Grindelwald looked at Wade, who was pretending not to understand, and a faint smile returned to his face.

"No, not at all. I was just talking to myself."

"Oh, I see. I knew it—you definitely weren't speaking to me," Wade said pleasantly.

Their eyes shifted away from each other and didn't meet again.

However, even though they hadn't exchanged any further words, both of them already understood what the other was thinking.

Everything Grindelwald had said just now had only been a preliminary test.

And what was he testing?

Of course—he was testing whether Wade wanted Dumbledore to know about the advice he had given him.

If Wade didn't intend to hide it, he wouldn't have pretended to be confused; he would have spoken to Grindelwald openly and without hesitation.

But now, Wade had chosen to feign ignorance, which proved that he didn't want Dumbledore to know about his "advice."

In other words… Wade preferred that his exchanges with Grindelwald remain hidden, not out in the open.

Even if he ever planned to side with Grindelwald in the future, it would only be done in secret.

In truth, Grindelwald was quite pleased with Wade's reaction.

At the very least, it meant Wade wasn't entirely opposed to the possibility of joining his side.

It also meant that future interactions between them would no longer be restrained by Dumbledore's oversight—just like how Dumbledore couldn't stop Wade from studying Dark Magic.

After shifting his gaze away from Wade, Grindelwald's eyes fell directly on Tom.

Tom immediately felt a chill run down his back, as if needles were pricking his skin.

In reality, the look in Grindelwald's eyes when he regarded Tom was far gentler than the one he had given Wade.

After all… the courage Tom had shown last year, detonating that poison gas bomb in an attempt to take Grindelwald down with him, had left even someone like Grindelwald astonished. And back then, Tom had only been eleven years old.

Over his long career, many people had wanted to die together with Grindelwald, but a child who actually dared to put it into action—so far, there had only ever been Tom.

"Tom," Grindelwald said cheerfully, calling his name.

Tom's face went stiff. Unlike his exchange with Wade, Grindelwald had called him out directly by name!

Which meant pretending not to understand, like Wade had done, was no longer an option—unless Wade's cat happened to be there.

This was the first time Tom didn't mind that Wade had named that cat "Tom"—in fact, he desperately wished the thing were here right now.

After all, that cat could understand human speech anyway!

"Tom, Tom… I truly admire your courage," Grindelwald said with a smile.

"Me? Courage?" Tom was stunned. He couldn't imagine what that had to do with him.

"Not many people would so decisively detonate a poison gas bomb. And you were just a child…" Grindelwald said with genuine admiration.

"No… that wasn't poison gas, it was just a smoke—" Tom didn't even finish before Grindelwald started laughing.

"Tom… no one understands how people react when they're about to die better than I do," Grindelwald said softly, looking at him. "At that moment, you absolutely believed you were setting off a poison bomb, didn't you?"

Tom opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to speak.

Merlin's beard, back then he really had thought it was just a Stinkbomb Daze Pellet! It was Wade's fake-death toxin that had tricked him into that mess…

And about that so-called "grim expression before death"—did Grindelwald have no self-awareness at all?

He'd already gotten halfway through Avada Kedavra! What did he expect Tom to do, smile politely while being murdered?

He was firmly convinced that, at that time, Tom had truly been prepared to die—determined to drag him down together.

Sometimes, once a person forms a preconceived idea, it's nearly impossible to change it.

And that preconceived notion had already been burned into Grindelwald's mind the moment Tom crushed that Stinkbomb Pellet last year.

As a result, in Grindelwald's mind, Tom and Wade's images were the complete opposite of what Dumbledore believed.

To Grindelwald, Wade was a young, deceitful, ruthless little Dark wizard—someone cut from the same cloth as himself, a true "kindred spirit."

While Tom… was the brave child willing to sacrifice himself for his friend's safety.

That fearless readiness to die reminded him of… Dumbledore.

(a/n: (^///^))

So, for no clear reason, Grindelwald felt a greater fondness for Tom, even though Wade was far more capable.

"I believe I owe you an apology," Grindelwald said sincerely. "My actions last year may have left you with a rather unpleasant impression. I truly hope you can forgive me."

Unpleasant impression?

You mean when you pressed your wand against my throat and started chanting Avada Kedavra?!

You nearly killed me—and now you want my forgiveness? Forgive you, my foot!

Of course, Tom didn't dare say any of that out loud; he could only gripe silently in his mind.

As for the reality…

"It's all right. I'd already forgotten about it even if you hadn't mentioned it," Tom said calmly.

Yes, Tom backed down again.

Whether it was Grindelwald or that Wade, both of them were damn maniacs.

He couldn't pick a fight with either of them now, so he'd hold his tongue.

But Tom's reply, heard by Grindelwald who already had a fixed impression of him, became proof of Tom's great courage.

See how brave this child is! Even though I nearly killed him with the Killing Curse, he can still answer me calmly, without trembling!

And on top of that… he magnanimously forgave me! Such broad-heartedness… he's starting to remind me of someone from the old days.

Hmm… back then…

Now that someone has become impossibly petty.

Really, I was only chatting with the students—why are they staring at me like that?

Am I supposed to eat all these students?

"I'm very glad to have your forgiveness. I can only say that, at the time, I was left with no other choice. As an apology, if you ever face any difficulty in your studies or in life, you're always welcome to come to me. I'll be staying at Hogwarts for quite some time… remember, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me," Grindelwald said with a deliberate wink.

Tom could only mumble a vague response.

If it had been before, Tom might have been thrilled—even though this man had nearly killed him once.

Back then, his thirst for power—especially for Dark Magic—had been immense.

But now… it wasn't that he no longer craved power; rather, his hunger for Dark Magic had weakened.

He had experienced the magic of love and felt the powerful allure of the "magic of love" that Dumbledore so highly valued.

He had also realized the fundamental truth that only one's own strength could be relied upon.

Moreover, as his overall ability had grown, he noticed that his talent for Dark Magic seemed… to have dulled a little.

He had discovered this while practicing spells: as his defensive charms became stronger, the power of curses like the Killing Curse and Cruciatus Curse appeared to have weakened compared to before.

Tom wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but it greatly reduced his interest in Dark Magic.

With someone as powerful as Dumbledore as his role model, he no longer worried that avoiding Dark Magic would make him any weaker.

This was a path others had already walked—a correct path.

While Tom's thoughts were turning, Grindelwald began chatting casually with the nearby club members.

The students all looked tense and restless, silently wishing he would just leave.

However, Grindelwald seemed perfectly content to linger, showing no intention of going anywhere.

And as for those students whose parents had sided with him, he showed no sign of wanting to speak with them at all.

After making small talk with everyone else, Grindelwald turned his attention back to Tom again.

Tom had never imagined that this world-famous Dark wizard could be so talkative.

Poor Tom could only sit there, trembling slightly as he responded.

Anyone in his position would have been nervous.

After a long while, Tom glanced pitifully at Wade, hoping he might step in to help him out.

But Wade's attention seemed completely elsewhere.

At that moment, he was watching the short boy named Filius Flitwick trying his best to climb onto the stool.

The Sorting Hat had barely rested on his head for a single second before it called out Ravenclaw.

Given his passion and pursuit of knowledge, Ravenclaw was indeed the perfect place for him.

Applause erupted from the Ravenclaw table.

Although Flitwick looked a bit unusual, that didn't matter much to the students of Ravenclaw.

In Ravenclaw, knowledge was everything.

If you were bad at your studies, then even if you were unbelievably handsome, you wouldn't earn any respect from the other eagles.

Even Gilderoy Lockhart, the notorious fraud in later years, had been an outstanding student back in school.

"At present… there are still too few Ravenclaw students in the club. Do they think no one in the SMASH club can help them academically? Or maybe they feel that needing help would hurt their pride?" Wade muttered thoughtfully, completely ignoring Tom's pleading look beside him.

Before long, the Sorting Ceremony was nearing its end, with only a few students left waiting by the stool.

"Alastor Moody," Professor McGonagall called out another name.

Then, a thin, small boy quickly stepped forward.

Wade's eyes lit up as he looked at young Moody.

Alastor Moody—the future's most famous Auror. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a living legend among Aurors.

After all, during Voldemort's reign of terror, at least half of Azkaban's prisoners had been captured by his own hand.

Even though he later died at Voldemort's hands, that didn't change the fact—he was an undeniable talent. A talent worth recruiting at all costs!

Compared to Ravenclaw's Flitwick, Gryffindor's Moody would be much easier to persuade.

Gryffindors… all you had to do was talk about bonds, friendship, or loyalty enough times, and they'd join right in.

_________

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