The young badgers and lions had approached their first lesson with boundless enthusiasm, dreaming of brandishing wands, chanting spells, mastering powerful magic, and earning house points.
Alas, discovering History of Magic on their timetables dampened their spirits slightly. The sight of a ghost as their professor dealt the final blow.
Worse yet, Professor Binns' wheezing, monotonous voice had a soporific effect. Within five minutes, eyelids drooped across the room.
Just as Wayne's eyes began to shut, Hermione pinched his arm. "No daydreaming!" she hissed.
He sighed. 'Daydreaming? Love, I'm one breath away from the afterlife.'
"He's just reciting the textbook. I memorised it in one read—listening's pointless."
"It's basic respect for the professor," Hermione retorted sternly, immune to Wayne's charms this time.
Wayne was already regretting sitting next to Hermione, as it made catching up on sleep impossible.
At the same time, he couldn't help but grumble inwardly—every Headmaster of Hogwarts was a miser.
Professor Binns had been dead for centuries, and they probably kept him on as the History of Magic teacher just to avoid paying wages.
Having been invited by the four founders when Hogwarts was first established, Professor Binns was already quite old back then.
One day, he went to teach a class and simply left his body behind in the staff room chair.
Since then, Hogwarts had never replaced the History of Magic professor—a teacher who demanded no salary, never took leave, and had perfect attendance every year was the dream workforce for countless Headmasters.
The only downside was the generations of young witches and wizards who had to endure the torment of his lessons.
In hundreds of years, not a single student had ever chosen to take History of Magic for their N.E.W.T.s—now that was saying something.
"Hey, Wayne."
Just as Wayne was mentally cursing that all Headmasters deserved to be hanged from lampposts, Ron, seated at the desk on his other side, suddenly greeted him in a hushed voice.
Beside him, Harry Potter was nodding off, on the verge of falling asleep.
Seeing Ron strike up a conversation with Wayne, Harry immediately perked up.
"What's up, Ron?"
Wayne glanced at Hermione, relieved she wasn't paying him any attention, before responding.
"Oh, nothing much," Ron shook his head. "Just wanted to say thanks. You're amazing—this is the first time I've ever seen George and Fred get outsmarted by someone else.
"Twice, even!"
Ron was so excited his voice rose, startling several young wizards out of their daydreams.
Harry gave his newly-made best friend a complicated look.
Anyone who didn't know better would think the twins were Ron's sworn enemies, not his actual brothers.
"You can think of Fred and them like your cousin," Ron explained to Harry.
Instantly, Harry's expression shifted—he understood completely.
"Don't mention it," Wayne replied, amused. He hadn't expected Ron to thank him for something like this.
'Just how badly have the twins been bullying him all this time?'
Honestly, when he'd first read the books and watched the films, Wayne hadn't been fond of Ron's character.
Jealous, prone to overreacting, and not particularly talented—yet he'd somehow ended up marrying Hermione, who became Minister for Magic.
That had to be rigged.
But the older he got, the more he realised how tough Ron had it.
With five older brothers—three of whom were perpetual top students, rising from Prefects to Head Boys—and the twins, whose academic skills weren't as stellar but whose pranking prowess was legendary, Ron was constantly overshadowed.
In an environment like Hogwarts, the twins were even more popular than Percy, the academic overachiever—true campus celebrities.
Then there was Ginny, who'd inherited formidable magical talent.
And then there was Ron. Just… Ron.
Growing up under that kind of pressure, the fact that Ron only turned out a bit awkward, with no major moral failings, spoke volumes about his resilience.
Of course, this didn't mean Wayne was going out of his way to befriend Ron—he just refused to judge people based on old biases anymore.
This was the real world, and his own experiences were what mattered.
So far, he found Ron decent enough—someone he could greet and chat with casually.
Professor Binns lectured from the front while the two of them chatted below, and eventually Harry joined in.
"Wayne, you're from a Muggle family, too? That's great—no, I mean, what a coincidence!"
"We don't live too far apart either. I'm on Privet Drive in Surrey."
In just a few sentences, Harry had spilt all his details. Good-looking people usually find it easy to win others' favour.
Wayne was the perfect example. Harry had already considered him his first friend from another house.
...
Fifty minutes passed quickly.
Before class ended, Professor Binns assigned a six-inch essay on the early origins of wizards in England.
The next lesson was Transfiguration, shared between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Before parting, the young witch angrily pulled Wayne into a corner. "You can't do this!
"Before the term started, you bought loads of books. I know you love studying, so you should pay attention in class—even if the teacher's a ghost!"
Seeing Hermione, fierce as a little lion, Wayne nodded obediently. "Don't worry, I'll be more careful from now on."
Hermione wasn't sure if Wayne had taken her words to heart, but time was tight. She could only glare at him before hurrying off, feeling somewhat disappointed.
She genuinely considered Wayne a friend, which was why she wanted him to study properly.
Wayne understood this and didn't feel the slightest bit annoyed.
'Once Hermione sees my grades later, she won't be like this anymore.'
The Transfiguration Classroom was on the second floor. Wayne entered with a group of little badgers and immediately spotted the tabby cat on the front desk. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement before taking a seat.
Truthfully, he wanted to pet Professor McGonagall—to see if an Animagus felt different to the touch.
But he'd already witnessed her transformation process over the summer. Trying to pet her now would be suicidal.
Still, Wayne knew many other young witches and wizards were unaware.
Especially in Hufflepuff, where most students adored animals and plants. Some even pulled snacks from their pockets, ready to feed the cat.
Wayne immediately wore an expression of admiration for their bravery.