Hogwarts: Please, Just Graduate Already!

Well, well. So even a thick-browed, big-eyed guy like you was full of bad ideas. Cedric merely blinked innocently. What was wrong? Was there a problem?

"I was only carrying on Hogwarts tradition. Why are you looking at me like that?" Wayne still wore the expression of a frightened baby, though inwardly he sneered. Not bad. If he had not had cheats and transmigrated here, these guys might actually have fooled him.

"Then what should I do? If it really comes down to it, should I just go home? I haven't mastered a single spell yet."

Wayne played up his "panic" to perfection. The three of them were practically laughing themselves sick, yet they still pretended to offer him advice.

After a while longer, the three finally stopped, still wanting more, after concluding that this term's entrance trial was probably defeating a Ghoul.

If they had not been afraid of scaring Wayne into tears, the twins and Cedric could probably have kept spinning tales until the train reached the station.

The train sped past golden wheat fields and gradually entered a vast, uninhabited region. It was moving incredibly fast, perhaps around a hundred kilometers an hour.

For an "old clunker" that had been in service since the last century, that was already pretty good.

Wayne took a compass from his pocket, then pulled out parchment and a quill to scribble and calculate.

"Wayne, what are you doing?" the twins asked curiously. "Oh, I'm calculating Hogwarts' exact location."

"By my estimate, we'll reach Scotland in another two hours." The twins exchanged glances and asked in unison, "Why calculate that?"

"I'm bored anyway. I have to find something to do." Seeing the compass shift by another small angle, Wayne hurriedly wrote it down.

"Since you're bored, let's play Exploding Snap." Fred grinned and took out

a deck of red playing cards.

They looked no different from Muggle cards, except they exploded. When you threw down four twos and boldly shouted "Bomb," it was quite literally true.

"Aren't you doing your homework?" Cedric asked helplessly. He was reading The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection to pass the time. If they started playing cards, it would definitely be too noisy for him to keep reading.

Fred did not care. "We still have one whole night. What's the rush?

"Come on, let's play."

Soon, crackling explosions rang out from the compartment. Unfortunately, the cards exploded in the twins' hands every single time, and one blast nearly set George's eyebrows on fire.

The twins were baffled too. Why were the cards so safe when Wayne held them, yet turned into powder kegs the moment they got them?

Cedric also watched Wayne suspiciously.

He had a feeling Wayne had done something, like those upper-year wizards who could already tell when a card was about to explode.

Could Wayne possibly—

Impossible. He was only a little wizard who had not even started school yet. Shaking his head, Cedric threw the ridiculous thought out of his mind. Knock, knock, knock!

The knocking sounded again. George, his face smudged with soot, hurriedly set the cards on the table and crossed the compartment in a few quick strides to open the door.

"Have you seen Trevor? Oh, he's a toad. Huh, Wayne?" A girl stood outside with a chubby boy. The girl was Hermione. Only after speaking did she spot Wayne sitting by the window, and her little face immediately lit up with delight.

After returning the book to Wayne, she had gone to Diagon Alley several more times, yet never once ran into him.

After boarding the train, she had searched around too, but still could not find him. In the end, she could only pick a compartment at random and sit down.

"Hermione, long time no see." Wayne smiled and waved to the little witch. Hermione looked even cuter today than the last few times he had seen her. She had clearly taken care to style her hair rather than letting it spread freely in every direction.

"I looked for you after I got on too, but I couldn't find you," Hermione said quickly. Then she noticed the chubby boy hiding behind her and changed the subject. "Have you seen a toad?"

Everyone shook their heads. Cedric comforted him, "Don't worry. Toads are quite intelligent. Your Trevor may have just gotten bored and gone out to play. He'll come back to you sooner or later."

"I hope so." Neville was on the verge of tears. "If grandmother finds out I lost Trevor before I even got to school, she'll scold me to death."

After saying they would help look for him once they got off the train, Hermione continued taking Neville from compartment to compartment to ask around.

Once the two had left, Fred looked at Wayne. "You know that little witch?"

"We met in Diagon Alley. Why?" Wayne looked at him strangely. "Nothing." Fred shook his head, then he and George said in unison, "Seeing that little witch is like seeing a little Professor McGonagall!" Wayne: "..."

The Children Still Waiting for Owls

As they traveled north, the sky gradually darkened.

Apart from Hermione coming back once after she left, no one else came to disturb the compartment.

The snacks Wayne bought had been divided up and eaten by the four of them, except for a few Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

Fred swore on his hair that those beans were either booger-flavored or cockroach-flavored. They absolutely could not be eaten.

But as night fully descended, they rubbed their stomachs and still felt a little hungry.

"We should be almost there, right?"

Cedric looked at the completely darkened sky outside the window and guessed. Sure enough, half an hour later, the train's announcement sounded. "The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train. We will deliver it to the school."

"Finally. I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow," Fred complained. Everyone stood up, took off their coats, and put on their robes.

It was now six-thirty in the evening. The train had been traveling for nearly eight hours,

covering more than a thousand kilometers. They had reached the northwestern frontier of the British Isles—the Scottish Highlands.

Wayne remembered that, in the future, Scotland's independence movement would get pretty fierce. They would insist on breaking away from the Commonwealth no matter what.

He wondered whether, if they succeeded, this school would still count as part of Britain's Wizarding World. With that amused thought in mind, Wayne stepped out of the compartment and got off the train. It was a small, dark station.

Though it was still September, the weather here was still bitterly cold,

carrying a chill that made many little wizards tighten their robes.

"Wayne, over here!"

Hermione spotted Wayne first and called out loudly. The boy walked over, but Neville was nowhere to be seen beside her.

Then an oil lamp lit up. "First-years! First-years, this way! Follow me!"

Seeing Hagrid's enormous body, many of the new students trembled like quails and obediently followed behind him, like chicks trailing after a mother hen.

They passed through a steep, narrow path with darkness on both sides. Suddenly, Wayne felt someone grab his arm.

It was Hermione. The little witch said nothing, but gripped his sleeve with some force.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" Wayne curled his lips and turned to look at her.

"Of course not!" Hermione stubbornly denied it. "I'm just nervous because this is a completely unfamiliar place. Who would still be afraid of the dark at eleven?"

"Ow!"

A little wizard cried out in pain ahead of them. A girl had fallen. The damp air had made the road especially muddy, and Hermione hurried forward to help her up.

"Thank you," the girl said gratefully after being helped up. But when she saw the mud on her robes, she nearly burst into tears.

Wayne pulled out his wand and softly chanted, "Scourgify!"

In an instant, all the grime vanished from the girl's body, and her robes became neat again. "Thank you!" the girl thanked him excitedly, her eyes sparkling. "You've already mastered magic? That's amazing!"

"Not bad, Wayne." Hermione raised her brows.

It was completely different from how he had acted when she met him on the train.

"After all, I didn't buy all those books for nothing." Wayne smiled. "Let's hurry up and catch up with the others."

The two girls both nodded and followed at Wayne's side.

After another ten or so minutes of walking, they rounded a bend, followed by a chorus of astonished gasps.

At the end of the narrow path lay a black lake. Across the lake stood a cliff,

and atop it rose a majestic castle, its towers piercing the sky, its lights shining through the windows like stars.

Wayne too admired the beautiful Hogwarts Castle. Its aura of mystery and the unknown fascinated him.

In another world, countless children waited every day,

hoping an owl would bring a letter to their homes.

Now, Wayne had fulfilled that wish for them.

"No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid pointed at the small boats moored by the shore and boarded one by himself.

The wooden boat visibly sank a great deal, making everyone worry whether it could bear the weight of a Half-Giant.

Wayne and the others were at the very back, so only the three of them were in their boat. As it sailed toward the castle, the girl introduced herself.

Susan Bones.

Wayne remembered that she was also a character from the original story, with a relative who held a high-ranking position in the Ministry of Magic.

"Duck! For—

As the boats neared the cliff, Hagrid's roar carried over. Hermione and Bones hurriedly did as he said, but Wayne did not move at all.

After they passed beneath the vines, Hermione straightened up and asked angrily, "Why didn't you listen just now? What if there was danger?"

Wayne looked at her as if she were an idiot. "That giant would still be taller lying down in the boat than I am sitting up. If he could get through, why should I duck?"

Hermione opened her mouth wide. For a moment, she could not find anything to say in rebuttal, and flew into a rage from embarrassment.

"Then why didn't you remind us?"

Susan Bones nodded vigorously, showing her agreement with Hermione. Exactly!

That was too much!

Wayne waved a hand dismissively. "If I reminded you, wouldn't that just make you look even more foolish?"

This time, Hermione truly had nothing to say.

Fortunately, the boat soon reached the shore, breaking her awkward silence. The group followed Hagrid up a flight of stone steps and gathered before enormous oak doors. After counting heads and confirming no one was missing, Hagrid raised his massive fist and knocked three times on the castle gates.

The doors slowly opened. Professor McGonagall, still dressed in emerald-green robes, stood at the entrance. Many new students felt the stern pressure emanating from her and barely dared to breathe. "All the first-years are here, Professor McGonagall." "Thank you, Hagrid. Leave them to me."

McGonagall waved her hand, opening the doors wide. The little wizards filed in. The entrance hall was brightly lit and warm, with burning torches every half meter.

They could already hear a buzzing sound from the right, but McGonagall led them into a small room on the other side of the hall.

Professor McGonagall gave them an introduction, explained that the Sorting Ceremony would begin soon, then left, saying she would return in five minutes.

That time was for the little wizards to straighten their clothes and prepare themselves mentally.

Though the professor had left the room, the atmosphere only became more oppressive. No one spoke. Everyone was extremely nervous.

Wayne glanced around, muttering under his breath as his expression grew increasingly restless. His outstanding looks already made him especially noticeable. Finally, a little witch could not help asking:

"What are you doing?" Hooked. Wayne narrowed his eyes like a handsome fox.

The New Students Were Scared to Tears, and McGonagall Exploded with Anger

"I'm preparing for the trial ahead!"

That one sentence drew everyone's attention.

The little wizards were already nervous about the upcoming Sorting Ceremony, fearful of the unknown.

Seeing Wayne's behavior, could it be that he knew more about the Sorting Ceremony?

"Hey, do you know what the Sorting Ceremony tests?"

An arrogant voice rang out. The speaker was a platinum-blond boy, flanked by two hulking dullards each a full size larger than ordinary little wizards.

The little wizard was quite good-looking, but his expression was exceptionally punchable, making him thoroughly unlikeable.

Wayne's fists clenched. After being the "school bully" for four years in primary school, it had been a long time since anyone dared speak to him like that.

But remembering his plan, he kept his expression calm and explained, "I do. Cedric and a pair of twins just told me about the Sorting process."

Ron, standing beside Harry, let out a low cry. "Twins? Don't tell me it was George and Fred!"

Wayne heard him too and nodded. "You're Ron Weasley, right? Your brothers mentioned you to me."

At once, all the little wizards crowded around him, firing questions from every direction.

"What exactly is the Sorting Ceremony?" "Will it be dangerous?"

"I haven't mastered a single spell. Can I really enroll?" Good, good. They've all taken the bait. Wayne rejoiced inwardly.

Did they really think he had nothing better to do than play along with the twins and Cedric on the train?

On one hand, Wayne had indeed been bored and treated it as fooling around with idiots. On the other, he had been preparing to pull off something big. The hunt had begun!

Before Professor McGonagall returned, Wayne quickly told them everything the twins had said about the Sorting Ceremony. Wherever the story did not make sense, he kindly helped fill in the gaps.

As Wayne spoke, the little wizards gathered around him grew paler and paler, their legs turning weak.

Even the little wizards from pure-blood families were the same. Malfoy's face had already drained of all color.

Though parents often used the Sorting Ceremony to scare their children, satisfying their own twisted sense of fun.