Hogwarts: Please, Just Graduate Already!

When they heard the punishment, the twins nearly fainted.

Three times!

Those books together were at least several dozen inches thick!

The two of them no longer cared about settling the score with Wayne. Under Professor McGonagall's tiger-like glare, they slunk back to the Gryffindor table.

"You definitely did that on purpose." Cedric had watched the whole thing and made his judgment with absolute certainty.

Wayne continued eating his sandwich and said blandly, "Everyone dies eventually. Some people just need a little help."

Cedric was speechless.

How had this guy ended up in Hufflepuff? Sorting Hat, were you blind?!

After breakfast, Hermione stood prettily beside Wayne, making Norman and Toby secretly give him a thumbs-up from an angle the little witch couldn't see.

Impressive. He had only just started school, and already a cute little witch had attached herself to him.

Hermione's hair was a little messy, but her features were there. As long as she didn't bare her teeth in a grin, she was absolutely the cutest thing around.

When the other first-years saw them gathered together, they asked curiously. The group immediately grew, and more than a dozen Little Badgers surrounded Cedric. Left with no choice, he called over a few friends to help and split them into several groups.

The group marched grandly out of the passageway and into the teaching area.

"There are a total of one hundred and forty-two staircases in the castle. Their shapes and positions can change at any time."

"Maybe you'll be walking up a staircase from the third floor to the fourth, but once you step onto it, the staircase might turn around and take you straight to the top floor."

"Honestly, even after my first two years, I still hadn't figured out their patterns. Especially on Fridays, when these staircases go completely mad."

"Even senior students who are about to graduate can get lost if they aren't careful."

Cedric led Wayne and Hermione to the third floor. His two roommates had gone off with other senior students.

"Watch this staircase. Never stomp or run while you're on it, or it'll take you straight to the Seventh Floor."

"There are four more staircases like this. Uh... I can't remember clearly. There might be more."

Hermione nodded vigorously and even pulled out a notebook to write it down. Wayne, meanwhile, looked rather bored.

"Cedric, is this how you fool your brother? Give us something useful." "What do you mean?" Cedric looked at him blankly, not understanding what Wayne meant.

"Show us some shortcuts. Secret passages leading outside the castle."

"What are you talking about?!" Cedric criticized him righteously. "How could I possibly know about something like that?"

"Wayne, breaking school rules is wrong." Hermione seriously criticized Wayne's dangerous thoughts.

"If you don't get caught, it doesn't count as breaking the rules." Wayne waved a hand, unconcerned. Cedric patted him on the shoulder, and everything was understood without words.

He had grasped the school's most basic rule as soon as he arrived. Cedric himself had only gradually realized it during the final exams last term.

Why was the school caretaker Filch, a Squib?

Why was it that as long as students were not caught red-handed, they would not lose points or be punished, even if teachers saw their backs?

This was Hogwarts's unspoken rule, passed down for a thousand years. It was both a battle of wits between teachers and students and a form of training.

Many people only gradually understood its deeper meaning after graduating, or even after starting families and careers, and by then it was too late for regrets.

Just how much wonderful life had they missed back then?

Cedric smiled. "Since you put it that way, let me show you a few tricks."

He brought Hermione and Wayne before an empty picture frame and tapped it three times in a row with his wand. The frame turned into a real door.

"If you go out through here, you'll reach the bushes near the Quidditch Pitch." "We're short on time, so I won't take you through it. On to the next place."

Next, Cedric introduced Wayne to two more secret passages. One led to the other side of the castle and could be used to evade Filch and his cat—Mrs. Norris—if they were discovered while roaming at night.

The other ran from the fifth floor to the second and could be used to save time.

Hermione's worldview gradually crumbled. She had thought Cedric was the same kind of person as her—someone who loved learning and came first every year.

Now, it seemed that was not the case at all.

"Alright, that's it for today. I need to hurry to the basement. My first class today is Potions."

It was nearly nine o'clock. Cedric hurriedly said goodbye and left. "Let's stop standing around and head to the second floor."

Seeing that Hermione still had not quite recovered, Wayne urged her.

Their first class today was History of Magic, shared by Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.

"Ah, okay." Hermione finally followed behind him, but she still could not help complaining:

"It shouldn't be like this. Aren't rules meant to be followed? Diggory is a good student, so why would he—"

"This is Hogwarts." Wayne suddenly stopped and turned around. The little witch nearly ran straight into his arms.

"Wizards see the world very differently from Muggles. Many things that seem outrageous to you are actually not important in the Wizarding World."

"The same goes for rules." Like a little devil, Wayne tempted Hermione. "Do you want to follow the rules and miss out on the real Hogwarts, or work hard to improve your ability to avoid teachers and explore this thousand-year-old castle?"

Hermione was left dizzy by his words, her mind completely blank.

She only knew to instinctively clutch the corner of Wayne's robe so she would not get lost. The two arrived at the classroom, where quite a few people had already taken their seats, all wearing excited expressions.

Until a ghost passed through the wall and appeared at the lectern.

Ron's Gratitude, What a Grudge This Was

For their first class, the Little Badgers and little lions had been full of enthusiasm and anticipation.

They imagined themselves waving wands, chanting spells, mastering powerful magic, and earning points from their professors.

Unfortunately, when they received their schedules and discovered that their first class was History of Magic, that enthusiasm faded somewhat.

Seeing that the professor was actually a ghost dealt them an even heavier blow.

And worse was yet to come. Professor Binns's voice seemed to carry some kind of magic. He spoke in a wheezing, breathy tone, and in less than five minutes, the young wizards were already struggling to keep their eyes open.

Just as Wayne was about to close his eyes, Hermione pinched him and whispered:

"No zoning out!" Wayne looked helpless.

Come on, I'm not zoning out. My soul is about to leave my body!

"He's just reciting the textbook. I can memorize it after reading it once. There's no point in listening."

"That's basic respect for a professor." Little McGonagall said sternly. Wayne would not be able to fool her on this matter.

Wayne was beginning to regret sitting with Hermione. He could not even catch up on sleep.

At the same time, he grumbled inwardly that every Hogwarts headmaster had been a miser.

Professor Binns had been dead for centuries. They must have kept him as the History of Magic professor so they would not have to pay a salary.

As the History of Magic teacher invited by the four Founders when Hogwarts was first established, Professor Binns had already been quite old back then.

One day, he went to teach class and actually left his body behind on a chair in the staff lounge.

After that, Hogwarts never replaced its History of Magic professor. A professor who required no salary, never took leave, and had perfect attendance every year was the ideal worker countless headmasters dreamed of.

It was simply torture for generation after generation of young wizards, who had to endure every class.

In hundreds of years, no one had ever taken History of Magic for their N.E.W.T.s. That was really something.

"Hello, Wayne."

While Wayne was mentally cursing the headmasters and thinking they all deserved to be strung up from lampposts, Ron, who sat at the table on his other side, suddenly greeted him quietly.

Beside him, Harry Potter was nodding off repeatedly, about to drift into dreamland.

When he saw Ron actually talking to Wayne, he immediately perked up. "Is something wrong, Ron?"

Seeing that Hermione was not paying attention to him, Wayne finally answered with relief. "Oh, it's nothing." Ron shook his head. "I just wanted to thank you. You're incredible. This is the first time I've ever seen George and Fred suffer at someone else's hands."

"Twice, too!"

Ron was so excited that his voice rose considerably, waking several young wizards from their pleasant dreams.

Harry looked at his best friend of only one day with an indescribable expression.

Anyone who knew better would think the twins were your real brothers. Anyone who didn't would think they were your mortal enemies.

"You can think of Fred and George as your cousins," Ron explained to Harry.

Harry's expression changed instantly. He completely understood.

"No need to thank me." Wayne could not help laughing. He had not expected Ron to thank him over something like this.

Just how badly did the twins bully him normally?

Honestly, when Wayne had read the original books and watched the films, he had been rather dissatisfied with Ron as a character.

He was jealous, prone to imagining things, not particularly talented, and in the end he even married Hermione, whose wife became Minister for Magic.

That was absolutely rigged.

But the older Wayne got, the more he realized that Ron really had not had it easy.

He had five older brothers, three of whom were top of their year year after year, rising from prefects to Student Council presidents.

The twins might not have been as academically gifted, but their talent for pranks was absolutely legendary.

In an environment like this abroad, the twins were even more popular than academic stars like Percy. They were unquestionably prominent figures.

And below them, his little sister Ginny had also inherited powerful magical talent. Only Ron was nothing special.

Growing up in such a high-pressure environment, Ron had merely developed a somewhat awkward personality. When it came to major matters of right and wrong, he had no problems.

That alone proved he had good foundations.

Of course, that did not mean Wayne intended to deliberately befriend Ron. He simply would no longer judge everyone through the old stereotypes he had held.

This was a real world. Everything had to be based on his own feelings. So far, he had a good impression of Ron. They could be friends who greeted each other and chatted when they met.

Professor Binns lectured above while the two chatted below. Eventually, Harry joined in as well.

"Wayne, you're from a Muggle family too? That's great. No, I mean, we really are fated to meet."

"We don't even live that far apart. I live on Privet Drive in Surrey."

In just a few sentences, Harry had revealed all his secrets. Good-looking people usually found it easy to earn others' affection.

Wayne was the best example. Harry had already regarded him as his first friend from another house.

Fifty minutes passed quickly. Before class ended, Professor Binns assigned a six-inch essay explaining the early origins of English wizards.

The next class was Transfiguration, shared by Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Before they separated, the little witch angrily dragged Wayne into a corner. "You can't be like this!"

"You bought so many books before school started. I know you're someone who loves studying. You need to listen carefully in class too, even if the teacher is a ghost!"

Looking at Hermione, who truly resembled a little lion, Wayne obediently nodded. "Don't worry. I'll definitely pay attention from now on."

Hermione did not know whether Wayne had truly listened, but time was tight. She could only glare at him and hurry away, feeling somewhat disappointed inside.

She truly regarded Wayne as a friend, which was why she hoped he would study properly.

Wayne understood that, so he was not angry in the slightest.

Once Hermione saw his grades after a while, she naturally would not be like this anymore.

The Transfiguration classroom was on the second floor. Wayne entered with a group of Little Badgers. At first glance, he saw the tabby cat on the desk at the front. He gave her a slight nod, then casually found a seat and sat down.

Honestly, he really wanted to pet Professor McGonagall and see whether an Animagus felt better to touch.

But he had already seen Professor McGonagall transform during the summer. If he went up and petted her now, he would be asking for death.

However, Wayne knew that many other young wizards did not.

Especially the Hufflepuffs. Most young wizards in that house liked animals and plants, and when they saw the cat, some even pulled snacks from their pockets to feed her.

Wayne immediately looked at them as if they were Champions.

Damn.

Transfiguration Class