Chapter 307: A Halloween Gift for the Wizarding World
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Tom had no idea that a single signed permission slip had sent Snape spiraling into lancholy reflections on his youth. After leaving, he t up with Daphne and Hermione in one of the common rooms to plan out their Hogsade trip for the next day.
He’d been to the village plenty of tis before, but Daphne and Hermione hadn’t, and trying to accompany both at once would only an 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 excitent of seeing everything fresh, and Hermione got more ti to explore later. Both girls seed satisfied with the arrangent.
Daphne circled a spot on the Hogsade map. "I already reserved a table for two at Madam Puddifoot’s. Ten in the morning for , three in the afternoon for her. No need to thank ."
"Oh, I’ll thank you anyway," Hermione said with a teasing smile. "Just tell
which drinks there are actually good. I don’t want to order sothing 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
the story behind it."
While the two witches chattered away, Tom’s consciousness had already slipped into his study space. It was ti to train Apparition again.
Since the start of term, he’d achieved the "Captured by Fawkes Seven Tis" achievent—seven duels, seven losses.
But that didn’t an he hadn’t improved. Far from it.
His maximum Apparition range had increased by fifty percent, and he could now perform three consecutive extre-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 tis on magical intuition.
Not that she was slacking off. Quite the opposite. She had more or less taken over the ditation Room, spending nearly every mont studying her posthumous grimoires, trying to master modern magical theory as quickly as possible.
Good preparation takes ti, 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 movents 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 ditation, opened them at once. A strange light glimred there. "You’ve gathered enough power?"
Tom nodded vaguely. "I had enough ages ago. I just wanted to wait for the right mont. But then I realized—why wait? Sooner or later, it has to happen."
He’d earned five hundred achievent points from the Codex expansion milestone.
And besides—he’d gotten a bonus reward after the mock exams: one "Interdiate 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 sll 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 sumr. 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 ti 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 sentintal 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 ti 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
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 so 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 rembering sothing. "Laos tracked down the Picquery family’s address. You should pay them a visit. What was that guy’s na 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 ."
---
Outside, Hermione and Daphne were wrapping up their talk.
Tom muttered a word of focus and withdrew from the study space. Grindelwald did the sa.
...
Nurngard
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 mont, but then he dismissed it. Better to let Dumbledore die once and for all. That way, Tom could bring him into the study space soday. Tom had ntioned that living souls couldn’t be summoned in, and Grindelwald had been the last exception.
"Picquery..."
He murmured the na 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 na, his thoughts wandered.
Picquery... North Arica...
Wait... North Arica? The damn bastard?
"Newt Scamander?!!!"
The na 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 Hogsade 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 imdiately 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 ntal 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 ntal power is more than enough. Your soul is exceptional—stronger even than mine was back in my ti."
"Back in your ti?" 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 sothing crucial. Most of your ntal 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 tis 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 ntal energy. Without division, you can Apparate three tis before your brain signals exhaustion. But if you split that energy—ten parts, twenty, or even more—you can use one portion at a ti. When one segnt 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 ti?"
She summoned a small, bound notebook. "I’ve already developed the necessary spells—ones to partition and seal consciousness. The rapid-switching thod 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 ti for real training."
Tom caught the notebook, excitent flickering in his eyes as he started flipping through it.
Just as he’d guessed, the spell dealt with mory and thought—the areas where Ravenclaw truly shined.
And this one, judging by its structure... was on a whole new level.
.
.
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