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“TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE POTTER, ANSWER YOUR MIRROR!”
Harry’s voice roared through the classroom making everyone jump. The class turned to stare at Tom as he dove for his bag. He pulled out the two-way mirror and scowled at it.
“Harry, I am in a Defense lesson right now,” hissed Tom, ignoring the way his heart pounded in his chest. Harry only used his full name when Tom was in danger.
Harry frowned at him. “You would be safer in Transfiguration. You should go there.”
Professor Merrythought scoffed loudly and shot Tom a pointed look.
“I can’t leave in the middle of class,” protested Tom. He was genuinely unenthused by the idea. He and Dumbledore were not on close terms despite Tom’s best efforts. Interrupting the professor’s class unnecessarily would not improve their relationship. “What are you doing? Why did you call now?”
“We’re in Nurmengard,” said Harry.
Tom felt the blood drain from his face. Several students around him gasped. Professor Merrythought gaped rather unprofessionally.
“You’re in Nurmengard?” Oddly enough Tom could completely believe that Harry had managed to end up in Nurmengard, but “How? Why?”
“Well, I met up with Newt and Tina. Have you met Tina? She’s an extremely capable American Auror— ”
“While I do agree, perhaps now is not the time,” suggested Newt tinnily from the background.
“Are all British Wizards insane?” asked a female voice, presumably Tina.
“Fine, I will introduce you later,” said Harry. “To continue, the three of us were captured, and I might have made Grindelwald angry, as one does when dealing with a tyrannical madman. So there is a slight possibility— ”
“A strong possibility!” corrected Newt.
“—a strong possibility,” agreed Harry. “That Grindelwald is now targeting you, personally, to the effect of activating sleeper cells in Hogwarts as a means of seeking revenge.”
“What?” gasped Tom. Sleeper cells ? As in, more than one? In Hogwarts ? How had he not heard about this? Somewhere his information gathering was falling short. He needed to correct this oversight as soon as possible.
“I feel awful about it,” said Harry, sounding terribly guilty. “As your father, it’s my job to protect you, not set Dark wizards after you as punishment for my cheek.”
“You very nearly blinded the man,” called Newt. “That’s a bit more than cheek. Certainly, higher on the face.”
Harry, to Tom’s utter mortification, chortled at the terrible pun. His father was simply the worst.
A loud gong echoed out from the mirror.
“They’re breaking through!” yelled Tina. She must have had strong lungs because she could be heard quite easily in the classroom.
“Right, must hurry,” said Harry. “Tom, head on over to the Transfiguration classroom and tell Professor Dumbledore what’s going on.” A second much louder gong. “And perhaps have some of your… friends escort you. Ones whose… friendship you’re certain of?”
Those were unnecessarily long pauses before the word friends and friendship. It seemed that Harry had realized Tom was using his school years to gather followers rather than simply socializing. How did he know these things?
There was another melodic gong that shifted into a high pitched squeal then an eardrum shattering crash.
“Shit,” said Tina vehemently. “ Expulso! ”
“Newt, do you still have a nundu in that case?” asked Harry, glancing over his shoulder. His head moved just enough for Tom to see a bevy of colorful curses splashing against gray stone walls.
“She’s a living being, not a weapon, Harry,” said Newt, sounding utterly scandalized. “I can’t put her at risk.”
“Close quarters combat is not the place for a nundu unless you want to poison us too,” added Tina.
“Wait until you hear my idea,” said Harry. The connection between the mirrors closed abruptly.
Tom was glad that he was sitting down. Really, Harry could be too much sometimes. Prof. Merrythought cleared his throat. Tom lifted his head and saw the entirety of his class staring at him with a mix of horror and pity. The horror was preferable, but the pity was at least understandable, parents were so difficult to control.
“Yes, Professor?” asked Tom politely.
“Mr. Potter, I think you should head off to Professor Dumbledore’s classroom,” said Merrythought. “In fact, perhaps we should all go just to keep an eye on one another.” He certainly hadn’t missed the bit about sleeper cells in Hogwarts.
“Of course, Professor,” said Tom. He started to pack his bag.
He would hide under Professor Dumbledore’s watchful eye, for now, and consider the best way to unearth Grindelwald’s sleeper agents in Hogwarts without risking himself. Then once Harry was safely back—and there was no way Harry wouldn’t be back. Nurmengard’s defenses were nothing to someone like Harry—he could give Harry the lashing of all tongue-lashings for failing to take his personal safety seriously and for interrupting Tom in class.
Plans in place, Tom marched to the classroom door and waited while his classmates scrambled into action. There was nothing to worry about, nothing at all.