The Weasley twins paid dearly for their arrogance.
Originally, the pair had only meant to intimidate Wayne a little, not actually seek revenge—they just wanted to see Wayne beg for mercy.
But as luck would have it, they were caught red-handed by Professor McGonagall, who had just entered the Great Hall. The sight of her Gryffindor students looming over the Hufflepuff table had already struck her as odd.
Upon hearing their threats, her face turned livid.
Third-years, threatening a first-year newcomer! And when Wayne mentioned reporting them, the twins dared to claim even Dumbledore couldn't touch them.
Oh, unafraid, were they?
She admired their defiance.
What was meant to be a simple detention, polishing trophies thrice over, was now doubled.
After the trophies, they'd also have to hand-copy the biographies of Gryffindor's most illustrious alumni—every last one of them.
Upon hearing the punishment, the twins nearly fainted.
Three times!
Those books combined were at least several dozen inches thick!
The two didn't even have time to settle scores with Wayne anymore. Under Professor McGonagall's stern gaze, they slunk back to the Gryffindor table.
"You did that on purpose," Cedric declared with absolute certainty after witnessing the entire scene.
Wayne continued eating his sandwich and said nonchalantly, "Everyone dies. Some just need a little help getting there."
Cedric was speechless.
'How on earth had this guy been sorted into Hufflepuff? Sorting Hat, are you blind?!'
Breakfast ended, and Hermione stood gracefully beside Wayne, prompting Norman and Toby to discreetly give him a thumbs-up out of the little witch's line of sight.
Impressive—already attracting a cute little witch on the first day.
Though Hermione's hair was a bit bushy, her natural charm was undeniable. As long as she didn't grin too widely, she was quite adorable indeed.
Other first-years noticed them gathering and curiously asked what was going on. Soon, the group swelled to over a dozen little badgers crowding around Cedric. Left with no choice, he called a few friends to help and split them into smaller groups.
The large group marched out of the passageway and into the teaching area.
"The castle has a total of 142 staircases, and their shapes and positions change constantly," Cedric explained.
"Sometimes, you might step onto a staircase leading from the third to the fourth floor, but once you're on it, the stairs might pivot and send you straight to the top floor instead.
"Honestly, even after two years, I haven't fully figured out the pattern—especially on Fridays, when the staircases seem to go completely mad.
"Even seventh-years can get lost if they're not careful."
Cedric led Wayne and Hermione to the third floor, while his two roommates went off with other older students.
"Watch out for this staircase—don't step too hard or run on it, or it'll take you straight to the eighth floor.
"There are four more like this... or maybe more. I can't quite remember."
Hermione nodded vigorously, even pulling out a notebook to jot it all down. Wayne, however, looked thoroughly bored.
"Cedric, is this really all you've got for your mates? Give us something useful."
"What do you mean?" Cedric blinked at him, confused.
"Secret passages. Shortcuts leading outside the castle."
"What are you on about?" Cedric chastised him sternly. "How would I know about things like that?"
"Wayne, breaking school rules is wrong," Hermione scolded, frowning at his dangerous ideas.
"If you don't get caught, it doesn't count as breaking the rules," Wayne waved her off dismissively.
Cedric patted his shoulder—some things were better left unsaid.
To have grasped the school's most fundamental rule on the first day... It had taken Cedric until the end of last term to figure it out.
Why was the school caretaker Filch a Squib?
Why was it that as long as students weren't caught red-handed, even if teachers spotted them from behind, they wouldn't lose points or face punishment?
This was Hogwarts' unspoken rule, passed down for centuries—a game of wits between teachers and students, but also a form of training.
Many only realised the brilliance of it after graduating, even starting families and careers, only to regret not understanding it sooner. How much of the exciting life they had missed out on back then?
Cedric flashed a grin. "Since you put it that way, let me show you a few tricks."
He led Hermione and Wayne to an empty picture frame, tapping it three times with his wand. The frame transformed into an actual door.
"Go through here, and you'll reach the bushes near the Quidditch Pitch," he said. "Time's limited, so I won't take you further. Next location."
Next, Cedric introduced Wayne to two more secret passages. One led to the opposite side of the castle, useful for evading Filch and his cat, Mrs Norris, during nighttime wanderings. The other connected the fifth floor to the second, handy for shortcuts.
Hermione's worldview was crumbling. She had assumed Cedric was like her—a studious, top-of-the-class type. Clearly, that wasn't the case.
"Alright, that's it for today. I've got to hurry to the dungeons—first period is Potions class."
As the clock neared nine, Cedric bid a hasty farewell.
"Let's not dawdle either. Off to the second floor," Wayne urged, noticing Hermione still processing everything.
Their first lesson was History of Magic, shared with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.
"Oh—right." Hermione trailed behind the boy, finally voicing her frustration. "This shouldn't be how it is. Aren't rules meant to be followed? Diggory's a model student—why would he—"
"This is Hogwarts," Wayne interrupted, stopping abruptly. The young witch nearly collided with him.
"A wizard's worldview is fundamentally different from a Muggle's. What seems outrageous to you might be trivial in the magical world. Rules included." He grinned, devilishly persuasive. "Do you want to play it safe and miss the real Hogwarts? Or hone your skills to dodge teachers and explore this ancient castle?"
Hermione's head spun, her mind blank. She instinctively clutched Wayne's sleeve to keep from getting lost until they entered the classroom, already buzzing with excited chatter.
Until... a ghost phased through the wall and materialised on the podium.