"It's just too easy to enrage him." I commented, finished with responding and then breaking that annoying spell of Tom's.
I mean, he only made it a mix of whispering and hissing for dramatic effects and it was annoying. Like a constant buzzing in your ear.
"*Sigh* You are no longer a student Professor Bones. Must you keep antagonizing those you dislike in such a manner?" The headmistress questioned as she knew very well my style when it came to those who annoyed me.
She had been present for all the years I aggravated Snape with my homework and had witnessed past conflicts against Tom, both Horcrux and otherwise through memories, so it wasn't exactly news to her.
"Didn't swear or call him names, that's as much as I'm giving up against that cockroach." I smiled in a manner far too similar to Sirius' for her comfort as she gave me 'The McGonagall Glare'.
I just ignored that.
"Regardless," She let it go, "It would seem they have begun moving as predicted.
I must admit, I am rather looking forward to being able to enjoy the torment Messers Weasley and Weasley can inflict on others without having to be responsible for it."
"That'll be a bit later. We do need to lure our rat in before we can snap the trap down." I replied as the standard Hogwarts wards were simply the second layer of bait.
Tom's tactics were still to send his men in and then come to gloat, torture or kill a few people in a dramatic way to make himself look fierce or powerful in front of his minions. A coward through and through really, so one needed to reel him in.
"Do be careful Mister Bones." The headmistress requested with a much softer tone. "I have lost far too many students to the man and do not wish for my most extraordinary to join that list."
"Understood Ma'am." I respectfully responded as I went down.
As big a coward as Tom was, he was also an egotistical sociopath turned singularly deranged with delusions of godhood due to his 'immortality'. He literally could not turn down a direct challenge to his name from a noteworthy foe simply because it would go against everything he believes about himself and cause fractures to spread anew within his forces regarding his strength. This was especially so when he had just had Dumbledore assassinated and most of the school potioned instead of actually defeating them, making many think that Tom truly had been afraid of the man, even more so after his last 'defeat'.
So I will play on his.
I had already heavily slighted him multiple times, whether directly from his time as a parasite, or in the cemetery after the 3rd task of the Triwizard Tournament or last year in the Ministry of magic, or indirectly from obtaining a position he had been denied, being part of Harry's close ones or creating White Magic.
Now I just needed to goad him into a duel.
Hence why he would be going to the Main Courtyard in front of the school, where the man's canon counterpart died. Our forces were already positioned and hidden there to kill all the forces Tom would bring with him, he wouldn't go anywhere without people to 'witness his glory' or serve as meat serve, turning it into a killing field.
And even if Professor McGonagall had been told of my strength, she had never witnessed it, thus her worrying. Heck, Tory was feeling rather miffed about my plan herself, but she also had complete faith in my capabilities.
Just needed to make sure I didn't take any stupid hits and earn 'I told you so's later.
Passing by the still rushing witches and wizards all around, I was feeling rather calm as I headed to the grand finale of this stage I had orchestrated.
A decade of preparations to wipe Britain's slate clean and form the proper foundations for a magical renaissance, and it would all come to fruition tonight.
Walking out to the courtyard, I looked up at the starry night sky being illuminated by the flashing of hundreds of spells clashing against Hogwarts' wards, taking in the magic swirling in the air with a deep breath as I began channeling it, drawing from the castle and forest in preparation for what would come next.
"Professor…are you ok?" A young woman's voice I could identify as Hermione's asked as their group approached, including a somewhat worried Harry and Susan.
"I am well. More than that actually! I am positively excited!" I answered as the absolutely mind boggling amounts of magic I could feel at the moment was mildly intoxicating. "Soon we will be free from all this darkness and hate, and on top of that I'm going to probably perform the grandest feat of magic since Merlin!
A good day if there were any.
But don't tell Tory about that, she'll twist my words by bringing up our marriage… or any day I'm with her really."
That got some amused grins out of the teens.
"You'll be ok though, right?" Susan asked with hopeful eyes.
Regardless of the confidence she had in me, the fact remains that Tom and his ilk had left their scars on both her and our mother-figure. Scars which would only truly fade when the man responsible for them was dead.
Hell, even I felt somewhat irked that I hadn't personally killed Bellatrix after what she had done to my birth parents, but I could be satisfied with causing her intense pain for months on end and ordering her death.
"I'll be more than fine." I reassured with absolute confidence. "Hell, I'm sure Harrykins over here will wipe the floor with him, much less your much better brother!"
While it did make the black haired teen huff a bit, it did make Susan giggle slightly.
"Now all of you better get into position with the others." I ordered, feeling that the current wards would 'fall' soon due to the ward breakers having reached them. "Harry, stay close but don't act until I have him properly trapped Ok?"
"I know." He firmly replied as he put on his cloak while the others hurried off to the sides.
A cloak which could hide from me and even slip through wards, truly something fit to be part of the Deathly Hallows once properly awakened.
The students would be more supplementary in roles, but these ones I had personally trained would help clean up this courtyard which would likely be occupied by the stronger followers Tom still had as he couldn't go anywhere without an 'honor guard' after all.
But with a powerful shudder passing through my senses, I was broken out of my thoughts.
"Looks like they've nearly broken the wards with that last move." I commented for all those around to get ready. "Now Tom will deal the final blow to appear powerful."
As if right on queue, a powerful beam of magic struck the nearly destroyed wards, dramatically shattering them and leaving Hogwarts 'undefended'.
"Tom Marvollo Riddle, Heir presumptive of House Gaunt" I intoned through magic, "As Lord Bones and Professor of this school, I, Aedan Micheal Bones, challenge you to a duel.
Accept and win, Hogwarts will be yours without struggle.
Accept and lose, you will be removed.
Should you Refuse, you will prove to the world how great a coward you are as you could not even defeat our Transfiguration Professor without resorting to underhanded methods."
'Wow… I can feel the rage and indignation from here.' I thought in amusement over how well my message was received.
A large portion of Tom's forces actually stopped at the challenge, mainly because a good deal come from older houses who very much respect traditions like this, but the rest wanted to see if their lord was as strong as he claimed after so many setbacks and now being called out by a much younger foe. Only a minority kept moving for a while, but like their master they were bullies by nature, driven to pick on the weak with superior forces until they found themselves lacking them.
Right now, Tom had no choice but to accept.
He wasn't unchallenged anymore and his semblance of invincibility had been shattered for over a year without anything to prove himself strong since, meaning if he didn't accept he would lose the final shreds of his reputation even before fighting whoever remained in Hogwarts. Tom literally couldn't refuse, especially when so close to his goals either.
This was the stick to Hogwarts being the carrot if you will.
Looks like I didn't have to wait long as a group of twenty or gaseous shadows flew this way as the rest of the assaulting forces approached in a much calmer fashion, slowly encircling the school.
"You dare challenge Lord Voldemort!" The hairless man almost hissed in rage as he appeared before me with some equally enraged followers and with others looking rather cautiously curious.
"No." I simply replied with an eye roll. "I challenged Tom Marvollo Riddle.
Meaning you and not your ridiculous little pseudonym.
Now step forward and fight like a wizard or slink back into the shadows to die where no one can trip on your corpse."
That stunned quite a few due to just how ballsy it was to say such things to a powerful psychopath, but at this point he was nothing more than a hissing garden snake thanks to him having arrived.
"You will regret this boy!" Tom spat out with venom dripping from his words has his red eyes glared hatefully. "You will learn that our past encounters were but flukes and exactly why I am not to be challenged."
"Whatever." I dismissively responded with a wave of my hand as a circle appeared around myself to form our arena. "Step in and we will begin.
A fair-and-square one-on-one duel to the death."
He sneered, stepping in without a second thought, causing a localized ward to appear as soon as he had, sealing those inside from anything until only one remained.
"What is this?" The poor Dark Lord glared as he subtly tried to understand the wards around us.
"Our arena." I answered. "No escapes for you, nor support from your followers.
A real one-on-one.
It will go down once only a single person remains within. Very dangerous in the wrong hands, but perfect to handle slippery snakes like yourself."
"I need no aid to defeat you." He coldly stated as he drew his wand.
"Then you are even more delusional than I know you to be." I simply replied, letting my arms hand loosely at my side.
"Draw your wand, boy. You desired a duel after all." The barely held together remains of a man commanded as he took his position.
"I am my wand Tom." Was the response he clearly didn't understand if his furrowed brow was any indication, but he didn't care as proper warnings had been made and he had given me a 'chance' so he struck out with a much darker variant of Confringo, swiftly chained with Eyeball Ripping
and Teeth-to-brain curses, all of which splashed harmlessly against my Protego Sanctum.
Strong and knowledgeable he might be in the darkest arts still present in this age, I was far beyond him in the former and knew nearly everything he did on top of having created his hard counter.
In response, i pointed my index and sent out an instantaneous bolt of golden lighting, forcing him to urgently throw up a shield which could not measure up to its power, sending him slamming into the dueling barrier.
Internally scoffing, I tapped my foot to cause multiple stones to rise before transfiguring them into iron spikes with series of runes appearing on them, granting them various… add-ons. Simply nodding to send them at the glaring less-than-half-man as he tried to banish them to no avail before quickly dodging at the last moment, earning a very close shave as his left arm received a decent gash.
He couldn't banish or alter them simply because my rune scheme wouldn't let him, but I could tell he realized the additional danger of these spikes due to his arm stiffly swinging around with his hectic movements as my spikes either struck the ground or barrier.
They weren't really meant to hit him though, just make him run around and to debilitate him somewhat.
"*Sigh* This is just sad." I commented as looked at the man with boredom evident throughout my entire body.
I could feel his hatred at being humiliated like this and the fear from his supporters as some were looking to escape and others to try and help their lord win. Seeing this, I knew my little play time with the man was coming to an end.
"Avada Kedavra!" Tom roared as the bolt of green magic struck out at me, only to become harmless whilst I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, the action causing their side to suddenly freeze as even Tom couldn't believe what he had just seen.
"Good, now I've made you realize just how badly you fucked up Tommy boy." I smiled as I took pleasure in his growing fear as he started hurling curses, Unforgivables, even charms at me with little success as that fear just grew more and more.
"FIENDFYRE!!!" He desperately casted as rather impressive snake made of cursed fire emerged, only for it to be burnt itself by a burst of my own flames encompassing it in a sphere and closing down on it as they both vanished.
That left even Tom trembling slightly as his wand wavered at the sight.
"T-that's impossible." The man stuttered in disbelief.
Seeing all of his most powerful spells and attacks rendered useless so easily must be terribly taxing to his already incredibly fragile mind. I could see his spirit and the remnants of his sanity shattering as I locked gaze with him and invaded his mind.
"My part's done." I suddenly smirked a blue flames erupted around the courtyard at the same time as another ward covered everything else and Hogwarts rumbled as it shifted to its wartime state.
"W-what?" Tom asked as he couldn't understand what was happening around him, with Harry suddenly revealing himself causing his fear to grow, suddenly checking if his snake was still with his people and feeling mildly relieved that it was the case.
He didn't fully grasp that he had just been cut off from his forces because he couldn't see the new walls beyond this courtyard or the massive wards they came with. He was just stuck there trying to comprehend the sudden changes around him.
"Well Tom, I'm sure we both know who won our little duel already, so I'll be leaving things to my second here." I patted Harry's shoulder as he gave the man responsible for so many of the horrible things which happened to him a predatory grin while palming his two wands. "And in case you didn't realize it yet: It's a trap."