Wayne had little interest in Dumbledore's carefully orchestrated "Chosen One" training plan.
But that didn't mean he was indifferent to Voldemort.
To be precise, what Wayne wanted to understand were Horcruxes—and how to make them. The creation of a Horcrux was an extremely advanced form of Dark Magic, allowing a wizard to conceal a fragment of their soul within an object. As long as that fragment existed, they could remain undying.
The inventor of this magic was also the most infamous Dark Wizard in history—the despicable Herpo the Foul.
This wizard, also hailing from ancient Greece, lived several centuries after the invincible Andros and was one of the earliest known Dark Wizards.
He created numerous lethal and malevolent Dark spells, even conducting experiments to hatch the first Basilisk. He also modified various magical creatures, assembling a terrifying army that struck fear into all who heard of it.
At the same time, Herpo was the earliest known Parselmouth, as if born a seed of evil, destined to bring destruction and calamity.
Most of the Dark Magic and curses that have survived to this day can be traced back to him. The only one who could rival Herpo was the later Dark Wizard Ekrizdis, who invented the Killing Curse.
The more advanced the Dark Magic, the more sinister its methods tended to be. Creating a Horcrux not only required enduring the agony of having one's soul torn apart but also involved killing a living person as a sacrificial offering through some vile ritual.
It sounded like it had many drawbacks, but it was indeed a means to immortality. Used correctly, it could even surpass the Philosopher's Stone in effectiveness.
It bore some resemblance to the legendary phylacteries of Liches, though it could not facilitate true resurrection.
If one wished to use a Horcrux to return to life, other methods would be necessary.
Wayne wasn't considering immortality at such a young age—he simply wanted to study the mysteries of the soul.
In this world, souls undeniably existed. The legend of Death had always lingered in the ears of wizards, and ghosts were beings caught between life and death.
All these secrets aroused Wayne's curiosity.
When the bell rang, many young wizards snapped out of their daze, rubbing their bleary eyes as they filed out of the classroom.
Walking to the Great Hall with Hermione, Wayne asked softly, "You have Herbology class this afternoon, right?"
"Yes, why?"
"After class, could you go to Hagrid's Hut for me and ask him to gather some materials?"
Fred and George, still beginners, had wasted quite a few supplies.
But Wayne wasn't worried—a few trips into the Forbidden Forest by Hagrid would replenish everything.
As for what to trade with Hagrid, he could brew some Swelling Solution and insect repellent potions—Hagrid's vegetable patch would certainly find them useful.
Hermione readily agreed, and the two then discussed this morning's events.
"You're really going to Snape for extra lessons?"
"Yep," Wayne said. "Snape's true skill isn't shown in class. It took a lot of effort just to get him to agree to tutor me before Christmas. I'll have to drain him dry."
Hermione chuckled, "Aren't you afraid he'll seize the chance to deduct points from Hufflepuff?"
Wayne looked at the young witch with the gaze one reserves for the intellectually challenged: "When have you ever seen Hufflepuff care about house points?"
Hermione opened her mouth but found no words to retort. Hufflepuff as a whole gave off an air of being far too laid-back.
Add points if you want, deduct them if you must.
Their homework was just about passable, and if they really couldn't manage, they'd simply give up. Even the professors were at a loss with these little badgers who'd embraced retirement early. At least they were better than the rowdy Gryffindor lions, who couldn't sit still and made trouble for everyone else.
Hermione suddenly felt a pang of regret.
Would she have been better off in Hufflepuff? Her relationship with her dormmates wasn't exactly stellar.
But then she remembered the Sorting Hat hadn't even offered her Hufflepuff as an option, so she dismissed it as mere fantasy.
...
After the Transfiguration class that afternoon, Wayne had planned to borrow another book from the library, but was stopped by Professor McGonagall.
Once all the other students had left and only the two of them remained, Professor McGonagall finally spoke:
"Lawrence, I know you've already mastered everything covered in class, but I must consider the progress of the others."
Wayne froze. His heart had been pounding, thinking Harry's quills had been discovered.
But hearing it wasn't about that, Wayne quickly shook his head. "Professor, please teach at your own pace. Don't worry about me."
Professor McGonagall gave a slight nod, a faint smile breaking through her stern expression. "From our first meeting, I knew you were no ordinary young wizard. I didn't receive any letters from you over the summer either."
Wayne scratched his head awkwardly. "Didn't want to disturb your holiday. Besides, I didn't run into any problems."
"Then would you mind showing me your true abilities?" McGonagall revealed her reason for keeping him behind.
She wanted to see just how far Wayne, who usually coasted through lessons, had progressed in Transfiguration.
At the very least, he'd succeeded in every classroom task on the first try—flawlessly, even by her standards.
To ensure Wayne wasn't holding back, McGonagall dangled a carrot.
"If you can truly impress me, I'll excuse you from all Transfiguration homework this term."
Wayne's eyes lit up. "Really, Professor?"
"Of course," Professor McGonagall replied, her lips quirking slightly. "But my standards are high."
"Understood, Professor."
Wayne straightened up. This was Transfiguration homework, after all.
Only Snape's Potions assignments rivalled McGonagall's in volume, most of them essays.
Even with the know-it-all Hermione as backup and the Fluff-Filler Quill, less hassle was always better.
Drawing his wand, Wayne tapped the lectern lightly, transforming it into a sow that let out a series of grunts—the very trick Professor McGonagall had demonstrated in their first lesson.
"Will this do, Professor?"
McGonagall's expression didn't change. If anything, she looked disappointed. "Is that all?"
"Transforming inanimate objects into living creatures is certainly outstanding, but it's hardly surprising. Several third-years could manage it."
'At least two,' she mentally added. In truth, she was quite pleased—but she wasn't about to let it show.
Because Wayne had performed so effortlessly just now, with such ease and grace, this level of difficulty couldn't truly showcase his real capabilities.
That's why she forcibly suppressed her desire to praise Wayne, wanting to see just how far he could go.
'Still not satisfied, eh?'
Wayne scratched his head, completely unaware that he was being played by Professor McGonagall. He waved his wand, and the sow transformed into a yellow ox.
At this, Professor McGonagall finally showed a slight change in expression. "Multiple Transfiguration?"
The difficulty of Transfiguration spells is ranked from easiest to hardest as follows: inanimate to inanimate, living to inanimate, inanimate to living, and living to living.
But this is only the most basic classification.
As the most challenging subject at Hogwarts, the mysteries of Transfiguration go far beyond this.
The multiple Transfigurations Wayne had just demonstrated were one of the more profound research directions within the field.
Others include controlling transfigured creatures, transforming multiple objects at once, and extending the duration of Transfiguration.
Only true masters of Transfiguration can achieve remarkable accomplishments in all these areas.
Take Professor McGonagall herself, for example, or Dumbledore.
So-called Multiple Transfiguration involves reapplying Transfiguration to an already transfigured object. Each additional layer increases the difficulty exponentially, such as from the lectern to a sow, and then from the sow to a yellow ox.
What Wayne had performed was a double Transfiguration, something even most senior students couldn't accomplish.
McGonagall didn't offer any praise but instead tentatively asked, "Can you continue?"
Wayne nodded and transformed the ox into a python, then into a goshawk. Under McGonagall's increasingly numb gaze, the goshawk landed on the ground and morphed into a roaring lion, which twisted and contorted before finally becoming a honey badger.
"Professor, is this enough? This is as far as I can go," Wayne said, feigning great effort to maintain the Transfiguration. The honey badger's form was somewhat distorted—its ears uneven in size and its eyes squeezed together—not entirely successful.
He looked as if he'd reached his limit. And in truth, he nearly had.
If not for the Transfiguration experience he'd gained from previous blue draws, this would indeed be Wayne's current limit.
But with the help of that experience, he could manage one more multiple Transfiguration.
"Lawrence..." Professor McGonagall sighed. "I admit, you've finally surprised me—no, I'd even say astonished me."
For a first-year student to achieve such mastery in Transfiguration was unheard of to McGonagall, let alone having taught such a young witch or wizard before.
Perhaps Dumbledore could have done it in his day.
It was just a shame that their times at Hogwarts were decades apart, so McGonagall had never truly witnessed Dumbledore's brilliance as a student.
"What about what you promised me earlier..." Wayne asked eagerly.
McGonagall gave him a knowing look. "One final test. Transfigure all the desks and chairs in the classroom into different animals, and I'll consider you passed."
Without hesitation, Wayne waved his wand repeatedly, turning the entire classroom into a zoo, filled with all manner of birds and beasts.
"Very well, you don't have to write any assignments this term," McGonagall said briskly, granting Wayne the privilege she'd promised.
Wayne immediately beamed with joy. If Hermione heard about this, wouldn't she be green with envy? Then again, the little witch loved doing assignments—not letting her write them would probably make her unhappy.
"Lawrence," McGonagall suddenly said. "I'd like to invite you to join my Transfiguration Club. Oh, perhaps you don't know what this is yet?"
Professor McGonagall remembered Wayne was a first-year student and explained: "This is a private club I founded, where most students have decent Transfiguration skills."
"We meet one evening a week or half a day on weekends to exchange ideas and share experiences."
"Professor, that really won't be necessary."
Wayne gave a dry laugh. "With my level... do I need to exchange ideas with them?"
Every day, Wayne had far too much to do—developing new magical artefacts, sneaking into the Restricted Section at night to expand his knowledge, tutoring Hermione, and taking walks with Cho.
As a rather unskilled time-management master, he was already stretched thin.
After all, he still hadn't even visited the Forbidden Forest, something he'd been meaning to do since starting school. He truly had no time for clubs.
Professor McGonagall spent a full half-minute composing herself before wearily waving him off. "Just pretend I never mentioned it, Lawrence."
"Honesty is a virtue... but I do hope you won't always be quite so blunt."
Wayne flashed an obedient smile. "I'll keep that in mind, Professor."
With a slight bow, he finally left the classroom.
Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall surveyed the classroom, now resembling a zoo, and waved her wand to restore everything to its original state. Gazing at the desks and chairs, she muttered to herself.
"Sixfold Transfiguration, transforming dozens of objects at once... With talent like that, why on earth did he end up in Hufflepuff?"
It was a shame. In Hogwarts' history, students had been expelled, sent to Azkaban, even died—but never once had anyone been transferred between houses.
Otherwise, McGonagall would have gladly pulled some strings to get Wayne out of Hufflepuff.
Stepping out of the classroom, she hesitated for a moment before heading towards Professor Flitwick's office on the sixth floor.
She was feeling rather aggrieved and needed someone to share the burden.
...
The next morning, just as the young wizards were enjoying breakfast, the owls arrived right on schedule, delivering their parcels.
One owl struggled to land in front of Wayne, dropping a large package before fixing him with a reproachful look.
Wayne understood immediately and fetched some special owl treats, letting the round-faced fluffball enjoy its breakfast.
Hermione had only visited Hagrid yesterday, and here he was already sending the goods. Truly, this was a friend worth keeping.
Then, from the flames, a Phoenix emerged—Ho-Oh, carrying another package.
Ho-Oh's appearance naturally drew every eye in the Great Hall, with many sighing in disbelief. They couldn't fathom it—even Dumbledore wasn't extravagant enough to use a Phoenix as a courier, yet here was a student doing just that.
It was beyond words.
"What did you buy this time?" Cedric asked curiously from two seats away.
"Just a few books."
Unwrapping the package revealed exactly that—three books: 'Ancient Runes Explained', 'Ancient Runes Comparative Dictionary', and 'Interpreting Ancient Lexicons'.
"Runes?" A senior student gasped. "Wayne, that's a third-year elective. Isn't it too early for you to be buying these?"
Runes, also known as ancient magical script or the runic alphabet, were characters imbued with magical power. Before spells had specific procedures and regulations, many wizards used runes to perform magic. Some Muggles even obtained fragments of runic knowledge and used them to swindle people, posing as mystics.
At Hogwarts, students can choose to study Ancient Runes in their third year.
However, very few opt for this path. Even those who take up the subject tend to abandon it after passing their OWLs in the fifth year.
Because it was too difficult and rarely used.
"I'm just a bit interested in this," Wayne replied simply. "At least it gives me something to do during History of Magic instead of falling asleep."
A round of laughter erupted around him.
The senior who had asked the question looked exasperated. "The Sorting Hat must've malfunctioned. You should've been in Ravenclaw."
"Nonsense!" Wayne said seriously, pointing to the three large sandwiches on his plate. "No one is more qualified for Hufflepuff than me."
The senior fell silent, then raised a thumb in approval. "You're something else!"
'Hmm?'
After putting his book away, Wayne suddenly felt someone's gaze lingering on him. He looked up at the High Table, only to see that his Head of House, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, and Quirrell were all watching him.
Noticing Wayne's awareness, Quirrell quickly averted his eyes and returned to his breakfast, while the other two professors made no effort to hide their stares.
They even gave him friendly smiles. But Wayne felt uneasy.
'What was their deal?'
It wasn't until after Charms class, when he was once again held back by the professor, that he understood the root of the issue.
"Lawrence," Flitwick said kindly, looking up at him. "Minerva mentioned you performed a six-fold Transfiguration yesterday."
"Today, I'd like to test your limits as well. Same conditions."
"If you satisfy me, you won't have to write any Charms homework for the rest of the year."