——————
Tom was busy today, with no time to spare for whatever amusing chaos might be unfolding around the school.
He slept in comfortably, then, after getting up in the morning, took Fawkes with him to Antarctica again to deal with the memories of those two researchers.
Well, "took" wasn't quite accurate. The fat bird insisted on following him, impossible to shake off no matter what he did.
And because it wasn't a competition anymore, Tom deliberately slowed his pace while traveling, treating it as a chance to get familiar with his newly acquired power. Even so, his speed ended up noticeably faster than yesterday.
Now he finally understood why a phoenix's Apparition felt so effortless. When he used magic, he couldn't sense space resisting the teleport at all. On the contrary, it felt as though the door was wide open, letting him enter whenever he wanted. Not only did it consume less magic, it also felt mentally effortless.
At present, the maximum distance of his Apparition was more than double what it used to be, and the strain on his mind was still well within limits.
In just a few jumps, he went from the Scottish Highlands to a pasture in New Zealand, casually watching cows graze.
For the remaining distance, Tom stopped using Apparition and instead transformed into a streak of fire, flying straight toward Antarctica.
His flight speed had increased significantly as well. As he experienced the changes in his magic, he realized that faster flight naturally demanded more power. Not just to propel himself forward, but also to shield his body from being crushed by overwhelming wind pressure.
In the past, his total magical reserves would steadily drop under this kind of strain. Now, recovery and consumption were almost perfectly balanced.
To be honest, fusing with phoenix blood was a bit of a waste for him. The phoenix's signature vitality was practically redundant, since the Golden Apple already offered something even stronger.
Still, there was a difference. The vitality granted by the Golden Apple was eternal and unchanging, as though time itself had lost its grip on his body and soul. Phoenix blood, on the other hand, continuously rebirthed vitality in cycles of renewal, indirectly boosting all of his recovery abilities.
...
By the time he landed at the South Pole, Tom had a rough grasp of how the bloodline had altered his physique. As for enhancements to fire and purification, those would take time to test properly.
"Gentlemen."
Tom stepped inside. The research facility door opened wide behind him, and a blast of Antarctic wind swept through the room, instantly alerting the researchers.
"Who's there—wait, you're the one from yesterday!"
"Shh."
Tom raised a finger. "Quiet, fellas. You saw something you weren't supposed to. Relax. This will be over very soon."
Before long, the room fell into an eerie silence. Everyone inside collapsed unconscious.
"Obliviate."
After modifying all their memories and destroying the recordings, Tom didn't rush back. Instead, he treated himself to a special lunch right at the South Pole.
At the same time, he observed the tenth trail palace in his mind.
Tom had assumed that the 10th Trial would be announced the moment he completed the ninth. Yet even now, the tenth palace remained largely inactive.
Well, not entirely inactive. It emitted a faint glow, slightly brighter than the last two behind it.
That made him uneasy. The longer it dragged on, the bigger the trouble was likely to be.
The 9th trial had already been brutal. It took more than half a year, and he'd only completed it after becoming the King of the Century. Was the difficulty of the 10th trial going to skyrocket?
---
Meanwhile... In Diagon Alley
Sirius happily welcomed Lupin and personally handled his guild membership.
"You definitely made the right choice, Remus. Guild missions are way more interesting than teaching at school," Sirius rambled on. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be tracking down some smuggler dealing in broomstick materials right now. He stole proprietary data from Nimbus, and the Ministry can't even touch cases like that…"
"Sirius." Lupin accepted the documents and guild medal, pinning it neatly to his robes. With a smile, he teased, "Didn't you say you'd take over my position and teach Harry after I resigned? Changed your mind already?"
Sirius admitted it without hesitation. "My personality really isn't suited for teaching. Besides, that greasy bat is still at the school. If I went, we'd end up fighting, and that would just make things awkward for Dumbledore. As for Harry…"
Mentioning Harry made Sirius smile. "His training can wait until summer. I'll take him on a few missions that aren't too difficult. That'll be way more useful than sitting through a handful of classes."
"Oh, right, Remus. Want me to pick a mission for you? Just to get a feel for it?" Sirius leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Don't worry, it'll be great value for money. Perfect for the two of us."
"Let's skip it," Lupin said, shaking his head.
"Why?" Sirius asked, puzzled. "Tomorrow's the weekend. Don't tell me Hogwarts still makes you work overtime on weekends now."
"Well, we do need to give the competitors some extra lessons lately, but that's not the reason," Lupin explained. "The other schools arrive next Monday, and Professor McGonagall has assigned quite a few preparations."
Sirius slapped his forehead. "I completely forgot about the competition. Oh, right. You know Grindelwald is coming too, yeah?"
Lupin nodded, his expression serious. "Of course. What do you think we've been preparing for? We're worried that man might be plotting something."
"Honestly… I think he's not that bad," Sirius said hesitantly. "His ideals are a bit impulsive, sure, but he's completely different from You-Know-Who."
Lupin stared at Sirius in shock. Even after he returned to the castle, he still found it hard to believe.
Wasn't Sirius the one who hated Dark Wizards the most?
Why... no, when did he hold Grindelwald in such high regard?
What Lupin didn't know was that, because of the Guild, Sirius had been forced to interact with Grindelwald frequently. With Sirius's straightforward mind, a few casual remarks from Grindelwald were more than enough to earn his goodwill.
Of course, it was nothing more than basic approval, not enough to make him betray anyone, but his guard had definitely dropped.
"..."
Unsure what to make of it, Lupin went to Dumbledore and reported everything that had just happened.
After listening, Dumbledore lowered his head in thought. Lupin couldn't see his expression, only the light reflecting off those half-moon spectacles.
After a long pause, the old wizard finally spoke. "Remus, that is exactly what makes Grindelwald frightening. He was never the same kind of man as Voldemort."
"So Sirius has been influenced by him?" Lupin asked, worried.
"Not to that extent," Dumbledore said gently, shaking his head. "Sirius has a strong will and a clear sense of justice and morality. The moment Grindelwald's actions go against his beliefs, that bit of goodwill will vanish. You don't need to worry too much."
"But the students are different," Dumbledore continued, his tone turning grave. "Their sense of right and wrong isn't fully formed yet. They're easily influenced by someone like Grindelwald. I'll do my best to keep an eye on him, but there will inevitably be moments I miss. When that happens, I'll be counting on you, Remus."
"I understand."
Lupin nodded solemnly. Even so, he still couldn't stop worrying about Sirius. He resolved to warn him about Grindelwald's danger when the opportunity arose.
Unfortunately, school duties were overwhelming. Before he knew it, Lupin had pushed that concern to the back of his mind, spending the entire weekend buried in work.
...
When the new week arrived, Hogwarts Castle was at its absolute best, practically gleaming as if reborn.
The heads of houses also sent out a notice through chat groups, requiring every student to be neatly dressed. As a result, Ginny dragged Tom over to help Luna remove all the decorations from her robes.
This was the first time Tom had ever seen Luna show genuine frustration and irritation. It was surprisingly entertaining.
"Once today's over, I'll put them all back for you," Ginny said gently. "I really like your style, but on formal occasions we need to show respect for others, right?"
Umm..." Luna nodded softly.
Tom couldn't help laughing. "Ginny, the way you just talked sounded just like Mrs. Weasley."
Ginny shot him an annoyed look. She had brought him over to help, not to watch the show. But the more upset Luna got, the more fascinated he seemed, and now he was even making sarcastic comments.
"Come on, let's go. The professors said we have to be there by five," Ginny said. And so after casting a quick Cleaning Charm on Luna, the two girls walked off hand in hand.
This time, the smile vanished from Tom's face.
He could only hope Fleur wouldn't provoke Daphne too much. Lately, he'd been extremely careful when talking to Fleur, hinting both openly and subtly that they were all his wings. No idea whether it was working.
...
The Great Hall
The crowd flowed into the hall, which was several times brighter than usual. Even the candleholders had been meticulously polished by the house-elves and now reflected a warm golden glow.
Filch, dressed in a musty old suit, strode between the long tables, inspecting each student's attire. Anyone who spoke too loudly earned a vicious glare, and he wouldn't move on until they quieted down.
All the professors were present at the staff table except McGonagall, who stood by the main doors to greet the arriving guests.
The scale of this competition wasn't on the level of the Triwizard Tournament, and there weren't nearly as many visitors. And so there was no need to send all the students out onto the grounds to welcome them. As deputy headmistress, McGonagall had the authority to handle it herself.
Soon, movement could be heard outside. Students craned their necks eagerly, wondering which school would arrive first.
"Welcome, Madame Maxime," they heard Professor McGonagall say.
Madame Olympe Maxime, headmistress of Beauxbatons, entered with her delegation.
The students couldn't help gasping. She was enormous. But almost immediately, their attention was drawn to the graceful figures following behind her.
Suddenly, someone broke from the line. All anyone saw was a flash of silvery-blonde hair and dark blue eyes before she reached the Slytherin table.
In full view of Daphne and Astoria's stunned expressions, she wrapped her arms around Tom and, without the slightest hesitation, kissed him deeply, a kiss filled with longing and affection.
"..."
That's it!
The hall exploded.
Every student, no, every person in the room was wide awake now.
Forget the competition. Screw it. This was far more interesting.
.
.
.