"Hahaha, my dear Albus, Happy New Year!"
Emerging from the fireplace, the Minister for Magic warmly embraced Dumbledore like a dear old friend.
Wayne took the opportunity to discreetly observe him.
He noted that this Minister for Magic bore quite a resemblance to his Uncle Jim Hacker, exuding the unmistakable aura of a politician.
Though purely in terms of facial expression, Hacker appeared more genial.
For some reason, Wayne always found himself wanting to laugh whenever he saw Hacker, especially during his dead-serious interview moments.
Dumbledore, too, gave Fudge due courtesy, exchanging pleasantries before Fudge finally noticed Wayne and approached with an avuncular demeanour. "You must be Wayne – just call me Uncle Fudge."
"Sir Appleby mentioned I should look out for you. If you ever have any trouble, don't hesitate to come to me."
His enthusiasm made it seem as though Wayne were some cherished junior relative.
In principle, the magical and Muggle worlds maintained clear boundaries, neither interfering with the other.
Fudge did not need such effusiveness.
Yet with the times changing, exchanges between the Ministry of Magic and Muggle governments had gradually increased.
A decade earlier, during the Black case, both sides had jointly issued wanted notices. Later, when Sirius escaped, Fudge would again collaborate with Muggle authorities.
Certain provisions of the International Statute of Secrecy also required cooperation from the Muggle government. And Wayne's uncle was, after all, the secretary to the Minister—no, now the Prime Minister's secretary.
Fudge's enthusiasm wasn't entirely without cause.
Naturally, Wayne didn't respond coldly, adopting instead the manner of a respectful junior.
He knew exactly what sort of man Fudge was – one who'd played the coward regarding Voldemort right until the end.
But for now, Fudge considered Dumbledore no threat to his ministerial position, and the two remained in their honeymoon period.
Wayne also saw potential uses for Fudge – perfectly happy to take advantage for now, with no qualms about turning on him when their interests eventually clashed.
Thus, the atmosphere in the room remained thoroughly congenial.
Dumbledore briefed Fudge on the general situation and showed him the letters from the two wizarding schools.
Fudge agreed readily: "No problem. A first-class medal is out of the question, but a third-class Order of Merlin can be arranged. I'll see if I can push for a second-class medal for Wayne."
This was his way of showing Wayne that he, too, would contribute, currying favour in advance.
With matters settled, Fudge stood up and replaced his top hat.
"Apologies, Albus. Mr Malfoy has invited me to a pure-blood family dinner. I must be off."
"Go ahead, Cornelius," Dumbledore said with a smile as he saw him out.
The room was left with just Wayne and Dumbledore again.
Wayne rubbed his cheeks—his face had nearly stiffened from all the smiling. "Professor, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave too."
"One moment, Mr Lawrence," Dumbledore stopped him, then continued casually: "The magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest are, after all, school property. If too many suddenly disappear, it would cause me some trouble."
Wayne gave a dry chuckle. "Don't worry, you won't notice a thing."
With that, he scampered off.
Dumbledore chuckled wryly.
If there were a house represented by a fox at Hogwarts, he thought Wayne would fit right in.
...
On his way back to the Hufflepuff common room, Wayne ran into the twins coming upstairs.
"Hey, Wayne," the twins blocked his path left and right, grinning. "What did the Headmaster want with you just now?"
"Nothing much," Wayne said airily. "Just that the Headmaster thinks I'm exceptionally talented and decided to nominate me for an Order of Merlin."
Fred made gagging noises.
"One holiday apart and you've become as thick-skinned as Ron," he said.
At this comparison, Wayne's eyelid twitched. "Is that really how you should talk about your brother?"
"Probably not," George nodded solemnly. "But it fits, doesn't it? Come on, what trouble have you stirred up this time?"
When it came to pranks, the twins considered themselves second to none. But in terms of making big splashes, they had to admit defeat.
In just a few months, Wayne had nearly got a professor sacked and instigated the largest inter-house conflict in history.
They wouldn't dare dream of such things.
"I'm telling the truth. Don't believe me? That's your problem," Wayne shrugged helplessly.
"Pull the other one," Fred scoffed. "If you get an Order of Merlin, George and I will attend classes as howler monkeys for an entire day."
"Oh? Playing for keeps?" Wayne raised an eyebrow at them. "Alright then. If I don't get the medal, I'll give you three hundred Galleons."
"Wait!" George quickly stopped his brother.
"Fred meant within this term. Future years don't count."
"Exactly."
Given Wayne's talent, earning an Order of Merlin someday wasn't unlikely, so they had to set a time limit.
"No problem, it's a deal," Wayne agreed immediately.
The Order of Merlin nomination process usually took two to three months. There were still six months left in the term.
He had this in the bag.
Seeing Wayne's confidence, the twins grew nervous again.
But considering how difficult it was to earn an Order of Merlin, plus Wayne's furtive glances at them, they decided he was bluffing and agreed. The three passed each other, all wearing smug smiles.
...
Back in the common room, bedtime arrived shortly after. Wayne couldn't be bothered to go out again—better behave properly on the first day of term.
Remembering his roommates' earlier complaints about insomnia, he thoughtfully cast a Bewitched Sleep Charm on each of them before turning in.
One had to admit wizards developed tolerances, too.
Compared to the start of the term, he'd needed significantly more magical power for the charms.
"Ah!"
The next morning, two cries of anguish echoed through Wayne's dormitory.
Toby wailed, "I set an alarm! Why did I still sleep till sunrise? My homework!"
Norman looked near tears: "Are the school beds really that comfortable?"
Both had planned to wake at four to finish their assignments, only to find broad daylight upon waking.
Wayne dressed leisurely. "Isn't History of Magic this morning? You've still got time."
"Right, right!" Toby panicked. "Wayne, sell me a quill quick! Toby, go check if Bones finished his Transfiguration essay."
The pair scrambled frantically until collapsing onto their desks in History of Magic, snoring loudly as Plagiarism-Proof Quills copied their essays.
...
Professor Binns lectured about Mycenaean culture from ancient Greece, the origin period for most myths and epics.
Half the class struggled to finish homework, and the other half dozed off. Wayne, however, listened with unusual interest.
He felt a peculiar connection to ancient Greece.
His first template card came from Andros of ancient Greece, though from the city-state period nearly a millennium after Mycenaean culture.
Then there was the Aegis, also legendary as Athena's symbol.
Hermione rarely saw Wayne so attentive in History of Magic. Blinking curiously, her competitive spirit made her listen extra carefully, filling two parchments with notes.
After class, Wayne asked Hermione to go ahead while intercepting Professor Binns mid-wall.
"Something to discuss, Mr Sian?"
Wayne's eye twitched.
Professor Binns was notoriously forgetful about anything beyond history—misremembering names came naturally.
Not bothering to correct him, Wayne cut to the chase.
"Professor, what can you tell me about the ancient Greek sorcerer 'Andros the Invincible'?"
Binns frowned. "Mr Sian, this isn't first-year material but fifth—"
"Professor," Wayne interrupted earnestly, "you wouldn't deny a knowledge-hungry Ravenclaw, would you? As a Ravenclaw, having knowledge withheld for four years is torture."
Unseen by Wayne, nearby students' eyes twitched violently.
'Couldn't you at least change your robes first? The Hufflepuff crest is still visible!'
To their astonishment, Binns bought Wayne's nonsense, visibly moved.
"Such thirst for knowledge... Very well," droned Binns in his usual monotone.
"Andros the Invincible was a powerful sorcerer from classical Greece, most famed for his giant-sized Patronus and extraordinary wandless magic abilities. Few wizards of his time could withstand a single spell from him, hence he was dubbed the Invincible One."
"Professor, I'm aware of all that," Wayne frowned. "The era you lived in was closer to classical Greece. Surely there must be more detailed records?"
"For instance, what was so special about his Patronus? Was it just... big?" This was the point that puzzled Wayne most. He had already mastered the Patronus Charm, even reaching the Master level.
Yet apart from being slightly larger, thicker and harder than others', it possessed no other extraordinary abilities.
Whenever Wayne practised, he always felt a lingering sense of incompleteness. He wanted to learn more about Andros, hoping to find a breakthrough.
"Well..." Professor Binns seemed troubled, as if searching his memory. Just when Wayne thought he might fall asleep, the professor finally spoke slowly.
"There are indeed other rumours, but these historical accounts were recorded on pottery shards without corroborating evidence."
"According to The Duel Records of Thebes, Andros once vaporised a Dark Wizard opponent directly with his Patronus during a duel—something never seen before."
"I believe it's most likely an exaggeration, as this contradicts the fundamental nature of the Patronus Charm..."
Professor Binns launched into another lengthy discourse, but Wayne had stopped listening.
Vaporising a Dark Wizard.
He felt he'd found the crucial point.
...
"Are you interested in Andros?"
After lunch, Hermione brought Wayne aside to ask.
"Somewhat. After all, the title 'Invincible' isn't..." Wayne evaded the question. "How about you? Found any leads on Nicolas Flamel?"
Hermione lowered her head dejectedly. "I've combed through modern history – that name doesn't appear anywhere."
Then she puffed up her cheeks in frustration: "Harry and Ron have been playing all holiday, completely forgetting about this!"
"You could drop it too," Wayne said, smoothing her slightly dishevelled hair. "Wouldn't it be better to focus your curiosity elsewhere?"
"Give me one more month," Hermione declared firmly. "If there are still no clues within a month, I'll let it go."
"Suit yourself," Wayne sighed. Such stubbornness—truly a model Gryffindor.
"By the way, when can I see inside your trunk?" Hermione changed the subject curiously.
"After classes this afternoon," Wayne considered. "I need to plant the Cabbages in it anyway."
"Alright."
...
Thus, after their final lesson that afternoon, Wayne brought Hermione and Cho to the vegetable patch at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
The Cabbages were now essentially mature, their teeth grown razor-sharp. Hagrid, fearing they might escape, had specially erected a fence smeared with a potion that the Cabbages hated.
Otherwise, these wooden barriers would never withstand the creatures' iron fangs.
Wayne placed the trunk on the ground and opened it, jumping in first before extending a hand.
"Come on in."
Only half the boy's body remained visible. Cho bit her lip lightly before reaching out to take Wayne's hand.
Pulled by him like this, Cho suddenly felt her feet leave the ground, and the next moment, she found herself stepping onto a staircase.
Once Cho had safely landed, Wayne brought Hermione in as well, finally casting a protective charm before closing the suitcase.
The two girls curiously examined their surroundings.
It looked vastly different from when Newt had first given it to Wayne. The room was now filled with furniture, and one of the bedrooms had been converted into a temporary storage space, stocked with various tools, cauldrons, and finished potions.
"It's so big!" Cho gasped in amazement.
But this was just the beginning.
With a smile, Wayne took both young witches by the hand and led them out through the front door of the house.
Their vision suddenly expanded.
Blue skies, a crystal-clear lake, and a sparse woodland stretched before them. Hermione and Cho immediately felt uncomfortably warm—they were dressed far too heavily.
After all, it was currently minus ten degrees outside, but inside the suitcase, it was as warm as spring.
"Better take off your clothes," Wayne said considerately.
Cho rolled her eyes, sensing a double entendre in his words, but she still removed her robes and down jacket, as did Hermione.
With a flick of his hand, Wayne sent their clothes flying back into the wooden house, where they hung themselves up neatly.
"Scree~!"
A crisp birdcall rang out from a nearby hill, and the sky darkened slightly, faint arcs of electricity flickering in the air.
A small Thunderbird with a wingspan of less than five metres flew over and landed in front of Wayne under the eager gazes of Hermione and Cho.
The Thunderbird affectionately nuzzled Wayne, sending sparks of electricity crackling between them.
"You still haven't learned to control your currents, have you, Mia?" Wayne quickly cast a Shield Charm over himself.
The stray electricity from the Thunderbird wasn't strong enough to be dangerous, but it could easily turn his hair into a frizzy mess.
Seeming to realise her mistake, Mia cautiously let go of Wayne and gazed at him with her large, shining, innocent eyes.
"Who taught you that trick?" Wayne couldn't help but laugh at her pitiful act.
Red arcs of electricity danced at his fingertips, and Mia immediately fixed her eyes on them. With Wayne's permission, she swallowed them whole.
"Scree~!"
"Not today—that's all you're getting."
He had accidentally discovered that the lightning he generated with his innate abilities seemed to be particularly beneficial to Thunderbirds.
But he didn't want to overfeed her, so he rationed it daily.
Once Mia had finished, Wayne motioned for Cho and Hermione to approach, though the occasional sparks still made the girls hesitant to touch her.
Still, just seeing her was thrilling enough.
After all, how many people in all of Hogwarts had laid eyes on a Thunderbird?
"Let's bring Hestia and Diana here tonight," Hermione suggested, watching the boy feed the Thunderbird some beef. "It's much safer here than in the Forbidden Forest."
"It's still too dull here," Wayne shook his head. "I'll take them with me when I leave school."
Hermione thought it over and nodded. "Then let's at least go see them."
"Not tonight, I'm afraid. Another time."
"What are you planning to do?" Cho asked curiously.
"Stock up in the Forbidden Forest."
Dumbledore's hints had been obvious enough—how could Wayne not act on them?
Tonight, he'd go catch some little treasures.