At the same time, news of Wade's Mutual Support Club spread rapidly.
Young wizards were very quick when it came to spreading gossip.
Today happened to be Sunday, and with the school year just beginning, many students were still quite free.
So more and more people began showing up to watch the commotion…
Word that Dumbledore had praised Wade and Tom's duel as the most spectacular student duel in Hogwarts history had already made its way across the entire school.
Add to that how, just yesterday, Wade had led only a few people to sweep through the purebloods of Slytherin…
Naturally, everyone was quite curious about Wade and his group's combat prowess.
By the time Wade began pinning the notice to the bulletin board, dozens of people had already gathered behind him — and more curious faces were still trickling in.
—S.M.A.S.H—
[Are you still troubled by your slow academic progress?]
[Are you still struggling to master spells?]
[Are you still worried about losing duels?]
[Are you still upset about being bullied or isolated?]
[Don't hesitate — join the Mutual Support Club!]
[Every member of our club is your strongest support!]
[We help one another and improve together!]
[Together, we aim to build a community that is civilized, equal, harmonious, friendly, honest, just, and free!]
...
[Mutual Support Club's Special Faculty Advisor: Professor Slughorn!]
The Mutual Support Club's announcement looked a little quirky, but it was generally easy to understand. Combined with the flyers being handed out to newcomers, everyone quickly got the gist of it.
"So, you're saying there are no requirements? Anyone can join?" someone asked Wade timidly.
Wade smiled. "As long as you're not one of those with disgraceful character, we won't turn anyone away."
Everyone chuckled knowingly—they all understood exactly who Wade meant by "those with disgraceful character."
"Then... if I join, does that mean I won't have to be afraid of being bullied anymore?" someone else asked.
Wade noticed that it was a Slytherin student. Judging by his timid demeanor, he was likely not from a pure-blood family.
"Yes," Wade replied. "Every member of the club is your strongest support. Whatever situation you're in, you can ask any of us for help. And don't forget, our faculty advisor is Professor Slughorn! There's nothing to be afraid of. Once you're part of the club, no one will ever be able to force you to bow your head again."
The gloomy expression on that non-pure-blood student's face almost instantly disappeared upon hearing those words.
More importantly, if Wade was saying this openly, it meant the Head of House was backing them!
Wade is here! Justice has arrived!
"I want to join!"
Anne waved a stack of forms and said warmly, "Alright, come over here to register. You'll need to fill out this form—write down what you're good at and what you're not. Since our mutual aid club is all about helping one another, while receiving help, we also hope you'll use your strengths to help other members."
"N-no problem!" the non-pure-blood student said excitedly.
To be honest, he had never seen any pure-blood wizard in Slytherin speak to him so kindly before...
"I want to join too," came a cool voice from the crowd.
A Gryffindor girl stepped out.
Wade turned to look—it was that girl named Grace McLaggen.
"Welcome, Grace! I'm glad you've come around. Welcome to our club!" Wade said with a smile.
"I heard about what you did yesterday… I have to admit, you really aren't like the Slytherins I had in mind. Professor Dumbledore was right—we really can be friends!" Grace no longer had that resistant expression on her face.
Clearly, what Wade and his group did yesterday had dispelled her—and many others'—prejudice against Slytherin. They finally realized that not all Slytherins were jerks.
With Grace joining, more and more people began choosing to sign up as well.
Grace took half the registration forms from Anne's hands and very naturally slipped into work mode...
Wade turned his head slightly and said softly to Tom, "Looks like… it's going very smoothly, Tom."
"Letting in just anyone… is that really okay?" Tom frowned.
"Letting in? No—we should be focusing on the majority, not on picking a select few... What determines your success has never been the few. What we need to do is harness the power of the many."
Tom shook his head. "I don't really get it, but it kind of sounds right…"
"You'll understand, Tom. You just have to believe in the power of the people..."
...
The mutual aid club had just been established, and it had already attracted a large number of students to join.
So many, in fact, that the initial batch of over a hundred forms prepared wasn't enough—Wade had to use a duplication charm to produce dozens more.
Once all the forms were collected, Anne reported the total to Wade.
Over 170 students had joined the club that day.
And this was just the first day, on a Sunday no less, with many upper-year students still in Hogsmeade and unaware of the news.
Back in the dormitory, Tom was still astonished by the number of people who had signed up.
"I didn't think so many would actually come."
"Don't focus too much on that, Tom. A lot of them joined just out of curiosity. Give it a few days—some will leave once the novelty wears off. The ones who stay then are the true members."
Tom snorted. "Hmph... that's their loss! When they regret it later and try to come back, it won't be so easy!"
"Tom, that's not the right mindset. We need to make sure members can come and go freely… Don't forget the original purpose of founding this club." Wade smiled.
Tom looked at Wade in surprise. "Original purpose?"
Wasn't the original purpose of founding this club just to gather underlings? Are you seriously planning to run a real mutual aid society?
"Tom, it sounds like you're thinking thoughts that are... not very good for unity," Wade said.
"No, absolutely not!" Tom replied firmly, eyes resolute.
"I know what you're thinking, Tom... but don't rush it. What we need to do isn't to force them to stay, but to make them want to join willingly—and then be reluctant to leave. That means you need to manage this club well. Only when everyone is genuinely devoted to us can there be the possibility of moving further," Wade said earnestly.
Tom nodded, but then he quickly spotted a flaw. "Wait a second, you said... me? You want me to manage the club?"
"Of course. Who else? I'll help you out in the beginning, but after that, it'll be up to you." Wade smiled.
Although Voldemort eventually went mad, his leadership abilities during his school years were beyond question.
Wade was certain that if not for his own presence, Tom would have already mixed in with the pure-bloods and gradually risen to lead them.
"You... trust me that much?" Tom asked after a long silence.
In his view, Wade handing the entire club over to him was a huge mistake!
Because if that were the case, he had plenty of ways to sideline Wade and turn the members into his own followers!
Wade smiled. "You know, trust and reliance are essentially the same thing—they're actions of the weak. For me, trust is unnecessary."
Seeing the meaning behind Wade's gaze, Tom once again felt a chill run down his spine.
He suddenly recalled the first time Wade took the fall for him. Wade had the ability to alter people's perceptions! Even though Tom was clearly the main culprit of that incident—after all, he was the one who did the beating—in the end, Wade somehow shifted everyone's understanding of the event.
Those pure-bloods who had been beaten up ended up unanimously believing that it wasn't Tom, but Wade, who had attacked them!
Thinking back on all that, the ambition that had just begun to surge in Tom instantly cooled down.
If he really tried to seize power from Wade, there was a good chance that the club members' understanding of who their leader was would inexplicably shift to Wade.
In that case, he'd be doing all the work just to hand Wade the glory on a silver platter!
Tom sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat helpless. Wade was right. With his capabilities, he didn't need to trust anyone...
Given how meticulously Wade did things, how could he not have considered the possibility that Tom might one day betray him?
After a long silence, Tom finally muttered, "Got it. I'll manage it well…"
He forced down his rebellious thoughts.
If he didn't rebel, he could still be the second-in-command. But if he did… he might end up with nothing at all!
"I know what you are thinking. I also know you'll manage it well. After all, the betrayal you can see is trivial. What is truly fearsome is the betrayal that you don't see, and you know me well, there is nothing you can hide from me."
Hearing those words, Tom's back was now drenched in cold sweat.
"Haha~ Why do you look so tense. You've already promised me, haven't you? That your abilities would be used for my sake."
_________
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