That night, Anne told Wade everything Grindelwald had said to her, word for word.
She also asked whether she should report it truthfully to Dumbledore.
But Wade told her to stay quiet for now and wait until he told her to approach Dumbledore.
After Anne went back to her dorm to rest, Tom grew increasingly uneasy.
"Wade, don't tell me you already knew Grindelwald would go looking for Anne?" Tom asked suspiciously.
"Hm? No, I didn't know," Wade shook his head.
"No, no, something's off…" Tom frowned. "You handing the club over to Anne today was already suspicious!"
"What are you talking about, Tom? Wasn't it you who gave it to her?" Wade looked at him doubtfully, wondering if Tom had studied himself stupid with all that magic.
"It's definitely not that simple! Don't tell me the situation now isn't exactly what you wanted?" Tom said heatedly.
"Grindelwald thinks you've handed the club over to him! He even told Anne proudly that working for you is the same as working for him! Honestly, it's impressive—without even trying, you've outplayed him again! Now Grindelwald probably thinks you're on his side, doesn't he? Isn't that what you wanted?"
Wade gave him a helpless look. "Just how dark do you think I am? It's pure coincidence! How could I possibly have known you'd decide to throw in the towel today? Or that Anne would volunteer herself? And really—if I wanted to give the club to him, would I go through all that trouble?"
"Don't say anything, Wade, I get it!" Tom nodded firmly. "After watching how you operate for so long, I've already learned one thing."
"What thing?"
"That you shouldn't look at the process—only the result!" Tom said smugly. "If you look at the process, you'll never figure it out! But if the result turns out in your favor, then that means you definitely meddled in it somehow! Even if I can't tell when you did it, or what schemes you set up beforehand…"
Wade was so exasperated he almost laughed. "Tom, the way you're saying it almost sounds reasonable…"
"Of course it is! That's wisdom earned from being tricked by you so many times—and from watching you trick everyone else too!" Tom sighed dramatically.
"Tom… have you forgotten that I really am a good person? How could I possibly join the forces of evil?"
"Ah yes, yes, of course. I agree completely! How could you ever join the evil side? You're the one who decides who counts as evil in the first place!" Tom nodded solemnly.
"No, I mean it—I am a good person! I'm guiding Grindelwald toward the right path!"
"Ah yes, yes… you're a good person," Tom said, giving him an "I totally understand" look. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your plan. You've said it yourself before—if you want others to work for you, you have to give them a little something first! Guiding Grindelwald toward goodness is just your honeyed bait, right? After that, well… we both know how it goes."
"I do not know!" Wade shouted, standing up in anger.
"Sorry, I talked too much. I shouldn't have said that… Next time I'll use a Whispering Charm," Tom said carefully.
Wade let out a long sigh, patted Tom on the shoulder, and slowly stood up to leave.
Maybe he really had been too hard on Tom—so much that the kid had gone stupid…
Now, the moment anything seemed off, Tom immediately assumed it was part of some grand scheme of his.
Honestly, yes, I do plan to become a Dark Lord someday, but am I that obvious about it?
…
Perhaps because Anne had completed her mission early and fully taken control of the SMASH Mutual Aid Club, Grindelwald made no further moves over the next week or so.
He stayed shut in the office Hogwarts had assigned him, not taking a single step outside.
Until one day, during the second-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class…
When Dumbledore walked into the classroom and saw Grindelwald chatting cheerfully with the young wizards, his face darkened instantly.
"What are you doing here?" Dumbledore asked coldly.
"I'm here to sit in on the class," Grindelwald said with a pleasant smile.
"Sit in on the class?" Dumbledore thought he must have misheard. "You're here to sit in on my class?"
"In fact, I plan to attend every professor's class," Grindelwald said with a smile. "Over the past week, I've drawn up a very detailed research plan. It begins today, and the first step is to observe your lessons. Only by doing so can I accurately identify what shortcomings exist in Hogwarts' education."
Dumbledore frowned at him, as though trying to read the schemes hidden behind his calm expression.
But judging from his words alone, they did sound reasonable—and this did indeed fall within the duties of a senior investigator from the Ministry.
So Dumbledore had no valid reason to refuse him.
"If that's the case, then sit in the back and don't disrupt the class," Dumbledore said, pointing to the rear of the room.
Following Dumbledore's gesture, Grindelwald saw a small wooden stool tucked into the corner.
"Ahem. How I observe the class is my responsibility as an investigator," Grindelwald said smoothly. "As for you, Professor Dumbledore, your responsibility is to teach your lesson well."
With that, he grabbed a nearby chair and placed it directly on the platform beside the podium.
Dumbledore watched as Grindelwald calmly sat himself down on the stage and could practically feel his blood pressure rising.
But there was nothing he could do—unless he wanted to quit and become Minister of Magic right now.
Down below, the students exchanged bewildered looks.
"All right… pay no attention to irrelevant individuals," Dumbledore said evenly. "Everyone, return to your seats. We'll begin today's lesson."
The students hurried to sit down.
By second year, Slytherin's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was now shared with Ravenclaw students.
Wade guessed it was probably because the school wanted them to make more new friends.
"In our last class, we discussed the Hinkypunk. Judging from your essays, everyone now has a sufficient understanding of this dark creature. So, we'll conclude that topic for now and move on to something new. Please open your textbooks to page fifteen… Today's lesson will focus on how to deal with a Kappa."
Wade looked at the illustration in his textbook. The so-called "Kappa" was clearly the Japanese river imp from folklore.
But just as Dumbledore mentioned that today's focus would be on fighting the Kappa, Grindelwald let out a quiet, derisive laugh.
Dumbledore glanced at him but said nothing, continuing the lesson as planned.
Meanwhile, Grindelwald took out a notebook and a quill and began scribbling in it.
The scratching sound of his writing made Dumbledore feel inexplicably irritated.
"The kappa is a Japanese dark magical creature that resides in water," Dumbledore continued. "Due to certain smugglers, it has occasionally been sighted in other regions as well. They usually dwell in shallow ponds and rivers…"
"They look quite similar to monkeys, except their bodies are covered in fish scales instead of hair, and on top of their heads is a bowl-shaped hollow filled with water. So when you encounter one, you should be able to recognize it easily."
"Though they may appear frail, they are extremely dangerous. They are classified as XXXX creatures and survive mainly by drinking human blood. That alone should tell you how dangerous they are."
"After all, if they were truly as weak as they appear, how could they possibly manage to drink human blood?"
"However, there's no need to be overly alarmed. Dealing with them is relatively simple…"
"Even in the Muggle world, there are legends about how to handle these creatures. For Muggles, these are mere folktales—but their methods, surprisingly, do work."
"For instance, if you throw it a cucumber inscribed with your own name, it will most likely spare you from harm."
The classroom erupted in light laughter.
"Of course, as wizards, we have our own methods… and since this is Defense Against the Dark Arts, I'll now explain in detail how to defeat such creatures."
"In truth, the Kappa moves extremely fast. Even for a wizard, being caught off guard can make it quite difficult to handle. The safest approach is to lure it into bowing."
"Pfft…" Grindelwald let out another quiet chuckle.
Dumbledore's voice faltered for a moment before he continued, "When it bows, the water in the hollow of its head will spill out. Once the Kappa loses that water, it becomes powerless."
"Pfft…"
"I've tolerated you long enough, Grindelwald! What exactly are you laughing at? Is my lesson really that funny?" Dumbledore finally snapped.
"Oh, my apologies, no offense meant, I just—pfft—sorry, couldn't hold it in again. Ahem… I simply… when I imagine you bowing to a Kappa, I can't help but laugh," Grindelwald said, barely suppressing his amusement.
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