Hogwarts: This Dark Lord is Good?

Thud!

With Tom falling to the ground, the duel came to an end.

Even Dumbledore was momentarily stunned before he reacted.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Dumbledore took the lead in applauding.

Dumbledore's words brought everyone else back to their senses.

There was no need for him to say more; everyone instinctively started clapping.

This duel, even in the eyes of those pure-blood students who had been hostile towards Wade and Tom from the beginning, was something they couldn't help but admire.

"Without exaggeration, this duel can be called the most spectacular student duel in the history of Hogwarts," Dumbledore praised.

With a light wave of his wand, everything that had been shattered slowly returned to its original state.

In fact, for today's Defence Against the Dark Arts class, the reason Dumbledore skipped the section on dark creatures and went straight to dueling techniques was because he had deliberately set the stage for Wade and Tom's performance.

As long as they could display power far beyond their peers in a public setting, those who had originally planned to target them from the shadows would naturally have to think twice.

Those who had originally thought about joining Wade's group but had hesitated, after witnessing their strength, now felt even more determined.

The entrenched bad habits in Slytherin had existed for a long time. Non-pure-blood wizards sorted into Slytherin rarely had it easy.

And if anyone wanted to change the long-standing ways of Slytherin, the emergence of Wade's small group was the perfect opportunity!

Dumbledore's actions were twofold: first, to support Wade's group and stir up the stagnant waters of Slytherin; second, to prevent Wade and the others from being isolated throughout their school years at Hogwarts.

After all, this was 1938. Tom hadn't yet become a dark lord, so naturally, Dumbledore wasn't overly paranoid about this kind of things like the Dumbledores of other fanfics.

Wade understood this perfectly well, which was why he and Tom had staged such an exaggerated and overly dramatic performance.

However, through this, Dumbledore had truly witnessed the strength and characteristics of these two children.

From Dumbledore's perspective, both children had their own distinct fighting styles.

Although Tom was noticeably weaker, his understanding of every spell was remarkably thorough.

Even in moments of danger, he could remain calm, and his spellcasting never faltered. This alone spoke volumes about his mental fortitude.

And maintaining composure at all times was the most crucial element in a wizard's duel. Coupled with his extraordinary speed of learning... Remarkable! 

Dumbledore believed that, given time, Tom's strength would definitely not be inferior to his own.

As for Wade… Dumbledore thought his spellcasting style was even more astonishing.

In battle, Wade seemed never to confine himself to any single spell! His spellcasting, as free and unrestrained as wild imagination, didn't affect the power of his spells in the slightest.

One spell after another flowed seamlessly, appearing swift and fluid!

Had this not been a performance duel, Dumbledore estimated that Tom might not have lasted even five seconds before being overwhelmed by Wade's relentless tide of attacks.

If Tom was a genius, then Wade was a genius among geniuses.

...

Although this performance duel was a bit theatrical, the effect had turned out to be unexpectedly good.

While the pure-bloods of Slytherin still didn't dare approach, the other non-pure-blood students were already bold enough to come closer.

Even if they didn't yet have the courage to approach Wade and Tom directly, they were at least daring enough to speak with Charlie and Henry.

After Wade and Tom's duel, Dumbledore arranged for the rest of the students to pair up and practice dueling.

But, unlike Wade and Tom, even though these students had learned the Disarming Charm, their practice bouts were still disastrous to watch.

Very few students were even able to cast spells properly.

Some students' Disarming Charms accidentally hit people standing nearby.

"..."

There were even some who, due to excessive nervousness, couldn't successfully cast a spell at all.

There was the rather bizarre sight of two students using their wands to shoot sparks at each other…

And there were even a few who simply gave up on using their wands altogether and charged at each other swinging their fists.

"....Ehm."

Watching these students duel, Dumbledore only became more aware of how extraordinary Wade and Tom truly were.

While most of the students couldn't even manage a proper spell, those two were already fighting like fully trained Aurors.

...

Wade's first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson ended quickly.

When the other students looked at them now, their expressions had completely changed.

It wasn't until they had tried duelling themselves that they truly realised how difficult it was to fight like Wade and Tom.

After all, they could barely manage a decent Disarming Charm, while Wade and Tom, who were about the same age as them, could already cast so many spells!

Wade could even cast those spells silently…!!

As usual, Wade and his companions lagged behind everyone else, planning to leave only after the others had gone. This way, they could avoid drawing attention to their movements.

Suddenly, a girl from Gryffindor with braided hair approached them — it was the same girl who had previously challenged Tom, the one named McLaggen.

"Oh?" When Tom saw her, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

She stood before Tom and Wade, took a deep breath, and said, "I... I admit you're both stronger than me, but one day, I'll catch up to you!"

For someone as proud as her, admitting that someone else was stronger was definitely a first.

"Heh—!"

Tom let out a snort, ready to respond with a sneer.

But Wade placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from speaking.

Tom let out a disgruntled grunt and turned his head away.

Wade said gently, "Miss McLaggen, I have great faith in your abilities. But there's no need for hostility between us, is there?"

Wade smiled charmingly, "We can completely avoid unnecessary internal strife, become friends, and improve together, instead of being hostile toward one another."

McLaggen was briefly stunned when she heard this, but quickly shook her head. "You're Slytherins, and I'm Gryffindor. How can a Gryffindor possibly be friends with a Slytherin?"

Wade smiled and said, "That's where you're wrong. Who says Slytherin and Gryffindor can't be friends? Don't you know that when Hogwarts was founded, the four great founders were all close friends? As their students, why shouldn't we be friends too?"

"This…" McLaggen was momentarily at a loss for words. "But… but…"

"Miss McLaggen, Wade is right," Dumbledore interjected, appearing at some point without anyone noticing. "Whether Slytherin or Gryffindor, we're all students of Hogwarts."

"While these two Houses have always had a rivalry, there has never been a rule that says their students can't be friends."

"In fact, I have quite a few friends from Slytherin. For example, your Potions professor, Professor Slughorn — he and I, a Gryffindor, have been friends for many years."

"Miss McLaggen, an individual's efforts can never compare to the combined efforts of a group. As your professor, I truly hope that, as Wade suggested, you can set aside internal conflicts and make progress together. After all, you're classmates, not enemies."

McLaggen fell silent for a moment.

Then Dumbledore suddenly said, "Wade, did you know that there are many student clubs at Hogwarts? As long as you submit an application, even a first-year can start their own club."

Wade: "!!!"

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