Although Wade had demonstrated his strength, they were still being isolated.
The pure-blood wizards were the main force behind this isolation, and even the non-pure-bloods, out of fear of the pure-blood majority, dared not approach Wade and his group too closely.
They were afraid that they might be the next targets of bullying.
After all, they didn't have the same abilities as Wade to protect themselves.
However, Wade and his group didn't mind at all. In fact, they were happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Not long after they sat down, the house-elves in the kitchen used their unique magic to send over all the food they wanted right in front of them.
Tom stabbed a sausage with his fork, took a bite, and then said, after considering his words, "Alphard, Henry... although you might not want to hear this, the truth is, you two are still too weak."
Alphard and Henry lowered their heads in shame.
Both of them came from pure-blood wizard families, but one of them had been bullied by his sister since childhood and never had the motivation to study magic in advance.
The other had been spoiled by his family, growing up playing all day and barely learning any magic at all.
So, in the end, they were actually the weakest in their small group, unable to perform even a simple Levitation Charm.
Even the newly joined Charlie had learned a few tricks from his mother; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the courage to fight against Abraxas, a pure-blood.
"Don't be discouraged. No one is born strong. It doesn't matter if your skills are lacking; you're our friends, and I'll help you become stronger," Tom said as he glanced at Wade.
Wade nodded. "That's right. The abilities we have now were built up over time with practice. You two can definitely do the same!"
Alphard and Henry looked at Wade and Tom, full of hope. "We can really become as strong as you?"
"Of course you can. In fact, you must become stronger," Wade said seriously. "Before, it might not have mattered as much, but now, since you're our friends, you have to stay alert at all times."
"They came after us as a group, so it's entirely possible they'll come after you too. We can't be by your side every moment of the day. If something happens..." Wade sighed, "I'd rather not have to see you next time in the hospital wing or at St. Mungo's."
Hearing this, not only Alphard and Henry, but everyone else around them grew somber.
Even though Wade had demonstrated his power and frightened off many of the pure-blood students, there were still some who held a grudge against them.
In other words, until their group became strong enough, they had to be constantly on guard against underhanded attacks from those people.
Tom said, "So, we need to find a place where we can gather and practice in our spare time. I need you all to become stronger, and we ourselves need to become even stronger."
Anne thought for a moment and said, "In that case, we'll have to find somewhere a bit more hidden."
"This place needs to be not only hidden but also big enough for all of us to practice spells freely," Charlie added.
Alphard frowned and said, "How about I ask my sister? She's in third year now, she should know some secret spots."
Henry shook his head. "Better not. If your sister finds out we're looking for a hidden place, the whole of Slytherin will know in no time."
Alphard scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "You're right, Henry…"
Everyone fell silent, thinking hard about where in the castle they could find such a place.
Wade spoke up, "Leave this to me. I'll find a suitable place."
The reason he said this was because he really had thought of a good location.
Hidden, spacious, and perfect for practicing spells? The best candidate was undoubtedly the Room of Requirement. This time though, training inside would not be Dumbledore's army but his future army members! Muhahaha—ehm!
Ding! The host is thinking like a Dark Lord! 0.01 Merit point!
Ding! The future Dark Lord, Tom, is surprised that you are really going to teach your friends! 2 Merit Points.
Ah, this bacon was so tasty I relaxed my Occlumency shields a little.
Hmm.. even though it's the 30s, Hogwarts is very old, so the ROR should still be on the seventh floor in the left corridor of the castle.
Wade remembered where the Room of Requirement was supposed to be, though he hadn't yet visited it in person.
So, he needed to find some time to search for its exact location.
Tom asked, "You've already thought of a good place, haven't you?"
"Oh, yeah. You could say that. I've only heard about the place in passing, but… I'll have to check it out in person first," Wade replied.
He had already decided that once he found the Room of Requirement, he'd immediately let his friends know so they could gather there.
And if they asked why Wade knew of such a place? Heh~ Only the weak needed to explain themselves.
Don't ask—if asked, it's just something he happened to hear about.
"Let's do it tonight, then," Tom said, sounding a little impatient.
"I'm not taking you with—" Before Wade could respond, he heard someone speaking from behind him.
"Um… excuse me, are you Wade Reynolds?"
Wade turned around and saw a round-faced girl with glasses looking at him with clear apprehension.
"Yes, that's me. And you are? What can I do for you?" Wade replied with his usual gentle smile.
Unexpectedly, the girl shuddered as if frightened by him.
Everyone exchanged looks—this girl's nerves were something else…
"My… my name is Myrtle… Myrtle Elizabeth Warren… Please… please don't hurt me!" Myrtle stammered incoherently.
"Pfft—"
Wade turned to look at Tom, who was barely holding back a laugh. "Tom, do you find this funny?"
"Yes, I do. Very funny. Because this is the first time I've seen your charming smile fail," Tom replied with schadenfreude.
He'd seen many people, upon facing Wade's gentle smile, feel he was approachable and kind.
But now… Tom felt this Myrtle girl might be the first person besides himself who saw through that fake, gentle smile and caught a glimpse of Wade's true nature!
"Ha! Truly amusing," Wade shot Tom a glare, then turned back to Myrtle. "Miss Warren, you're the one who came to me, not the other way around. How did you arrive at the conclusion that I'd hurt you?"
"I… I just… well, people in your house say you're very scary… that just greeting you might get you hit with a nasty curse!" Myrtle shivered as she spoke.
"Well, for them, it's better that they think I'm scary, so… what exactly did you come to me for?"
Now that she was sure Wade wasn't quite as terrifying as the rumors claimed, Myrtle finally remembered why she'd come over in the first place. She hurriedly fished two slips of parchment from her pocket.
"Th-these… these are from Professor McGonagall. She asked me to bring them to you. They have your detention times written on them…" Myrtle stammered.
Wade took the two slips of parchment, utterly speechless. Was it really necessary to be this terrified, just to deliver two detention notices?
"Alright, thank you," Wade said politely, then handed Tom's slip over to him.
Myrtle didn't say another word, and bolted like a startled rabbit.
"Are all Ravenclaws this skittish?" Anne asked curiously.
"Normally, no… maybe she's just timid," Wade replied, glancing down at the parchment. "Oh! Tom, looks like we won't be able to explore that place tonight. We've got detention, in the Forbidden Forest."
"Ugh… why do I have to serve detention with you? Professor Slughorn clearly said he'd cancel your punishment, and you just had to insist on going to the Forbidden Forest," Tom grumbled in extreme dissatisfaction.
"What are you saying? Weren't you the one who insisted on this? You said if they were going to punish me, they'd better punish you too…"
Tom froze, and after a long pause, finally squeezed out a bitter curse.
"Fuck! I must have been thinking from my arse!"
"Language, Tommy boy!'
…
For most students, the Forbidden Forest was a place that could send chills down their spines.
After all, the Forbidden Forest was truly dangerous, and to make sure students were too frightened to sneak in, the school naturally described it as terrifyingly as possible.
So while the forest was indeed dangerous, it wasn't quite as horrifying as the school deliberately made it out to be.
However, most students didn't know this, and when Wade and Tom arrived at Mr. Ogg's wooden cabin, the few Slytherin students already waiting there—apart from the upper years who could still maintain some composure—looked like they were about to wet themselves from fear.
Since quite a few people were being punished this time, the detentions were arranged in batches.
Tonight was Wade's group, and tomorrow it would be another batch.
They would have to accumulate enough visits to the Forbidden Forest to total a month before their detention could be considered complete.
Admittedly, it was an extremely severe punishment.
But Wade could understand Professor McGonagall's thinking—perhaps she had long been dissatisfied with these students who loved to bully others.
"Good evening, André," Wade greeted one of the big upper-year boys.
André merely glanced at Wade and said nothing.
He didn't dare act too familiar with Wade in front of the others.
Moreover, with the Forbidden Forest looming ahead, his heart was far less steady than he let on.
Tom, walking beside Wade, felt a bit uneasy himself as he looked at the dark, dense forest.
Seeing Wade calmly looking around as if nothing was out of the ordinary, Tom couldn't help but ask, "You're really not afraid at all?"
"Afraid?" Wade looked at Tom, puzzled. "Going into the Forbidden Forest feels like going home to me. Are you scared when you go home?"
"I.. don't have a home," Tom replied coldly, as if trying to awaken whatever shred of conscience Wade might have, hoping to make him feel a bit of guilt.
"Hah, I didn't expect you to crack a fucking joke!"
"Now what's with your language, huh? Sigh, I really shouldn't expect you to have any conscience at all…"
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