Hogwarts: Chill, I’m Not That Tom Riddle

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After getting struck by that bolt of lightning, Tom was practically glowing. His skin looked new and almost translucent.

"Did he get a whole layer of skin peeled off?" Newt muttered under his breath. Tom still heard it, and the grin on his face twitched slightly.

Did he just shed a whole layer of skin or something?" Newt muttered under his breath. Tom still heard it, and the grin on his face twitched slightly.

He shot back, clearly offended. "I'm not a bloody snake, Mr. Scamander."

Newt's face flushed with embarrassment. He cleared his throat and took another serious look, and Tom cooperatively released his magic.

Newt, an expert in magical creatures, immediately noticed the change.

It was strange—Tom carried the aura of both a Thunderbird and a Fire Dragon at the same time. And not just traces. Both were shockingly pure and powerful.

Newt could only shake his head in awe. "Your talent… I honestly don't even know how to describe it. These trials may be difficult, but the rewards are incredible."

"It's just... not the kind of talent a wizard should have. Maybe it's something from Merlin? I don't know, Tom."

Tom chuckled. "Thanks for the concern, Newt. Let's just see how far it takes me."

"Now, give me a minute."

With that, he took off again into the sky.

The Thunderbird bloodline was a little different from the Fire Dragon's. While the dragon bloodline had to be developed slowly over time, the Thunderbird's was seemingly boosted by Tom's recent evolution in both body and soul. He'd unlocked a huge portion of it right away.

The skies, which had just cleared, turned ominous again. This time, it was even faster than when the Thunderbirds gathered a storm. Fierce winds roared across the land, and small whirlwinds quickly swelled into massive, sky-darkening tornadoes.

Tom pointed his finger, and a bolt of lightning shot from his hand, striking a jagged boulder nearly ten meters tall. The rock exploded into dust on impact.

The next moment, the Thunderbirds circled around him, flying in formation.

"..."

Newt stood in awe.

This kind of treatment… only Frank had received it before. It was the mark of a Thunderbird King. And now, even Frank had joined the flock, flying behind Tom.

Before, Tom had a good relationship with the Thunderbirds. He was like a friend to magical creatures—trusted, yes, but still an outsider.

Now? That had changed completely.

They didn't just see Tom as one of their own—they saw him as their king.

Newt quickly pulled out pen and parchment and enchanted them to record the scene. This was priceless research material for the future.

Meanwhile, Tom kept testing his new powers. His spells had grown sharper, more aggressive. If he wanted to, he could add lightning to every spell—creating an effect far greater than two of them alone. Even if an enemy blocked the spell, the electricity alone could seep in and stun them.

His wind-and-thunder-based magic had also improved massively. Even the infamous Laceration Curse (Sectumsempra) now carried invisible wind blades that cut with more precision than ever. As for storm-based spells, he didn't even need to think anymore—controlling thunder and lightning had become second nature.

Tom accelerated through the sky, leaving the Thunderbirds far behind. Only Frank could barely keep up. His speed had doubled, at least.

And he could feel it—his vitality had evolved again.

Every time he fused with a new bloodline and awakened a new talent, he was getting closer to the ideal state. If he completed all twelve trials and reached the final transformation… then Tom wouldn't just be a magical creature—he'd surpass what anyone on Earth could even dream of becoming.

"Newt! Let's head back!"

He called out from the sky, leading a massive flock of Thunderbirds back toward their nest. Newt finished his sketch, hopped on his broom, and followed.

Back on the ground, Newt couldn't hold in his excitement. "Tom! What's your next target? Another magical creature?"

The old man had fully embraced the joy of 'raising' a prodigy. Watching Tom grow stronger trial after trial gave him an odd sense of pride—like a mentor in a training sim-game.

Tom blinked, surprised at how eager Newt was.

"Hold on," he said. "I was too busy testing my new abilities. I haven't checked yet."

Closing his eyes, he let his mind sink into the fifth palace in his soul.

[Fifth Trial: Fame]

[Details: You've already gained enough strength and foundation. Now, it's time to earn the recognition to match it.]

[Trial Requirement: Obtain the Order of Merlin, First Class. No time limit. The sixth trial will be unlocked in six months and can be completed in parallel.]

[Reward: A random magical talent from Merlin.]

Tom's eyes snapped open, full of confusion.

He'd expected to battle another creature or survive another challenge. But this? A political leap straight to the Order of Merlin, First Class?

Newt leaned in. "So… what's the verdict?"

Tom gave a wry smile. "This one's going to be a pain. To complete it, I need to earn the First Class Order of Merlin."

Newt froze.

That was… intense.

The First Class Merlin? That wasn't just prestigious—it was borderline impossible.

Put it this way: in the past century, there hadn't been many recipients. Newt himself was world-famous, and even then, his contributions to magical creatures had only earned him a Second Class.

Sure, the Order of Merlin was technically open to all wizards worldwide, but in reality, it was mostly an internal award within Britain's magical community. Newt had won more respected awards in America.

Second or Third Class—those were doable. Newt even had some old friends, and he could probably use a few unpublished research findings to help push Tom along.

But First Class?

"Tom…" Newt said with a helpless laugh. "Didn't you say you had good ties with the Greengrass family? Maybe you should talk to them."

"Yeah. I'll ask once I'm back," Tom nodded.

The task sounded insane—but the reward? Oh, it was tempting.

A random magical talent from Merlin himself, that's 100% SSS-tier? The reward was easily on par with the trial rewards… maybe even more powerful.

Tom also remembered hearing a story: a member of the Black family had once bought their way into a First Class Order by donating a ton of gold.

If that was true, maybe there was a shortcut.

He'd have to chat with Phineas Black back at school and see what he could learn.

If you could throw money at a problem and make it go away? Even better.

---

He spent another day at the Thunderbird sanctuary, and it took some serious effort to finally leave. The Thunderbirds clearly didn't want to see him go—especially the young ones.

Several little Thunderbirds actually tried to follow him out. Their parents didn't object either, but after thinking it over for a long while, Tom decided not to take them with him.

Young Thunderbirds needed proper care and training. Besides, the damp Scottish Highlands were nothing like the dry, blazing heat of Arizona. It made more sense to leave them here for now. Once things in his life settled down—once his personal pocket dimension was cleaned up and he had space ready for creatures like them—then he'd come back and bring them all over in one go.

...

Once they arrived at Thunderbird Town, Newt lit the fireplace, and the two of them stepped into the Floo Network. First, they passed through a major transfer hub in Los Angeles, then another one in central Alaska, before finally arriving back at MACUSA headquarters in New York. From there, they Apparated straight home.

The house was far livelier now than when they'd left. Not only was Tina there, but Newt's son and his family had also come back.

When they returned, Tina was busy in the kitchen alongside a middle-aged woman with rather standard features. A man came to greet them—he gave Newt a warm hug and then turned to Tom with a bright smile.

"Hi there, I'm Leo Scamander." The man reached out and shook Tom's hand. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and Tom could feel the rough calluses on his palm.

Compared to Newt's shy, reserved personality, Leo had clearly inherited his mother's outgoing nature—talkative, energetic, and full of curiosity.

"Tom, I read that paper you wrote for my dad on unicorn evolution. I saw the unicorns you raised too—absolutely amazing. I never knew a Patronus could actually help with magical creatures."

"Oh? How are they doing?" Tom asked. "I had them on an exercise routine before I left. Have they been slacking off lately?"

Leo chuckled, clearly trying to hold back laughter. "Oh, I checked the logs. They're a lot healthier now—though I'll admit, they've been pretty moody lately. They've been throwing little tantrums every day and scaring the smaller creatures in both the rainforest and standard zones, especially little Nova."

Newt's face immediately changed. Worried for his creatures, he rushed into the pocket dimension to check things out himself.

Only then did Tom notice a small figure peeking out through the dining room door—a little head half-hidden, eyes cautiously watching him.

Leo followed Tom's gaze and called out, "Rolf! There you are—I was just looking for you. Come say hi. This is Tom, your senior at Hogwarts."

At the sound of his father's voice, the boy walked over obediently. Freckles covered his face, very Scamander-y—and he looked a bit shy.

"Hi, I'm Rolf—Rolf Scamander," he said politely.

"I'm Tom Riddle," Tom replied, not reaching out for a handshake; that kind of formal gesture wasn't necessary between kids. Instead, he smiled and nodded. "I bet you'll be sorted into Hufflepuff. The students there are really kind—it's actually my favorite House. Shame I didn't get sorted there myself."

Rolf's face lit up. Just like that, any awkwardness between them melted away.

"That's what Grandpa said too! He said I'd be really happy in Hufflepuff."

"Believe him. Hufflepuff's easily the least stressful House," Tom said with a grin.

Gryffindors were loud, Slytherins were cunning, and Ravenclaws… well, they were like a chaotic bunch of lone wolves pretending to be united. Rivalry was common. But Hufflepuffs? They just minded their own business, stuck close to the kitchens, and enjoyed a peaceful student life.

"So, how was your trip to Arizona?" Leo asked as the three of them moved into the living room.

"Super rewarding. The Thunderbirds were incredibly friendly," Tom said with a smile. "It's hard to find a place in the UK that offers that much space just for magical creatures. Just the Muggle-repelling charms alone would give the Ministry a headache."

"Exactly. That's why so few magizoologists travel out there," Leo agreed. "Though I've always been fascinated by the Forbidden Forest. Would love to see it in person someday."

Leo had gone to Ilvermorny himself. He was just the right age to have started school during Voldemort's rise—somewhere between Arthur Weasley and James Potter's time.

The conversation then drifted back to Thunderbirds, and little Rolf stared at Tom with stars in his eyes.

For him, Tom who was only a year older, was so impressive—he could even answer the complicated questions Dad brought up!

Tom didn't ignore the kid either. He told Rolf all sorts of things about Hogwarts—how the staircases liked to move, the hidden passages, the paintings that could talk and gossip, and of course, the ghosts.

Even Leo looked tempted after listening for a while. His urge to visit Hogwarts was growing stronger by the minute.

At dinner, Tina couldn't stop smiling. It was rare for the whole family to be together like this—and now they had Tom too, the kid she'd taken a liking to. Older folks loved this kind of warm, lively atmosphere.

Tom had been planning to say his goodbyes the next day, but after seeing how happy Tina was, he swallowed the words and decided against it.

Ah, forget it. He'd stay another couple of days—call it a break. He had been pretty exhausted lately, after all. And it was still summer break. He didn't need to push himself too hard.

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