— — — — — —
Expecto Patronum, the Patronus Charm was used.
With it... the storm clouds split apart, and a single beam of morning light broke through, shining directly on Harry.
Those with sharp eyes saw he was completely unconscious. He was falling faster and faster. Many students squeezed their eyes shut, unable to bear the thought of watching Harry hit the ground and turn into a bloody mess.
But the gasp that rippled through the stands forced them to look again. What they saw made them cry out all over again.
A gigantic glowing white arm crashed down through the clouds and scooped Harry up as easily as catching a tiny fish.
A thunderous dragon-like roar followed. Usaki shot forward as a streak of black light, outpacing the Firebolt spiraling out of control.
Before the broom could slam into the Whomping Willow, Usaki caught it neatly.
"...SHEEEK"
The Dementors shrieked in fury. The temperature plunged. Frost formed in midair.
They hadn't eaten properly for months. They finally had a feast within reach, only for some meddler to interrupt.
But instinctive fear kept them suspended in hesitation. They didn't want to retreat, but they didn't dare advance either, so they hung there, stuck.
The Patronus, however, had no intention of hesitating.
The arm was only the beginning. The whole massive body emerged, scattering the storm clouds completely. Lightning still crackled across its surface, making it look like a descending god.
One hand held Harry. The other slammed straight into the black wave of Dementors.
The impact burst them like balloons. A storm of shredded black cloaks and tortured screams shot upward before dissolving under overwhelming magic. The sound that reached the students was chilling and strange, nothing like the oppressive menace the Dementors had shown moments ago.
"Is that the Patronus Charm?" an upper-year student stammered. "But books say Patronuses take the shape of animals… how can someone summon a humanoid Patronus? And that size?!"
"...Tom."
Astoria stared up at the sky.
Daphne spun around in place. "Where? Where's Tom? Wasn't he supposed to be at the Ministry for business today?"
"That Patronus looks like him," Astoria said, pointing upward.
Daphne snatched a telescope from a younger Slytherin, stared for a few seconds, then squealed, "It really is Tom! Astoria, your eyes are amazing!"
The silver-haired girl quietly pouted.
It's not my eyesight. You're just unbelievably oblivious, sister.
More and more people noticed the resemblance. Even through the glow and distortion, the outline was unmistakably Tom, and the stands erupted with shouts of disbelief.
Up in the announcer's booth, Professor McGonagall finally exhaled in relief. Thank Merlin Riddle had been faster than she was. At this distance, she honestly wasn't sure she could have cast a precise spell to yank Harry away before the Dementors reached him.
But relief quickly turned to bewilderment as she watched the gigantic humanoid Patronus tear through the sky, smashing Dementor after Dementor into drifting black smoke.
She wasn't even sure she should call this a Patronus anymore.
Shape wasn't the issue. Dumbledore's phoenix Patronus already disproved the idea that Patronuses must follow common animals and forms.
But Patronuses didn't destroy Dementors. They drove them back with overwhelming positive force. Riddle's Patronus, however, was outright slaughtering them. Anything it touched disintegrated.
And then there was its size—many times, dozens of times larger than any Patronus she'd ever heard of.
McGonagall suddenly remembered the legendary Greek wizard, Andros the Invincible. The history books hadn't exaggerated after all. There really was someone capable of summoning a Patronus of that magnitude.
A gentle warmth stirred in her chest.
A Patronus this powerful meant Riddle carried a wealth of bright, joyful memories within him.
What a good child.
A soft clicking sound came from behind her, a familiar tongue-click of mild amusement. "Didn't expect the Dementors to charge onto the grounds less than a day after Dumbledore left."
Tom stood beside her. Honestly, he'd forgotten all about this little incident in canon. He'd just happened to return from the Ministry at the perfect time.
And once he ran into this chaos, he obviously wasn't going to miss such a perfect opportunity to shine in front of everyone.
It was also a great chance to test his Patronus's power—and to broadcast loudly and clearly to the entire magical world: {He, Tom Riddle, was a righteous, blindingly heroic white wizard.}
"Not bad," came a voice within the study space. "Better than most. But you're still miles behind me, Tom, so don't get cocky."
Andros watched the scene with a proud smile.
Seeing his signature technique reappear after thousands of years delighted him, though he'd never admit that aloud. Complimenting Tom would just make the kid's ego float off into the sky.
"Riddle, thank you for stepping in to save Potter." Professor McGonagall spoke first, then added, "But you can't keep going. I'm furious about what these Dementors did too, but they're still under the Ministry's authority. If you destroy too many, you'll be the one who gets in trouble."
Truthfully, the casualties were already horrific. What had looked like a black ocean of Dementors earlier had been cut in half, and the rest were scattering in panic.
Tom nodded casually. The colossal Patronus hovering midair stopped chasing, crushed two stragglers for good measure, then carried Harry down to the commentator's platform.
"Professor, I'll leave Harry to you."
McGonagall knelt to check on him. "I'll take good care of him. Slytherin gets fifty points. Go get some rest."
Tom headed back toward the stands. The moment he stepped into Slytherin's section, Daphne launched herself at him, hugging him tight. "Tom, you were incredible! Teach me how to do that!"
"You want a Patronus too?" Tom thought it over. "We can try."
"No, just a Patronus." Daphne shook her head, then explained with perfect seriousness, "I want my Patronus to look like you. That way it'll be like you're protecting me."
The more she spoke, the more excited she got, already picturing a giant Tom-shaped Patronus wrapping protectively around her.
Tom could only stare at her, speechless.
Did she think Patronuses were action figures? You didn't just mold them into whatever shape you wanted. And even if you could DIY one, having it look like him just felt… weird.
Overhead, the clouds were gathering again. Tom glanced up. "Let's head back. Looks like the rain isn't done."
"Right, Astoria, hurry up!"
The Slytherins instinctively parted, watching the three descend the stairs with something close to awe before following behind them toward the castle.
Every time Tom showed his power, it shattered people's expectations.
This time even more so. Not just the sheer strength, but the fact he could cast a Patronus at all. That Patronus.
Almost every Slytherin had assumed he'd grow into a prodigy of the Dark Arts, maybe that he already counted as a powerful dark wizard.
But now Tom Riddle had… betrayed the franchise.
Who in Slytherin used a Patronus of all things?
Not that anyone dared say it aloud. They only muttered quietly in their hearts.
After being beaten up by Tom a few times over the years, the Slytherins were by no means convinced by him in spirit, but their bodies certainly were.
---
In the Room of Requirement, Tom gathered all the girls together for lunch.
Everyone ate while talking about what had just happened, each reacting differently.
"A Patronus over ten meters tall… that's not even magical anymore. And a humanoid form." Hermione ate while flipping through her notes. She felt like she must have bought a pirated textbook because nothing lined up with what she'd seen.
"I'm so mad that Cedric actually caught the Snitch," Ginny grumbled, sawing into her steak like she was cutting open a badger.
Daphne kept clinging to Tom, begging him to teach her the spell, while sweet little Astoria quietly helped remove the bones from Tom's ribs.
Hermione waited until Daphne was dragged off by Astoria for dessert, then finally took the chance to ask, "How did things go with the Ministry today?"
Tom smiled. "Pretty well. They're nervous. Everyone's scared Grindelwald might show up on their doorstep any day now, so they agreed to everything pretty fast."
Today had been productive. As he said, the Ministries that showed up were the anxious kind: either families who'd fought the Acolytes for generations, or countries so weak they were terrified of being crushed like soft fruit. They accepted his prices with barely any haggling.
Today's signed contracts totaled more than two million in sales, at least half of which was pure profit. The only condition was that he deliver everything within a month, preferably sooner.
"That's good." Hermione gave a warm, gentle smile.
...
After the meal, seeing how eager everyone was to learn the Patronus Charm, Tom began teaching.
As expected of an advanced spell, progress was slow. After an entire afternoon, the faint wisps of white mist they managed to produce were pitiful.
The best among them was surprisingly Daphne. Then again, it made sense. With how cheerful she was every day, she had an endless supply of happy memories to draw from. No need for deep meditation. All she had to do was focus her magic and say the incantation.
---
Meanwhile…
McGonagall delivered Harry to the hospital wing. Once Madam Pomfrey assured her he'd be fine, she stormed back to her office, furious, and used the Codex to report everything to Dumbledore.
The Dementors had not only violated the agreement but nearly killed a student. If the school didn't react, how would Hogwarts maintain its reputation? Who would trust them to protect children?
This was supposed to be the safest place in the world.
Maybe it was the time difference, maybe Dumbledore was busy, but he didn't reply immediately. McGonagall didn't wait. She wrote a stern complaint to the Ministry and sent it off with an owl.
---
New York.
Dumbledore had just returned from the Magical Congress to Newt Scamander's home when he finally had a moment to read her message.
By the time he finished, his lips were pressed thin, his beard subtly lifting with his rising magic. His expression was just as grim as the day he learned Grindelwald had slaughtered the Picquery family.
Newt noticed the change instantly. "Albus?"
"My apologies, Newt."
Dumbledore tore his sharp gaze away from the notebook, softening slightly. "Forgive the outburst. Something unpleasant happened at Hogwarts."
"What happened?"
Newt stiffened. That was not just his alma mater. His dear grandson studied there. And Tom too.
"A group of Dementors entered the Quidditch pitch during a match. They nearly killed a student. Thankfully, Tom intervened in time. The boy is safe now."
Newt exhaled in relief. "Good."
Dumbledore set the Codex aside. "But this can't end here. They've made it clear my earlier warning meant nothing."
And McGonagall's complaint wasn't the only thing that had him furious.
The final spark had come from Tom's message.
{Professor, seems like your promises don't amount to much, huh.}
.
.
.