— — — — — —
After that day, nobody underestimated Castelobruxo anymore. People even started betting on Tiago as a championship favorite.
Thinking back to Professor Isabella's lecture on Druid Beastform, if Tiago could turn into a brown bear today, who knew if he'd be an eagle tomorrow. How were you even supposed to fight that?
Sixth-years were already hunting down professors, asking how to counter druid transformations.
...
Two days later, Tom fulfilled Daphne's wish.
And his own.
"Oooh~!"
A snow-white fox lay curled in Tom's arms, eyes closed, enjoying his practiced, gentle stroking.
The other girls stood around, staring wide-eyed at the little fox. Astoria reached out to touch it, only for the fox to bare its teeth and snap at her fingers.
The little witch pouted. "Sister, let me pet you too!"
Yes, the little fox in Tom's arms was Daphne. Druid Beastform wasn't that fast, of course, so Daphne took the potion and Tom assisted with the transformation.
Technically you could shape-shift without potions, but it damaged the body.
"..."
The others also wanted to pet the fox, but if she wouldn't even let her own sister near her, the girls wisely backed off.
After about half an hour of playing, Daphne had enough and signaled Tom to change her back.
Once she was human again, she decided she really liked the whole experience and clung to Tom, begging him to teach her Castelobruxo's transformation technique. The other girls piled on, wanting to try too.
In no time Tom's room looked like a zoo. Ferrets, swans, sparrows, and a British shorthair appeared one after another.
It wasn't until deep into the night that the girls reluctantly dispersed, each carrying a copied set of Druid Beastform notes back to their dorm. Even Luna, who never asked for anything, requested a copy.
According to Luna, becoming an animal would help her better understand animal thoughts, which might lead her to the elusive Crumple-Horned Snorkack.
Tom was stunned. He didn't get it, but he respected it.
The Snorkack was a dream Mr. Lovegood wove for Luna: find the Snorkack, and you'll see your mother again. Anyone normal would call it an absurd lie, but Luna believed it wholeheartedly.
Tom didn't want to break that dream. If Luna grew up and understood someday, she would let it go on her own. If not, having a lifelong quest wasn't the worst thing.
---
Two days later, Vinda arrived at Hogwarts with Durmstrang's newly selected Quidditch team.
They were all muscle-bound giants.
Viktor Krum, who was one meter eighty and built like a tank, looked almost delicate next to them.
The moment Wood saw them, his face turned grim. These guys made their beefiest players look small. If nothing else, their Beaters would have terrifying hitting power. As Keeper, he was in for misery.
That same day Wood called for extra practice and finalized the Seeker decision: Harry.
Aside from Slytherin muttering among themselves, even Cedric didn't object. Their flying skill was similar, but Harry had better instincts and a lighter build, which meant he usually spotted the Snitch first.
Cedric congratulated him calmly, then rushed back to the castle to prepare for the final duel competition.
When Ron heard Harry "beat" Cedric, he got even more excited than Harry, dancing around their dorm.
"That's brilliant, Harry! I knew you were the strongest. Cedric was never on your level!"
"Don't say that, Ron," Harry said, embarrassed as he returned from practice. "Cedric is great. I just had a better broom. He's not fully in sync with the Firebolt yet."
Ron ignored all of that, assuming Harry was just being humble.
In Harry's eyes, Cedric was the perfect student: top grades, athletic, popular, admired by every Hufflepuff. He was the kind of person Harry wanted to become.
What? Why wasn't Tom his goal?
Harry wanted to be a better person, not a monster…
Tom was on a whole different level. Hogwarts had never seen someone like him.
Still, becoming starting Seeker over Cedric lit Harry up inside. He lay on his bed, almost asleep, when his owl suddenly shook violently, jolting him awake.
It was a long string of "warm congratulations" from Malfoy.
Harry snapped too, grabbed his quill and shot back a reply.
Relying on the tragic orphan advantage, he verbally overwhelmed Draco Malfoy into submission, then finally lay back down, satisfied.
But now he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned until dawn before dozing off for a moment.
---
"The match is this Sunday. Is that thing you've been tinkering with ready?" Grindelwald asked as he watched Tom teaching Jeanne how to feed him porridge.
"Yeah, it's basically calibrated," Tom answered after taking a sip of oatmeal. "Tonight, have Vinda send the devices to Berlin. Make sure each Astra Abyssum Guild has one at the entrance. Any extras can go in prime spots on the main commercial street."
He paused and hissed, "Jeanne, that spoon was too hot. You forgot to cool it."
"I.. I'm sorry!"
"It's fine, just be careful next time."
Grindelwald's mouth twitched. Jeanne had managed to become the shame of the so-called King of the Century. She was basically a shy maid now.
He couldn't stand to watch anymore. Taking Tom's instructions, he went off to find Vinda Rosier.
...
Before long, all eighteen Astra Abyssum Guild branches had a mirror hanging above their entrance, drawing curious crowds.
"Sirius, what's that thing supposed to be?"
A bearded middle-aged wizard grabbed Sirius Black as he stepped through the door.
They'd met once during a job to collect potion ingredients. Ever since Sirius became Guild Master, he'd discovered that Catherine could solve practically every problem. So he completely let himself go: if he wasn't out on missions, he was at the new tavern listening to mercenaries brag.
The new tavern was in Knockturn Alley, part of Tom's business empire. Cleaner than the Leaky Cauldron, bigger than the Leaky Cauldron, better food than the Leaky Cauldron… and more expensive than the Leaky Cauldron.
Another strange twist of fate: both tavern owners on Diagon Alley were named Tom~
Even though prices were nearly double, wizards loved grabbing a drink there for the cozy atmosphere, tastier drinks, and the fat bonuses from finished jobs. Plus there were always new commissions posted, so it was the unofficial team-up hall.
"Oh, Marcus." Sirius squinted up, shielding his eyes from the sunlight bouncing off the sleek mirror.
"I just got a message from Tom too. I'm as clueless as you are. Ask Catherine when she comes out."
"To the stars… and…"
While they spoke, Catherine stepped outside. Same familiar gesture, hands folded lightly over her abdomen, polite nods to everyone around before she began her introduction:
"This is Mr. Riddle's latest creation — the Lume-Lens. It's an alchemical device that can broadcast real-time events and store video."
"This weekend, Hogwarts will have a Quidditch match with Durmstrang. At that time, you will be able to experience the Lume-Lens effects yourselves."
"Catherine, you mean we'll be able to see the match here?" a wizard asked with interest.
Technically the wizarding world had broadcast tools, but they were rarely used and stuck to fixed camera points, which made them pretty useless for something like Quidditch.
"Yes, Mr. Pierce," Catherine answered, having already pulled up the man's information. "Both audio and visuals can be transmitted in real time."
Pierce lit up. "Then I'll definitely watch. Back in the day I was Ravenclaw's keeper. Only got to play one match though."
A witch teased from the crowd, "Pierce, you were my senior and I remember that match perfectly. Not many keepers can manage to let in twenty goals in thirty minutes."
The crowd burst into laughter. Pierce gave an embarrassed chuckle. He hadn't expected an old classmate to be present to expose that bit of black history.
Soon the crowd dispersed. Many quietly jotted down the match time, planning to come and see for themselves.
They were curious about the Lume-Lens, but also excited for the nostalgia. It had been ages since they'd watched a school match and it brought back memories of their student days.
The same scene played out at guild branches in other countries. No matter where you went, people loved new gadgets.
Tom wasn't just planning to broadcast this friendly match. He wanted to livestream the final tournament too, expanding the Lume-Lens's influence as fast as possible.
The New World Creator task demanded he keep releasing inventions that reshaped wizarding habits. It didn't have to revolve around chat tech specifically.
So he released the Lume-Lens as a standalone device first. Once the industry matured, integrating it into a mobile platform would still achieve the goal.
And just like that, weekend morning arrived.
Crowds gathered at the guild entrances. Even people who had no idea what was going on came over. After a quick explanation from the enthusiastic bystanders, they waited with anticipation.
Buzz!
At exactly ten, the Lume-Lens shivered gently, then lit up white. A bird's-eye view of the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch appeared on the mirror surface, rapidly zooming down and rotating.
.
.
.