— — — — — —
Tom had no idea that a single signed permission slip had sent Snape spiraling into melancholy reflections on his youth. After leaving, he met up with Daphne and Hermione in one of the common rooms to plan out their Hogsmeade trip for the next day.
He'd been to the village plenty of times before, but Daphne and Hermione hadn't, and trying to accompany both at once would only mean neither of them got to enjoy it properly.
There were only two ways around that problem: either he split himself in two—or split the schedule.
So Daphne took the morning, Hermione the afternoon.
That way, Daphne got the excitement of seeing everything fresh, and Hermione got more time to explore later. Both girls seemed satisfied with the arrangement.
Daphne circled a spot on the Hogsmeade map. "I already reserved a table for two at Madam Puddifoot's. Ten in the morning for me, three in the afternoon for her. No need to thank me."
"Oh, I'll thank you anyway," Hermione said with a teasing smile. "Just tell me which drinks there are actually good. I don't want to order something weird by accident."
"No problem. Oh, and whatever you do—don't go near the Shrieking Shack."
"I know," Hermione said quickly. "Tom already told me the story behind it."
While the two witches chattered away, Tom's consciousness had already slipped into his study space. It was time to train Apparition again.
Since the start of term, he'd achieved the "Captured by Fawkes Seven Times" achievement—seven duels, seven losses.
But that didn't mean he hadn't improved. Far from it.
His maximum Apparition range had increased by fifty percent, and he could now perform three consecutive extreme-range jumps before exhaustion set in.
If he could manage four in a row, or boost the distance by another fifty percent, he'd be able to beat Fawkes in their next teleportation match from Hogwarts to Istanbul.
Most of that progress was thanks to Grindelwald. As for Rowena Ravenclaw—
Since her summoning, she hadn't really taught Tom anything directly. Instead, she'd simply guided him a few times on magical intuition.
Not that she was slacking off. Quite the opposite. She had more or less taken over the Meditation Room, spending nearly every moment studying her posthumous grimoires, trying to master modern magical theory as quickly as possible.
Good preparation takes time, and Tom didn't mind waiting. The better prepared she was, the stronger her guidance would be.
In the dueling arena, spells streaked through the air, explosions rocking the stone walls as debris fell in clouds of dust.
This was just a warm-up match between Tom and Grindelwald. They weren't using high-level spells, but there was one rule: you could only cast after Apparating.
Their movements were so fast that dozens of afterimages flickered around the field, as if a whole army of Toms and Grindelwalds were battling at once.
...
Five minutes later, both stopped simultaneously.
Tom shook his head to clear the dizziness. "Old G, it's Halloween tomorrow. Feel like coming out to play?"
Grindelwald, eyes closed in meditation, opened them at once. A strange light glimmered there. "You've gathered enough power?"
Tom nodded vaguely. "I had enough ages ago. I just wanted to wait for the right moment. But then I realized—why wait? Sooner or later, it has to happen."
He'd earned five hundred achievement points from the Codex expansion milestone.
And besides—he'd gotten a bonus reward after the mock exams: one "Intermediate Gacha Spin," which had spat out a rather... peculiar item.
[Discount Coupon (10% Off): Use this coupon to receive a 10% discount on any purchase. The coupon disappears after use.]
The smell of corporate scheming practically oozed off it.
A ten percent discount coupon? Really? What was next—a "Buy 10, Get 1 Free"?
He'd cursed at it when he first saw it, but later he had to admit it was actually useful. If he'd had that coupon when summoning Ravenclaw, he wouldn't have had to wait all summer. Saving five hundred points was nothing to sneeze at.
"Returning to full power…" Grindelwald murmured, looking up at the empty sky. His expression turned distant.
The study space felt almost real, yet every time he returned to his broken body in the real world, it reminded him of where he truly was.
How long had it been since he'd last seen the real sky?
"What's wrong?" Tom asked, smiling slightly. "Getting sentimental about your old fortress?"
Grindelwald didn't reply at first. He clasped his hands behind his back, shaking his head slowly. "When I appeared here, the world had already changed. It's about time I make peace with the past."
"Then let's do it tomorrow," Tom said, smiling wider now. "A little Halloween surprise for the wizarding world."
Once he'd made up his mind, the haze in Grindelwald's eyes cleared, replaced by a sharp, burning focus. Even his presence grew heavier, more dangerous.
The mighty Dark Wizard, who once made the whole world tremble, had returned.
"Tom," he asked quietly, "once I'm out… is there anything specific you want me to do?"
"Not really," Tom said lightly. His tone was calm, but the words he spoke could shift the balance of the entire world. "Just make some noise. Start by gathering your old friends. You'll need people to get things done. Even you can't do everything alone."
"Oh, wait," Tom added, suddenly remembering something. "Laos tracked down the Picquery family's address. You should pay them a visit. What was that guy's name again…"
He frowned, trying to recall it.
Grindelwald supplied helpfully, "Sam. Sam Picquery."
"Right," Tom said with a faint smirk. "That's him. Handle it however you see fit."
Grindelwald nodded calmly. "Leave it to me."
---
Outside, Hermione and Daphne were wrapping up their talk.
Tom muttered a word of focus and withdrew from the study space. Grindelwald did the same.
...
Nurmengard
Grindelwald looked around the cell that had confined him for decades—and laughed softly.
"Should I leave this place for Albus to use later?" he mused.
The thought amused him for a moment, but then he dismissed it. Better to let Dumbledore die once and for all. That way, Tom could bring him into the study space someday. Tom had mentioned that living souls couldn't be summoned in, and Grindelwald had been the last exception.
"Picquery..."
He murmured the name under his breath. This was the first mission for him, and he intended to do it flawlessly. If he failed, Andros and that brat Ariana would never let him live it down.
But as he pondered the name, his thoughts wandered.
Picquery... North America...
Wait... North America? The damn bastard?
"Newt Scamander?!!!"
The name exploded out of him, echoing through the narrow cell in a low, furious growl.
Then a villain's laugh cut through the air…
---
Hogwarts
Tom had no idea what the two girls had talked about. He'd spent the whole walk nodding absently, agreeing to everything without really listening.
At dinner, the Great Hall buzzed with talk of the upcoming holiday. First- and second-years listened enviously—too young to visit Hogsmeade themselves.
As he planned to go straight to bed, a familiar voice called to him from the study space—Ravenclaw. So he entered the space once more, curious what she wanted.
Inside her garden villa, Ravenclaw was dressed in a simple, elegant gown. Just seeing her made Tom feel his visit was already worth it.
He couldn't help thinking: Bless this old lady. She really knows how to motivate her student.
"I've been studying how to increase your Apparition limit," she began. "And I think I've found a way."
Her tone immediately snapped him out of his idle thoughts. He straightened up, attentive.
"Tom, what do you think is currently limiting your maximum number of Apparitions?"
He shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? My mental strength. My magic's fine—probably stronger than Fawkes's—but he recovers faster. My mind just can't keep up."
Ravenclaw shook her head slightly. "Actually, your mental power is more than enough. Your soul is exceptional—stronger even than mine was back in my time."
"Back in your time?" Tom's eyes narrowed. He'd caught the phrasing.
Ravenclaw smiled faintly, not elaborating. "That's a story for another day. Let's focus on your mind for now."
"I've been observing your duels with Fawkes and analyzing how Apparition drains you. I discovered something crucial. Most of your mental exhaustion isn't from the act itself—it's wasted energy, what I call inefficient focus.
"It's like studying for fifty minutes with perfect concentration. Even if you still have energy left, your body and brain start insisting you take a break. That's the inefficiency."
Tom raised an eyebrow. "So if I fix that inefficiency, I could not only Apparate more times but also study longer with better focus?"
"Exactly."
Ravenclaw lifted her pale arm gracefully, and a glowing blue circle appeared above them. Golden threads extended from it, dividing the ring into ten equal slices.
"Think of this as your total mental energy. Without division, you can Apparate three times before your brain signals exhaustion. But if you split that energy—ten parts, twenty, or even more—you can use one portion at a time. When one segment is fatigued, you discard it and switch to a fresh one. That way, you're using your potential to its fullest."
Tom rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sounds simple when you put it like that. I'm guessing it's not."
Ravenclaw chuckled softly. "What do you think I've been doing all this time?"
She summoned a small, bound notebook. "I've already developed the necessary spells—ones to partition and seal consciousness. The rapid-switching method still needs testing, but you can begin practicing now."
"You've read through most of my library already," she added, handing him the floating booklet. "This is the perfect time for real training."
Tom caught the notebook, excitement flickering in his eyes as he started flipping through it.
Just as he'd guessed, the spell dealt with memory and thought—the areas where Ravenclaw truly shined.
And this one, judging by its structure... was on a whole new level.
.
.
.