Admittedly, there were cases where a weaker wizard defeated a stronger one, but such upsets were almost nonexistent at Dumbledore's level, even when the opponent was Grindelwald.
That was why, at that time, Dumbledore had crushed Protego Diabolica with Gubraithian Fire, forcing it down with overwhelming force.
He had not even needed to use a universal counter-curse like Finite Incantatem.
It was precisely because he had been defeated in a fair and proper duel that Grindelwald fell into such a long period of dejection afterward.
Wade guessed that in the original course of history, the final duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald wielding the Elder Wand had probably used this same style of combat, rather than a straightforward overwhelming approach.
Because the unenhanced Dumbledore of that time had not been overwhelmingly stronger than Grindelwald in terms of magical power, the Dumbledore of the original history had later told Harry that he was only somewhat superior to Grindelwald in magical technique, and that was how he achieved final victory.
"I understand now. When facing an opponent stronger than me, I should use this kind of combat style and strive to defeat the strong. And when I encounter someone inferior to me, I can simply overwhelm them directly," Wade summarized.
Dumbledore shook his head. "Your summary is not bad, but remember this above all else. When a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses its full strength. Even if you possess the power to crush your opponent, you must never be careless. You never know how many hidden cards your opponent may have. Those who drown in rivers are often the ones who know how to swim…"
Wade nodded earnestly.
He finally understood that the reason Dumbledore had practiced this style of combat with him tonight was, in fact, aimed at Grindelwald.
Wade' magical power was very strong now, but when it came to facing Grindelwald, he was still lacking that final edge.
If he truly had to fight Grindelwald, this style of combat was perfectly suited to him.
"Alright, there's still plenty of time tonight. Let's continue," Dumbledore said with a smile as he once again drew the Elder Wand.
A trace of a wry smile appeared on Wade' face.
But immediately after, an indescribable sense of excitement welled up within him.
After learning magic, Wade had rarely gone all out.
The last time he dealt with the basilisk had been the first, but that time the basilisk was not very durable. A short combo was enough to finish it off.
Wade had actually felt quite unsatisfied, but now he was facing Dumbledore at his peak. In other words, he could finally fight with his full strength.
Even without using Dark Magic, this was still an extremely exhilarating experience for Wade.
"This will be fun.."
…
"Huff... Fuck.."
By the time Wade supported himself against the wall and made his way back to the dormitory, it was already past nine in the evening.
In the Room of Requirement, Professor Dumbledore had sparred with him for nearly two hours.
His physical strength had been almost completely drained, and the immense mental exertion left him dizzy and lightheaded.
If he had not downed an entire bottle of Invigoration Draught, Wade probably would not have been able to make it back to the dormitory on his own.
Moreover, when leaving the Room of Requirement, Dumbledore had instructed him that from today onward, he would need to spar with Dumbledore every single day until Dumbledore said it was enough.
Just thinking about it was already somewhat overwhelming.
Still, although it was exhausting, being able to duel daily with a great wizard like Dumbledore and receive constant guidance from him brought Wade tremendous gains.
Tom was lying on his bed reading. When he looked up, he saw Wade staggering as he walked in.
This was the first time he had ever seen Wade in such a weakened state.
"Are you alright?" Alphard hurried over to support the unsteady Wade.
"I'm fine… just a bit drained," Wade said wearily.
Right now, all he wanted was to lie down and sleep deeply.
"You look like you've just been thoroughly wrung out by five or six Veela," Tom said in surprise.
"If that were the case, it wouldn't be so bad… I've heard Veela are all as beautiful as angels…" With Alphard's support, Wade weakly sat back down on his bed.
"So what did you actually go do?" Tom asked. Then he suddenly recalled something Wade had mentioned before. "Don't tell me it was Dumbledore's training plan for you?"
"Yeah… ugh..." Wade slowly lay down, only to feel his eyelids grow unbearably heavy.
Even the Invigoration Draught could no longer lift his spirits, which showed just how much mental and physical effort the earlier sparring had consumed.
"What kind of training plan was it? Could we do it too?" Tom immediately perked up.
If it was a training plan that could make even someone like Wade improve, it had to be something extraordinary, right?
For Tom, who constantly sought to grow stronger, how could he possibly miss such an opportunity?
At the same time, Alphard and Henry, who was feeding his owl in the distance, both pricked up their ears.
They were all very curious about what kind of training plan Dumbledore had designed for Wade.
"It's ...actually a very simple training plan… you could go ask Professor Dumbledore yourself and have him arrange one for you too. He values you quite highly now as well…" Wade muttered, forcing himself to stay awake.
"Me? I really can? Wait… you still haven't told me what kind of training plan it is," Tom said, seeing that Wade was about to fall asleep. He hurried over and shook him vigorously.
The crucial details had not been said yet, and this guy was already about to sleep. That would not do.
Without hearing the key information, Tom would not be able to sleep tonight.
"It's very simple. You just need to spar seriously with Professor Dumbledore. Have you... ugh.. ever seen a Disarming Charm that can punch straight through a castle floor?" Wade said, rubbing his eyes.
Tom's movements froze instantly. What was that supposed to mean? Spar with Dumbledore, and deal with Disarming Charms that could even blast through the floor?
Henry and Alphard silently turned around and went back to minding their own business.
This kind of training plan was not something they were blessed enough to endure.
Tom also quietly turned back to his own bed.
Better to just sleep…
He thought of Wade' formidable magical power. Only someone with strength like Wade could probably withstand a training plan like that.
Damn it. How could a Disarming Charm punch through the floor?
…
Screech!
Hogsmeade.
A bizarre-looking bus screeched to a sudden stop in front of the Hog's Head.
"…welcome to ride the Knight Bus again next time…"
Boom!
"…damn it, I wasn't finished talking yet!"
The Knight Bus shot off again, drifting smoothly a short distance away before disappearing around the corner, the curses fading into the distance.
In front of the Hog's Head, a pale-faced Nagini looked up at the sign above the door.
This was her first time riding the Knight Bus in human form. She finally understood why Wade had sworn never to take the Knight Bus again the moment he got off last time.
After steadying herself for a moment, Nagini stepped forward and gently pushed open the door to the Hog's Head.
After the house-elf Tobby had left, the environment inside the Hog's Head had once again returned to its former shabby state.
Inside the tavern, there were quite a few people drinking and discussing matters. Of course, anything discussed in the Hog's Head was more or less on the illegal side.
As a result, the moment Nagini stepped inside, she felt many wary gazes fall upon her.
Aberforth was standing behind the bar, wiping a glass with a filthy rag. Hearing someone enter, he asked without even looking up, "What'll you have?"
Nagini walked up to the bar. "I'm here to find someone."
Hearing that, Aberforth finally lifted his head impatiently.
But the instant he saw Nagini's face, he froze. "Merlin's beard... It's actually you? You really have already… Albus mentioned it to me not long ago. I thought he was joking!"
"Come with me." Aberforth glanced around at the other patrons, then called out loudly, "Chris, watch the bar for me!"
With that, he led Nagini toward the back of the tavern.
_________
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