Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

The air turned to ice.

As Harry and Ron retreated, carrying Hermione and the Ginny, the chamber darkened, as if even the torches feared the battle about to unfold. At the center stood Cael, breathing calmly, and across from him—Tom Marvolo Riddle, now fully unchained, wand in hand, eyes gleaming with fury.

"You're not afraid," Riddle observed, amused. "You should be."

Cael's stance was firm, steady. "I've faced worse than an angry memory clinging to a teenage diary."

Riddle's smirk faltered. "Avada Kedavra!"

The Killing Curse burst forth like a green thunderbolt.

Cael reacted instantly—"Transformation!"—and transfigured a collapsed stone pillar beside him into a thick iron statue. The curse slammed into it with a crack, annihilating it in an instant. Dust rained down as molten metal hissed on the floor.

Cael was already moving, using the cover. "Glacius!"

A surge of frost shot toward Riddle, freezing tiles beneath his feet.

"Incendio Maxima!" Riddle countered, a tidal wave of fire swallowing the frost, boiling steam roaring up into the high arches. The heat scorched Cael's skin as he ducked and rolled, wand flashing.

"Flipendo!"

The knockback jinx hit Riddle in the chest, knocking him off his feet and into a shattered column.

He rose, bleeding slightly at the lip, and laughed. "You're not bad, for a coward."

"I'm not the one who needs a child's body to win," Cael replied coldly.

"Crucio!"

The red light blazed toward him—Cael dodged, feeling the burn of it graze his coat. He dove again behind rubble.

Riddle followed, relentless. "Confringo!"

The rock exploded beside Cael in a fireball. Cael coughed through the smoke and retaliated.

"Diffindo!"

"Depulso!"

"Expelliarmus!"

The slicing charm, force blast, and disarming spell danced through the haze. Riddle dodged the first, blocked the second—barely—but Hermione's wand was knocked from his hand by the third.

Cael stepped forward, raising his wand—"Petrificus Tota—"

"Accio Wand!" Riddle shouted.

The wand snapped back into his hand with a whipcrack, and he snarled, "Avada Kedavra!"

Cael twisted, shouted "Vera Verto!," and transfigured a chunk of floor into a thick slab of obsidian in midair.

The green light struck it—and the slab shattered into a thousand shards that showered the room in glinting black needles.

But Cael lived.

"You're learning," Riddle said through gritted teeth.

"I am talented Tom , I admit I really am Talented ," Cael replied evenly.

Riddle flung a barrage now—"Bombarda Maxima!"

"Diffindo Maxima!"

"Flipendo Duo!"

Stone erupted under Cael's feet, razorwinds slashed through the air, and the floor heaved—Cael cast rapidly in return.

"Arresto Momentum!"—he slowed the falling debris.

"Protego!"—he blocked the wind-blade, deflecting it just wide.

"Glacius Maxima!"—he froze the upturned floor, then slid backward, skating to safer ground.

"Stupefy!" he fired, a red bolt of force—

Riddle batted it aside with a lazy sneer. "Fiendfyre."

A massive infernal serpent erupted from his wand, slithering forward with flaming jaws and a hellish scream.

Cael gritted his teeth. "Aguamenti Maxima!"

A crashing wave of water surged forth and collided with the cursed fire. Steam blasted the room into a blinding fog. The heat, the cold, the pressure—it all clashed at once.

"Homenum Revelio!" Riddle shouted.

A flicker behind him. He turned—

"Rictusempra!"

The tickling curse hit true. Riddle staggered, laughing involuntarily, eyes squeezed shut. Cael didn't wait.

"Levioso!"

Riddle lifted into the air—arms flailing.

"Diffindo!"

A shallow gash cut across Riddle's chest before he tore free with raw magical force.

Landing hard, he snarled. "You'll regret that."

"Another tantrum coming?" Cael asked.

With a scream, Riddle hurled his wand forward. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Cael yelled—"Vera Verto!"—and transfigured a section of the ceiling. A massive bell-shaped bronze shield dropped between them just in time.

The curse shattered it instantly—but Cael was already gone, vaulting to the side.

He hit the ground hard, pain shooting through his ribs, but he was still alive.

"Run out of statues yet?" Riddle spat.

"Still plenty of stone in the room," Cael replied grimly.