"Alright, I've had about enough to eat."

Hermione stood and smoothed her black evening gown. "I have some personal matters to handle, so I won't be heading back to the tower. You two take your time."

Before the words had fully left her mouth, the magic within her stirred. A spatial anchor locked into place.

An almost imperceptibly faint ripple spread through the air, and Hermione's figure twisted and faded where she stood, vanishing without a trace.

She left Tony and Pepper sitting exactly where they were, watching Peter still grinning at empty air. The two of them looked at each other and said nothing.

......

A flash of light, and Hermione appeared in the middle of a wide open clearing.

Towering buildings rose around her, black walls, Gothic spires, an enormous atrium...

She walked into the central structure and stepped into the main hall.

Where the center of the space should have been empty, an enormous fountain stood half-finished. Several golden statues, still works in progress, floated in midair, held up by some invisible force as they slowly assembled themselves piece by piece.

The entire layout and decor was unmistakably a replica of the Ministry of Magic.

Tom Riddle was crouched in front of one of the sculptures, wand in hand, carefully working on the finer details.

He heard her come in. He glanced up at Hermione once, then lowered his head and kept working.

"You're here."

"I'm here."

"You shouldn't have come."

"I shouldn't have come?"

"That's right."

"But I'm already here."

Tom Riddle:......

Hermione:......

Honestly, after more than a year apart, what on earth had he been learning?

"Oh, you're back?"

"Been gone long enough."

After a brief silence, Tom Riddle spoke again, as though nothing had just happened.

"You've made good progress," Hermione said, walking over without missing a beat. "You've even built out the Ministry of Magic."

"It's coming along." His tone was flat. "You were gone far too long. If I hadn't been your summoned creature and could sense you were still alive, I'd have assumed you'd died somewhere."

"Thank you for those lovely words." Hermione rolled her eyes.

She spread her senses outward. Every detail of this isolated pocket dimension became crystal clear.

She pulled her awareness back and gave a quiet nod.

Tom Riddle had truly put in the effort. The Ministry of Magic restoration was at least eight or nine parts out of ten.

"Besides building, what else have you been doing?" Hermione sat down on a nearby bench that hadn't been fully installed yet. "Tell me where things stand."

Tom Riddle finally set down what he was working on.

"Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and the other magical schools are all built."

"Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, and the other trading locations are finished, along with some specific wizarding wonders and secret sites."

"The Ministry of Magic's main structure is eighty percent complete, and all the departmental office areas have been divided up." He ticked them off on his fingers. "The Auror Office, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Department of Mysteries, the Magical Accidents and Catastrophes Division — the basic framework is all in place."

"What about personnel?"

"I picked some from the Horcrux puppets you left behind earlier, implanted partial false memories from over there, and had them start familiarizing themselves with the environment. They make occasional appearances outside from time to time to help maintain the Wizarding World's authenticity."

"The problem is there really aren't enough of them. We'll need to produce another large batch of Horcrux puppets."

Hermione nodded.

It seemed the Wizarding World within the Marvel universe had been essentially built out, all that remained was filling it with people.

Watching Tom Riddle absorbed in his Marvel Minecraft, crafting figurines, building structures, constructing an entire Wizarding World with such detail and polish, Hermione couldn't help but smile.

It seemed little Voldemort had truly found himself a hobby.

"And your own training?" She fixed her gaze on him. "Don't tell me you've spent the whole time playing construction worker. At this rate you might not be able to beat your no-nose original self."

"As if."

Tom Riddle smiled.

"Building the Wizarding World is itself a form of magical training. My strength now is worlds apart from what it was before."

He paused, a note of anticipation creeping into his voice. "If you could give me some more Soul Energy, I could go pick a fight with that imposter's main body right now."

She extended her senses immediately, her magic probing toward him.

It really was true.

Already level five.

What could she say, worthy of being called the sunshine, upbeat Voldemort.

"Don't even think about it." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm still short on Soul Energy myself. I have none to spare for you."

Tom Riddle pursed his lips, clearly unhappy with that answer.

"By the way," he said, as if something had just occurred to him, "I haven't checked in at the Ministry of Magic on the other side in a very long time. Ethan won't have been dismissed, will he?"

"Can I still keep my position as Chief Auror?"

Hermione gave a light laugh. "They can't dismiss you. Gilderoy Lockhart has already been appointed Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement — with him sitting above you, no one would dare touch your post."

"Give it a little while. When you go back and casually arrest a couple of dark wizards to pad your record, they'll promote you straight to Head of the Auror Office."

Tom Riddle let out a breath of relief. "Good."

He really did care about that position.

His Auror obsession still hadn't worn off.

"But don't go back just yet." Hermione's tone was even. "The Ministry of Magic has been getting a bit full of itself lately and needs to be reined in. There's going to be a major operation soon."

"If you go back now, you might get pulled into the fighting, and I have no intention of performing in that play alongside you."

Tom Riddle understood immediately.

Hermione was planning to move against the Ministry of Magic.

That figured. It was just her nature, anyone who dared step out of line got crushed on the spot. If he hadn't surrendered fast enough back then, he'd probably have been turned into Soul Energy for the Witch long ago.

"Then I'll keep building things over here." Tom Riddle shrugged. "There's plenty to do on this side anyway."

"Mm."

Hermione nodded, then closed her eyes.

Magic surged. The power of the Mind Stone activated.

A flash of gold passed through the depths of her eyes.

The next instant, her consciousness leapt across space and connected to Doubao, far away in New York.

"Doubao."

"Master."

Doubao's cool, composed voice resonated through her mind.

Hermione skipped formalities and began transmitting information directly, everything concerning the construction of the Marvel Wizarding World. Tom Riddle's progress, personnel allocation, training systems, the Ministry of Magic's organizational structure. Every detail, transmitted through the Mind Stone's connection.

"From this point forward, you will work alongside Tom Riddle and take over the operation of the Wizarding World and the Witch's Church." Hermione issued her command. "All decisions and resource allocation will be coordinated by you. Tom Riddle handles execution."

"Understood." Doubao responded without hesitation. "Do you require a firewall to be established against Mr. Stark?"

"Full blockade."

"Received."

Hermione gave a satisfied nod.

On the surface, Tony and she held the same highest-level permissions over Doubao. In reality, because the Mind Stone was under Hermione's control, only she possessed Doubao's true developer-level access, complete and absolute. Tony was nothing more than a super administrator.

"Data transfer complete." Doubao's voice sounded again. "A full management architecture has been established. All operational processes have been optimized."

"Good."

Hermione severed the connection and opened her eyes.

The entire process had taken under 3 seconds.

Tom Riddle was still over there puzzling over the placement angle of the fountain's statues, completely oblivious to what she had just done.

"By the way, how's Wanda doing?" Hermione suddenly thought of the Scarlet Witch.

"Her?" Tom Riddle turned his head. "She's doing great — training with Agatha every single day. She was asking me just a few days ago when she'd get a chance to come out and cause some trouble."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

It seemed Wanda had been thoroughly corrupted by Agatha.

That made sense. Agatha was no saint to begin with, full of schemes and tricks, a match for even Hermione herself. Wanda learning from her, and not going bad? That would have been the real surprise.

"Tell her there will be an opportunity." Hermione's tone was unhurried. "When the time comes, I'll arrange a major operation, one that brings all the Great Sin Cardinals together."

Tom Riddle's eyes lit up. His hands went still.

A major operation?

"When exactly?"

"Wait for my signal. It won't be long, probably just within the next few days."

"Understood." Tom Riddle nodded. "I'll wait for your message."

"Mm."

Hermione said nothing more. Magic surged through her once again, and she vanished from the spot.

➤ Next: Long Time No See, Albus

Chapter 354 - Long Time No See, Albus

Crossing through space, Hermione's form materialized at the perimeter of Hogwarts.

She looked at the castle, expression grave.

She'd only been gone a few days. And yet the atmosphere had already shifted.

The magical barrier encircling the school had been hardened by a full level, like an iron bowl clamped upside-down over the entire grounds, sealing everything inside.

That wasn't all. The corridors and courtyards that should have been empty were crawling with black-clad figures.

Hermione cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself, then used Elementalization to slip through the barrier, drifting soundlessly toward the castle.

The further in she went, the more absurd it got.

Guards every three steps, sentries every five.

Aurors in black trench coats packed every blind spot in sight.

Stairwell landings, corridor corners, even the portraits, for crying out loud, had someone standing watch over them.

This was more elaborate than the Ministry of Magic's own security.

Had Fudge gone and relocated the entire Auror Office to Hogwarts?

Hermione frowned. Even if Fudge and Umbridge were dead set on causing trouble, there was no reason to deploy this level of force against a school full of students.

Low voices drifted from around the corner ahead.

Two Gryffindor students huddled by the bathroom door, textbooks clutched to their chests, clearly using the excuse of needing the toilet to sneak out for some air.

"Did you hear? Dumbledore came back," one of them said.

"Obviously. The whole school knows." The other glanced around and dropped their voice further. "But I heard he didn't come back as headmaster. He was brought back. Captured."

"Captured? Who could possibly capture Dumbledore?"

"The Ministry, apparently. Word is he showed up at the castle gates himself, and when the Aurors came, he just went along with them. They even took his wand."

"And now he's being held in the Astronomy Tower?"

"Right up there. Haven't you noticed twice as many Aurors as usual these past few days? They're all there to keep an eye on him."

The first student sucked in a sharp breath. "So things are going to be even worse for us?"

"Who knows. The Witch is missing, Dumbledore's locked up — this school is done for."

The two sighed and shuffled back the way they came.

Hermione drifted in midair, one eyebrow raised.

So that was it.

All these Aurors weren't here for the students. They were here for old Dumbledore.

Which raised another question.

Someone of Dumbledore's caliber, even if he stood perfectly still and let the Ministry arrest him, they might not actually be able to pull it off. And yet here he was, apparently going along quietly, locked up in the Astronomy Tower?

What was the old bumblebee scheming this time?

No point trying to figure it out.

Better to just go ask him directly.

,

The Astronomy Tower sat at the very top of the castle.

The higher she climbed, the denser the Aurors became.

A figure was posted at every interval along the spiral staircase, and 4 guards stood at the tower door itself, the wood layered with several Ministry Locking Charms.

Hermione slipped through the gap.

The upper level had been converted into a makeshift living space.

A narrow bed. A single chair. A small table buried under books.

Dumbledore sat by the window, cradling a cup of warm pumpkin juice, gazing out at the sky.

He looked nothing like a prisoner. More like someone on holiday.

Hermione solidified her form again, Disillusionment Charm still running, and hadn't even opened her mouth.

Dumbledore set down his cup first.

"Miss Granger." He turned his head, voice gentle. "You've finally returned. It's been a long time."

Hermione: "......"

She was still invisible.

Well. All she could say was, this was Dumbledore, after all.

She dropped the charm, crossed to the other side of the table, and sat down.

"Harry told me you'd been missing for half a year. Why come back so suddenly — and end up locked in a place like this?"

Dumbledore turned to face her, the blue eyes behind his spectacles bright with light.

"Was it not you who wanted to see me?"

Hermione shifted into a more comfortable position and leaned back. "I never went around shouting your name through a megaphone."

"The ward at Nurmengard, I laid it down with my own hands," Dumbledore said unhurriedly. "And yet just a few days ago, that ward was obliterated in an instant. Brute force. Gone completely."

Dumbledore looked at her.

"There are precious few wizards in this world with the ability to do that. But none of them would have any reason to."

"Someone with the capability, who would also insist on doing it in such a blunt, forceful way, that leaves only you."

"You were telling me you had come back, but couldn't find me. So you simply forced me to reveal myself and come looking for you."

He spread his hands and smiled.

"But you didn't wait around for me either, so I had no way to find you."

"Which meant the only option was to return to Hogwarts and let the Ministry place me under house arrest. That way, the whole world would know Dumbledore had surfaced, and was being held at Hogwarts. The moment you heard, you'd naturally come."

The corners of Hermione's mouth curved upward.

"Airtight logic. Worthy of you."

This was the greatest white wizard of the age.

From nothing more than a destroyed ward, he had not only deduced her intent, he'd gone with the current and arranged their meeting in the most effortless way possible.

She looked at the white-haired old man before her.

The face she remembered, that middle-aged man she'd sat with over tea, the one she'd actually talked to, slowly overlapped with this face lined with wrinkles...

No. Actually, they really couldn't overlap at all.

How on earth had he gone from Jude Law to Gandalf?!

From the moment she'd crossed over to now, she had spent four solid years puzzling over this and never once reached an answer.

This had to rank among the top ten unsolved mysteries in the world.

"It really has been a long time." Hermione met his eyes, her voice calm. "Headmaster Dumbledore."

She paused.

"No — Albus."

The smile on Dumbledore's face held.

Then, bit by bit, it froze.

The hand holding his cup stopped in midair. His eyes flew wide, then locked onto Hermione and didn't move.

His breathing faltered. His chest rose and fell heavily.

Countless tangled emotions churned in the depths of his eyes.

After a long moment, Dumbledore set down his cup and let out a slow, long breath.

"It has been a long time......"

"Hermione."

His voice was much lower than before. A little rough.

In that single instant, he already knew. The person sitting across from him was no longer the Hermione from the Triwizard Tournament, just over a year ago.

She was the girl who had burst suddenly into the space between him and Gellert, turned everything upside down, and then drifted away just as freely.

Dumbledore's tone softened with quiet feeling.

"70 years. From the day I watched you vanish in that valley, all the way to now, a full 70 years. And we finally meet again."

Hermione looked at the emotion written across his face and couldn't help but laugh.

"I never expected to have an experience like that either. For you, it was 70 years. For me, it was only a few days ago."

"A few days ago......" Dumbledore repeated it slowly, then shook his head. "Time truly is the most wondrous magic in this world. I waited for most of a lifetime. For you, it was the blink of an eye."

"If Gellert knew, he'd probably be furious enough to tear Hogwarts apart," Hermione said with a laugh.

"He would." Dumbledore nodded, with complete seriousness.

Hermione was thoroughly amused.

Her mood lifted considerably, and she shifted gears.

"Down to business, if you wanted to find me, coming back to Hogwarts conspicuously would've been enough. With your abilities, there's no way the Ministry's people could actually hold you. So why go along with the house arrest willingly?"

➤ Next: The Bee Leaves Its Cage