Hogwarts: Please, Just Graduate Already!

Hogwarts held only two Quidditch matches in November. The remaining matches would be held in March and June.

The team with the highest total score would win that school year's championship. Marietta's comfort had not helped much. Cho understood that every match was crucial.

If they lost the first match by a wide margin, catching up later would be far too difficult. The girl remained silent, and Marietta had no idea what else to do. The other girl could only stay by her side quietly.

Just then, a figure sneaked in furtively. The sight of him startled all of them, and even Cho, who had still been grieving, finally spoke. "Wayne, why are you here?"

"I heard you were injured, so I came to see you."

Wayne nodded to Marietta and the other blonde girl, then dragged over a chair and sat down.

"How did you get in?" Marietta could not help asking. "Did Madam Pomfrey not stop you?"

"I used a Disillusionment Charm. Madam Pomfrey did not see me." Wayne gave a brief explanation, then, seeing the girl's pale face, could not help scolding her. "It was only training. Why did you have to push yourself so hard?"

"I..." Cho looked aggrieved, but she knew it was her own fault. She had caught a cold recently, and her energy and focus had been poor. Under normal circumstances, she definitely could have completed the move that had injured her.

"Looks like we're a little unnecessary here." Seeing the state of the two of them, the blonde girl teased them with a smile. Marietta immediately chimed in.

"Exactly. Cho would not even talk to us just now, but the moment Wayne arrived, she started speaking."

The girl blushed and turned away. Wayne, thick-skinned as ever, paid no mind to their teasing and instead asked, "What should I call you, Senior?"

"Penelope Clearwater. Just call me Penelope."

The blonde girl gracefully extended her hand and shook Wayne's. "You do not need an introduction. Wayne Lawrence, Hufflepuff's genius and owner of a Phoenix—I have heard all about you."

"Professor McGonagall even expressed regret at the Transfiguration Club that you had not accepted her invitation." "And Celia's Shop has cost me quite a bit of money." Penelope?

Wayne knew this senior. She was a highly popular Ravenclaw girl and would very likely become a prefect next year.

She had delicate features and beautiful blonde hair, and she had joined Professor McGonagall's club, which meant her magical talent was not bad either.

She was a beauty blessed with both talent and looks.

After a brief introduction, Penelope took Marietta away, leaving Wayne and Cho alone.

"What did Madam Pomfrey say?" Seeing the girl frown from the pain, Wayne could not bear to say anything harsher.

Cho replied dejectedly, "I cannot take part in next month's Quidditch match."

"Do you really want to play?" Wayne asked again.

"What good would wanting it do?" Cho gave a bitter smile. "Things are already like this. I should just recover properly and make sure nothing goes wrong in March."

"Fine. I'll help you this once."

Wayne made up his mind and said seriously, "You must be more careful from now on. If you get injured again, I will not help you."

Cho was somewhat confused when a flash of fire appeared in the air. Ho-Oh had answered his summons.

"Chirp, chirp!"

"Ho-Oh, use Sacred Fire," Wayne ordered.

At her master's command, white flames emerged around Ho-Oh's body. One cluster flew out and landed on Cho, who could not move.

The burning heat she had expected never came, and her hospital gown did not catch fire. Instead, the flames merged into her body.

Her broken ribs and wrist began recovering at an astonishing speed.

In less than a minute, Cho could no longer feel even the slightest pain. She raised her arm in shock and sat upright. Her entire body even felt full of strength.

"I-I'm healed?"

"Why is it so noisy? Patients need quiet!" Madam Pomfrey heard the commotion from the office next door and hurried over.

Seeing Cho sitting up only made her angrier. "Lie down immediately. Your bones need two days to fully mend."

"No, Madam Pomfrey." Cho waved her hands frantically. "I-I feel like there is nothing wrong with me anymore."

"How could that be? I..." Madam Pomfrey wanted to say more, but when she saw Ho-Oh in the air and Cho freely moving her hand, she became uncertain.

"Did you do this, Lawrence?"

There was only one young wizard at Hogwarts who kept a Phoenix, so Madam Pomfrey naturally knew Wayne. The boy said modestly, "It was Ho-Oh's work. It had nothing to do with me." Ho-Oh proudly raised her head, looking utterly pleased with herself.

Although she was still young and could not bring the dead back to life, minor injuries like broken bones were no problem at all.

Madam Pomfrey examined Cho suspiciously. After fussing over her for quite some time, her expression became one of complete disbelief.

"She is actually healed. Is a Phoenix's healing ability really this powerful?"

It was not as if she had never seen Dumbledore's Fawkes save someone. Yet even that had not produced such an obvious effect.

According to her examination, Cho was completely fine now, as though she had never been injured at all.

"Madam Pomfrey, can I leave the Hospital Wing now?" Cho asked expectantly.

"No." Madam Pomfrey glanced at Ho-Oh suspiciously and refused without hesitation. "Stay one more night. Only if there are no problems will I allow you to leave."

"What about the Quidditch match..." Staying one night was no big deal. What Cho cared about more was whether she could take part in next month's match.

Madam Pomfrey did not answer. She only reminded Wayne to keep his voice down and not stay too long before leaving the Hospital Wing.

But her attitude had already made the answer clear.

"Wayne, thank you!" Once Madam Pomfrey was gone, Cho excitedly threw her arms around Wayne in gratitude.

"Soft, though a little small," Wayne murmured quietly as he felt Cho's soft body.

But given their current position, Cho could hear him no matter how quietly he spoke. Her face instantly turned red—not from embarrassment, but anger.

"Wayne!"

"Ah!" Only then did Wayne realize his mistake. He hurriedly explained, "What I mean is, the future is promising. You still have plenty of room to grow."

"I-I'm only twelve. Of course I'll still grow." Cho's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz as she desperately tried to save face.

The atmosphere in the Hospital Wing suddenly turned somewhat suggestive.

Cho raised her head and looked at the boy's straight nose, bright eyes, and long eyelashes. For some reason, her breathing grew a little hurried.

Seeing the blush on the girl's face, Wayne also felt his desire stir.

Her autumn-water eyes carried a faint glimmer of moisture, making him tighten his arms and pull them closer together.

They were not old enough yet, but sampling some lip balm would not be bad.

Neither spoke, but both knew what was about to happen.

The girl closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling as Wayne slowly leaned down. Bang!

The Hospital Wing door was pushed open.

"Cho, I heard you were injured. You're not... dead, are you?" Hermione stared at the two embracing figures, her expression gradually becoming complicated.

"Wayne, how is Cho Chang?"

When Wayne returned to the common room, Cedric casually asked.

"It is nothing serious. She will be fine after resting for two days."

"Then why does your expression look so strange?" Cedric studied his friend, rubbing his chin suspiciously.

"Somewhat regretful, and somewhat... lecherous?"

"It is indeed regrettable." Wayne sighed. "If only Hermione had come a little later."

Cedric looked utterly baffled. What did that have to do with Granger? Had she been injured too?

Late at night.

Inside the Room of Requirement, Wayne had already put the suggestive scene in the Hospital Wing behind him. He would let nature take its course. It was not as if he would never get another chance if he did not get to taste it today. He had plenty of time.

His current priority was improving his strength.

According to the system's evaluation, he could already rival a professor when fighting at full strength, but that was only because of his talent bonuses.

He had been exposed to magic for too short a time and lacked a solid foundation. He was too young, and his total amount of magic power was insufficient. These were all problems Wayne faced.

Professor level sounded impressive, but Dumbledore, Voldemort, and Grindelwald existed on a completely different level from other wizards.

Above them stood no one; beneath them stood all living beings. The gap was simply enormous. Wayne did not feel the slightest bit complacent.

If time was short, he would make up for it through hard work. Talent only represented potential and a ceiling. If it was not converted into genuine strength, it would remain nothing but an illusion.

With the Manaflow Band, Wayne only needed to train his other Charms to advanced level to raise his magic power along the way.

Therefore, his recent training focus had been to raise as many Charms as possible that remained at intermediate level.

The results were fairly good. Over the past half month, he had raised five or six Charms to advanced level.

In the system's evaluation, his magic power rating had risen from 0.8 S to 0.9 S. "Sectumsempra!"

The blue spell struck the steel plate and sliced it into more than a dozen pieces. Wayne's magic power rose slightly again.

This meant his Severing Charm had also reached advanced level.

Suddenly.

Just as Wayne was preparing to leave the Room of Requirement, his heart jolted. He received a summons from Ho-Oh.

Amid familiar firelight, Ho-Oh flew out, chirping urgently. "A Unicorn is giving birth. It needs my help." Wayne understood what she meant and did not hesitate. "Where is it? Take me there."

Grabbing Wayne's hair, Ho-Oh used Apparition once more. The next second, the two appeared in the Forbidden Forest.

The host has explored the depths of the Forbidden Forest for the first time. Reward: Points +50

Wayne ignored the notification in his mind and turned his gaze toward a tree.

A Fantastic Beast covered in pure white fur lay beneath it, its belly swollen. Its spiraling horn made it obvious that this was the Unicorn Ho-Oh had mentioned.

Ho-Oh flew above the Unicorn's head and scattered Sacred Fire to ease her pain.

"Neigh~!"

"Neigh~!"

The Unicorn let out a weak whinny, seemingly expressing her gratitude.

"No, what am I supposed to help with?"

Wayne felt numb. He had never learned how to deliver a baby. If Newt were here, that would be different.

But Wayne quickly understood why Ho-Oh had called him here. Rustling sounds came from the dense forest, and faint lights suddenly appeared in the darkness—countless lights.

After a burst of scuttling, huge numbers of spiders descended from the trees and rose from the ground, surrounding them.

These spiders stood nearly a meter tall. They had eight eyes, eight long, thin legs, enormous venomous pincers beneath their eyes, and long fangs. With such distinctive features, Wayne recognized them at a glance.

Acromantulas.

They were 5X-level Fantastic Beasts, on the same level as Fire Dragons.

A single Acromantula was nowhere near as dangerous as a Fire Dragon.

But spiders reproduced incredibly quickly, hatching a brood every six to eight weeks. Their terrifying numbers, combined with their deadly venom, made many wizards prefer encountering a Fire Dragon to an Acromantula.

With a Fire Dragon, they only needed to avoid its nest. But Acromantulas... ate people.

These Acromantulas did not attack immediately. Instead, they orderly sealed off the entire area, watching Wayne and the Unicorn with predatory eyes.

Their most primal hunger stirred.

Suddenly, the spiders opened a path, and an Acromantula larger than a house crawled forward.

"Heh heh heh. Besides a Unicorn, I did not expect to encounter a young wizard as well." "Looks like this meal gets an extra course."

Slaughter! A Centaur's Provocation!

The Unicorn was at a critical point in labor. Seeing so many Acromantulas, fear flashed through her eyes, but her body could not move.

"Chirp, chirp!"

At Ho-Oh's cry, the flames around her grew even more dazzling, and quite a few Acromantulas retreated.

Ho-Oh had discovered the danger in advance. With her strength alone, she might have been able to drive away the Acromantulas, but then she would not be able to protect the Unicorn at the same time.

That was why she had called her master here to help. Fire was what spiders feared most.

A cold snort came from the enormous spider's mouth, and the retreating spiders stopped moving.

"Young wizard, blame your bad luck."

The Acromantula's voice was extremely aged, like that of an old man on his last legs. "I promised someone that I would no longer eat humans, but my descendants have no such restriction."

"Who told you to violate Dumbledore's rules and enter the Forbidden Forest?" Wayne lifted his eyes slightly, and his wand silently appeared in his hand. "You must be Aragog, right?"

"You know me?" Aragog, the enormous spider, was somewhat surprised. "I am Hagrid's friend."

"Hagrid's friend..." Aragog pondered for a moment before finally backing away a step. "Even if you are Hagrid's friend, I cannot help you. You delivered yourself to my doorstep. No one can save you."