Wayne had interacted with Astoria several times now.
Regardless of circumstance, this girl remained soft-spoken and timid - like a newborn creature cautiously observing this strange new world.
Logically, the young mistress of a pure-blood family shouldn't have developed such an introverted personality, but Astoria bore the blood curse. She rarely left the Greengrass family manor, kept under her mother's strict supervision.
Over time, she'd become extremely timid.
The more perfect and adorable something is, the more people can't resist teasing it for that peculiar satisfaction.
Wayne also harboured a slight tendency in this direction, so when he saw Astoria's nervous expression, he made this request.
"Eh?"
The little witch stared blankly up at the young man's smiling face.
"What's there to hesitate about? Just smile and it's settled."
Wayne produced his pocket watch. "It's past ten o'clock now - this already counts as nighttime wandering. Miss Greengrass, you wouldn't want Filch discovering your nocturnal activities, would you?"
Astoria's delicate frame trembled, but Wayne interrupted her pre-crying sequence.
"No crying."
The tears were forcibly held back under his command.
"You're bullying me," Astoria said pitifully.
"That's right, I am bullying you." Wayne's smile grew even more unrestrained—this was far too amusing.
'Is this the kind of joy a cartoon villain lives for?'
Perhaps even the system couldn't bear to watch, awarding him twenty points as an expression of disdain.
"Hurry up, time's limited," Wayne said with feigned impatience.
Biting back her distress, Astoria forced out a smile.
"T-this... is this alright?"
Wayne studied her for several seconds before nodding.
"That's quite an adorable smile. Don't cry next time."
Her lips curved upwards, yet her large eyes brimmed with tears—the sight was utterly bizarre.
Astoria: "..."
'It's all because you're bullying me!'
For a moment, even the exceptionally gentle Astoria was thoroughly infuriated by Wayne's shameless behaviour.
"I'm going to see the Unicorn this weekend," Astoria quietly announced.
"You promised me."
"Fine, Saturday then," Wayne agreed indifferently. Then, struck by a thought, he looked at the girl: "Tell you what—if you smile at me once every day until Saturday, I'll let you pet Lulu."
The girl's eyes sparkled. "Lulu... is that the Unicorn's name?"
She'd seen photos her sister took—the Unicorn was utterly adorable. If she could pet it...
The little girl was tempted.
"That's right. Want to give it a try?"
Wayne felt something was missing in his hand. With a flick, a lollipop materialised.
"Here, try this. It's a sweet from the Muggle world."
Astoria excitedly accepted it and was about to pop it into her mouth when Wayne stopped her with an exasperated laugh.
The wrapper was still on.
Blushing at her mistake, the girl finally unwrapped it and slipped the candy into her mouth, her eyes crinkling shut.
Sweet and tangy—she loved it.
"So? Do you accept my terms?" Wayne pressed.
After a moment's thought, Astoria nodded. "Alright. But you have to let me pet her longer."
"Can't promise that," Wayne shook his head. "That depends on Lulu's mood... and how well she takes to you."
"Fine."
"By the way, why are you here?" Wayne glanced around. They were near the Great Hall on the first floor—the Slytherin common room was on the opposite side of the castle.
The girl lowered her head sheepishly. "I was a bit hungry... wanted to sneak to the kitchens for a snack."
Wayne teased, "Didn't take you for a little glutton."
"I am not!" Astoria wrinkled her delicate nose in protest. "I just want to try more foods. I'm tired of eating the same nutritional meals every day."
Her expression dimmed. "Because of my... health, I have to take lots of medicine. My meals are restricted to just a few dishes. My sister won't let me touch anything else, so..."
Wayne thought back—he really hadn't seen Astoria at meals often.
A sudden silence fell between them.
Astoria licked her lollipop contentedly while Wayne struggled for words.
"Alright, head back after you finish that. The kitchens won't have anything good right now."
"Here—but only one per day." Wayne produced a handful of lollipops and stuffed them into Astoria's hands.
Now wasn't the time. He'd check the little girl's condition over the weekend.
Astoria nodded obediently. She was already overjoyed to have so many lollipops.
Since Wayne told her to go back, she had no choice but to return.
Before leaving, she flashed a smile: "This is for today. No going back on your word."
Wayne chuckled wryly. This lass was quite cautious.
...
After seeing off the little girl he'd encountered by chance, Wayne headed to Filch's office on the second floor.
Professor McGonagall had sentenced him to a week's worth of detentions.
This was Wayne's first time being punished with detention, and it felt rather novel.
Filch didn't get angry at his late arrival; instead, he treated him completely differently from other students.
"Lawrence, your task is to patrol the areas below the third floor of the castle and catch any misbehaving students. After two o'clock, you can go back to sleep. Any questions?"
"None, sir. I'll complete the mission." Wayne rubbed his hands excitedly.
"Oh, and here's a little gift for you."
He placed a glove on the table: "A Hardening Glove, containing five sealed Hardening Charms."
Filch's breathing noticeably became heavier, but remembering his status, his expression darkened again.
Wayne knew exactly what he was worried about and said with a smile, "Even Squibs possess magical power. This glove can be activated as long as there's magic—it's very simple."
Filch jerked his head up in alarm. "H-how did you know!"
Wayne pointed to a book on the table—Rapid Spellcasting Correspondence Course.
Filch turned deathly pale, rendered speechless.
Squibs were the most pitiable group in the wizarding world. They carried magical genes, but they couldn't cast spells, nor had they experienced any magical outbursts.
They weren't Muggles either, since they could see Dementors and perceive many other things Muggles couldn't.
But this was precisely what made it so tragic.
The vibrant world was right before their eyes, yet an insurmountable chasm lay just beyond reach.
Watching students freely use magic every day was nothing short of torture for Filch.
After a brief struggle, Filch finally put on the glove.
The thin, dormant magical power within him suddenly found an outlet. If he willed it, he could trigger the spells engraved on the dragonhide.
"Thank you, Mr Lawrence," Filch said emotionally. For the first time in decades, he'd gained the ability to cast spells.
It was truly wonderful.
"Don't mention it." Wayne replied bashfully, "I have my own motives too."
"Don't worry," Filch thumped his chest in assurance. "From now on, even if you show up right in front of me, I won't see a thing."
"No, sir, I just wanted to ask... could you assign me all the patrol duties for this week?"
Filch hadn't expected this to be Wayne's condition, but he agreed without hesitation.
...
The two left the office and went their separate ways.
Filch headed upstairs while Wayne pulled out the Marauder's Map, murmuring softly: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
The watery map rapidly unfolded, revealing scattered names drifting about below the third floor of the castle.
Wayne grinned.
'Since I got drenched, I'll tear everyone else's umbrellas too!'
Wait, no—this wasn't his fault.
If anyone was to blame, it was Professor McGonagall for giving him detention.
Tonight, no one out past curfew would escape.
Remembering the locations of several people, Wayne cast a Feather-Light Charm on himself and dashed down the stairs at speed.
...
In the right corridor on the second floor, two students were fooling around with swords from a suit of armour.
Without a word, Wayne hit each with a Full Body-Bind Curse as he rushed past, returned the swords to their proper place, and levitated the two students behind him.
Then he hurried to the next destination.
...
In the Great Hall on the first floor, three girls had gathered together, lighting two candles.
One girl was telling a ghost story while the other two watched her with equal parts anticipation and fear.
"Flick opened the door to find the room pitch black... and just then..." The storyteller's voice dropped low, deliberately pausing to create a suspenseful atmosphere of horror.
"And then? What happened next?" one girl asked nervously.
"And then you got caught!" Wayne burst through the Great Hall doors.
The three girls screamed, nearly fainting from fright.
True to form, Wayne immobilised them and levitated them behind him.
...
A bizarre scene unfolded within the castle.
Wayne moved like the wind, darting swiftly between floors with an ever-growing trail of floating students behind him.
One... two... three... four...
Six... Seven... Eight... Nine...
By two o'clock, he'd delivered a full thirteen students to Filch's office.
Filch gaped at his haul in astonishment.
He hadn't caught a single one himself, yet Wayne had apprehended so many?!
"M-Mr Lawrence, you've done excellently," Filch gulped.
"Just doing my duty." Wayne beamed. "How should they be dealt with?"
"After I record their names, they can be released. Specific punishments will be up to their Heads of House."
Filch grew excited, too - over a dozen students out of bed meant no shortage of candidates for detention.
The lavatories wouldn't lack cleaners for some time.
The released young wizards glared resentfully at Wayne.
'Mate, we're on the same side!'
Wayne paid no heed, cheerfully bidding Filch farewell.
...
When morning came...
The three Heads of House (excluding Professor Sprout) stared in shock at the list Filch presented them.
"Filch, did you catch all these?" McGonagall couldn't help asking.
"No, all Mr Lawrence's work," Filch replied. "Everyone was caught red-handed by him."
Sprout complained with evident amusement, "That boy can't even serve detention quietly."
The other three professors rolled their eyes internally.
'Easy for you to be pleased - not a single Hufflepuff was caught!'
"Professor McGonagall, how should they be punished?" Filch pressed.
McGonagall hesitated, consulting the other two Heads before reaching a decision.
"Twenty points from each of you, plus three days' detention."
Snape advocated for leniency—after all, five of those caught were Slytherins. Twenty points per person meant a staggering hundred points in total.
That was as much as Wayne had ever lost in one go!
But Professor McGonagall felt the punishment was too light. If students aren't disciplined properly now, they will only grow more reckless. The rules had to be enforced strictly, even harshly, to serve as a deterrent.
...
The entire school was in an uproar. Hufflepuff had once again surged ahead of the other houses by a landslide.
When students learned it was Wayne's doing, their outrage grew.
This was blatant favouritism towards Hufflepuff. Why weren't any Hufflepuffs among those caught?
Wayne offered his response: "I didn't see any~"
His breezy remark left everyone fuming yet helpless.
Another day passed, and that night only eight unlucky souls were caught—five Gryffindors and three Slytherins.
Both houses' point totals were now teetering near zero.
The young wizards were utterly defeated.
The twins cornered Wayne, pulling him aside to whisper urgently: "Are you cheating with the Marauder's Map?"
Only they knew how Wayne managed to catch everyone so precisely.
In fact, the night before, they'd urged everyone in the Common Room to avoid sneaking out, warning that they'd surely be caught.
They understood all too well that with the Marauder's Map in hand, Wayne might as well have x-ray vision.
But what were Gryffindors known for?
The more you told them not to do something, the more determined they became to do it.
Their warning had the opposite effect.
Some who hadn't planned to wander at night now felt compelled to challenge Wayne—and were promptly caught, including Lee Jordan.
"Calling it cheating is unfair. This is a public service—I'm helping everyone break their night-wandering habits," Wayne declared righteously.
The twins itched to throttle him but lacked the nerve.
"Couldn't you just target Slytherins? Why must you catch us, too?" Fred pleaded.
"Can't do that. If I see someone, I catch them."
"What about Hufflepuffs? Why aren't you catching them?"
"Don't say there aren't any. Cedric told us just yesterday that he and his roommate went to the kitchens for a midnight snack."
Wayne shrugged. "I'm a bit slow. By the time I got there, they'd already dashed back. No evidence, you see."
The kitchens were too close to the Hufflepuff Common Room—five seconds was all it took to slip inside.
Seeing Wayne's unyielding attitude, the twins could only retreat in defeat.
"Mr Lawrence!"
Professor McGonagall suddenly rose from the staff table. "Your detention ends today. You needn't report to Filch tonight."
"No, Professor!" Wayne hurried over. "Upon reflection, my behaviour was truly appalling. Not only should the detention continue, but please extend it by another month."
Professor McGonagall's eye twitched violently.
Was he actually enjoying this?
If his patrols continued, several houses' point totals would hit zero...
"This was decided collectively by the Heads of Houses. Now, off to class with you."
Without giving Wayne a chance to respond, she swiftly departed.
Cheers erupted through the Great Hall.
At last, they'd rid themselves of that menace, Wayne.
This detention hadn't felt like punishing him—it had been punishing them! Only the little badgers felt regret. If Wayne had held on for two more days, Hufflepuff would have surely secured the House Cup this year.
...
Wayne remained sullen all the way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom.
Hermione rolled her eyes coquettishly. "You're the one sulking? Gryffindor lost a full hundred and eighty points!"
"Heh." Wayne gave an embarrassed chuckle. "It's fine. If I hadn't deducted those points, Snape would have done it sooner or later."
Hermione: "..."
She truly had no rebuttal for that.
Gryffindor's points were always ready to vanish without warning, like rebellious children fleeing home.
The class bell rang, and Lockhart strode in with books in hand, beaming enthusiastically.
"Students, I've reviewed all your assignments, and they're quite splendid!"
"Here, I must particularly commend one individual whose analysis of me was utterly spot-on!"
"I daresay... he understands me!"
"That person is..." Lockhart's gaze landed on Wayne. "Mr Lawrence!"