"With ordinary means, there's no way to reach them anymore… unless we send an owl with a letter. But…" Old Tom said with a troubled face.
The Muggle world's technology wasn't yet advanced enough.
Even with England and France so close, travel and communication still took time.
Fortunately, owls could deliver letters directly into their hands, but…
Would they really make it back in time once they received the letter?War could break out at any moment!
"I'll just go ask Professor Dumbledore for help… with his ability, bringing Grandfather and the others back would be easy," Tom said.
"But… would he really be willing to help?" Old Tom hesitated.
From what Tom had said, this Professor Dumbledore might hold an extremely high position in the wizarding world. Would such an important figure really do so much just to help a student?
"If you knew him, you wouldn't ask that," Tom replied. "When I went back to the Gaunt family, if it weren't for him, things might have gotten very messy."
And indeed, if Dumbledore hadn't been there, with Wade's habit of strangling goblins barehanded…
Morfin probably wouldn't have been able to carry out his later act of revenge.
Unfortunately, Dumbledore was too eager to protect the two of them. In the end, he limited Wade the Dark Lord's performance instead…
Of course, if they had simply killed Morfin on the spot back then, it would have been satisfying, but cleaning up afterward would have indeed been troublesome.
"Gaunt…" Old Tom shuddered again when he heard that surname.
"Sorry… I didn't mean to bring it up," Tom said.
"It's fine… what's past is past. People have to keep moving forward."
"By the way… I didn't see anything in the paper about war breaking out. How do you know?" Tom picked up the Times and looked it over, then asked curiously.
"Germany has been testing the limits of Britain and France since as early as 1936. Back then, I already knew they were up to something. Their later diplomatic maneuvers only made me more and more certain of my guess… And just today, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact… Germany has temporarily removed its worries at the rear. At a time like this, their next step is obvious… War is about to begin, Tom…"
Tom didn't fully understand, but he chose to believe Old Tom.
Even if Old Tom was wrong, there would be no loss in bringing Grandfather and the others back. But if he was right, and they didn't bring them back in time… that would be a serious problem!
Tom quickly picked up pen and paper, wrote a letter, and handed it to the owl "Dawn," which had already been released.
"Please deliver this to Professor Dumbledore."
Dawn took the letter in its beak, and as if sensing the urgency of its two masters, it didn't even beg for food this time before flying straight out the window.
Old Tom watched it disappear into the distance, his eyes still filled with worry.
"Don't worry. Even if Professor Dumbledore doesn't have time himself, he'll definitely find someone reliable to help," Tom reassured him.
"…I just hope they'll be safe," Old Tom said helplessly.
Seeing that Old Tom still looked a little downhearted, Tom suggested, "Why don't we go out for a walk? Tonight seems to be clear skies… A sky this clean and full of stars doesn't come around often."
Old Tom understood Tom's good intentions and nodded. "Alright…"
Tonight's sky really was clearer than ever before, with no clouds at all to block the view.
Looking up at the starry expanse, Old Tom's mood eased somewhat.
Just then, the iron gates in the distance suddenly opened, and a carriage rolled inside.
Both father and son looked at it in puzzlement.
When Lord and Lady Riddle weren't home, it was rare for any carriages to come and go at Riddle Manor.
After all, Old Tom was a homebody, and because they lived in such a remote place, there were hardly ever visitors.
The carriage stopped before them, and Tom's eyes widened in shock.
Because seated right there in the coachman's seat, dressed in a sharp suit, was Grindelwald!
"Good evening, my two elegant gentlemen…" Grindelwald said with a smile as he hopped down from the coachman's seat and opened the carriage door.
Lord and Lady Riddle stepped out slowly, supporting each other.
Old Tom turned to his son and asked, "Do you wizards really work this efficiently?"
"No… no, it's not that," Tom shook his head. "It can't be because of my letter…"
No matter how efficient wizards were, there was no way that the letter could have just been sent, and the matter immediately dealt with! If Tom guessed correctly, Dawn hadn't even flown a third of the way yet!
Once Old Tom learned from his son that this wasn't due to their letter, he quickly asked, "Weren't you going to France? I was just about to contact you!"
"All thanks to this Mr. Grindelwald," Lord Riddle said with a smile. "Our ship was nearly at France when he suddenly appeared on board. He told us he was with the Ministry of Magic—the wizarding government. He warned us that France is on the brink of war, and we'd best not go. The French wizarding world is also currently evacuating wizards in haste."
"Mr. Grindelwald, please, come in. We can sit down and have a cup of coffee and talk properly," Lord Riddle said politely, turning to Grindelwald.
"No need. Your grandson Tom is a student at Hogwarts, so even though you're Muggles, that makes you part of the wizarding world. The evacuation of wizarding families isn't just something the French Ministry of Magic is doing—our British Ministry has been carrying it out as well. Stopping you was simply part of our work," Grindelwald said politely.
"But… aren't you the Head of the Department of Education? Do you really handle things like this too?" Tom asked bluntly.
Lord and Lady Riddle were a bit surprised ..why Tom seemed so hostile toward this gentleman who had just helped them, but they also knew this wasn't the time to press the issue.
Grindelwald smiled at him. "I know you still hold some prejudice against me, Tom. But you're wrong about me… The evacuation work is so overwhelming that the Ministry has even dispatched house-elves. Naturally, I'm no exception."
He then turned to Lord Riddle. "I'm sorry, but I don't have the time to stay for coffee. There are other wizarding families who need my help. Long-distance Apparition is quite an exhausting task."
With that, Grindelwald gave a polite wave to the Riddle family and vanished into thin air!
"Oh… that's exactly how he appeared before us on the ship. Nearly scared me out of my wits," Lady Riddle said.
"Tom, you don't seem to like him?" Lord Riddle asked.
"Who could possibly like him? He's the most powerful Dark wizard in the world… I nearly died at his hands…"
"What?!" the entire Riddle family exclaimed in shock.
Old Tom suddenly said, "Ah! I remember now—Grindelwald! No wonder his name sounded so familiar earlier, he's even mentioned in A History of Magic! So… the Dark wizard that Professor Dumbledore defeated, that was him?"
"Yes… he only recently whitewashed himself and joined the British Ministry of Magic. His ambition is practically written all over him. I don't believe for a second that a man like that would save you without a reason. I've heard he used to despise Muggles!" A faint red light flashed in Tom's eyes.
Was it a threat against him, or an attempt to win him over?
Or maybe both?
It wasn't vanity—this Dark wizard's attention toward him and Wade Reynolds really was far from normal.
Whatever it was, Tom truly felt Grindelwald's threat this time.
Maybe… he should write to Wade? And of course, he needed to inform Professor Dumbledore about what happened here! Surely, Professor Dumbledore would take action as well.
Thinking of this, Tom suddenly felt much lighter.
Schemes and tricks? Wade, that cunning old fox, would be watching.
Sheer strength? There was Dumbledore, the great wizard, standing at the front. Why should Tom be the one to stick his neck out?
If he didn't have to, then what was there to be afraid of?
And if things ever got really bad…
"I have a big brother! His name is Wade Reynolds!"
…
While Tom was still enjoying leisurely days at Riddle Manor, Wade Reynolds was unusually busy.
First, he had to spend quite some effort persuading Newt and Tina to give up the idea of adopting him.
The Scamanders had already heard some things about this child from Dumbledore in the past.
They knew that when Dumbledore first met Wade, he too had refused to be adopted…
So in their eyes, Wade's rejection likely meant he had once gone through some very painful experiences, leaving him terrified of family ties and wanting to avoid them at all costs.
Thus, the Scamanders didn't press the matter any further.
They simply treated this "pitiful" child even better in their daily lives.
Wade had no idea that Newt and Tina had begun to pity him more. He was completely absorbed in working out Nagini's recovery plan.
In the meantime, he also received a letter from Tom.
That little companion who usually avoided him like the plague had actually written to him—now that was truly rare.
But after reading the letter, Wade immediately understood what Tom was worried about.
Grindelwald was never the type to treat someone kindly for no reason.
If he was especially good to you, it could only mean you were especially useful to him.
He never spared a thought for people who had lost their value.
Back then, he had mistakenly believed Credence's younger sister at the orphanage was the Obscurial, so he discarded Credence like worthless trash.
When he later discovered Credence was in fact the Obscurial, his attitude shifted instantly.
How to put it—Grindelwald was a man who was ruthlessly pragmatic.
_________
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