— — — — — —
"Since we've already called a halt," Tom said with a smile, "there's no point in drawing lines anymore. We're all wizards. The Acolytes are just a part of the wizarding world. As long as they go through the proper channels and get travel permits, they should be free to go anywhere."
Grindelwald nodded. The other representatives had no objections either.
No one wanted to keep stirring up trouble. Restoring normal order meant everyone could go back to coasting comfortably.
The only one feeling miserable was Babajide. Grindelwald, Riddle, the representatives, all of them, seemed to think the International Confederation of Wizards had no real deterrent power at all.
That was basically denying decades of his work. Since becoming Supreme Mugwump, Babajide had poured his energy into expanding the Confederation's influence and building an order that every country had to obey.
Now it all felt like a joke. No one took them seriously.
Still, after a brief bout of frustration, he felt oddly relieved. What was the point of dwelling on it? He was about to resign and take responsibility anyway. The coming crisis should be the next person's problem. He was too old to keep fighting.
Going home to be just chill sounded far more comfortable.
"Gentlemen," Tom said, "handling everything strictly at the national level is just too cumbersome. That's why a civilian organization would be useful."
He smiled shyly. "Coincidentally, for my own products to circulate more smoothly, and to make things easier for wizards in general, I've been thinking about this for a while."
"I'm planning to establish a Wizards' Guild. No background checks, no factions. As long as you're a member of the Guild, you get basic rights. You can travel freely to any country whose Ministry of Magic has also joined."
"Isn't now the perfect time? Anyone who joins the Wizards' Guild wouldn't need to be labeled as an Acolyte or anything else. As long as they obey the law, treat them like ordinary wizards. Simple, right?"
Dumbledore stared at Tom in disbelief.
What was he trying to do, steal authority and status from the ICW?
The other representatives had the same thought. The way they looked at Tom changed.
Wasn't this kid a little too ambitious? You're still in school, and you already want to stick your hand into other countries' affairs?
"Interesting…"
In the middle of the tense silence, Grindelwald suddenly laughed. "Riddle, no wonder I took a liking to you right away. It's a solid idea. Instead of letting the Confederation sit above our heads throwing its weight around, why not create a new organization?"
"Fine. I agree." Seeing the ugly looks on everyone else's faces, Grindelwald raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore. "Riddle, I'll have all the Acolytes, and the wizards within these few countries, join your Guild."
"How about this? Set the Guild headquarters in Berlin. I'll use my authority to help promote it. Just give me a nice honorary president title in return."
"Tom," Dumbledore said, placing a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Be wary of any goodwill that appears out of nowhere. There's always an agenda behind it."
"Professor, are you saying Grindelwald wants to take over my Guild?" Tom asked bluntly.
Dumbledore neither confirmed nor denied it. "Who knows?"
"Albus, don't paint me as some monster," Grindelwald said irritably. "I'm not so low as to steal a child's toy."
"Perhaps you once wouldn't have," Dumbledore replied calmly, "but now, I can't see through you."
He didn't pursue it further. What mattered most was Tom's opinion. "Tom, your proposal is a good one. A civilian exchange organization does have plenty of room to grow. But you're still a student. Do you really have the time and energy to manage all the tedious details?"
"The wizarding world doesn't lack people looking for work," Tom said with a smile. "I've already spoken with Lady Greengrass. She can provide plenty of manpower. I'll recruit a few more staff. Keeping basic operations running won't be a problem."
Dumbledore let out a quiet sigh. "It seems you've been thinking about this for a long time."
There was an odd, nagging feeling in his chest. Something felt off, but he couldn't pinpoint any concrete problem.
That uncertainty was what made it so uncomfortable.
Still, he couldn't think of a better way to make both sides compromise. Tom's proposal really was the best solution, with the Wizards' Guild serving as a buffer between them.
"I agree with your overall plan," Dumbledore said at last. "As for the details, can we discuss them later?"
Tom nodded. The other representatives had nothing to add. The agreement hadn't even been signed yet, and they were still the weaker party. They didn't have much say in anything.
Soon after, everyone else was "politely" ushered out. Only Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Tom, acting as witness, remained in the room.
First came the birth of the blood pact.
Their blood rose into the air, entwining and merging. Then, from Grindelwald's pocket, a beautifully crafted silver vessel flew out. Dumbledore's pupils shrank sharply.
It was identical to the one from the past.
The blood solidified, set into the center of the silver like a ruby. The magic completed itself, and the blood pact fell from the air.
Grindelwald caught it in one hand and stared straight into Dumbledore's still-dazed blue eyes. "Albus, you're not going to let Scamander steal this one too, are you?"
Tom's expression twisted. He nearly lost control and laughed out loud.
The old man really knew how to be sarcastic. He would have to tell Newt about this later, just to scare him.
Dumbledore avoided Grindelwald's sharp gaze and didn't answer. He only said softly, "Let's swear the Unbreakable Vow. The others are still waiting outside."
Grindelwald snorted and extended his hand.
They clasped hands. Tom raised his wand. Crimson flames wrapped around their arms, yet caused no harm. As Tom finished reciting the terms of the Unbreakable Vow, the flames sank into their skin. Fiery red patterns flashed briefly, then vanished.
The vow was complete.
If either party violated the contract, they would be consumed by raging fire.
But Grindelwald wasn't afraid in the slightest. Once Tom finished researching his method of creating bodies, he wouldn't care how many were burned away.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, looked grave.
All these contracts existed to preserve the current balance.
Grindelwald had made many concessions, but Dumbledore feared someone would lose their head and launch another sneak attack against him, or that multiple nations would unite to assault the Acolytes again.
If that happened, he would be forced to stand completely on Grindelwald's side, against the entire world.
The others were invited back in. After confirming everything was in order, relief spread across their faces. They immediately asked to take the prisoners away.
Grindelwald couldn't be bothered with them. He summoned Vinda and told her to escort Babajide and the rest to retrieve their people.
"Riddle, when will your Guild be ready?" Grindelwald asked.
"Give me a month," Tom replied. He'd already started preparations. If he really wanted to rush, he could open over ten branch offices within a week. But to avoid deepening Dumbledore's suspicions, he deliberately slowed things down.
Tom knew Dumbledore wasn't foolish. He was surely suspicious of everything that had happened today. But suspicion was fine. There was no evidence, and Tom hadn't done anything underhanded.
He just wanted to control the world. What was so wrong with that?
"If you need anything, come to me," Grindelwald said. "People, money, whatever. I've got you covered."
After that, he aimed another jab at Dumbledore. "Albus, I hear you recently held a dueling tournament for underage wizards. I just became a headmaster myself not long ago, so I'll sign those kids up."
Dumbledore shook his head. "Suit yourself. Come if you like."
Expecting Grindelwald to behave was a lost cause. As long as the current balance held, Dumbledore was satisfied. Their future interactions were bound to be frequent.
It almost… didn't sound too bad.
There were 316 Aurors in total. Aside from the eighteen Tom had accidentally killed at the beginning by not holding back enough, everyone else was alive. They hadn't been mistreated either. They looked like they'd just been on a short holiday, which eased a lot of minds.
Only eighteen dead. The number wasn't small, but compared to losing all three hundred plus, it felt like incredible luck.
Dumbledore had planned to leave early with Tom, but they were asked to escort everyone back to the Norwegian Ministry of Magic. By the time Tom returned to Hogwarts, the weekend was completely gone and it was already late at night.
Tom wasn't bothered at all. After letting the young witches and Nicolas know he was safe, he eagerly opened the system interface.
A new mission notification blinked brightly, catching his eye.
He opened the task details with a thought.
Normally, intermediate missions had blue borders, advanced missions were purple, and special missions with legendary rewards came in gold.
This time, though, the new mission was unlike anything he'd seen before.
.
.
.