Over at the Gryffindor table, Hermione had been waiting impatiently. Seeing Wayne and Cho chatting amiably, she huffed coldly.
Only when Wayne stood and waved at her did the little witch promptly rise to her feet.
The two girls followed him out of the castle to the Black Lake. Wayne began introductions.
"This is Hermione Granger, a first-year Gryffindor. You can also call her 'Miss Know-It-All'."
"This is Cho Chang, a second-year Ravenclaw prefect and the most outstanding female Seeker in the entire school."
Both girls rolled their eyes. What kind of introduction was that?
Hermione even pinched Wayne's arm in annoyance.
The nickname had originally been given to her by Snape, and Hermione had hated it. Now, hearing Wayne say it only made her dislike it even more.
With a common target to vent their frustrations on, Hermione and Cho quickly bonded, becoming fast friends.
Only then did Wayne focus his thoughts and summon Ho-Oh.
Ever since Ho-Oh had hatched, a faint but tangible connection had formed between them. No matter the distance, they could always sense each other.
A burst of flames erupted as Ho-Oh emerged, followed closely by Fawkes, who had been trailing it since morning.
The girls' eyes sparkled, barely able to contain their excitement as they inched closer.
Though Wayne thought Ho-Oh looked rather ordinary, to Cho and Hermione, it was stunning.
Especially those beautiful, silky feathers, shimmering with a soft glow. The entire bird radiated an aura of sacred purity.
Fawkes, on the other hand, was a bit lacking—it seemed close to its next rebirth, its plumage slightly dull, though still vibrant with energy.
"Where have you been playing?" Wayne stroked Ho-Oh's feathers and asked softly. The two birds chirped in response.
"Unicorns?" Wayne's eyes lit up. "How many?"
"Chirp! Chirp!"
"Just three? Still, not bad."
Wayne nodded, already making a mental note to visit them when he had time.
He was a bit of an aesthete himself, and unicorns—those pure, legendary creatures—had piqued his interest too.
Seeing Hermione and Cho still frozen in place, Wayne beckoned them over. "Come on, Ho-Oh is very friendly. Just don't touch its crown."
With his permission and no objection from Ho-Oh, the two girls finally stepped forward to examine it closely, even pulling out the snacks they'd prepared earlier.
Wayne also took out some dittany leaves and Ashwinder eggs from his pocket. "Feed them these. Phoenixes love healing herbs and fire-attribute materials. Dumbledore gave these to me earlier—might as well put them to good use."
Ho-Oh and Fawkes ate obediently while Cho and Hermione tentatively reached out to stroke Ho-Oh's feathers.
They closed their eyes blissfully. So warm... so soft...
"Oh, by the way, Dumbledore has given you permission to live in the Forbidden Forest," Wayne reminded Ho-Oh. "If you're going to play around, be mindful. And remember to heal any injuries you cause."
By "play," of course, he meant levelling up by battling creatures.
The Forbidden Forest had its own food chain, and if Ho-Oh acted too recklessly, it could disrupt the balance.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Ho-Oh lifted its head proudly, flapping its wings twice as if to say, Don't worry, I've got this.
Wayne sighed.
He could only hope it wouldn't cause any trouble.
"Wayne, why does Ho-Oh have a crown but Fawkes doesn't?" Hermione suddenly asked.
"Because my Phoenix is royalty. Fawkes isn't."
"Boastful."
"You'll see."
Once the two birds had eaten their fill, they flew off contentedly, leaving Hermione and Cho thoroughly satisfied.
At that moment, Hermione asked, "You said you needed to talk to me after class. Go ahead."
Cho glanced at the two of them. "I'll take my leave then."
"No need," Wayne waved his hand. "I was going to ask for your help even if you hadn't come today."
Cho became intrigued. "There's something I can help you with?"
In her eyes, Wayne was exceptionally talented—he'd mastered wandless magic, bought a Nimbus 2000 in his first year, and wasn't short on money. She couldn't imagine what he might need from her.
Wayne pulled out two thick pieces of parchment from his bag, handing one to Hermione and the other to Cho. "I'm planning to start a small business. The Hufflepuffs won't be a problem, but I'll need help with the other houses."
"What's this?" Cho's parchment was sky-blue with intricate patterns, the animal motif replaced by a soaring eagle.
"Tap it with your wands."
The girls did as instructed. The blank parchment suddenly sprouted a blot of ink, rapidly spreading until it transformed into a map.
"Is this... a map of Hogwarts Castle?" Hermione stared at him in astonishment.
"Exactly," Wayne confirmed. "But it's more than just a map. Within the castle, you can track your location and see the staircases' movement patterns in real time."
Cho's curiosity was piqued. "That's incredible!"
Wayne shrugged. "Why not test it out?"
The trio returned to the castle, and sure enough, each of them appeared on the map—Wayne as a badger, Hermione as a lion, and Cho as an eagle. Their icons moved as they did.
At the staircase, Hermione cross-checked the steps' movements with the map—they matched perfectly. When they neared the notoriously temperamental staircase, the map even warned them not to run or stomp too heavily.
"This is amazing," Cho gasped, turning to Wayne. "Did you make this?"
"Of course," Wayne replied proudly. "Took me over a week of research."
Cho applauded enthusiastically. "Wayne, you're brilliant! With this map, I'll never be late again."
Hermione, however, fell silent. She'd been studying relentlessly to catch up to Wayne, but seeing this map filled her with despair.
How could anyone hope to match such a prodigy?