"Obviously. If I don't gloat now, when would I? Payback's due, considering how long you spent knocking me down every time I started feeling good about myself." Tom's jaw tightened at the memory, every single time he'd let himself float an inch off the ground only to have Andros's palm slam him right back into it.
"Fine, fine, you're the undefeated one. The Invincible Tom Riddle, satisfied?"
Andros looked over at him, exasperated. "Can you get up off me now?"
Only then did Tom brush himself off and climb, thoroughly pleased with himself, off of Andros. The sight of him so smug about it left Andros half laughing, half furious.
This kid, honestly.
Tom waved toward where Joan and the others stood, then flew off into the meditation chamber to absorb everything the fight had just taught him.
Andros, meanwhile, was already scheming. He wasn't going to be the only one suffering through this. Grindelwald needed to be dragged over here too, so Tom could take a turn wrecking him as well.
Maybe this time the old man would finally get taken down a peg.
Replaying the whole fight in his mind, Tom realized his breakthrough to Century Sovereign had been, in hindsight, inevitable.
Conviction Amplified was the core of it, the talent that pushed his will forward far enough to fuse with his magic without resistance. And living through Joan's life at the end, especially that moment of becoming one with the flame, had carried his understanding of magic to an entirely new level.
Magic was rooted in bloodline, but expressing it fully required the strength of the heart behind it. When both grew strong enough, they could bend the very rules governing heaven and earth.
"No point reaching too far too fast. Better to perfect the union of will and magic at my current stage before I even think about the Legendary Realm."
With his plan settled, Tom stepped out of the study space.
He longed for the Legendary Realm, but he wasn't in any rush to get there. This was exactly the moment restraint mattered. Chasing higher power without regard for his own foundation would only drag him into ruin, turn him into a slave to power the way Voldemort had become.
"I'm not eating beef!"
The next morning at breakfast, Tom refused, with great solemnity, the beef sandwich Daphne held out to him.
"Huh?" The young witch blinked, baffled. "Isn't beef your favorite?"
Astoria was giving him an odd look too.
Tom answered without a shred of embarrassment. "My tastes have changed recently. Either way, no beef for me this week."
There wasn't a soul left in the world who could match him now, not even old Dumbledore with the Elder Wand thrown in. Naturally, that meant he was free to announce, at full volume, that he wasn't eating beef.
The two sisters exchanged a glance. Tom's periodic fits of nonsense were nothing new to either of them by now, so neither looked particularly surprised. Daphne simply made him a chicken sandwich instead, and this time Tom tucked in, thoroughly satisfied.
Before heading off to class, he glanced over at Dumbledore, seated at the head table.
Old Dumbledore... no, these days he ought to be called Young Dumbledore, looked considerably better than before. He seemed thoroughly content with how things stood, probably from trading feelings with Grindelwald every single day, and most of the worry that used to crease his brow had vanished.
Nothing much was happening lately, so he probably wouldn't be leaving the school anytime soon, which meant Fawkes had some free time on his hands too.
He really ought to find time to finish that last Trial of the Phoenix.
Dumbledore, feeling the weight of Tom's gaze, glanced over and returned it with a smile.
Tom smiled back, then led the other students off to class.
...
Meanwhile, at Durmstrang.
Grindelwald knew nothing yet of Tom's breakthrough, and even less that Andros had picked up some bad habits from a certain someone and was already plotting against him.
Over the past two days he'd sorted through most of the school's affairs, picking out a handful of students worth investing in and assigning professors to give them specialized training.
Whatever games the children got up to among themselves meant little to him, but the Junior Dueling Championship doubled as another round of his ongoing contest with Dumbledore, and that was reason enough to take it seriously.
He handed the training over to Vogel, then sent for Robert.
"You sent for me, sir." Robert kept his tone carefully humble.
"Robert." Grindelwald turned a coffee spoon over in his fingers, and didn't offer him a seat. He let Robert stand there.
He blew gently across his cup and spoke without any hurry. "You told me once you'd share everything you know with me. MACUSA, the International Confederation of Wizards, or any secret the Graves family is keeping."
Robert nodded at once. "Of course. What would you like to know?"
"Tell me about that Aztec ruin." Grindelwald looked up, a sharp glint flashing through his mismatched eyes. "What exactly did you find down there?"
Something shifted in Robert's expression. He'd guessed Grindelwald might ask about any number of things, but not this.
Then, all at once, he thought of the Picquery family, nearly wiped out entirely, and understanding flickered across his eyes.
So it wasn't simple revenge after all?
Robert drew a slow breath. Whatever hesitation had still been wavering in him died under the force of Grindelwald's stare, and he told him everything he knew, honestly, without holding anything back.
-------------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters: patreon .com / ElvenKing20