— — — — — —
The moment MACUSA received the call for help, their first thought was that Grindelwald had attacked again. Several Auror squads were dispatched at once, and every available Graves still in the country hurried toward the manor.
When they arrived, the massive sign posted at the gate was the first thing everyone saw.
A few wizards—clearly Graves family members from the fury on their faces—immediately drew their wands, ready to blast the sign apart. But before any spell was cast, Usaki swooped down, scattering a shower of golden meteors. The blazing starfall roared from the sky with terrifying power.
The orders were simple: Anyone who wanted to enter or leave had to crawl through the pighole. If anyone attacked her, she could retaliate however she liked—life and death didn't matter.
The rescue squads reacted fast, throwing up a joint shield to block the falling meteors. Only then did they spot Usaki hiding in the clouds and launched a counterattack.
But Auror spells, soft and harmless against her iron-hard scales, didn't leave so much as a scratch. Usaki dove sharply. A massive draconic phantom wrapped around her body as she crashed into the shield. It shattered instantly. One Graves, too slow to dodge, was smashed into pulp.
Usaki twisted mid-air and fired a purple beam that melted another wizard on the spot.
Her powerful tail swept across the ground. The Aurors had to roll away to avoid it. When it struck the earth, the ground shook violently, rumbling like thunder, thick cracks racing for hundreds of meters. The sight alone was enough to freeze the blood.
"What the hell is that thing?!" an Auror shouted in terror, staring up at Usaki. "It's even worse than a dragon!"
By the time the fight was over, three bodies were left behind. The surviving Aurors fled in panic.
Inside the manor, the Graves stared in disbelief.
Their reinforcements had been beaten back that easily? And the one who did it wasn't even Riddle—just one of his pets.
Despair spread through the remaining Graves. Was there still any hope for them?
Luckily, communication inside the manor hadn't been cut. Owls flew back and forth nonstop.
At MACUSA headquarters, the full story finally surfaced. President Samuel G. Quahog listened to the report in silence for a long time before asking:
"So you're telling me that humiliating Robert Graves at Hogwarts wasn't enough—Tom Riddle actually came here to wipe out the entire family?"
The reporting Auror hesitated, then nodded. "President, five Graves family members are dead, along with two Aurors. This isn't a private feud anymore. Tom Riddle is openly provoking the Magical Congress. He's declaring war on us."
"What are we waiting for, then? Arrest him! Even if he runs back to Britain, drag him back here!" Quahog slammed his palms on the desk, his face turning red.
"Does everyone think America is a pushover? First Grindelwald walks all over us, and now an ungraduated kid thinks he can do the same? Send a letter to the British Ministry—tell them to help us capture Riddle, or we cut all cooperation and sever ties entirely!"
Quahog was beyond furious. Ever since Grindelwald's escape, MACUSA had been cursed with nonstop disaster. First the Picquery family massacre, and now the Graves. At this rate, would he be next?
If they failed to capture Tom Riddle, his authority as president would crumble. American wizards would become the butt of every wizarding nation's jokes.
"Several Auror teams can't even subdue a magical creature? What are you all good for? If a dozen won't do it, send dozens more! If that fails, send hundreds! Where's Leopold—the head of the Auror Office? Tell him to take every Auror we have and tear Riddle's pet to pieces!"
"Samuel, things aren't as simple as you think. Throwing bodies at it won't work on that creature—Usaki."
Before the Auror could answer, the office doors swung open.
Only a handful of people in North America would dare barge into the president's office like that. Today, it was one of them: Agilbert Fontaine, current headmaster of Ilvermorny.
"Agilbert, what's that supposed to mean?" Quahog frowned hard at him.
"I'm giving you my assessment," Fontaine replied calmly, unfazed by Quahog's temper. "Riddle's creature is beyond anything we imagined. Even it is wary of Usaki. And with her aerial advantage, even sending your best won't guarantee success—unless… you're prepared for full-scale war and ready to expose your trump cards."
"What do you mean, it…" Quahog started dismissively, then froze, eyes widening."You're saying it—even it—is afraid of Riddle's pet? That's impossible!"
"Leave us," Quahog ordered, pointing at the door. The reporting Auror practically bolted out, relieved to be dismissed.
"It's not fear," Fontaine corrected him. "It's wariness. It sensed something divine in Usaki."
"But didn't it say…" Quahog's voice faltered. "Didn't it claim there are no gods in this world?"
"Maybe," Fontaine said quietly, "Riddle's creature, like it, is a survivor from the previous age."
Quahog's expression lit up with excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? Catch it. That would give us even more leverage."
Agilbert shook his head. "Samuel, Usaki and that thing aren't even in the same category. We don't have the resources to open up a whole new area of research."
"I'm here to tell you one thing: don't confront Tom Riddle or his creature head-on. That would cost far more than you could gain. You need to beat him through institutional rules. If we can get him locked inside our prison, then no matter what secrets he has, we'll get them in the end."
Quahog nodded. That made sense. They still hadn't finished excavating a single ruin; they really didn't have people to spare. He also knew exactly how powerful that being was. It was the foundation of all of MACUSA's ambitions. If even it treated Usaki cautiously, then Usaki wouldn't be easy to handle.
But another problem remained: how should they respond to the Graves situation?
"Right, where's Robert? Something this big happens and he's nowhere to be seen."
Quahog suddenly remembered the key figure. The whole conflict had started because of Robert. He knew exactly what Robert had been planning too: using an excuse to take control of Tom's alchemy products and eventually absorb everything into the Graves family business.
But instead, he managed to fuck it up instantly.
"He's in Paris with Babajide," Agilbert said. "I'll handle Robert. You need to contact Babajide. Both of you need to apply pressure. Even Dumbledore won't dare protect Riddle then."
Quahog snarled, "He killed wizards and cast spells off school grounds. Forget Dumbledore, even if Merlin came back to life, Riddle wouldn't escape these charges. Not on my watch."
---
By the next morning, the news had already spread through the tight-knit circle of America's upper-class wizarding families like wings on fire.
Everyone now knew the Graves had been steamrolled by a thirteen-year-old boy. More than ten people against one, and they still lost. Their wands snapped, their dignity shattered, and in the end people actually died.
When the rumor first popped up, many assumed it was an early April Fools' joke. But as whispers came in from every direction, the unbelievable turned out to be true.
Some even went to the Graves estate in person. They saw the sign at the gate for themselves—Tom had even enchanted it with a glowing charm so it shone clearly through the night.
At the Vole home, when Andrew told Cassandra the news, the girl stared blankly for several long minutes before jolting back to life and grabbing her address book, contacting Tom, who had already returned to Britain.
— — —
『Cassandra Vole』: Tom, have you lost your mind? The Graves want you skinned alive. Even the President sent people to arrest you. Why were you so impulsive?
If she'd known he was going off to do something this earth-shaking, she would've glued him to herself before letting him leave New York.
『Tom Riddle』: The news is only spreading now? Slower than I expected.
『Tom Riddle』: + Relax. I'm not stupid. I wasn't going to walk in without a plan.
『Cassandra Vole』: What plan? People literally died!
『Tom Riddle』:What if I run to Grindelwald? Let MACUSA or the ICW try dragging me out of Berlin.
Cassandra: "…"
Honestly… that might actually work. If Tom hid in Berlin, the Americans could drop dead from stress and Grindelwald still wouldn't care.
『Cassandra Vole』: You… you're really planning to defect to Grindelwald? What about the Greengrass sisters? What about Granger? Are you taking them too?
『Tom Riddle』: I'm joking. I'm fine at Hogwarts. Stop worrying about my life-and-death crisis and focus on promoting the product. Or is North America planning to blacklist my stuff because of the Graves?
『Cassandra Vole』: No way. They don't have that kind of influence. If there's money to be made, my dad would stab them in the back himself.
Well, that did fit the country's style: money over everything.
Tom closed the Codex with a light smile. He'd already achieved half his goal.
The Graves were now a banner. Anyone who saw what happened would understand that Tom Riddle was not someone to mess with. Anyone who tried to move against him would pay the price.
Only half, though. He wouldn't truly succeed until he handled MACUSA's accusations and walked away unharmed.
But that was after Christmas. It didn't affect his mood at all. He directed his little workers to decorate the house more festively, then took off toward Paris to bring the Flamel couple to Britain for the holidays.
This year the house would be lively: the Scamanders, the Greengrasses, and the Flamels.
Tom even considered inviting Dumbledore and Snape, but gave up quickly.
.
.
.