"Are you sure me learning all this is going to help me save my mum?" Tom asked Mr. Forest. Mr. Forest fixed his piercing eyes on him again.

"If you don't learn everything I have to teach you, how can you expect to be strong enough to save her? You couldn't hold off the two dark wizards that attacked your family. You yourself would have died if I hadn't saved you," Mr. Forest said, shaking his head slowly. Tom sighed. It was true. After all his hours of illicit practice, he hadn't been able to do much of anything against two adults with wands. Just before Mr. Forest's arrival, he'd been sure that he was going to die.

"How do you know for sure that this Grindelwald person has her?" Tom asked again. He wasn't sure how far he trusted the man. But Forest had saved him. Mr. Forest sighed again, massaging his temples. His blonde hair was slicked back like always, but a couple locks fell into his eyes. Tom was pretty sure his questions irritated his "mentor" as Mr. Forest preferred to be called. They'd never irritated his mum.

"I showed you the images didn't I?" Mr. Forest said next, gesturing behind himself at the crystal ball set onto the table.

"Yes, but-"

"Then why the question?"

"It's been an entire year and we haven't found my mum. We keep going to all these different places where you say Grindelwald could be keeping her, but she's never there," Tom grumbled. He was almost ten. It had been a year since he'd seen his mum. A year since he'd seen any of his family. A year of being drilled constantly in strange complicated magic by Mr. Forest. He missed having fun with his family. He missed his home.

"Grindelwald is a very intelligent wizard. He likely has spies everywhere watching everything. You have to practice harder and get better otherwise we will never catch up to him," Mr. Forest said sternly. Tom tried not to cry. Mr. Forest didn't like it when he cried.

"Why did Dumbledore betray our family like this? Why would he work with Grindelwald? I thought he was a good person." Tom whispered.

"As did I, Tom. As did I. Don't worry. I'll help you get revenge on him. Then we'll save your mum." Mr. Forest's hand went up to the chain of the necklace he always wore. Tom had never seen the pendant, but whatever it was, Mr. Forest must really be attached to it.

"Okay."