After reading Anne's detailed account in the notebook, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Grindelwald's lips.
"Vinda, you've read Anne's description too. What do you think of this child, Wade Reynolds?"
Vinda paused in thought before replying, "He seems to be exactly the kind of student Dumbledore likes best."
"Oh? Why is that?" Grindelwald asked with interest.
"Because everything he says and does is from a 'righteous' standpoint. The slogans he shouts are the kind Dumbledore is most fond of… Overall, he's the kind of upright student Dumbledore would favor," Vinda analyzed.
"Heheh… that's right. Dumbledore definitely sees him that way… and precisely because he thinks so, he's let his guard down," Grindelwald said with a smile.
"Hm? So Dumbledore misjudged him? This Wade deceived Dumbledore?" Vinda asked in surprise.
Grindelwald smiled. "Haven't you noticed? He's used very upright reasoning to develop a large group of followers for himself."
"Followers? Isn't that a bit much? They're just student club members…" Vinda said, puzzled.
"The first step for people to become someone's followers is to start agreeing with their ideology. Heh… That kid Wade—when I first saw him, I knew he was someone with great ambition. I just didn't expect that he'd become restless so quickly, already starting to build his own base under the guise of forming a student society," Grindelwald said, a playful smile on his face.
"So you're saying Wade is quietly building his own power base—through a method even Dumbledore approves of?" Vinda asked in astonishment.
"Yes."
"But he's only eleven!"
"Ahaha~ Precisely because he's only eleven, Dumbledore's guard is so low. That kid's no simpleton. He knows very well that forming this society now is the perfect time! If he were any older, Dumbledore would already be watching him closely."
Grindelwald continued, "Tell Anne to shift her focus entirely to Wade. As for the locations listed in the notebook—since there's been no progress, leave them be for now."
"Understood." Vinda picked up the notebook and turned to leave.
Grindelwald watched her graceful figure disappear, but in his mind, the image of Dumbledore emerged.
"Albus… You've grown far more muddled than you used to be…"
…
Hogwarts.
The first gathering of the S.M.A.S.H society was a resounding success.
Everyone present raised their hands in full support of the society's mission and principles.
As for the points system and the corresponding rewards proposed later by Professor Slughorn, they made everyone even more excited.
At first, they had thought mutual assistance was just something done out of duty, but now it turned out there were rewards too?
And the rewards Slughorn offered were quite valuable—ranging from Felix Felicis to cosmetic potions. Even if one didn't need them personally, selling them could bring in a very decent amount of Galleons.
Of course, only the top twenty on the points leaderboard were eligible for those high-value prizes.
Still, those ranked below the top twenty weren't left empty-handed—they would receive consolation prizes as well. These included premium candies, rare Chocolate Frog cards, finely crafted Wizard Chess sets, and more.
Though not as valuable, the fact that members could choose freely from these prizes made them especially meaningful.
Soon, members began actively looking for people they could help.
Wade had anticipated this. He had gone through everyone's profiles in advance, noting who was strong in which subjects and who struggled where.
Then, he matched complementary students together by year level and distributed the pairings to the members.
Of course, this was only a suggestion and not a mandatory pairing—everyone was free to seek out help on their own.
To support this, Wade had set up a large blank wall in the club activity room where students needing help could post their requests.
In reality, the Help Club primarily relied on this wall-posting system for pairing.
Wade's earlier matching based on profiles was just a ruse.
The truth was, after reviewing all the member profiles, Wade had already memorized and fully understood everyone thanks to his excellent memory.
He could immediately see who was talented and who had the potential to become a key member in the future.
As time passed, the Help Club gradually entered a steady rhythm.
The only exception was that, for the time being, the club's operating expenses were still being fronted by Professor Slughorn.
There was no helping it—even with Slughorn's vast network, it wasn't realistic for a brand-new product to turn a profit immediately.
…
Just like that, another two weeks flew by in the blink of an eye.
The weather had started turning colder.
And finally, word came from Professor Slughorn—Wade's cosmetic potion had started turning a profit!
Wade was preparing to hand over the club's management to Tom.
But before doing that, there was still one thing he needed to take care of…
In one corner of the Help Club's activity room was a small office area.
This was where Wade and the other core members handled club affairs.
Wade sat in his seat, and standing before him was a Slytherin student.
That student was the same non-pure-blood who had once asked Wade whether joining the club meant he wouldn't be bullied anymore.
"Yake, now that the club is starting to operate steadily, it's time to resolve your matter," Wade said gently.
"Hm? What matter of mine?" Yake looked confused.
Since joining the S.M.A.S.H, he had been paired with a responsible senior who helped him improve his studies rapidly.
Moreover, ever since becoming a member, those pure-blood heirs no longer dared to bully him.
Compared to before, his life at Hogwarts had improved beyond imagination!
So, when faced with Wade's question, he was genuinely puzzled—because right now, he didn't feel troubled about anything at all.
"You've forgotten?" Wade reminded him. "When you first joined, you asked me whether joining meant you wouldn't be bullied anymore."
"Yes! I really did ask that! And it turned out you were right! No one dares to bully me now!" Yake said excitedly. "Uh, President, are you bringing this up because you want to ask me something?"
"Mm. For members of the Club, the bullying they suffered in the past shouldn't be forgotten in vain. So, tell us—who were the ones who bullied you back then?" Wade held a quill and a piece of parchment, quietly watching Yake.
"Don't tell me… President, you're going to get revenge for me?!" Yake was overwhelmed with emotion.
Although he no longer got bullied, the pain from the past still lingered and hadn't faded with time.
He had simply buried that part of his sad memories deep down, now that he was no longer being mistreated as a member of the Help Club.
But that didn't mean he had forgiven those bastards!
"Hey now, let's not phrase it like that," Wade said seriously. "We're not going to take revenge—we're going to save them from their foolish pure-blood supremacy beliefs and correct their flawed values! Besides, they still owe you an apology, don't they?"
"I… this, is this really okay?" Yake, though eager to hear an apology from those jerks, still hesitated. He didn't want Wade and the others to get into trouble with the school over any possible conflict because of him.
If the club were ever shut down because of him… he'd fall from heaven straight back into hell.
"Hahaha~ Not just you, Yake. Every member who has ever been wronged—we will help them get justice! Bullies need to pay the price... Every single member is your strongest support. That wasn't just talk! I'm simply fulfilling the promise I made to all of you."
…
Several weeks after the S.M.A.S.H was established,
The long-quiet Help Club launched another large-scale operation!
Led by Wade and the club's core members, they brought along a crowd of former victims of bullying—and sought out their past tormentors.
This time, Wade was no longer the same person who had led just a handful of people.
Now, he had a mighty group of dozens behind him…
And most of them were high-year students with solid dueling skills!
From the very beginning, this was no fair negotiation.
Faced with Wade's overwhelming presence, many of those former bullies broke down in tears on the spot.
After offering tearful apologies, quite a few were so frightened that they promptly chose to follow in Abraxas's footsteps…
If you can't beat them, join them.
However, Wade still applied the same approach to them that he had used on Abraxas.
Only after they had truly earned the forgiveness of those they had once bullied were they allowed to join the Club.
After undergoing round after round of strict compliance tests, many who had once believed in pure-blood supremacy had their values forcibly corrected... and, like Abraxas, became reformed young wizards within the Help Club.
Although the methods were somewhat harsh, the atmosphere at Hogwarts—especially in Slytherin—had miraculously improved.
The once-conservative pure-blood families gradually found their influence being divided and weakened by Wade.
Professor Slughorn, who had intended to reform Slytherin House, was extremely pleased by these developments.
With Slughorn stepping in more forcefully later on, the large group of students who originally championed pure-blood supremacy had now dwindled to a small minority.
Moreover, their discussions had shifted from openly and brazenly promoting supremacy to whispering about it in private.
The idea of pure-blood supremacy, once a kind of political correctness, had now become a target of widespread opposition…
All of this change stemmed from the establishment of Wade's S.M.A.S.H Club—achieved in just under a month!
With the final matters handled, Wade officially handed over the responsibility of running the club to Tom.
However, while the atmosphere at school had improved, the parents of those pure-blood students who had been forced to "change" were not happy!
In an instant, a flood of owls came pouring into the headmaster's office…
_________
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