Hogwarts: Please, Just Graduate Already!

There was a small stool in the room but no table. Wayne did not mind and sat directly on it.

Hagrid sat on his bed.

"Um, Lawrence? What did you need me for?"

"Just call me Wayne." Wayne casually made up an excuse. "I heard Harry mention you. He said you were a very kind and helpful person."

"So when I ran into a problem, you were the first person I thought of."

Wayne was not worried that Hagrid and Harry would compare stories later. Harry had indeed mentioned Hagrid, just not this much.

With Harry's brain, even if he had never mentioned Hagrid, Wayne could still talk him into thinking he had simply forgotten.

At that, the Half-Giant smiled awkwardly.

Whether it was Wayne's praise or Harry mentioning him in front of his friends, both made him very happy.

His businesslike attitude instantly turned warm.

The Half-Giant got up, walked over to the fireplace, and brought over a thirty-inch iron tray. He also brought a cloth sack, and when he opened it, a pile of sweets rolled out. "Have some candy and the Rock cakes I made. They're fresh from this morning."

Wayne smiled and picked up a sweet, but politely declined the cakes. Were those things really edible?

They looked harder than bricks.

"Is there anything you need help with? Let me make this clear first—I won't help with anything that breaks school rules."

Hagrid asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Of course not. I just need some materials to make a few little things." Wayne waved his hand as he spoke, taking the chance to spit out the candy.

Damn, it was too sweet.

"I see." Hagrid finally relaxed completely and slapped his chest hard enough to shake the room. "What do you need? As long as I can get it, I'll definitely bring it to you."

"That's wonderful." Wayne was delighted and listed what he needed.

Feathers from Clown-faced birds and Screech owls, Henne-snake scales, Unicorn Hair, Spoon-billed boar bones, and Ashwinder eggs.

"Is that all?" Hagrid asked after listening. "Do you have any requirements for the quantity?"

"Just a small amount. It's only for practice." Wayne glanced at Hagrid and casually added, "If you can get Acromantula venom, that would be even better."

"Acromantula venom..." Hagrid frowned. "Everything else is easy enough, but I don't have any Acromantula venom right now. Next time I go to Hogsmeade, I'll look for some for you."

"Keep eating. I'll go to the cellar and get the materials." Watching the giant leave, Wayne was somewhat surprised. Hagrid was not quite as simple-minded as he had imagined.

Hagrid's claim that he would look for Acromantula venom in Hogsmeade had been a smokescreen. He simply did not want Wayne to know that such dangerous creatures lived in the Forbidden Forest.

That little bit of cleverness slightly changed Wayne's opinion of him. Sure enough, no one could be underestimated. He had to keep the right attitude.

About ten minutes later, Hagrid returned with a huge sack slung over his back.

"See if this is enough. If it isn't, I'll go pick up some more in the Forbidden Forest."

Wayne took the sack, and his hand sank from the weight. When he opened it, he fell silent. It was stuffed full of all kinds of feathers, bones, and Ashwinder eggs, crammed together like rubbish.

The snowy-white feathers had been bundled into clumps. Wayne recognized them at a glance—they were Unicorn Hair.

Any wizard with a bit of common sense knew how valuable that stuff was.

The finest Unicorn Hair, the kind used to make wands, could sell for five Galleons per strand.

The lesser kind could still be used in beauty potions. A bag cost ten Galleons and only contained around a dozen strands. Hagrid's bundle... had to contain dozens at least. There were several white bundles in the sack alone.

Together with everything else, this giant sack was worth at least several hundred Galleons.

The way he looked at Hagrid changed completely. This was what a real tycoon looked like!

"Still not enough?" Seeing Wayne remain silent, Hagrid scratched his head in distress. "Then you'll have to wait a while. I'll go look in the Forbidden Forest."

"It's enough, it's enough. This is more than enough for practice." Wayne hurriedly stopped him. This haul had already far exceeded his expectations. It would last him well past Christmas.

"Thank you so much, Hagrid."

The giant smiled. "It's nothing. If you need anything in the future, just come find me. I can't use this stuff anyway."

That was not wrong, because Wayne had just noticed that Hagrid owned a blanket woven entirely from Unicorn Hair.

What a waste!

Having decided to maintain a good relationship with his raw-material supplier, Wayne took out the gift he had prepared in advance.

"The House-elves said you also take care of the school vegetable garden. These potions are for driving away Garden gnomes and killing pests. Please take them."

"That's great!"

Hagrid's eyes lit up. "Those gnomes and Pixies have been driving me mad. You've really helped me out, Wayne."

"We're friends, aren't we?"

The Half-Giant was immediately touched to tears.

Under Hagrid's enthusiastic hospitality, Wayne left the cabin carrying the sack over his shoulder and a box of Rock Cakes in his hand.

When he returned to the Hufflepuff common room, Cedric happened to be watering the plants inside. Seeing Wayne loaded down with bags, he came over.

"Did you go rob someone?"

Wayne kept a straight face. "No, I just chatted with a friend. These are some local specialties he gave me."

"What specialties?"

"Cakes. Here, have them." Wayne handed him the box of Rock Cakes and headed back to his dormitory.

Cedric opened the box. Sure enough, there were cakes inside, still steaming.

Hufflepuff instinct made Cedric take a bite without hesitation. "Ow! My tooth!"

Come On! Potter and Malfoy Are Fighting!

It was another new week. Compared to the first week, Hogwarts was clearly much livelier.

That was because, after classes ended on Monday, an announcement had been posted on the Great Hall noticeboard. Quidditch tryouts and first-year Flying lessons would begin this week.

When it came to flying, all humans instinctively longed for the sky.

Ordinary people conquered the skies with airplanes, while wizards relied on flying broomsticks.

Oh, and flying carpets.

It was just that those had already been banned from sale in Europe, and not many wizards were interested in flying carpets anyway.

Flying carpets drifted around too much, and since they were made of fur, they were especially difficult to maintain. After being used for a while, they became filthy.

On top of that, those Middle Easterners cut corners, and safety problems occurred frequently. Almost no one liked flying carpets.

In short, Quidditch immediately became the hottest topic at Hogwarts. Everywhere they went, they could hear little wizards discussing broomsticks and Quidditch. "I once rode my broom around a Muggle helicopter for ages. You know what a helicopter is, right? That thing with the spinning head."

"The Muggles were terrified. They nearly fell out of it."

Malfoy had told this story several times already. It changed a little every time, but always ended with him using his superb flying skills to escape danger.

The other little wizards were no less impressive. They casually tossed around all kinds of Quidditch terms, speaking as if they knew everything.

Anyone who did not know better would have thought they could actually perform those moves.

Even the professors joined in. During class, Professor McGonagall had the little wizards turn pencils into Quaffles.

Other than Wayne, no one succeeded. Hermione did turn her pencil into a piece of cowhide, though. The little witch was so angry that she snapped the pencil in half after class. But remembering that she would need it for the next lesson, she could only repair it with a Mending Charm.

In Charms class, Professor Flitwick introduced a new spell: the Speed Charm. "In fact, flying broomsticks all have permanent Speed Charms carved into them. The more advanced the spell, the better its conductivity and the faster the broom's acceleration."

"By now, Nimbus Company has upgraded basic acceleration spells countless times. They are the company's greatest trade secret."

"If anyone can develop a more advanced Speed Charm, perhaps you could establish your own broomstick company."

His words fired up the little wizards. They waved their wands and shouted excitedly, but the snails on their desks did not react at all.

"What have you been busy with lately?"

While Professor Flitwick went over to guide Neville, Hermione secretly poked Wayne in the waist. Other than class, she had not seen Wayne at all these past two days. Even at lunchtime, he had been absent from the Hufflepuff table.

The boy yawned. "Getting ready to do business. I'm almost done."

Hermione looked at him warily. "Business? What scheme are you plotting now?"

"You'll find out soon enough." As Wayne spoke, he casually cast a Speed Charm. His snail immediately activated a turbo engine, overtook Hermione's snail, and reached the finish line first.

"Want to earn some pocket money?" Wayne raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Of course I do. There are so many books I want to buy." Hermione sighed helplessly.

"Then help me with something in a couple of days. You'll get thirty percent of the money we make."

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "It isn't something bad that breaks school rules, is it?"

"It's confidential, but it doesn't break any school rules."

"Hmph, then don't tell me." The little witch huffed and ignored Wayne for the rest of the class.

However, after class, once they left the classroom, Hermione hesitated for a moment before saying, "Malfoy has been saying bad things about you lately."

Wayne paused, then waved a hand. "I'm busy. I don't have time to deal with him. You don't need to care either. Let Harry bite him."

"Bite what?" Harry came out of the classroom as well. Hearing his name, he looked confused.

"Have you bite Malfoy."

"Don't make it disgusting." Harry looked revolted. "But if I can punch him, I'd be very happy to."

Wayne had known for a long time that Malfoy had been talking about him behind his back.

Hufflepuff never lacked wizards; they were everywhere. Malfoy had not hidden it from anyone, so naturally some Little Badgers had heard him and told Wayne.

After learning the full story, Wayne had merely laughed it off.

If no one envied you, you were mediocre. Wayne had performed even more brilliantly than Hermione. In just one week, he had become a genius known to every first-year student.

Naturally, Malfoy and those pure-bloods could not stand it.

They had not said anything too serious. They merely claimed that Wayne won the professors' favor by studying himself to death and previewing lessons in advance.

But when it came to Quidditch, a sport only pure-bloods had encountered from childhood, Wayne would show his true colors.

It was only childish jealousy.

If Wayne got angry over every little matter like this, would he have time to do anything worthwhile?

In the blink of an eye, Thursday arrived.

Wayne had no classes that afternoon. He was hiding in his room making props that he was about to sell when Toby and Norman burst in, looking like they had come to drag him off to watch a spectacle.

"Something huge happened!"

Wayne cooperatively cupped a hand to his ear, though his hands kept working.

"Longbottom broke his wrist."

"Potter and Malfoy got into a conflict during Flying lesson. While Madam Hooch was away, they got on their brooms and chased each other through the air, all lovey-dovey! Is that how you use that phrase?"

Wayne twitched his lips, saddened by Toby's English skills.

Toby continued talking enthusiastically. "You have no idea—Potter flew incredibly well. He toyed with Malfoy, but unfortunately Professor McGonagall saw them. He's probably in deep trouble."

"Maybe not." Wayne said casually. "Maybe the professor will see how well Harry flies and make an exception to let him join the Quidditch team. Didn't their Seeker graduate last year?"

"We're first-years," Norman reminded him. "First-years can't join the Quidditch team."

"Actually, they can." Wayne put away the parchment before looking at the two of them. "In 1853, Cormac Fleming joined the school team in his first year."

"Fine, I can't argue with you." Norman looked dejected. "What I'm worried about now is whether I'll fall and break my wrist like Longbottom tomorrow. A broken wrist would be minor. If I break my neck, I'm done for."

"Don't worry." Wayne patted his shoulder reassuringly. "If you really break it, we'll visit you in the hospital wing."

Toby raised his head in surprise. "If his neck is broken, shouldn't we just hold a feast?"

Norman: ""

Can't you at least hope for the best for me?

The two had just been about to sit down and read a few more books about Quidditch when another excited shout came from outside.

"Come quick! Potter and Malfoy are fighting in the Great Hall!"

Hogwarts' Worrying Standard of Education

Watching drama was always humanity's second greatest cure for procrastination. The first was porn.

With that shout, the entire Hufflepuff dormitory erupted. Everyone rushed out in a swarm, and several little wizards even came out in their pajamas.

At that moment, Hufflepuff's advantage showed itself again. They lived in the basement, with the Great Hall directly above them. It did not take long for them to reach the battlefield.

Quite a few people had gathered in the Great Hall. Wayne found a gap and squeezed inside. The fight was in full swing. Malfoy and Harry were rolling around in a tangled heap, their wands carelessly tossed onto the floor, but neither paid them any attention.

Wayne realized that Toby had not used his adjectives incorrectly. The state those two were in really did look lovey-dovey.

Harry was "stroking" Malfoy's hair, while Malfoy was "pinching" his ears. They also exchanged affectionate greetings as they fought.

Malfoy's two lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle, wanted to help, but other Gryffindor students stopped them and sternly rebuked them.

"What do you think you're doing? This is a sacred duel!"

"Is the glory of pure-blood families ganging up on one person?"