In the blink of an eye, Monday arrived again.
At breakfast in the Great Hall, Harry looked exhausted. Having joined the Quidditch team, his weekend had been gruelling—training with Wood during the day and serving detentions at night.
Right now, Snape was the person Harry hated most, with Malfoy a close second. Even Dudley ranked below those two.
Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall burst open amid a cacophony of flapping wings, as if hundreds of birds were taking flight.
The students were used to this routine and quickly piled food onto their plates, pulling them close for protection.
Soon, a flock of owls swooped in, dropping letters and packages into recipients' laps—or into nearby soup bowls—creating utter chaos.
The twins stealthily hid their parcel, which contained Dungbombs and Nosebleed Nougat from Zonko's Joke Shop. They couldn't risk Professor McGonagall seeing it.
Harry picked up that day's copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Screech!"
A piercing bird cry suddenly rang out, causing the owls to tremble mid-flight. Two even plummeted straight into soup bowls.
Everyone looked up, searching for the source of the sound.
A flash of fire appeared in mid-air, and from the flames emerged...
A Phoenix soaring through the sky, clutching two parcels in its talons.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, the Phoenix landed beside Wayne, gently depositing the two parcels.
"This... this..."
Cedric, who had just been enthusiastically recounting the glorious history of the Chudley Cannons to Wayne, was now rendered speechless.
"Hmm? These are the parcels I ordered. What's the matter?" Wayne casually placed the parcels at his feet.
"No!" Cedric finally managed to regain some composure.
"The parcels aren't the point! The point is this... this Phoenix!" Staring at the Phoenix perched on Wayne's shoulder, preening its feathers, Cedric couldn't hold back any longer.
"Why on earth is a Phoenix delivering your parcels?!"
He voiced the question burning in the minds of every young wizard present. Professor Sprout and Professor Kettleburn, who had been enjoying breakfast at the head table, hurried over—especially Kettleburn, who propelled himself forward on his magical chair, having only one and a half legs left.
Gazing at the Phoenix with rapt fascination, he murmured, "Look at it, how magnificent!"
"Magnificent?" Wayne raised an eyebrow, reaching up to stroke the Phoenix's head. Compared to when it had first hatched, Ho-Oh had undergone a remarkable transformation, now adorned with vibrant orange-red feathers tinged with green at the tips.
It had indeed become much more striking.
But 'magnificent'? Honestly, Wayne thought his bird was merely passable—better than some Pokémon, perhaps, but far from magnificent.
As if sensing its master's disdain, Ho-Oh let out an indignant cry and lightly pecked Wayne's cheek, almost like a petulant child.
Life was hard!
First, it had been mistaken for a Fearow upon hatching, and now, after finally growing into something resembling the legendary Pokémon it was meant to be, its own master still wasn't satisfied.
What more did he want from it?
Did it have to turn into a human and repay his kindness for him to be happy?
"Mr Lawrence, this Phoenix...?" Professor Sprout inquired after a moment of observation.
"Ho-Oh found me a few days after I received my acceptance letter. We just... clicked, so it decided to stay with me," Wayne offered casually, unconcerned whether anyone believed him.
The wizarding world was no stranger to miracles and legends. He was simply using this opportunity to reveal Ho-Oh's existence.
"Clicked?"
At his dismissive explanation, Cedric's eyes nearly turned red with envy, and the other young wizards weren't faring much better.
Over at the Gryffindor table, Hermione was practically burning holes with her gaze. If not for the professors' presence, she would have already rushed over for a closer look.
This was a Phoenix!
In this century, only two Phoenixes were known to exist: one was Dumbledore's familiar, Fawkes, and the other was Spark, the mascot of the Quidditch team, the Montrose Magpies.
Wayne's was the third.
A first-year student with a Phoenix as a pet? Malfoy was so envious that he could grind his teeth to dust.
His favourite magical creature might be Dragons, but that didn't mean he didn't covet a rare and noble creature like a Phoenix—it was perfect for the Malfoy family.
For a fleeting moment, Malfoy even considered offering to buy the Phoenix from Wayne. Unfortunately, only an utter fool would ever sell it to him.
After hearing Wayne's explanation, Professor Sprout opened her mouth, a question lingering on her lips, but in the end, she didn't voice it. She wanted to ask Wayne, "Is your real surname Dumbledore?"
Those well-versed in magical knowledge knew that Phoenixes would appear when the Dumbledore family was in need.
This matched Wayne's description perfectly.
Just as the Great Hall fell into an eerie silence, another clear cry rang out—though it wasn't from Ho-Oh, but another Phoenix.
Sensing the presence of its kin (adapted by the system for localisation), Fawkes had followed the trail.
He hadn't come alone; he'd dragged Dumbledore along with him.
The old man clearly hadn't been awake yet, still dressed in his pyjamas and wearing a ridiculous nightcap.
Several young wizards burst into laughter at the sight, as Dumbledore's pyjamas were rather endearing, adorned with patterns of Puffskeins and Goblins.
"Fawkes, what's the matter? Why the rush?"
Dumbledore, still groggy, hadn't grasped the situation.
Fawkes ignored him, flying straight to Wayne and circling above him. Ho-Oh rose as well, its body wreathed in flames.
Fawkes let out a joyful cry and lowered his head respectfully.
He could sense that this Phoenix's bloodline was far nobler than his own. Even though it was still in its fledgling stage, he felt compelled to show deference.
"Truly extraordinary," Dumbledore murmured, now fully awake, watching the two Phoenixes with deep astonishment. "Mr Lawrence, is this your pet?"
"Of course," Wayne nodded.
"Though first-years are only permitted to bring toads, rats, or owls as pets.
"But Ho-Oh serves a similar function to an owl—delivering letters. Surely that doesn't violate school rules?"
The entire hall fell silent.
Cedric clenched his fists.
'With such a casually boastful attitude, you're just asking to be punched!'