Hogwarts: Chill, I'm Not That Riddle

"The truth is," Andrew said, dropping a bombshell, "the Purgers have long been in contact with high-ranking Muggle officials in America."

Tom’s eyes sharpened.

"I think that’s the Muggle government’s countermeasure against wizards. After all, the Purgers include Muggles, indigenous wizards, and descendants of the original separatists. They understand magic extremely well, and they can blend into America’s magical society without anyone noticing, constantly gathering intelligence."

"By all rights, the Magical Congress should have feared them. But for some reason, after Ms. Scamander left the Magical Congress, they immediately repealed the law against them."

Andrew had never really thought too deeply about it before.

But now, as he spoke it aloud, his mind raced, and a startling conclusion began to form.

"Unless..." His face stiffened. "Unless the two sides reached an agreement. Maybe they’ve already started working together."

Tom frowned. "Then why didn’t Quahog ever mention any of this?"

Andrew gave him a strange look.

Tom explained casually, "That period when Quahog disappeared? I kidnapped him. We had a very ’friendly’ talk, and I’ve already seen every secret in his head."

Andrew fell silent.

Good lord. Had his daughter really found herself a bandit for a boyfriend?

"Well, that’s easy enough to explain," Andrew said after a moment. "Quahog may have been President, but if Scott was the one orchestrating everything behind the scenes, there’d be no need to tell anyone what he was planning. He could still achieve his goals."

Tom sank into thought. "So what you’re saying is... before the magical world was exposed, the Magical Congress had already reached some kind of agreement with the Muggle government, with the Purgers acting as a link."

Andrew nodded grimly. "I’m afraid so."

"Thank you for telling me." Tom inclined his head. "If there are any other members of the Vole family who want to take refuge in Britain, gather them together first. I’ll bring them over."

"Thank you."

Tom smiled faintly. "We’re family now. There’s no need to be so formal."

With that, he parted ways with Andrew.

...

..

Then his consciousness sank into the Study Space.

The situation was too chaotic now. Relying on Andros and Jeanne alone wasn’t enough anymore.

He needed someone with real weight behind them, someone capable of handling the endless complications for him.

...

Inside the Study Space, Tom sent out a summons. Before long, Grindelwald, Andros, Morgan, and the others gathered around him.

With a wave of his hand, a round table appeared before them.

"Old G, what’s the situation in Berlin?" Tom asked, looking at Grindelwald.

"The incident in New York is already all over Muggle television," Grindelwald replied, his face dark, a mocking smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks to the fact that Muggle media is about as reliable as the Daily Prophet, most people don’t believe it’s real. They think it’s just another stunt cooked up by the Americans."

"But the higher-ups in government know the truth. The current Minister for Magic is already in talks with Muggle officials, trying to keep things stable."

Tom smirked, "And what happened to your idea of going straight to war?"

"War?" Grindelwald shook his head. "I’m not an idiot. In our current state, wizards are completely unprepared. We’re at an absolute disadvantage. If war breaks out now, the losses would be catastrophic."

"The wizarding population is already tiny. And now I’ve realized something. Whether we win or lose doesn’t depend on the average wizard."

His eyes locked onto Tom. "Today, it depends on you. With us, the system, the study space, and your own power, you can already influence the outcome greatly... So what I want to know is which side are you on?"

Everyone turned to look at him.

Tom was now the most powerful and influential person in the wizarding world. If war truly broke out between wizards and Muggles, the biggest question wasn’t strength.

It was where his heart lay.

A lot of Muggle-born wizards, even after years in the magical world, still saw ordinary human society as their true home. Grindelwald worried Tom might be the same.

And if he was, then the wizarding world might truly have no future.

Tom sighed, "Old G, your perspective’s still too narrow."

He waved a hand dismissively as everyone stared at him. "This isn’t about me deciding which side to stand on. It’s about whether Muggles would even consider me one of them anymore."

"Whether it’s Muggles or wizards, humans are naturally exclusionary. Even among wizards, I’m already the biggest outlier there is. People fear me."

"And in Muggle society? Even if I wanted to join them, they’d still see me as the greatest threat. Countless people would dedicate themselves to studying me, trying to control me, trying to kill me."

Tom let out a low breath. "And human nature over there is far more twisted than anything the darkest wizarding world has to offer. So no, it’s not really about what I choose."

He looked up, eyes distant.

"It’s about what choice this world forces on me. That’s life. Sometimes you’re in it whether you want to be or not."

Tom’s sigh drew immediate sympathy.

Jeanne and Ariana stepped closer, each taking one of his hands.

Grindelwald, on the other hand, looked delighted. "With your help, wizardkind would definitely win."

"Don’t celebrate too early," Tom said, shaking his head. "First, I’ve never believed one side should rule over the other. Nobody has the right to hold absolute dominion over this world."

Grindelwald’s expression dimmed slightly.

Tom continued. "And second... even if I stand firmly with the wizards, there are many situations where I can’t act directly."

He went on to explain what had happened in New York, and the consequences after he killed many muggles.

By the time he finished, Grindelwald and Andros looked grim.

But Ravenclaw didn’t seem surprised at all.

Only Morgan was unreadable. She had heard Ravenclaw explain the Muggles’ killing effect before, but it didn’t exist in her era. So she was thinking about what caused it, and what was protecting the Muggles.

Meanwhile, Tom rubbed his chin as he continued, "I don’t know where my limit is exactly. But in my current state, destroying all of New York wouldn’t be a problem."

"But Muggles number far beyond a single city. If it really came down to all-out war, the only viable strategy would be decapitation strikes."

Ravenclaw immediately shook her head. "Absolutely not. That kind of strategy might force some people into submission, but it would drive far more into madness. It would make the divide between wizards and Muggles irreversible. A war to the death."

"The situation still isn’t clear. Strengthen defenses, watch carefully, and wait. Don’t act rashly." She said that while staring directly at Grindelwald.

Because she knew Tom was rational. But Grindelwald, despite his cold exterior, was the type to act on passion when pushed.

"..."

"Jeanne, a lot of wizards from North and South America might head to your city soon," Tom said. "Take them in. Don’t let wizardkind lose too many people."

Jeanne nodded without hesitation, "Understood."

Jeanne accepted the arrangement, though inwardly she felt a headache coming.

With her personality, she knew she’d never be able to properly manage the Dark City.

Which meant, sooner or later, Jalter would probably end up doing it for her.

"And Andros, Jeanne might not be able to handle it alone. Go help her. Keep order if things get chaotic."

At that, Andros grinned. "Tom, what if the Muggle army tracks the city down? After what you said earlier, I’m starting to feel a little nervous myself."

Before Tom could answer, Ravenclaw cut in first, "You’re overthinking it."

She smiled sweetly. "From what I gathered, only Legends will be targeted by that force and experience rejection when killing Muggles. Maybe there are principles—like anything under the Legend tier is just trash."

Silence.

Grindelwald instantly turned pale.

That one hit straight through the heart.

...

Finally, after discussing other things, the meeting ended.

Suddenly, Tom’s eyes narrowed. "Rowena, where exactly do you think you’re going?"

Ravenclaw froze mid-step.

She turned back stiffly, forcing a calm expression. "I was going back to think of a solution. Maybe improve the Muggle-Repelling Charm. Something stronger, something that still works even if they’re mentally prepared."

Tom walked toward her with a half-smile.

Back when he first summoned Ravenclaw, he’d still been a little kid.

Back then, with her tall frame, his head had only reached her shoulder.

But years had passed.

And just like their strength, their heights had reversed.

...Okay, he used a spell, but regardless, now Ravenclaw only came up to the bridge of his nose. That was a win.

"I think doing research in here lacks realism," Tom said lightly, looking at her with a meaningful smile. "How about this? I restore your physical body, and you can conduct your research in the real world."

Ravenclaw’s heart clenched. A flicker of unease rose in her chest.

So... the moment had finally come.

Her life as a workhorse was about to start."

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