Hogwarts: Please, Just Graduate Already!

Damn, the Phoenix has conjunctivitis,

Why don't you just say your Phoenix has been overheated lately?

Voldemort clenched his teeth, afraid he might lose control and pull out his wand to send Wayne a couple of melons to chew on.

"Professor." Wayne studied him. "You don't seem very satisfied?" "How about you return the tears to me? Once Ho-Oh gets better, I can collect some more for you."

"No. No need." Voldemort took a deep breath. If he returned them, who knew how long Wayne would drag things out?

By then, he wouldn't even get any of Fawkes's tears.

"Just use them for now. If your Phoenix recovers, we can trade again later. I still have other high-level magic."

Voldemort could only continue tempting him with benefits. Wayne nodded. He did not leave in a hurry, instead asking several more questions. With Voldemort here, if he did not fleece him now, when would he?

Fifteen minutes later, Wayne left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, completely satisfied, and went to the Great Hall for lunch.

As soon as he sat down, a line of text appeared out of thin air on his plate.

"Lawrence, would you mind having afternoon tea with a lonely old man? I'll be waiting for you in my office after class."

The writing slowly vanished after Wayne read it twice, as if it had never existed. When he looked up, Dumbledore at the High Table gave him a mischievous wink. Wayne understood and nodded lightly in acknowledgment.

Who knew what Old Dumbledore was plotting? He was being so mysterious. Wayne agreed anyway. He had originally planned to take Cho and Hermione to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to look at Biting Cabbage. Now that would have to be delayed for a while.

After eating and telling the two girls about it, they were actually quite envious.

Having afternoon tea with the Headmaster was an honor that, aside from Wayne, they did not know anyone else had enjoyed.

"You two think too highly of Dumbledore." Wayne laughed. "Relax a little. He's just a somewhat lively old man."

Cho rolled her eyes.

That was Dumbledore! The great wizard who appeared in all kinds of textbooks and historical records.

He was the greatest White Magic wizard of the century. Who could treat him with an ordinary state of mind? It was time for afternoon Potions class.

Snape arranged the day's lesson with a gloomy expression.

That morning, Gryffindor's score had finally reached zero, but Snape's anger had still not been fully vented.

Whenever he saw Wayne, he thought of how the boy had incited Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office.

"You placed the ingredients in the wrong order. Hufflepuff, five points deducted!"

Wayne casually switched the positions of the toad bile and Puffskein fur. Losing points was the same as gaining points to him. He wished Snape would be harsher and deduct several hundred points from him at once.

"Lawrence," Snape said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "you gave Ho-Oh's tears to Quirrell?"

He had only learned what happened that morning by eavesdropping on the little Badgers chatting before class. Wayne blinked, looking completely innocent. "Ho-Oh has conjunctivitis lately, so I gave him Fawkes's tears."

"Pfft!"

Snape could not hold back his laughter. Hannah thought she had misheard and looked up at him in surprise.

"What are you looking at? Look at the cauldron!"

"Lawrence, keep your burden under control. Hufflepuff, five points deducted!"

Snape changed expressions at lightning speed. After scolding them, he walked off to another area. Hannah's lips turned down in a pout, and Wayne quickly comforted her before raising his middle finger at Snape's back.

After twenty points had been deducted, Wayne headed straight for the Headmaster's Office on the Seventh Floor as soon as class ended. "Lemon."

Before he could finish saying the password, the Gargoyle moved aside to reveal the passage. "Hurry up, hurry up. I don't want to see you."

"I nearly got crushed to death by letters a couple of days ago!" Wayne laughed as he rubbed the Gargoyle's head and entered the office.

A tower of desserts had already been arranged on the desk, and steam rose from the exquisite teacups. "Professor."

Wayne did not stand on ceremony. He sat directly across from Dumbledore, greeted him, picked up a bite of cheesecake, then took a sip of black tea. He looked utterly content. Dumbledore's eyes were filled with amusement as he watched Wayne enjoy the food. He also enjoyed spending time with students like this.

It was just that everyone respected him too much and became especially stiff in his presence. Wayne alone truly treated him as an ordinary old man.

After finishing a slice of cake and a cup of black tea, Wayne had recovered quite a bit of energy. "Professor, why did you ask me to come?"

He knew perfectly well that this was certainly not just a simple afternoon tea.

"Oh, right." Wayne slapped his forehead and said belatedly, "Let's put your matter aside for now. Professor Quirrell gave me this spell this morning, but I don't quite understand it. Could you take a look?"

Wayne casually found an excuse. In any case, he could not admit that he himself had noticed something wrong with Quirrell.

Hearing this, Dumbledore straightened up as well and examined the spell recorded on the parchment.

About ten minutes later, he suddenly picked up the wand beside him and began chanting the spell.

Zzzzt!

A small Lightning Net appeared in midair before quickly dissipating. Only then did Dumbledore smile and return the parchment to Wayne. There was nothing wrong with the spell.

"It's a fine spell. Very few lightning spells still exist. Quirrell probably found it in some ruins."

"With your talent, you'll master it very soon."

Dumbledore then explained his understanding of the spell and several techniques.

Wayne listened with utmost seriousness. As expected of Dumbledore, he had figured out so many of the spell's subtleties in such a short time.

Wayne soon managed to cast the spell successfully as well.

To keep a trump card in reserve, he deliberately suppressed Thunder Lord's Decree. Even so, it was enough to leave Dumbledore astonished.

"Mr. Lawrence, you're the most outstanding student I've ever seen. Perhaps you're also the most outstanding student in the school's history."

He had once used those words to evaluate Voldemort, but in front of Wayne, even Voldemort seemed to lose his luster.

"Professor, you flatter me." Wayne lowered his head shyly. "At least compared to you, I still have a long way to go."

In White Magic, Wayne was confident that his talent had already surpassed Old Dumbledore's. But in the Dark Arts...

The old man before him was not a wizard who only knew White Magic. His talent in the Dark Arts was in no way inferior to his talent in White Magic.

He was a master of the Dark Arts acknowledged by Grindelwald, the first Dark Lord.

After some mutual flattery, Wayne took advantage of Dumbledore's good mood to ask him several more questions.

Voldemort had tutored him in the morning, and Dumbledore had given him private lessons in the afternoon.

With two teachers at the level of Dark Lords, Wayne was like a thirsty sponge, absorbing their knowledge and experience.

It was not until an entire class had passed that he remembered Hermione and Cho were still waiting for him and took the initiative to steer the conversation back on course. "It's like this."

Dumbledore explained why he had called Wayne over.

"Some time ago, you gave me several of Ho-Oh's feathers, and they were very different from Fawkes's."

"I'm not an expert in magical creatures, so I sent one to an old friend of mine."

"He has conducted considerable research into magical creatures. It would not be an exaggeration to call him the greatest expert in the field."

"Today, I received his reply. He was quite surprised as well, and he also wrote you a letter, which he asked me to deliver."

As he spoke, Dumbledore placed a letter in front of Wayne. After hearing his explanation, even without the name being mentioned,

Wayne had already guessed who the old friend was. A Pokémon master. Ahem!

A magical-creature expert, a legend of Hufflepuff, and the man most hated by the first Dark Lord.

Newt Scamander!

Chapter 68: Newt's Letter, a Sudden Accident

When Newt was mentioned, he was undoubtedly one of the wizards most familiar to all the young witches and wizards.

Not just Hufflepuffs, but students from the other houses as well.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them had become one of the best-selling books in the world of magic. It was not only the designated textbook for magical-creature classes at every magic school, but also the bedtime reading of many young witches and wizards.

His research had a profoundly far-reaching impact on the entire Wizarding World. Magical creatures had existed before Newt, but no one had ever proposed the concept of protecting them.

He had conducted research bit by bit, traveled deep into every corner of the world, and rescued all kinds of endangered magical creatures, making the world richer and more colorful.

Erumpents, Graphorns, Screech owls, Venomous Leopards—

These creatures, which had nearly gone extinct at the time, reproduced and gradually expanded their populations with Newt's help.

Many of the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest had also been sent there by Newt later on. And in Hufflepuff, Newt was practically the idol of every little Badger. He had given Hufflepuff another defining trait.

Besides Herbology and food magic, Hufflepuffs were also skilled at dealing with magical creatures.

Moreover, Newt had played a major role during the wizarding wars. Aside from Grindelwald and Dumbledore, he was the most famous wizard. He had thwarted Grindelwald's schemes several times and was the man Grindelwald hated most, without exception.

He was practically the protagonist template.

In the final battle, Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, while Newt returned to the United States and settled in New York with the female Auror Tina, where he remained to this day. Wayne did not hesitate and opened the letter in front of Dumbledore.

Dear Mr. Wayne Lawrence,

Hello. I am Newt Scamander, once a Hufflepuff. I am delighted that such a genius as you has appeared at the school. I have always believed that Hufflepuff is the most perfect house.

A few days ago, I received the feathers and some droppings Dumbledore sent me. What astonishes me is that your Phoenix is exceptionally unusual, and compared with Fawkes, it is even more...

(A lengthy academic discussion followed.)

If possible, could you provide me with some research materials? Also, I will be returning to Europe during the summer holidays. Would I be so fortunate as to visit you?

Your loyal Hufflepuff senior student, Newt Scamander.

The letter was very long. Every line was filled with Newt's intense curiosity about Ho-Oh, along with a pile of instructions on caring for Phoenixes.

It was completely impossible to tell that this letter had been written by a genuine social phobe. "Professor." Wayne looked up.

"How should I reply to Newt?"

Dumbledore's smile stiffened for a moment.

There was nothing wrong with calling him that. Strictly speaking, Newt was indeed his senior student. But Newt was nearly a hundred years old.

Dumbledore took out a piece of parchment, wrote down Newt's address, and used his wand to leave a mark on it.

"Send the letter to this address. Remember to leave this mark, or Newt won't receive it."

"He's rather... introverted, and he's very afraid of fans showing up at his door. Oh, and some old friends still think about him from time to time."

Old friends!

Those must be the Saints who had served under Grindelwald back then. Wayne grumbled inwardly.

After putting away the letter and parchment, Wayne said goodbye to Dumbledore and left the Headmaster's office, heading for the library.

Cho and Hermione were waiting for him there while working on some homework. When the three of them left the castle, Hermione casually asked, "What did you and Dumbledore talk about?"

Wayne answered honestly, "Nothing much. Newt Scamander wrote me a letter, and Dumbledore delivered it to me."

"Oh." Hermione responded instinctively, then stopped walking.

Scamander... That surname sounded so familiar. "Who?"

Her eyes widened. "Newt Scamander? The Scamander who wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?"

"That's right, him." Wayne looked at her in confusion, not understanding why Hermione was reacting so strongly.

Cho was also astonished. "Newt Scamander actually wrote you a letter?"

"He wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!" Hermione shrieked, excitedly gripping Wayne's hand.

"What did the letter say? Why does he know you? Could you get me an autograph?"

She looked no different from a Muggle chasing a celebrity.

After being bombarded with questions, Wayne simply took out the letter and let the two of them read it themselves.

There was nothing embarrassing in it.

When they saw that Newt actually intended to visit Wayne, Hermione became even more excited, her face flushing red. Cho was no less excited.

Only then did Wayne realize just how famous Newt was in the Wizarding World.

"Wayne, can I come see Mr. Scamander when he visits?" Hermione asked expectantly.

Cho said nothing, but her beautiful eyes were fixed on the boy as well.

"No problem." Wayne readily agreed. "I'll write to Newt. Once the specific date is arranged, I'll let you know."

The two girls cheered in unison.

The three of them soon arrived at the patch of farmland Hagrid kept at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

After growing for some time and being accelerated by Potions, the Biting Cabbage had finally, barely, taken on the shape of a mature plant.