The class hadn't thought much of it at first, but after hearing Grindelwald's words and picturing the scene, several students had to fight the urge to laugh as well.
Still, upon seeing Dumbledore's displeased expression, they all forced themselves to keep quiet.
Even Wade quietly stared at the illustration of the Kappa in his book, feeling like there was no way to take this seriously anymore.
"To make a Kappa bow, I don't necessarily have to bow first," Dumbledore said firmly.
"In my opinion, to deal with a Kappa, there's really no need to make things so complicated, Professor Dumbledore." Grindelwald stood up. "Although this thod is written in the textbook, your class is quite disappointing. Reading straight from the book—that's not your usual standard, is it, Professor Dumbledore?"
"My lesson has only just begun, and it's my habit to start by explaining the textbook's thod," Dumbledore replied coldly. "But if you keep interrupting like this, your so-called investigation will lose any semblance of fairness, won't it? Shouldn't you at least finish listening to the entire class before judging ?"
As Dumbledore's words fell, the entire classroom beca silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Except for Wade, everyone else sat tensely, watching the two n stare each other down.
Everyone worried they might suddenly start fighting—and drag the rest of the class into it.
At this distance, a stare like that could only an two things: they were either about to fight or… No, it was definitely going to be a fight!
Tom quietly shifted his feet, already prepared to bolt at any mont.
After being under Wade's oppressive influence for so long, Tom had developed an instinctive sense for danger.
Wade patted his shoulder and shook his head.
Then Tom heard Wade's voice through a Whispering Charm: "Relax. They're not going to fight. If they really wanted to, they'd have done it eight hundred years ago."
"Really? But the atmosphere's wrong! I can feel killing intent!" Tom replied wide-eyed.
"That's normal. Killing intent doesn't always an a fight's coming. Dumbledore's just warning him. Honestly, I've felt plenty of killing intent before… after all, you used to want to kill seven or eight tis a day, didn't you? And we never fought."
"Hmph! That's only because I wasn't strong enough to beat you! Otherwise—"
"So you see, Grindelwald also knows he can't beat Dumbledore. How could he possibly make a move? Tom, when sothing happens, your first reaction should be to calm down and think rationally, not imdiately run away."
"I think running first and analyzing later isn't so bad. If I'm dead, what's there left to analyze?" Tom said dismissively.
"Tsk, tsk. Tom, you really don't have the heart of a strong man."
"Only if I stay alive do I have the chance to beco strong! Not everyone's born like you, starting from such a high point," Tom said with a hint of bitterness.
"Ah…" Wade rubbed his chin. "You're right, Tom. That was arrogant of . You have to take things one step at a ti. In that case, do as you see fit for now. Though… that mindset of yours won't last long."
"Huh? Why not? I think I'll always stick to it," Tom asked, puzzled.
"When you grow up, you won't think like that anymore, because by then, you'll already be strong. Once you're powerful, you won't always think about running away." Wade spoke with certainty.
In this world, purely in terms of talent, the young Voldemort's potential might even surpass Dumbledore's at the sa age.
Soone like that, even without delving into Dark Arts or dangerous magical transformations, would never be weak.
All the more so now, since this version of Tom—like Dumbledore—had experienced the magic of love.
"I really don't understand why you always believe I'll beco strong," Tom couldn't help asking.
"Tom, honestly, among people our age, who can you not beat besides ? You've even fought upperclassn before," Wade said with a smile.
"Ah… when you put it that way, I really am pretty strong…"
"If even that's not enough to make you see your own talent, then I might as well find a wall and bash my head into it."
"No wonder…"
"So don't underestimate yourself. When I tell you not to fear Grindelwald, it's not just aningless comfort. No matter how powerful those old relics are, they're still remnants of a bygone era. But we… the future world belongs to us, Tom!"
Tom's eyes lit up as he listened to Wade's words. "You're right… I can do it too! I'm only weak because I'm still young!"
Fired up by Wade's inspiring words, Tom moved a little too abruptly, and his chair scraped loudly against the floor, producing an ear-piercing sound.
Instantly, both Dumbledore and Grindelwald on the platform turned to look at him.
Under their gaze, the boiling blood in Tom's veins imdiately turned cold.
"Sorry… I… I just wanted to use the bathroom…" Tom said nervously.
Cowardly or not, it didn't matter—it was fine. Wade had said it himself: for now, he should act according to his own instincts.
After all, no matter how talented he was, he was still just a twelve-year-old second-year wizard… without Wade's kind of strength.
And those old relics like Grindelwald were still terrifyingly strong.
As Tom kept trying to calm himself down, the two n on the platform finally seed to realize that this wasn't the right place to start a serious confrontation.
So, using Tom's noisy distraction as an excuse, both took a step back.
"All right, I admit you're right. I'll patiently listen to your class, then," said Grindelwald, turning back to sit down.
"Then I hope that afterward you'll provide so genuine, constructive feedback," said Dumbledore, turning away from him and addressing the students again.
"My apologies, let's continue with today's lesson… Tom? If you still need the toilet, go now. I'll hold off on the most exciting part of the lecture until you're back—so please, be quick."
Tom gave a strained smile. "Uh… sorry, I… I don't feel like going anymore."
At that, Dumbledore glanced briefly at the floor, then nodded in relief. "Good, then let's continue."
Tom stared at Wade in confusion and whispered through a Whispering Charm, "Why did he look at the floor?"
Wade shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? He was checking to see if you'd already gone there."
"..."
Tom's eyes went wide. "I— I'm not so baby who can't control himself!"
"Exactly. That's why Dumbledore's relieved you're not. Otherwise, knowing your personality, if sothing that embarrassing really happened, he'd have to comfort you afterward."
"Stop talking… the more I think about it, the worse it sounds… Why did I even say I had to go in the first place?"
"We're still young. Feeling afraid in front of those two isn't shaful. You can make up for it later."
"But I…"
"Wait, you don't want to comfort you, do you? Well, even if it's a bit awkward, I suppose I could… after all, you're my friend."
"You bloody—"
…
Dumbledore's lesson was, indeed, of excellent quality.
After thoroughly explaining the content from the textbook, he closed it and began sharing several other counterasures, each accompanied by a real-life example.
That imdiately made the entire lesson feel lively instead of dry and dull.
By the end of class, even the students who usually disliked studying had paid close attention throughout.
"All right, that's it for today's lesson. I want you all to write an essay on how to deal with a Kappa. Turn it in before next week's class. No restriction on parchnt length… Of course, I look forward to seeing so original ideas. If your ideas are interesting enough, I'll award extra points to your House. Class dismissed!"
The students quickly packed up their things and hurried out of the classroom.
Even though Dumbledore's class was fascinating, having Grindelwald present the entire ti made everyone feel extrely uneasy.
"I must admit, my earlier assessnt of your lesson was rather unfair. I owe you an apology," said Grindelwald, giving a slight bow.
_________
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