walked away.
But in their minds, the matter was far from over. They'd need to keep watch. Their little sister wasn't going to get whisked away the moment she arrived at school.
"Using me as a shield, huh?" Tom smirked at Ginny. "Fine. Tomorrow, you're coming over to give me a massage."
"What?" Ginny's face fell. "But I already promised Luna we'd go watch Hagrid wrestle goblins tomorrow."
"Nope, Weasley. Cancel it. You owe me."
"Ugh… why do you always talk like that? It sounds weird." She gave him a pleading look.
"Relax," Tom said with a laugh, shaking his head. "Stick around me long enough and you'll get used to it."
Ginny could only stare at him in despair.
...
That night, in the study space, Tom went to meet Ariana as usual. He hadn't expected her first words to be:
"Tom, I want to kick Grindelwald's ass."
"???" Tom froze—not at the request itself, but at the way she said it. Since when did shy little Ariana talk like that? He was sure he'd only shown her safe, wholesome stuff for her mental health. Movies and anime like Kotaro Lives Alone and Spy x Family.
Seeing Tom's confused look, Ariana's cheeks went red. She quickly corrected herself, mumbling, "I mean… Tom, I want to duel Grindelwald."
"You're serious?" Tom raised his brows.
Ariana had been working hard at her studies, but challenging Grindelwald—someone her own age but far ahead of her—wasn't realistic. If she lost, it might crush her motivation entirely.
But Ariana only nodded firmly.
"Tom, I train every day. Fighting Professor Andros helps me improve, sure, but I have no idea how big the gap is between me and Grindelwald."
"You're the one who told me—the best way to overcome fear is to face it head-on."
Tom sighed. "I get what you're saying. But Ariana, Grindelwald is a dangerous man. If he scares you too much, it could backfire."
"You're lying." Ariana pouted. "Grindelwald may be a bad person, but he feels guilty about my death. He's been apologizing outside the villa a lot lately."
"Even if he's tricking me, with you here he can't hurt me. If everyone else is afraid of him, that doesn't mean I should be."
"Smart girl," Tom chuckled helplessly, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "I was just testing you. If you'd shown any hesitation, I wouldn't have agreed."
"But since you've thought it through, I won't stop you."
"Let's go." Tom held out his hand, and Ariana slipped her small hand into his.
As they left the villa together, Tom sent word to Grindelwald and Andros.
...
With a loud bang, the door to the Meditation Room flew open and Andros strode out.
In Nurmengard Tower, Grindelwald snapped open his eyes and instantly entered the dueling space.
By the time he arrived, a proper dueling stage had already formed at the center of the training ground.
Grindelwald's gaze fell on Ariana.
This was the first time they had seen each other since she had been summoned back.
Ariana, for all her earlier determination, went pale the moment she saw him. Instinctively, she darted behind Tom. Only after completing that reflex did she realize how embarrassing it was. Forcing down her fear, she peeked out from behind him.
"Ariana, it's alright," Tom said gently. "He's no different from you or me—just older, scarier-looking, and with a face that doesn't exactly scream 'trustworthy.'"
"But like you said, he's the one who owes you. You've got no reason to fear him."
Grindelwald's face darkened at that, while Andros burst out laughing.
"Tom's right, Ariana. You're my student. Grindelwald may be strong, but he's no match for me. Why should you be afraid of him?"
Grindelwald's expression grew even darker, though he didn't deny Andros's claim.
That made Tom curious. "I've always asked which of you is stronger, and neither of you would say a word. So you've actually fought? When did that happen?"
Andros waved a hand, chuckling. "I wanted to save Grindelwald some face. But since today's about boosting Ariana's confidence, I'll just admit it."
"In an all-out fight, I'd still be a little stronger."
Grindelwald gave a sharp snort, sounding almost petulant. "That's not because of magic. It's that damn talent. If I had a Patronus ability like yours, I'd never have lost. Try winning without it!"
"Come on, Gellert, that's not fair," Andros said, unimpressed. "Why don't you admit that if I'd been born in your time, with all the magical knowledge you had access to, you'd have lost even worse?"
Tom pieced it together. Without Andros's freakishly powerful Patronus, the two were about even—Grindelwald might even edge ahead. But the moment Andros brought out his Patronus, Grindelwald had no chance and knew it.
'I have to see these two fight again someday,' Tom thought. 'A true clash between two kings of their era—what would that even look like?'
Seeing Grindelwald humbled gave Ariana a bit of courage. She stepped out from behind Tom and faced him head-on.
"Ariana, go for it!" Andros cheered loudly.
"Yeah, you can do it," Tom added, retreating to stand beside Andros. "Winning or losing doesn't matter. What matters is you stop being afraid of him."
Grindelwald's expression grew solemn. "Ariana, I want you to defeat me as well—to defeat the shadow of me that haunts your heart."
It was almost comical. There were only four people present, and yet even Ariana's opponent hoped she'd win.
"I'll give it everything I've got," Ariana said seriously.
"I'll be watching." Grindelwald allowed himself a small smile before turning stern again. "But before we begin, I need to say this. Ariana, I owe you an apology. For your death, I bear undeniable responsibility."
"When I was young, I was consumed by my vision of greatness—of reshaping the world with Albus. I ignored how you and your family felt. If I could return to that summer, I wouldn't abandon my ideals, but I'd never have tried to monopolize Albus. I would have stood with him to care for you as well."
He spoke with genuine sincerity.
Not because Ariana was some sweet girl, but because she was the sister of two Dumbledores.
Her death had been the turning point of everything. If she had lived, and with her deep grudge against Muggles, with the right guidance she could have become an ally—not only binding Albus, but even Aberforth later on.
"I don't accept your apology," Ariana said firmly, shaking her head. "Tom told me once: a late apology, no matter how sincere, is meaningless. It can't change what happened."
"I only want to defeat you and take revenge. Whether you feel guilty or not has nothing to do with me."
Instead of anger, Grindelwald looked delighted. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Well said. An apology can't undo the past. The only thing that matters is achieving your goal. That way of thinking—that's the mark of someone destined for greatness."
"But…" He shifted his wand into his hand.
"I won't hold back out of guilt. I don't think you'd want that kind of victory anyway. I'll fight you with the full strength I had in my fourth year. Ariana, are you ready?"
"Bring it on." Ariana raised her wand and cast the first spell.
The duel had begun.
.
.
.