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Wade Reynolds felt a bit panicked inside, but on the surface he put on a surprised expression.
"Professor, what do you mean by 'strong'? And Tom… what do you mean by 'blinding'?"
Yes, given the situation, the only option was to play dumb.
As long as he didn't know why he was so powerful, then he didn't need to explain anything.
Someone else would eventually come up with an explanation on his behalf.
And if no one could explain it… then maybe he really was a genius! Isn't that right, Professor Dumbledore?
Wade absolutely did not believe that a genius like Dumbledore had weak magic when he was young.
At the very least, Dumbledore's magic back then had to be pretty close to what Wade had now.
But when Wade looked at Tom's magical aura, he was struck speechless again.
Tom, who was a genius on par with Dumbledore, still didn't come close to Wade's level.
He didn't even surpass Professor Garrick, the youngest professor present.
Alright… it seemed that no matter how powerful a wizard became later in life, their magic as a child really shouldn't exceed their peers by too much.
So there was no way to explain it… better to keep pretending not to know.
Tom's emotions at this moment were already far beyond what words could express.
How was he supposed to compete with this?
He had originally believed the gap between him and Wade was only in technique and knowledge.
As long as he kept working hard, he would eventually catch up and surpass him one day.
But now…
This wasn't a difference in skill at all. It was a difference in fundamental nature.
No wonder Wade kept telling him to focus on training his own body…
And no wonder, during their previous sparring sessions, he had felt proud just because he managed to gain the slightest advantage.
Looking back now… Wade had clearly just been humoring him like a child!
At this moment, everyone shifted their gazes away from Wade.
After all, with Wade, Dumbledore, and Headmaster Dippet standing together, it looked like three miniature suns lined up in a row — painfully bright to the eyes.
"According to these alchemical glasses Nick made—assuming there's no error—Wade's magic level… compared to the two of you, it's not far off at all!" Professor Slughorn removed the glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"Perhaps this is what a true genius looks like, Horace." Headmaster Dippet looked at Wade with delighted eyes. "Now, do you still think this child needs our protection?"
Dumbledore tugged repeatedly at his still auburn beard, also finding it hard to believe what he was seeing.
"In that case, Wade saying he could help us wasn't boasting after all!"
Dumbledore thought for a long while but still couldn't understand why Wade's magic was so overwhelmingly strong. In the end, he could only attribute Wade's power to his talent in ancient magic.
Dumbledore had never actually met that senior of Wade's, but thinking back to the legendary feats she had accomplished at Hogwarts…
He suddenly felt that if she didn't possess magic as powerful as Wade's, accomplishing those feats would have been nearly impossible.
If she had magic as strong as Wade's back when she was a student, then everything would make sense… everything would be perfectly reasonable!
Seeing Dumbledore's expression shift from deep thought to understanding, Wade immediately knew the professor must have figured out an explanation for him.
He let out a silent breath of relief.
"Professor? Did you figure out the reason? My magic being this abnormal… it's not some kind of illness, right?" Wade asked timidly.
"No, of course not, child. This is your talent. A unique, one-of-a-kind gift," Dumbledore said gently, placing a warm hand on Wade's shoulder.
Professor Slughorn sighed, though a hint of delight rose on his face. "Alright… I still don't know why your talent is so exceptional, but since you're this capable, at least I won't have to worry as much in the future!"
"Everyone, please pay attention," Headmaster Dippet said as he clapped his hands. "To avoid causing trouble for Wade later on, do not speak of what happened today. Especially… not while that man is still at the school."
Everyone's expressions tightened slightly.
Grindelwald—no matter what, the man was a mountain pressing down on the entire staff of Hogwarts.
A flicker of suspicion suddenly crossed Dumbledore's face. He was beginning to understand why Grindelwald had tried to approach Wade so deliberately.
Could it be that Grindelwald already knew about Wade's power?
Thinking back to Aurelius… Grindelwald had sought him out because he coveted his Obscurial power.
Now Wade was no Obscurial—he was far stronger and healthier!
With Grindelwald's personality, if he discovered Wade's talent, how could he possibly resist seeking him out?
At this moment, everyone understood exactly what Headmaster Dippet was worried about, and all agreed to keep Wade's strength a secret.
"In that case, we'll need to adjust our arrangement for today's operation," Headmaster Dippet said. "Horace, Wade will take your position. As for you, please go assist Professor McGonagall."
"Um… what position?" Wade asked.
"Oh, it's like this. We plan to send four people into the Chamber of Secrets to deal with the basilisk, while the remaining professors guard the perimeter," Headmaster Dippet explained. "After all, we can't guarantee some students at the dance won't get restless and wander off. And if the basilisk escapes, the professors outside can evacuate the students in time."
"The four people you mentioned…"
Newt walked over while carrying his suitcase. "The original four were myself, Albus, Armando… and Horace. But now, you're taking Horace's place."
"Uh… is that so?" Wade blinked, suddenly feeling a strange sense of whiplash.
One moment, he was the precious child everyone wanted to protect, and in the next, he was suddenly being thrown into adulthood and sent off to face a terrifying basilisk.
And yet no one at the scene seemed to find this arrangement the least bit questionable!
Well, looks like his strength had been completely exposed.
He originally wanted to interact with everyone under the label of an ordinary prodigy, but now…
Forget it. No more pretending.
Time to lay the cards on the table—he was actually absurdly strong.
"Alright then, when do we leave?" Wade asked.
"We have to wait for the other professors to take their positions and secure all the exits along the fourth-floor corridor," Headmaster Dippet said.
"Alright, then since there's still some time, please allow me to make a few preparations." Wade turned and walked out of the headmaster's office.
"Very well, everyone, prepare yourselves as well," Dumbledore said.
Hearing this, the professors all took their enchanted glasses and left the office one after another.
Newt suddenly patted Dumbledore's shoulder, then looked toward Tom.
Tom still hadn't recovered from the shock of his friend's overwhelming power.
For him, this blow was simply too much.
He had originally thought the gap between them was only a few hundred kilometers… and now he was being told that bastard was on the moon?
He knew it—between them stood a tragically thick wall of disparity.
"Tom?" Dumbledore's gentle voice finally pulled Tom back to his senses.
"Ah, I'm fine, Professor," Tom said awkwardly.
Dumbledore smiled. "Do you remember what I told you this morning?"
"You said a lot this morning… all about Patronuses," Tom replied.
"You must also remember what I told you: some people are born with a higher starting point than others. Wade is one of those people."
"Mm…" Tom responded vaguely, then asked, "Professor, were you… also that powerful when you were young?"
"I was nowhere near Wade's level back then," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Even though many professors called me a genius, the truth is, my magical power at your age wasn't even as strong as yours."
"Is that really true? You're not just saying that to comfort me?" Tom asked suspiciously.
Dumbledore answered seriously, "Of course not, Tom. Someone like Wade appears once in a millennium. In all the years I've lived, he is the only person I've ever seen with talent that strong. Most people are ordinary—just like me."
"Professor… calling yourself ordinary is pushing it," Tom muttered.
"Haha, well said! Albus, sometimes even I think you're excessively modest," Headmaster Dippet said as he walked over.
"Tom, I won't give you vague comforting words. In truth, your talent is about the same as Albus's when he was young. No one is more qualified than I am to say that—I taught him, after all. So don't belittle yourself. Even if Wade shines brighter, you are still a genius. Our expectations for you are no lower than for him. Work hard. I won't claim you'll surpass Wade, but surpassing Albus and me won't be difficult at all!"
"…Alright. Anyway, I've never beaten him… I'm used to it," Tom said bitterly.
…
In the corridor outside the headmaster's office,
Wade snapped his fingers.
Toby appeared before him.
As Wade read more and more magic books—especially those from Slytherin's personal collection—he also discovered several more efficient methods of contacting his house-elf.
So now, when summoning Toby, he no longer needed to rely on a Galleon enhanced by a Switching Charm.
"Master Wade, what are your orders?" Toby asked respectfully.
"Bring me my gear," Wade said.
Toby blinked his tennis-ball-sized eyes. "Which set?"
"Heeh~ The strongest one," Wade said.
Toby immediately understood and vanished from the corridor.
When he reappeared, he was holding a black wizard's robe in his hands.
"Good. You can go back now," Wade said, taking the robe and putting it on.
He tapped the robe with his wand, and it transformed into a rather stylish coat, perfectly fitted in size and shape.
This was also clothing Wade had designed for himself and then commissioned Mr. Mokeskin to make.
It could change its style and size at will.
Aside from that, the coat had a few other features.
For example, it was extremely durable, and also… it had an absurd number of pockets.
Wade could even fit all of his lethal weapons inside this single garment.
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