Hogwarts: Please, Just Graduate Already!

"Still, I have a feeling Filch might know it was me. What if he comes after me later?"

Fred consoled him, "It's not 'might.' He definitely knows."

"There are only a few black wizards in the school. You're the most troublesome one, so Filch absolutely knows."

"Damn it." Li Yi froze, trembling with rage. "So you two deliberately set me up?"

"Don't worry." After finishing a glass of lemonade, Cedric comforted him, "As long as he didn't catch you in the act and has no evidence, he has no right to punish you."

Fred curled his lip disdainfully. "Exactly. You've been hanging around us for years, yet you don't even know such a basic rule?"

"It's precisely because I've been hanging around you two that I've been given detention so many more times." Li retorted angrily, then asked about the matter he cared about most.

"What exactly was in that corridor? Did you see it?"

At the mention of it, the others immediately perked up. "Let me tell you. You won't believe it."

Li's mouth fell wide open, wide enough to fit a pear. "A Three-Headed Dog? A trapdoor?"

Then he looked at Wayne, who had been busy stuffing his face. "Are you saying Wayne defeated the Three-Headed Dog?"

"Not defeated." Wayne corrected him. "I only held it off for a while."

"We were the ones holding you back." Cedric cut in. "Judging by the way you were fighting, you wouldn't have stopped until you killed the Three-Headed Dog."

"How did you train your magic to be that powerful?" George asked enviously.

"Compared to you, I was practically useless in my first year."

"We still are." Fred mocked him mercilessly, not even sparing himself.

"With just those few moves, he could turn all four of us into Muggles."

Cedric's mouth twitched. Mock yourselves all you want, but why drag me into it? Don't I have any dignity as the top student in my year?

"Is there some trick to it?" Cedric still couldn't resist asking.

"I really can't teach you this." Wayne shook his head. "Magic is an innate talent. It can only be excavated, and it's very difficult to improve."

"If you want to become stronger, besides mastering more spells, you need a deeper internal understanding of magic."

He wasn't fobbing them off. That was simply the truth.

The strength of Dumbledore and Grindelwald was the result of both innate and acquired factors.

Even while they were students, they had already displayed extraordinary talent. Combined with hard work, that was what allowed them to achieve such terrifying accomplishments.

Talent was the foundation. Only with a foundation could hard work produce results.

The clearest example was Hermione.

When Harry first entered school, he spent every day playing around, and whenever trouble arose, he only knew how to charge in recklessly. Hermione, meanwhile, had already mastered a great many spells.

But later, after Lupin's guidance, Harry's magic had surpassed Hermione's by the end of his third year, and the gap only grew wider afterward.

That was the difference in talent.

Cedric's talent was decent, but only decent by ordinary standards.

According to the system's rankings, his overall evaluation was merely at the B level.

He was well-rounded, and he also worked hard, which was why he could remain firmly seated at the top of his year.

The twins were slightly worse, and most of their energy was spent figuring out how to enjoy themselves more.

"I hate you talent monsters." Fred curled his lip.

The others didn't bring it up again and devoted themselves to their late-night snack.

Half an hour later, Wayne and the others left the kitchen and returned to their respective dormitories. However, after watching Cedric enter his dormitory, Wayne left the common room again.

He had already checked in at the Fourth Floor Corridor and earned fifty points. His stroll that evening had earned him more than a hundred points in total. Wayne wasn't heading out to farm more points.

He wanted to search the Restricted Section of the library for books he needed. At Flourish and Blotts, he had bought a book called Introduction to Alchemy, which was also the alchemy textbook used by Beauxbatons.

Because of Nicolas Flamel, Beauxbatons was far ahead in alchemy. Young wizards could choose alchemy as an elective once they reached their third year.

At Hogwarts, however, they had to pass the OWLs exam before they were qualified.

More advanced books were not mass-produced. Alchemy was already a subject with a very high barrier to entry, so it was unsuitable for widespread promotion.

Wayne could only try his luck in the Restricted Section and see whether he could find what he needed.

When he returned and reached the second floor, Dumbledore and Snape had already arrived at the Fourth Floor Corridor.

Looking at the oak door, which appeared unchanged on the surface, Snape placed his wand against the handle and sensed it carefully.

Only then did he speak in a sinister tone.

"Unlock Charm. It seems your warning was completely ineffective, Dumbledore."

"That's understandable, Severus." Dumbledore didn't get angry because someone had disregarded his warning.

His tone was as casual as if he were chatting with a friend about his mischievous grandson. "You were the same back then, weren't you? Oh, right, there was even one time when you were—"

"Shut up!" Snape cut him off furiously. "You're old, so stop dwelling on the past. Was that a pleasant experience? They should have been expelled!"

"And the young wizard who broke in here should be expelled too!"

"Things haven't reached that point." Dumbledore blinked and took out a key to open the oak door.

"Let's first see how far they actually got."

Snape gave a cold snort and didn't enter first.

That stupid dog recognized only Hagrid and Dumbledore. Anyone else who appeared before it would be attacked without exception.

Only after Dumbledore entered did he follow behind.

The Three-Headed Dog was just about to erupt in anger, but when it saw the familiar white beard, it immediately lay down, all three tongues hanging out as it whimpered.

"What is this?" Snape's eyes narrowed.

His wand emitted a bright light, allowing both of them to see the injuries on the Three-Headed Dog.

Dumbledore said meaningfully, "It seems our young wizards are quite capable indeed."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Wayne: I'm a Hufflepuff. Why Would I Lie to You?

"I've discovered that you have a unique talent. You can always turn something terrible into good news."

Relying on Dumbledore's intimidating presence, Snape examined the Three-Headed Dog's wounds before speaking sarcastically.

"A young wizard beat a Three-Headed Dog into this state. He might well be the next Dark Lord, and you still have the nerve to praise him?"

"If you hadn't told me a student had broken in, I would have thought it was Quirrell."

A look of surprise flashed through Snape's eyes. He and Dumbledore had just been discussing Quirrell in the office when a portrait burst in and reported that another young wizard had broken into the restricted area and that Filch had been lured away.

That was why the two of them had come together.

"I don't think so." Dumbledore continued smiling. "Tom—"

"Don't mention that name!"

Snape shuddered all over as if he had encountered something utterly terrifying.

"All right." Dumbledore looked somewhat helpless. "Severus, if you want to defeat the Dark Lord completely, you have to learn to face him. At the very least, you need to treat him like an ordinary person."

"An ordinary person?" Snape scoffed.

"Under the heavens, you're the only one with the nerve to call the Dark Lord an ordinary person. Oh, perhaps there's one more—the senior in Nurmengard."

"Let's return to the matter at hand." Light reflected beneath Dumbledore's eyes, and his expression grew much more serious.

"The Dark Lord's emergence was accompanied by many coincidences. A series of wrong choices led him down the path he's on today."

At the mention of Voldemort, Dumbledore couldn't help sighing. "If I had properly guided him back then, perhaps what followed would never have happened."

Snape sneered at Dumbledore's view. "Some people are born rotten. If you had the ability, you should have killed him while he was still a student."

"I haven't killed anyone in eighty-two years..." A trace of sorrow flashed through Dumbledore's eyes.

"Stop dwelling on the past. Who was that young wizard? Don't tell me you don't know. The entire castle is your network of informants."

Snape knew Dumbledore very well. Although the old man seemed not to interfere with things in his daily life, there was no secret in Hogwarts that he didn't know.

The same applied to Quirrell. That idiot thought he had hidden himself well, but the moment he appeared, not only Dumbledore but even Snape could smell his filthy, disgusting stench.

He had definitely come into contact with that man!

"In fact, I really don't know." Dumbledore pondered for two seconds. "I only have a rough guess, and drawing conclusions recklessly would be irresponsible."

"Hmph. Keep protecting them, then."

Leaving those words behind, Snape couldn't be bothered to waste any more time with him. He left two bottles of Healing Potion and strode away, his robes dragging behind him.

Only Dumbledore remained in the corridor, still using the Healing Spell to restore the Three-Headed Dog's injuries.

"Wayne Lawrence. What terrifying talent."

Snape had been right. The entire castle was Dumbledore's network of informants, and he was referring to the portraits that were everywhere.

Every portrait had been given an order when it was created: serve the current headmaster.

Naturally, Wayne and the others' movements had not escaped notice.

Dumbledore didn't know exactly what had happened after they entered the room, but he knew the abilities of the other three like the back of his hand.

Only Wayne, the young wizard who had just enrolled, was the correct answer. Perhaps he should shift his attention elsewhere and pay more attention to the other outstanding students.

The next day.

At nine in the morning, Wayne yawned as he entered the washroom to freshen up. After changing into a clean set of robes, he finally woke up completely.

He had been so exhausted from rummaging through the Restricted Section the previous day that he didn't realize he should leave until the roosters on the grounds began crowing.

This was the true treasure trove.

Any book that could be placed in the Restricted Section had something special about it—or was dangerous.

For example, the book Alchemy Soul: Equivalent Exchange, which Wayne had been reading. Many of the methods for refining the items described in it were extremely dangerous, and could even cost the user their life.

It was too early for him to read it. There was a great deal of knowledge he hadn't mastered yet. Without extensive experimentation, recklessly refining advanced alchemical objects would be extremely unwise.

Still, Wayne hadn't come away empty-handed. He could say the trip had been worthwhile.

He found a school owl, hurriedly wrote down the names and quantities of a large number of materials, put several dozen Galleons in the pouch, and sent the owl flying toward Diagon Alley.

After finishing all that, he went to the kitchen for breakfast before leaving the castle and heading toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

The Scottish Highlands were already somewhat cold in September. It was overcast that day, with heavy humidity. Thick fog concealed the castle, leaving only the tops of its towers visible from a distance.

Following the Black Lake, Wayne crossed the grassland and arrived at a small wooden hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

It wasn't exactly small. The door alone was already three or four meters high. Its style was crude and rugged, making it look as if a child had thrown it together temporarily.

Before Wayne could even get close, a black dog beside the hut began barking. Soon, a deep, muffled voice of complaint came from inside.

"Fang, are there more young wizards trying to enter the Forbidden Forest? Stop him!"

A moment later, the hut erupted into chaos.

Wayne activated his Animal Affinity, and Fang's barking instantly turned into ingratiating whimpers.

This was a little trick he had discovered. The ability only took effect when he deliberately showed that he wanted to get close to the animals.

"Young wizard, stay away from here. The Forbidden Forest isn't somewhere you can go." Hagrid finally came out. With his messy hair, tangled beard, and unkempt appearance, combined with his nearly three-meter height and two-meter width, he was a genuine little giant.

"Hello, my name is Wayne Lawrence. I'm not trying to enter the Forbidden Forest. I came to find you."

Wayne put on another harmless smile, never stopping his hand from rubbing Fang's head.

"You came to find me? Don't try any of those tricks. I'm not going to believe you!"

Hagrid remained extremely wary. These young wizards would use every trick in the book to enter the Forbidden Forest.

He waved to Fang. "Fang, come here!"

To his astonishment, his dog acted as if it hadn't heard him. It continued sitting obediently where it was, letting Wayne play with it.

"That's right. I have something I'd like your help with." Wayne's smile remained unchanged. "I forgot to mention that I'm a first-year Hufflepuff."

"I'm a Hufflepuff. Why would I lie to you?"

Chapter Forty: And You, My Friend, Are the Real Tycoon

Hufflepuff's reputation in Britain's wizarding world was much like a chastity archway in ancient society.

When talking about Hufflepuff, you could say they were stupid, slow to react, or average in their studies.

But if you said they cheated, conned, or deceived people, nine out of ten Hufflepuffs would spit at you.

That was a golden signboard.

Clearly, the Hufflepuff signboard worked even better on a straight-laced man like Hagrid.

"Come in."

Hagrid moved aside to let him through. Wayne released Fang and walked inside beneath the dog's reluctant gaze.

The fire in the fireplace burned brightly, popping loudly from time to time. The entire room was warm and cozy.