Don't Move, This is Mine

The next day, Hogwarts was trending, with dragons dominating the search rankings.

When the Slytherin and Hufflepuff in the basement realized they had missed the big event, they were all filled with remorse, especially the young Hufflepuff wizards, who were extremely regretful.

The second most talked-about topic after the dragon was Gryffindor's score; the huge hourglass of scores was emptied by more than half overnight.

Even Gryffindor rarely faces such a predicament, especially with final exams approaching and such a large point difference making it impossible to catch up!

The news slowly spread, and everyone knew that Harry and his "sidekick" Ron had been penalized with points because they had made a big mistake the night before, which was why the professors had punished them so severely.

Others might not know, but how could Tom not? He secretly grieved for the future Voldemort, destined to be defeated by a simpleton like Harry?

How stupid do you have to be to mess things up? He even solved Malfoy, the biggest problem, and things still went wrong!

"Potter! You're Slytherin's best outside help!" Malfoy suddenly shouted, causing the entire Great Hall to burst into laughter.

Harry pretended not to hear, lowered his head, and slunk back to his seat.

From that day on, Hermione entered "points-boosting maniac" mode, frantically raising her hand to answer questions in class, all in an effort to boost Gryffindor's grades.

Aside from Snape, Flitwick and Sprout both felt that Gryffindor a terrible situation and wanted Hermione to answer the questions so that they wouldn't lose too badly at the end of the school year.

Tom was completely stunned; he never expected the boomerang to pierce him!

With Hermione earning more points, he could earn fewer points, further exacerbating his already strained Slytherin House.

What a waste of his illustrious reputation, all ruined by that idiot Harry! Could it be that Harry Potter is the nemesis of all Tom Riddle?

Forbidden Forest.

Tom squatted by the creek, waiting for the unicorn. The little unicorn peeked out from behind the bushes, saw him, and hopped over.

The big unicorn followed behind, walking a little slower. Tom took out a handful of cookies made by Parla and handed them to the little unicorn.

It ate happily, its tail wagging like a fan. The big female unicorn came over, sniffed Tom's hand, then lowered her head and rested it in his palm.

Tom paused for a moment, then started nuzzling his hand; this was different.

[Second Trial - Saint, Progress: 60%]

Tom patted the big unicorn's head, then took out a handful of cookies and handed them to her. She ate them, and after she finished, she rubbed her hand against his.

The little unicorn watched from the side, tilted her head, and imitated her mother, burying her head in Tom's arms.

Tom smiled. "Okay, you two be good."

In the dead of night, Tom lay in bed, pondering how to earn some more credits, when the mark on the back of his hand felt as hot as if it had been branded with a hot iron.

A small unicorn head slowly appeared. Oh no! The unicorn is in danger!

Tom sprang out of bed, not even bothering to put on his shoes, grabbed his wand and rushed out the door. With the help of magic, he dashed towards the Forbidden Forest like a gust of wind.

The Blood Tracking Curse pounded wildly in his mind, pointing towards the depths of the Forbidden Forest —not the clearing where the little unicorn usually roamed, but deeper still, near the dried spot of the silvery-white bloodstains.

"I must develop a flight spell," Tom thought to himself as he ran. "This running to get somewhere is ridiculous."

The wind resistance was too great, and his head had already adopted the running posture of a Naruto.

As they flew through the Forbidden Forest, they startled flocks of birds, and some timid Fantastic Beasts fled their territory in panic, looking like madmen being chased by dogs.

As he ran, he called Gellert Grindelwald in from Nurmengard, Andros was jolted awake from his slumber. The two looked at the scenery rushing past Tom's eyes, completely bewildered.

"Tom, what's gotten into you? Are you being chased by Dementor?" Andros asked.

"Chase my ass! My unicorn's been targeted, I have to go save it now," Tom's voice drifted in the wind.

"Running like this is ridiculous! You guys need to step up your game and come up with a flying spell for me!"

Gellert Grindelwald clicked his tongue. "Apparition is enough, why bother with a flight spell? All show and no substance."

"You can also use Transfiguration to turn air into solidified air blocks, and then stand on them to stay airborne."

Tom sneered. "Don't make excuses if you can't do it. No wonder the books describe you as a dark wizard, and Voldemort as the Dark Lord. It seems that's quite accurate, without a single flaw."

Gellert Grindelwald was unfazed by these verbal attacks.

But Tom's next words were a direct hit, piercing his very soul. "Yeah, the headmaster can just send Newt Scamander to deal with you."

"He's spent almost half his life dealing with Voldemort, and he's still worrying about it now."

Gellert Grindelwald exploded.

"I'm not as good as him?!" The old Dark Lord's voice exploded in Tom's head. "No one knows more about Dark Magic than me! When I was conquering Continental Europe, that Voldemort was still nowhere to be found!"

"Then stop talking nonsense." Tom's tone was calm. "Hurry up and conjure up some flying magic to slap me in the face."

Gellert Grindelwald fell silent. He knew this was Tom's provocation, but the key to any provocation was having substance.

He did indeed have the idea of competing with Voldemort, but Tom ignored him and kept changing the direction of the unicorn head on the back of his hand as it rotated.

The unicorn was also fleeing, but the distance was closing, and he could vaguely hear its cry.

After crossing a dense birch forest, he spotted his target.

A dark shadow slithered across the ground like a snake, while the unicorn ran wildly ahead.

A ghostly light emanated from the shadows, and despite the unicorn's best efforts to dodge, several beams of light still struck it, causing wounds.

Silvery-white blood flowed down the unicorn's fur, infuriating Tom.

Tom snorted coldly, anticipated the location of the shadowy figure, and waved his wand.

"Blasting Curse."

Debris and dirt flew everywhere, and a large crater was blasted into the ground, forcing the dark figure to stop.

A hooded figure rose from the bushes, a hoarse voice saying, "Meddlesome brat."

"You stupid piece of trash," Tom interrupted him, his voice low but each word clear, "You dare touch my horse?"

The unicorn could run no more. With its last bit of strength, it reached an ancient tree and gasped for breath.

Sweat mixed with silvery blood slowly dripped down its body, creating a poignant scene. It let out a weak, mournful cry, and Tom could sense its grievance.

Tom stared intently at the hooded man, not even having time to coax the unicorn, when the hooded man suddenly raised his wand and fired Non-verbal Spell.

Tom didn't move. The Iron Armor Charm formed in front of him, and the spell was deflected, piercing through a large tree next to him.