Hogwarts: Chill, I'm Not That Riddle-Chapter 509: The Rampaging Dumbledore!

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While Grindelwald and Dumbledore spoke, the Great Hall had fallen into a suffocating silence. No one dared make a sound.

Then a plate hit the floor.

The crash was painfully loud.

Professors, guests, students—every head turned toward the usually composed Dumbledore, now visibly shaken.

The old man’s eyes were wide, yet his pupils had tightened to pinpoints. His gaze sharpened, focused, burning. Shock, disbelief, longing—all of it twisted together on his face. His body seemed stiff as stone, but slowly, trembling, he raised a hand.

Holding his breath, he whispered. "Ar... Ariana?"

Off to the side, Tom sat there munching popcorn, casually livestreaming the entire soap opera into the study space so everyone else could enjoy the show.

"Albus."

Ariana smiled brightly and lifted her head.

Two pairs of beautiful blue eyes met across the hall.

The instant their gazes locked, something electric passed between them. That familiar, soul-deep connection left no room for doubt. This wasn’t some counterfeit, some illusion.

This was the real Ariana Dumbledore.

"You’ve gotten so old," Ariana said lightly. There wasn’t much emotion in her eyes. She’d already had this realization two years ago. Now she was just saying it out loud. "I’m surprised you still remember me."

"When I cried my voice hoarse back then... none of you paid any attention to me."

It was a simple sentence.

But it shattered him.

Tears spilled from Dumbledore’s eyes and rolled down his aged cheeks. Guilt and regret surged up like a tidal wave. That tragic scene from years ago clawed its way back into his mind. His heart felt gripped by an invisible hand, squeezed so tight he could barely breathe.

The entire hall was stunned. No one understood what was happening—who this girl was, or why Dumbledore was reacting like this.

Only McGonagall seemed to grasp it. She knew Dumbledore well. She had been to the Hog’s Head. She had seen the portrait of Ariana.

Her face went pale with disbelief.

Across the hall, Grindelwald’s lips curled upward, and that was him holding back.

Yes. That’s it. Stab him right in the heart, the way he stabbed mine. Harder. Don’t stop.

Tom pulled out a bag of nuts. He’d been full earlier, but this scene was too good to miss. He needed to keep the snacks coming—for Daphne, of course, and for little Astoria, whose pale little hand was already stretched out, waiting expectantly.

"..."

Through tears, Dumbledore managed to ask the question that mattered most. "How... how were you brought back?"

Ariana didn’t answer.

She lifted her gaze toward Grindelwald.

Then suddenly, she turned back to Dumbledore. Tears welled up in her big blue eyes in an instant. Her lips trembled as she pouted pitifully.

"Brother, Grindelwald is bullying me. He... he hits me. And he won’t let me sleep."

Grindelwald’s expression changed immediately.

That wasn’t in the script.

Since when did we add this part? Why are you improvising?!

Boom.

Something exploded in Dumbledore’s mind.

Rage swallowed him whole. The Elder Wand flew into his hand as if summoned by fury itself, its tip snapping toward Grindelwald.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A deep, ghastly green light gathered at the wand’s tip, then burst forth like something crawling out of the abyss. The sheer terror of it made the air feel unbreathable. Everyone present felt their skin prickle.

Madame Maxime and Mahoutokoro’s headmaster, Akihiko Kamiya, standing on either side of Dumbledore, felt as if their thoughts had frozen solid.

"Holy hell!"

Tom stared in shock.

He hadn’t expected Dumbledore to react like this. One sentence from Ariana, and the old man had flipped from White Lord to Dark Lord in seconds?

Even as he thought that, his hands moved fast.

A phantom spellbook appeared in his grasp. Two radiant golden pages flew out, rapidly expanding before slamming down between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. They rose like twin golden walls, sealing off the center of the hall and forming a dueling corridor.

That Killing Curse was far too powerful.

Even those not directly targeted could have their minds scarred beyond repair just by the stray killing intent and destructive magic leaking off it.

Had Dumbledore lost his mind?

Tom suddenly realized he had severely underestimated how deeply Ariana’s death had scarred him. No wonder, when he’d found the Resurrection Stone and already suspected it was a trap, he still put the ring on without hesitation.

At his core, Dumbledore was a textbook Gryffindor. His threshold for recklessness was just... unusually high.

The curse tore through the air, wrapped in naked killing intent.

For a split second, Grindelwald considered dragging Ariana in front of him as a shield.

But he only thought about it. If he really did that, there’d be no place left in this world for him. Death would be the merciful option. Living afterward would be far worse.

Instead, Grindelwald thrust his wand forward.

A thick red beam erupted from its tip, but it had barely formed before colliding head-on with the incoming curse. The impact blasted him backward. He crashed straight into the Durmstrang students, sending them scattering.

The force drove him clear out of the Great Hall.

More accurately, he let himself be blasted out.

He could tell Dumbledore had completely lost it. Casting a Killing Curse in front of a crowd without even hearing an explanation?

That girl is setting me up.

The script had gone completely off the rails. Grindelwald’s original plan was to use Ariana as leverage to control old Dumbles. Now he just wanted the man to cool down so they could talk.

But did Dumbledore, burning with rage, look like someone who would let him leave?

A blazing red glow flared behind Dumbledore, transforming into a powerful thrust that launched him straight out of the hall in pursuit.

At their level, developing a flight spell wasn’t easy, but it was doable with enough effort.

"Professor! I’m going to watch... uh, help the Headmaster!"

Tom shoved the rest of his snacks into Daphne’s hands, jumped to his feet, and shouted. Before Professor McGonagall could respond, he shot into the air and followed them out.

The Great Hall sat in stunned silence for a split second.

Then it exploded.

Students erupted into frantic whispers and wild speculation, their eyes constantly drifting back to Ariana, who stood there smiling sweetly.

She just called Dumbledore her brother?

Wait. Didn’t his family die years ago?

What is going on?

It wasn’t just the students. The visiting professors and headmasters were just as restless, sneaking glances at Ariana before turning hopeful looks toward McGonagall, silently begging for an explanation.

McGonagall herself had no idea what to do.

She stepped down from the high table and moved toward Ariana, only to be blocked by Vinda Rosier.

"McGonagall. Stay away, please."

"Rosier, hand her over." McGonagall’s voice turned sharp. "Ariana said it clearly. Grindelwald is abusing her. And you’re still pretending to be respectful?"

No matter what, getting Ariana to safety had to come first. How could Dumbledore’s sister possibly stay at Grindelwald’s side?

That was unthinkable.

"When did I say that?"

Rosier hadn’t even opened his mouth before Ariana spoke up herself. She tilted her head, looking absurdly adorable.

McGonagall froze. "Ariana, didn’t you just say Grindelwald hits you and won’t let you sleep?"

"I did."

The girl nodded lightly, then flashed a mischievous smile. "During dueling class he knocked my wand out of my hand. And during lectures he doesn’t let me nap. That’s bullying, sure, but abuse? Isn’t that a bit dramatic?"

At that moment, only one thought echoed in McGonagall’s mind.

Albus, your little sister is a menace.

---

Outside the castle, two streaks of light shot across the sky and reached the air above the Forbidden Forest.

Lightning crashed down as spells burst like a storm unleashed. From the tip of the Elder Wand, magic poured out as if it cost nothing at all.

Grindelwald raised both hands, compressing the air into a solid barrier, but it lasted barely two seconds before shattering under the assault.

Multicolored flashes detonated in violent succession. Ancient trees snapped in half. Earth exploded upward in sprays of dirt and shattered roots. From deep within the forest came panicked roars and shrieks as magical creatures fled in terror.

"Dumbledore! You think I’m afraid of you?"

Grindelwald dodged several bolts of lightning, looking slightly disheveled. He flipped his left hand upward. Dozens of massive trees tore themselves from the ground and launched like arrows. Mid-flight, their tops sharpened into vicious spears aimed straight at Dumbledore.

Golden-red flames spiraled around Dumbledore’s body. He lowered his wand calmly. An invisible shockwave rippled outward, and the incoming trees disintegrated into fine dust that scattered into the cold wind.

"Grindelwald!" Dumbledore’s voice thundered. "When did you revive Ariana? How did you do it? And what have you done to her?"

A barrage of questions.

Grindelwald only shrugged. "Not telling you."

As if he could.

The constraints binding him were stricter than any law in the world. Absolute. If he so much as attempted to reveal the truth without having permission from Tom, his body would collapse on the spot and his soul would be dragged back to face punishment.

But Dumbledore didn’t know that.

To him, it looked like mockery.

The Elder Wand swung in a wide arc. Several grotesquely massive blades of compressed air formed instantly, tearing through earth and sky alike, weaving into a suffocating net that closed in on Grindelwald.

Grindelwald’s expression turned grave. He compressed his magic through intricate channels, releasing spell after spell to counter the onslaught head-on.

"Grindelwald!" Dumbledore roared.

"Dumbledore!" Grindelwald shot back, refusing to yield.

They had both lost all restraint.

Their figures vanished from sight, apparating again and again, attacking without pause.

Blazing gold and crimson. Icy midnight blue.

Two streaks of light collided in the heart of the storm, separated, then slammed together again.

Explosions boomed like rolling thunder. The shockwaves whipped outward with the force of a hurricane.

Tom exhaled lazily.

A circular shield formed around him, unaffected by the chaos. Suspended in midair, he looked as relaxed as if he were watching fireworks.

He pulled out his codex and found Aberforth’s contact.

[Get to the Forbidden Forest now. Your brother’s fighting Grindelwald again. And there’s an Ariana here.]

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