Boom!
A searing flash of white lightning lit up the tattered performance hall. Several charred, twisted objects lay scattered haphazardly amidst the wreckage, the air thick with the stench of burning.
From their VIP box, Cassandra spared a glance at the lifeless, ash-skinned fairy corpse. "Has he arrived yet?" she asked idly, turning to Tom Riddle.
Tom Riddle sat in his cushioned chair, watching the scene below with detached interest. "No. This fairy holds no memory of him… but you know, he is not that brave." He stroked the gold carvings on the armrest, his right hand propping up his cheek in a gesture of ennui.
Though he had anticipated it, Tom mused that if the remnant soul had dared to show his face, he would have indulged in a little game of cat and mouse. Some violence might be involved, of course, but the Dark Lord was not without compassion; he would have spared the poor remnant soul's life.
Cassandra simply moved to the seat beside Tom Riddle and sat down. She felt no particular concern about the remnant soul's whereabouts; her question had been a mere pleasantry, the answer inconsequential. She was simply annoyed. She could have been watching a Muggle opera with Tom Riddle. All because of that noseless wonder and those infernal goblins!
Tom Riddle continued to stare intently at the ruined stage below. Unlike his foolish apprentice's assumption that he was merely sitting blankly, he was seeing past the immediate aftermath, watching "replays" of the event. And, after watching replays, he could even glimpse "shows" yet to come.
The two sat in comfortable silence. When she saw that Tom Riddle was completely still, apparently lost in thought, Cassandra didn't disturb him. Growing bored, she took out her new wand and began twirling it idly, occasionally waving it with a flick of her wrist. She had to admit, the wand felt superb in her hand.
In time, the others began to trickle back. It seemed the goblins they had been hunting had vanished into thin air.
"Lord, the area is secure," Severus Snape announced, his tone as calm as if he had merely been tidying up a drawing room.
"Tom Riddle, the Ministry of Magic has arrived," Nagini hissed as she slithered in behind him, followed by two figures, both of whom were known to Tom Riddle.
"Ahem… Professor Riddle, have you eaten? Wait! Do you remember me?" Minister Theo clasped his hands together, his expression ingratiating. He hurried to stand to the left rear of Tom Riddle's chair, his secretary trailing anxiously behind him.
Theo was clearly agitated. He had initially assumed it was a simple magical attack, so he had dispatched a mere Auror to deal with it. But the Auror had returned shortly after, claiming the situation was beyond his ability. Furious, and before he could even ask why, Theo had stormed over, thinking, What is there in this land that I cannot handle?!
Then he arrived and was left utterly speechless. This was well and truly beyond him.
Theo, completely bewildered as to why the Dark Lord had emerged after all these years, stood obediently behind Tom Riddle, desperate not to say anything that might trigger an impromptu fireworks display. Already hunched over and sweating profusely, Theo felt his tension spike as Tom Riddle's emerald eyes shifted slightly in his direction… His legs felt like jelly. Where was his secretary? Quick, shore him up!
Tom Riddle's calm voice cut through the silence. "You are aware of what transpired here, are you not?"
"Uh… the opera house was bombed, yes?"
He had almost said "terrorist attack," but thought better of it. He still hadn't grasped the subtleties of the situation. He had arrived to find Death Eaters and goblin corpses strewn everywhere. Based on years of experience, the mastermind behind this was most likely a goblin; they were just unlucky enough to have run into a tougher opponent.
But… what if?
If there was even a one in ten thousand chance that he was mistaken, and the opera house had actually been bombed by Death Eaters… then saying "terrorist attack" would be like stirring up a hornet's nest.
Hearing Theo's words, Tom Riddle nodded slightly. "And you know who bombed it, I presume?"
Here comes the minefield!
Theo took a deep breath and offered his "perfect answer." "Judging from the situation, I would say it was a fairy who bombed it."
After all, there was a fairy "present," so even if it hadn't been a fairy who bombed it, it must have been one!
Tom Riddle did not respond to Theo's assessment. He was not surprised that the man had arrived at that conclusion.
But Tom Riddle's silence, in Theo's mind, suggested the other was not satisfied with the answer. His mind raced, and before Tom Riddle could speak, he tried to salvage the situation: "No! Was it someone from the nearby Dark Wizard settlement who did it?"
Tom Riddle paused. "Huh?"
What is wrong with this man?
But this "dissatisfied" tone made Theo change his answer again. "No, no! It was a werewolf?"
Tom Riddle: "???"
Theo was sweating rivers. "Still no! A vampire? A house-elf?"
Tom Riddle: "..."
With a thump, Theo, unable to withstand the pressure, immediately "confessed." "I blew it up! The Ministry of Magic blew it up! The plan to destroy the opera house was the Minister of Magic's doing, sob sob sob…"
Nagini and the others stared at the bizarre Minister of Magic with strange expressions. Even Harry Potter and the others started whispering amongst themselves, but in this setting, such a low volume was considered normal conversation for wizards.
Theo's secretary wanted to step forward and help his minister up, but hesitated, conflicted.
Seeing Theo's plight, Tom Riddle was rendered speechless. This man was clearly younger than Fudge, yet he was even more craven!
"..."
Tom Riddle rose silently from his chair, then kicked the goblin corpse beside him. "The opera house was bombed by goblins. You know what to do."
With that, Tom Riddle left the VIP box, followed closely by Cassandra and the others.
Only Theo and his secretary remained.
The secretary, now free of worries, quickly helped his minister to his feet.
When Theo was helped up, the man had bloodshot eyes, disheveled clothes, and messy hair. His face was a mask of humiliation and fury.
Seeing this, the secretary was about to try and calm his minister down.
But then Theo exclaimed, "Damn goblins! Why can't we just wipe out these goblins?! If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have come all this way, and I wouldn't have had to trouble Professor Riddle to explain the situation to me personally!"
The secretary fell silent. "..."
He had clearly underestimated his minister's will to survive.
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