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Everything in the world is connected by cause and effect. Once certain things happen, they set off chains of consequences.
Just like now.
The predicament Lupin had found himself in was, at its core, Tom's fault.
After Ternier's death, a handful of vampires managed to escape the Amazon rainforest. They had all been Lester's subordinates.
When Lester learned that the magical-vampire force he had painstakingly developed had been almost completely wiped out, he was furious.
But he didn't dare openly retaliate against Castelobruxo. The woman who had burned vampires alive frightened even him.
With his forces severely weakened, Lester's first priority was naturally to rebuild his strength.
And to continue creating vampire wizards, he needed to dilute more wizard blood.
But since he still lacked the power to challenge the magical world head-on, he couldn't openly hunt witches and wizards. Instead, he turned his attention toward a different target: dark wizards.
The kind who lurked in places like Knockturn Alley.
Some of them had never even attended Hogwarts. Their magical abilities had awakened only after they reached adulthood.
If people like that disappeared, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't waste resources looking for them. They were the lowest of the low in the wizarding world, people who existed beneath everyone's notice.
And Lupin had blended into that crowd. Or rather, he'd always been one of them.
Recently, cases of werewolf wizards disappearing had begun appearing across the wizarding world.
The information he'd gathered came from a captured vampire.
This request for help was mainly to ask Tom what to do next.
Should he inform the Ministry and Dumbledore?
Truthfully, even if Lupin went directly to Dumbledore, Tom wouldn't be surprised or upset.
Their relationship was essentially a business arrangement. Lupin searched for information on Lester and the Sun Chasers, and Tom gave himβ
Wait. Had he ever actually paid Lupin?
Now that he thought about it, the only thing Lupin had received was a few life-saving potions from Nicolas.
Realizing he'd somehow gotten Lupin to risk his life for free made even Tom's unusually thick skin feel a little embarrassed.
After confirming that video calls were possible, Tom immediately placed one.
Soon, Lupin's face appeared in the iCodex.
The middle-aged man's face was covered in stubble and dirt. He looked exhausted. His black hair was a tangled mess, as if, like Snape, he hadn't washed it in ages.
Lately he'd been spending all his time among creatures of the dark world. Personal grooming had become the least of his concerns.
"Remus, here's the situation." Tom briefly explained everything that had happened.
As Lupin learned that, during the period he had been undercover, Herpo had actually been resurrected, his mouth slowly fell open into a perfect O.
"That's an even worse joke than Voldemort coming back."
Hearing that, Tom merely pursed his lips.
"Tom? Why are you looking at me like this?"
Lupin's eyelids twitched.
"Don't tell me I guessed right again?"
Tom nodded. There was no need to hide it. "Remus, I have to say, you've got real talent for jinxing things."
Lupin fell silent.
Grindelwald escaping prison. Voldemort's return. Herpo's resurrection. Vampires' crisis.
And the Sun Chasers, hiding in the shadows...
Did the wizarding world even deserve to keep existing at this point? Maybe it should just burn down and start over.
"So what am I supposed to do now?"
Despite feeling increasingly hopeless, Lupin still wanted to struggle a little longer.
At the very least, they should be able to solve one of these disasters.
"I'll send someone to protect you. Stay where you are. Every vampire you encounter, kill them." Tom's eyes narrowed slightly. "Keep killing them until Lester can't stand it anymore and comes looking for you himself."
In other words, Tom intended to use Lupin as bait.
By sheer coincidence, Lester's forces had suffered devastating losses. If they missed this opportunity, there was no telling when he'd next be forced into frequent activity.
"Uh... are you sure your people are strong enough?" Lupin sounded worried. "From what I've learned, Lester's strength isn't what it used to be."
"Don't worry," Tom said. "Even Dumbledore isn't stronger than the person I'm sending."
Jeanne was the perfect choice. Of course, since the mission involved dark forces and a lengthy undercover operation, the one taking the lead would probably be Jalter rather than Jeanne.
Which worked out perfectly.
One mission each. When they returned, both would receive rewards.
"That's goodβ¦" Hearing Tom's assurance, Lupin relaxed slightly.
"Then should I tell Dumbledore about this?" Lupin asked hesitantly.
"That's your choice. But even if you do, the Headmaster can't really help you right now." Tom just shrugged.
Lupin nodded. "I also need to contact the person you're sending, so we can be prepared."
"Alright."
Tom sent him Jeanne's contact information before ending the call.
Then he used the study space to relay everything to Jeanne.
As expected, Jalter was immediately delighted. She eagerly seized control of the body and flew toward the border region between North and South America.
It was the most chaotic area on the continent.
No Ministry governed it. And it was where Lupin and countless lower-class wizards were most active.
...
..
When Tom returned to the cafΓ©, Hermione didn't pry.
One glance at his expression told her the matter had already been handled. Asking questions wouldn't help anyway.
The two of them spent some time visiting the newly opened shops before returning to Hogwarts.
After enjoying half a day out, Hermione was already completely satisfied.
In high spirits, she headed off to the library to study.
As for Tom, he planned to find Ginny and see what she was up to. Unfortunately, he never got that far.
Halfway there, a little fox intercepted him.
"Tom, I think my tail's puffing up again." Kamio looked up at him pitifully.
Her large eyes seemed almost capable of speaking, carrying embarrassment, grievance, and a shy sort of invitation all at once.
Only a fox yokai could express such a rich spectrum of emotions through a single glance.
How was any normal person supposed to resist that?
Tom gave up immediately.
Scooping the soft fox into his arms, he slipped into his pocket world.
Kamio had already reverted to her fox form, comfortably curled up in his lap while enjoying the soothing strokes through her fur.
A while later, her lazy voice drifted through the air.
"Tom... what do you think the crisis from that prophecy is supposed to be?"
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.
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