The thick, rolling white fog churned violently. Tom was used to it by now—every time he summoned a new teacher, the scene unfolded the same way. The space itself would even expand, ensuring each teacher had enough room to exist and move about.
With this latest expansion, the study space had already grown to half the size of Hogwarts—excluding the Forbidden Forest.
Both Andros and Grindelwald had, in the past, tried to break through the white fog, or push it further outward to develop more territory. But no matter what they did, they couldn't take even a single step beyond it. Spells had no effect on the mist, and in the end, they gave up.
This time, when the beam of light shot out of Tom's body, Grindelwald stared intently, but he couldn't detect a trace of magical energy within it. The light simply vanished into the endless fog.
"Too mysterious. Too bizarre." Grindelwald shook his head. Even seeing it with his own eyes taught him nothing. It was utterly beyond the reach of his understanding.
The only thing left to hope for was that Tom's new teacher might be someone of renown—perhaps even someone Grindelwald himself had heard of.
They waited.
Five minutes passed.
Tom, Andros, and Grindelwald all frowned.
The last two had never taken this long.
"Could it be… something huge?" Tom perked up, excitement glittering in his eyes. The sheer duration alone meant this was no ordinary summon.
Maybe… Rowena Ravenclaw herself?
As Tom's anticipation mounted, the fog suddenly swirled violently at one point, and a small, thin figure emerged.
"So tiny," Andros muttered. His own hulking form could have crushed the newcomer three times over.
Finally, the figure stepped fully out of the mist.
Tom's eyes widened. The new teacher—no, the newcomer—was a frail, delicate girl, her frame no larger than Astoria's. Her expression was timid, her gaze evasive, her head bowed, afraid to meet their eyes.
Grindelwald's pupils contracted sharply. For the first time since his own summoning, he lost his composure.
"Ariana?!"
At the sound of her name, the girl instinctively raised her head. Before her stood a white-haired man she had never seen before. She was puzzled—how did he know her name? But then she noticed the unmistakable mismatched eyes, and with them came a flood of terrifying memories.
"Gr… Grindelwald?!"
An overwhelming surge of magic erupted from the girl's body. Dark, bestial power spilled forth like a tidal wave, suffocating the entire space.
Andros's face hardened. "What immense power… It's hers, yet at the same time, it feels alive, like a creature. What kind of magic is this?"
"Out, you!" Tom reacted instantly. He recognized the girl's identity in a flash, and without hesitation booted Grindelwald out of the room. Then he used his system authority to suppress the raging black magic.
"Ariana, calm down… Do you remember that voice in your mind just now? That was me. I summoned you here—to be my classmate."
It took a long time, and much gentle reassurance, but Ariana finally grew quiet. The dark magic subsided, retreating back into her body, sinking into dormancy once more.
Only then did Tom have the chance to explain the truth of the study space, all the while emphasizing that he and Grindelwald were not allies.
Though she was still shy and nervous, the system's binding rules and the undeniable wonder of the space itself allowed Ariana to slowly build trust in Tom.
"Don't worry." Tom thumped his chest for emphasis. "As long as you don't want to see him, I promise Grindelwald will never appear before you again. Imagine—bullying a little girl like you. Shameless!"
Andros's mouth twitched.
Shameless? The man was barely a teenager back then… and now you're pouring dirty water on us old-timers just to comfort a girl.
But the effect was immediate and undeniable.
[Ariana Dumbledore's favorability has reached 20%. Host has gained Ariana Dumbledore's talent: Transfiguration.]
Yes—the third teacher Tom had summoned was Ariana Dumbledore herself, the girl whose tragic death in Godric's Hollow had forever altered the course of history.
Ariana Dumbledore was the youngest of the family, the third child. When she was born, the Dumbledores lived in Mould-on-the-Wold.
One day, Ariana accidentally revealed her magical ability. Muggle children bullied her cruelly for it. That moment became the root of every tragedy that followed.
From then on, Ariana grew terrified of her own powers. That fear twisted inward, birthing the monstrous force known as the Obscurus.
In vengeance, her father, Percival Dumbledore, savagely punished the Muggle boys. Refusing to reveal the truth, he was thrown into Azkaban, where he died only a few years later.
Her mother, Kendra Dumbledore, moved the family to Godric's Hollow. But before long, she too perished—killed in one of Ariana's uncontrollable outbursts. Ariana grew even more withdrawn after that.
For a time, things seemed to improve. One summer when Albus returned home to care for her, their bond strengthened. Ariana even managed to keep her Obscurus under control, at least most of the time.
But just as balance began to return, Gellert Grindelwald—recently expelled from Durmstrang—arrived. And in no time, he had captured Albus's heart.
From then on, Albus spent his days with Grindelwald, dreaming of a new magical order, whispering of a "greater good."
Inevitably, Ariana was left behind, her feelings disregarded.
When Aberforth Dumbledore returned home, what he saw was his beloved sister neglected, while his brother and Grindelwald were… inseparable. His rage was instant, and absolute.
The three quarreled violently. Spells were cast. The duel ended with Ariana's death.
It was only then that Albus realized what mattered most to him. But it was too late. Even severing ties with Grindelwald could not undo the loss.
Ariana's fear just moments ago was all too understandable. To her, Grindelwald wasn't a visionary, nor a friend of her brother. He was a demon—a thief who stole Albus away, no different from the cruel Muggle boys who had destroyed her childhood.