The Appearance of an Old Friend
Tom has fully absorbed the Dragon Blood in the past few days. No one can tell unless he makes a move. But once he does, his domineering magical power is immediately revealed.
Albus Dumbledore was more inclined to believe that Tom's fusion was an awakening of his bloodline rather than an acquired one, as the latter was too difficult and rarely as natural as it was for him.
The battle continues.
Tom completely shook off his previous slump, pressing Snape relentlessly with a barrage of attacks that left him no room to breathe.
Snape wasn't without ways to break the deadlock; he had several tricks up his sleeve to turn the tide.
But which one can be used on students? If he really used Dark Magic, wouldn't he lose face?
What's more, the old man upstairs is still watching.
If confined to the rules of a proper duel, Snape really couldn't do anything to Tom.
He discovered that Tom's spell power had increased dramatically, and his physical abilities had also undergone a complete transformation; his movements were crisp and clean, and he was as slippery as an eel.
On the other hand, his own physical abilities declined sharply due to sitting in the office for too long, resulting in him only being able to perform static exercises.
In the Headmaster's Office, Albus Dumbledore's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
Unforgiving when in the right, relentless in its attacks, pressing forward step by step, each spell unwavering and domineering.
His fighting style... the more I look at him, the more he resembles Gellert Grindelwald.
This is weird.
Tom's spell was so powerful that Snape broke out in a cold sweat and had no choice but to grit his teeth and call for a halt.
Tom initially wanted to pretend he hadn't heard and get revenge for what happened last time, but then he thought it best to save face for the old professor so that it would be easier to ask him questions in the future, so he reluctantly stopped.
Tom asked politely, "Professor, are you admitting defeat?"
"I give up." Snape turned and walked away. "We'll talk about it next time."
Snape stormed back to his office, furious at himself for not being able to handle even a student.
Riddle has become stronger; his magic, his spells, and his fighting style have all changed.
No, he can't afford to slack off anymore!
Even if I can't catch Voldemort, I absolutely cannot let Riddle overtake me so quickly!
Tom had no idea he'd provoked Snape to the point of fury; otherwise, he'd at least have to pay some compensation for emotional distress.
Snape turned and went back behind his desk, sat down, picked up a quill, and began to write on a blank sheet of parchment.
He wrote several pages, all about research directions and ideas for improving Dark Magic.
Albus Dumbledore sat in the Headmaster's Office, his mind filled with images of the battle that had just ended.
He couldn't be mistaken about Gellert Grindelwald's fighting style; Riddle's fighting style was exactly the same as Gellert Grindelwald's.
A variant of the Fiendfyre, a combination of Dark Magic, and that oppressive feeling—not the oppression of magic power, but the oppressive aura, the might of a dragon.
"You must have seen it wrong."
He picked up a Sherbet Lemon, unwrapped it, and tore the wrapper into a long spiral that hung down from the candy.
He popped the candy into his mouth and chewed it a couple of times. "I must have misread it."
After Snape left, Tom didn't return to the castle immediately, but instead sneaked into the Forbidden Forest.
There are unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, but he has no idea how many there are or where they are. Anyway, the second trial requires unicorns to recognize and follow him, so it's always good to scout out the area first.
He considered rescuing the unicorn from Quirrell. He figured the unicorn would be friendly to him afterward, but the system wanted recognition and followers—in other words, to be his lackey.
No matter how good Hagrid's relationship with the creatures of the Forbidden Forest is, they are still friends, not superiors and subordinates. Building a good relationship is the first step, but the key is how to make them submit.
Tom reached two o'clock but didn't see the unicorn. However, he found quite a few traces, so it was a worthwhile trip. Only then did Tom go back to his dormitory to sleep.
"Mr. Grindelwald"
"Exist."
Have you ever fought Albus Dumbledore before?
Gellert Grindelwald paused for a moment. "We've played."
"Who's winning?"
He won.
Tom's lips curled into a smile. "Mr. Grindelwald, I beat Snape today."
"It wasn't a fight with a door, it was a head-on victory, won with strength, not with underhanded tactics. Thank you."
Gellert Grindelwald smiled. "You have great talent."
With the homework crisis resolved, Tom was completely relieved.
For the next week, aside from attending classes, he spent almost all his time in the library, reading through every book related to unicorns.
On the last day of the first week, Hermione came to tell him that Harry had used the Chocolate Frog Card to find out Nicolas Flamel Flamel's identity and guessed that the Philosopher's Stone was hidden on the fourth floor.
Then Ron and Harry started worrying unnecessarily about the safety of the Philosopher's Stone for Albus Dumbledore.
Tom smiled and ignored it. It would be better if he found out; if the Philosopher's Stone malfunctioned, he would know immediately.
Who knows if Quirrell will uncover all the traps ahead of time and make his move even earlier than in the original story?
During this week's magic class, Tom noticed that Quirrell's face was getting paler and paler. He didn't know if it was because Voldemort was pushing him too hard or because of the immense psychological pressure, but Quirrell looked like he was about to collapse at any moment.
Tom closed the last unicorn book, sighed, and put it back in its place.
The book is full of economic value and breeding guidelines, but it doesn't mention a single word about how to gain recognition.
That's normal. Most wizards only want unicorn materials; who would bother to tame one?
Even if it's pure, it's still a level XXXX Magical Creatures, not to be trifled with.
During evening training in the Study Space, Gellert Grindelwald noticed his worried expression and offered a suggestion. "If you try to figure it out on your own, you might not have any ideas by next semester. Try a different approach."
What's the approach?
"Let someone who knows how to find them help you. The Veela Tribe can help you find dragons, and the Hogwarts professors can help you find unicorns."
Tom thought for a moment. "Who should I look for? Hagrid? He knows the Forbidden Forest, but with his mouth, if he finds out I'm looking for a unicorn, the whole school will know tomorrow."
"I'm not telling you to find Hagrid, I'm telling you to find Albus Dumbledore. He's knowledgeable and might have a solution."
Tom looked at him with a half-smile, knowing perfectly well that the old man wanted to take the opportunity to see his old flame.
He didn't expose the plan, agreed to it, and even made a request: that Gellert Grindelwald tailor a set of magic to suit him personally.
In reality, most "self-created" spells in the wizarding world are simply minor adjustments and combinations of existing spells.
For example, the move Gellert Grindelwald used in Paris sounded cool, but it was essentially a combination of Fiendfyre and Legilimency.
Tom could have Gellert Grindelwald and Andros design spells to suit his style, and then he could fine-tune them to his own preferences after learning them.
Others practice incantations until they die and only get 80 points; he starts high, makes slight modifications and gets full marks, saving him a lot of effort.
To do this, you need the King of the Century as a free laborer.
The two bigwigs were stunned after hearing his idea.
This kid is really not lazy when it comes to shirking his duties. Tom's got some work saved for him, but the other two are going to be busy.
Andros didn't care; he was either sleeping or reading anyway, so doing more work wouldn't hurt.
Andros asked with interest, "In what direction?"
"Something for finding things, for tracking. Ideally, something that doesn't require me to hold a wand and chant spells all day, saving me time and effort."