Hogwarts: Chill, I'm Not That Riddle-Chapter 521: A Token of Allegiance

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"I said, I want to join the Acolytes!"

Abeforth swore this was the most humiliating day of his life. But for Ariana, his pride didn’t matter at all.

Grindelwald, meanwhile, finally confirmed that Tom hadn’t damaged his hearing. The old goat had really just said he wanted to join the Acolytes.

"Heh..."

"Ha..."

"HAHAHAHA!"

It started as a low chuckle, then swelled into unrestrained laughter that shook the tables and chairs in the room. Thankfully, the Guild Hall was already empty. Otherwise, that burst of manic laughter would’ve scared everyone off all over again.

"You? Aberforth Dumbledore wants to join the Acolytes?"

Grindelwald barely managed to stop laughing and leaned back against a table. "Was this Albus’s idea, or did that dim little brain of yours come up with it?"

"If Albus were sending someone, even McGonagall would be more convincing than you."

"An undercover agent? There’s no need for that." Aberforth kept his face stiff, but his gaze was unwavering. "Grindelwald, even if you’ve revived Ariana, I still hate you. I’d be thrilled if you dropped dead tomorrow."

The laughter cut off instantly.

Grindelwald’s expression darkened, and the air around him seemed to freeze solid. There were very few people in this world who dared to curse him to his face.

"I’m doing this for Ariana," Aberforth continued under Grindelwald’s icy stare, not retreating a single step. "She doesn’t want to leave the Acolytes. She wants to control her own fate. She never wants to be bullied again."

"That’s not your concern," Grindelwald said coldly. "Ariana is my personal disciple. Do you even understand what that means?"

"All my magic, my wealth, my influence... it will all be hers one day. In the Acolytes, her word is my word. No one would dare defy her."

"I don’t trust you," Aberforth shot back. "The only way I’ll feel at ease is if I join myself and keep an eye on the Acolytes’ movements at all times." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Grindelwald, you think I’ll pass intelligence to Albus, right? Fine. We can sign a Binding Contract. A Blood Pact is out of the question, though. That disgusts me."

"You think you’re worthy of a Blood Pact with me?" Grindelwald glanced at him with open disdain and fell silent.

For a moment, he entered the study space to question Ariana and understand the full story.

Once he pieced together the cause and effect, he clicked his tongue. Words like venomous and ruthless flickered through his mind. For the first time in a long while, he felt a sliver of sympathy for Albus.

The move had been decisive. Aberforth had been dragged straight into the game. If things ever truly came to blows and Albus found himself facing two Dumbledores at once... would he really be able to strike?

The image crossed his mind.

Strangely enough, he found himself almost looking forward to it.

"Aberforth, to be honest, I don’t think much of you," Grindelwald said. Though he had already decided to accept him, his tongue remained sharp.

"Don’t think much of me?" Aberforth’s eyes flared. "Aside from you, which of your useless lackeys can actually beat me? Grimmson? Call him over. Go on, call him. I’ll deal with him right here."

"See? There you go again." Grindelwald waved a hand lazily. "Grimmson might be slightly worse than you, but not by much. The difference is, he listens. When I give him a task, he completes it perfectly. If it were you, could you do the same?"

"Why wouldn’t I?" Aberforth snapped, temper rising. "Even if you told me to fight Albus, I wouldn’t hold back."

Even if you didn’t, you still couldn’t win.

Grindelwald scoffed inwardly. He rose and began pacing the room, as if seriously weighing whether to grant the request.

By the time Aberforth was about to lose his patience, Grindelwald finally stopped.

"Aberforth, I can allow you to join the Acolytes. But you’ll need to pass a test."

"What test?" Aberforth shot to his feet, urgency flashing across his face.

"I’ve always wanted to give Ariana a pet. A gesture of apology for what happened all those years ago."

Grindelwald rubbed the ancient ring on his finger, tracing the carved patterns. In the next instant, it flared with brilliant golden light.

A three-dimensional image unfolded in midair.

A phoenix—gold and crimson—spread its wings as it soared above a lush green forest. Wherever its feathers brushed the air, flecks of golden light scattered like falling embers.

"A phoenix," Grindelwald said softly. "The creature that best represents the Dumbledore family. Aside from the one Albus keeps—Fawkes—there’s another called Sparky. It serves as the mascot for a Quidditch team. But its bloodline is far thinner than Fawkes’s. It’s not worthy of standing at Ariana’s side."

"So I sent a large number of my people to search. In the end, we found a wild phoenix in Australia."

"You know what phoenixes are like. If they want to leave, almost no one can stop them. My men tried several times. They couldn’t even touch a single feather."

Grindelwald’s gaze settled on Aberforth. "You’re a Dumbledore. Catch that wild phoenix, and I’ll officially welcome you into the Acolytes."

Aberforth’s expression turned complicated.

He had never expected Grindelwald to care this much about Ariana. To go as far as hunting down a phoenix just to give her as a pet.

Even he, her own brother, hadn’t thought that far. As for Albus... he didn’t even deserve to be mentioned.

"Grindelwald," Aberforth said hoarsely, "you’ve changed. A lot."

"I haven’t," Grindelwald replied, shaking his head. "I’ve just come to see certain things more clearly. I understand this world differently now."

"And that’s why you can bring Ariana back?"

"Trying to fish for answers?" Grindelwald snorted. "With that brain of yours?"

He turned and walked out of the guild hall. "Someone will contact you tomorrow. You have two months. Fail to bring me the phoenix, and you can forget about becoming an acolyte."

---

Meanwhile at Hogwarts, the excitement around the Goblet of Fire was still going strong.

Tom leaned against the steps of the spiral staircase with Gabrielle, watching the commotion like it was a stage performance. He didn’t seem in the slightest hurry to take the little girl to Hogsmeade.

Gabrielle had her arms looped obediently around his neck. Her large green eyes were fixed curiously on the crowd, her head tilting left and right from time to time as she took everything in.

Last night, Dumbledore suddenly announced that there was no age restriction anymore, and because of that, plenty of students showed up just for fun, even knowing they wouldn’t be chosen.

Even those who couldn’t get their names into the Goblet found the blue ring around it entertaining enough to mess with for hours. Before long, the younger students started spotting patterns.

First- and second-years could usually only take a single step past the blue line before an invisible force blasted them back, sending them tumbling in a heap.

Among third-years, there were occasionally one or two standouts who could manage three steps.

Most fourth- and fifth-years could push their way more than halfway through, but they were still a fair distance from the Goblet itself.

Only truly exceptional upperclassmen could barely make it close.

And according to those who’d tried, the last few dozen centimeters were the hardest. The Goblet gave off a terrifying aura that made it almost impossible to drop a name into the flames.

Naturally, all kinds of questionable tactics started popping up.

Some students tried tossing their parchment from outside the blue line. But they were blown away before even getting close.

Others forced their way inside and attempted to throw from a distance, only to find that if they weren’t within a certain range, the Goblet simply "refused delivery."

Laughter echoed constantly through the hall.

Then George and Fred arrived.

The twins were practically celebrities at school. Aside from Slytherin, the other three houses started cheering and chanting their names as they strutted forward like stars on a red carpet, waving to both sides.

It didn’t take long for the Great Hall to erupt in howls of laughter.

They failed.

Fred made it to within a single step of the Goblet. Gritting his teeth, he tried to force it, launching himself forward in one desperate leap. The rebound force surged in response. He was hurled out of the blue line and skidded several meters across the floor, finally stopping only after crashing into two unfortunate students.

Even Tom couldn’t hold back a laugh.

The blue line was Dumbledore’s work. It was similar to the Age Line, a charm used to create a barrier that prevented people below—or above—a certain age, depending on the intention, from accessing a specific object. But this Blue Line tested magical power, not age.

"Make way! Make way! Miss Greengrass is finally here!"

Several tall Slytherin girls led the way, occasionally shoving anyone too slow to move. Behind them, Daphne walked forward with a yawn. Her long lashes fluttered, her eyes half-lidded. She looked like she’d just rolled out of bed, leaning slightly on her younger sister Astoria for support.

A bunch of bullies.

That was the unspoken thought in many students’ minds. But no one dared say it aloud. They simply stepped aside, expressions tinged with fear and resentment.

Most people didn’t believe Daphne could succeed.

Especially those upperclassmen who hadn’t even managed to get their names into the Goblet. They knew exactly how much raw magical power it took to withstand the pressure of the blue line and the Goblet’s aura.

With Greengrass’s pampered, delicate appearance?

As if.

At least nine out of ten people were convinced she’d fail.

Under countless expectant gazes, Daphne finally reached the blue line.

Without the slightest hesitation, she stepped inside.

.

.

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