In the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom, Hermione stared at Wayne with disbelief.
'What was this?'
'Hadn't this guy loathed Lockhart? How could his essay possibly warrant praise?'
Wayne secretly winked and squeezed Hermione's small hand.
At the podium, Lockhart was ecstatic, loudly reciting Wayne's assignment. At particularly thrilling passages, he even added his own commentary.
"Precisely! At that time, I employed human Transfiguration – an exceptionally difficult spell, yet for me, advanced magic is as simple as breathing."
"The Vampires now maintain cordial relations with me, for they fear my..."
By this point, even Wayne couldn't bear to listen.
Tom's writing was downright nauseating.
"There's no way you wrote this!" Hermione crossed her arms, goosebumps rising on her skin.
She'd stake her wand that this essay was ghostwritten. Wayne had never spouted such sycophantic drivel to her!
It had to be some rabid Lockhart fangirl.
Wayne didn't deny it. At this point, anyone but Lockhart – lost in his delusions – could tell it wasn't his work.
The young witch pressed for the ghostwriter's identity, but Wayne avoided the question.
Several minutes later, Lockhart finished reading with palpable reluctance and announced, "I award twenty points to Hufflepuff! For Mr Lawrence's remarkable candour and honesty. Only his portrayal captures my true essence."
"Professor," Wayne stood. "The points aren't necessary."
"Why not?" Lockhart regarded him curiously.
Wayne simply offered a pained smile without explanation, leaving everyone baffled.
Who refused free House points?
Recognising Wayne's reluctance, Lockhart dropped the matter and launched into the day's theatrical performance.
Several students were drafted to play Werewolves, Trolls and injured villagers.
Truthfully, Wayne couldn't fathom what exactly was wrong with Lockhart.
The man was undoubtedly a master of Memory Charms, proving he wasn't magically inept.
And that botched spell that vanished all the bones in Harry's arm? That demonstrated considerable magical power. But why couldn't he cast any other spells at all?
With such dreadful performance, how had he even passed his graduation exams in the first place?
...
After class, Lockhart kept Wayne behind and asked curiously, "Mr Lawrence, why did you stop me from awarding points to Hufflepuff earlier?"
Wayne switched into acting mode: "Professor, I had no choice... Professor Snape already dislikes both you and me. If you awarded me points, he couldn't do anything to you, but I'd be in trouble."
Lockhart looked doubtful; 'Snape? He is difficult, but he shouldn't dislike me.'
"Because..." Wayne meaningfully pointed at the Order of Merlin pinned to Lockhart's chest.
"We're the same kind of people. Professor Snape applies for the Order of Merlin every year but never gets approved. You're much more outstanding than he, having obtained the medal so easily. Naturally, he resents you."
Lockhart immediately smiled: "Ah, outstanding people always face prejudice. I understand now, Mr Lawrence."
"But why should two recipients of the Order of Merlin fear him?" Lockhart said indignantly: "Fifty points to Hufflepuff, I say. If Snape deducts your points, come find me. As a fellow professor, I have that authority too."
Wayne looked at him admiringly: "As expected of Professor Lockhart, five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award! I believe you'll surely suppress Snape's arrogance!"
Lockhart laughed even louder, repeatedly praising Wayne for his good judgment.
Meanwhile, Snape, flipping through ancient texts in his office, shuddered involuntarily.
It was as if something foul had set its sights on him.
"Has someone cursed me?" Snape's expression darkened. For safety's sake, he drank a vial of anti-curse potion.
...
At noon in the Great Hall, Snape immediately sensed something amiss.
Turning his head, he saw Lockhart gazing at him with pitying eyes.
When their eyes met, Lockhart deliberately puffed out his chest, making his Order of Merlin glitter conspicuously in the candlelight.
Snape's face darkened.
What a lunatic. Was this some kind of boast?
The Order of Merlin was indeed a sore point for him.
At the Hufflepuff table, Wayne—who'd been secretly observing the staff table—was grinning from ear to ear.
Indeed, even a useless person had their uses.
If Snape insisted on targeting Hufflepuff, he'd just recruit another professor to award points.
Head of House Sprout was too principled to be Snape's opponent, but Lockhart was perfect.
...
True enough, over the following days...
No matter how many points Snape deducted from Hufflepuff, Wayne only needed to mention it to Lockhart, who'd find excuses to award them back.
Thus, Hufflepuff's point tally fluctuated wildly like a rollercoaster.
Snape soon realised Lockhart was opposing him, and the two seemed locked in competition, exchanging barbs even during meals.
Lockhart would always find opportunities to rub his Order of Merlin in Snape's face.
The inexplicable tension between them left other professors baffled, though none intervened.
Neither of them was particularly well-liked.
One was a gloomy old bat, the other a flamboyant peacock strutting about.
Let them bicker all they want.
...
Saturday arrived.
Astoria, brimming with excitement, left the dormitory unusually early.
After waiting briefly in the Great Hall, Wayne finally appeared with his two roommates.
Astoria immediately dashed over, offering Wayne a sweet smile.
Toby and Norman exchanged a glance.
As expected, Wayne really did pick the prettiest girl from each year.
This Slytherin first-year, though somewhat frail, had delicate features and emerald-green eyes that were utterly flawless—a true beauty in the making.
Envy? No... damn it all...
The two ordered a glass of lemonade each and quietly distanced themselves from Wayne.
"Is all this excitement really necessary?" Wayne helped himself to some sausages and bacon, then added a serving of steamed eggs.
"But it's a Unicorn!" Astoria's eyes sparkled. "I've always loved stories about Unicorns."
Clasping her hands over her heart, she said reverently, "They're the purest creatures, capable of cleansing all evil and curses."
Wayne paused mid-bite.
'So that was the reason?'
He suddenly smiled. "If we're talking about evil, your pure-blood families are the most evil of all, considering how many Dark Wizards they've produced."
"The Greengrass family is nothing like them," Astoria retorted, wrinkling her nose. "We've had very few Dark Wizards in our family. We're nothing like the Malfoys or the Blacks."
Wayne nodded. "I believe that."
Among pure-blood families, there were actually three distinct factions—far from a united front.
The largest and most mainstream faction was the conservative pure-blood aristocracy.
Representative families... well, those were the wizards who followed Voldemort.
The Malfoys, the Notts, the Rowles, the Rosiers, the Yaxleys, and so on.
They upheld blood supremacy, despising any half-blood or Muggle-born wizards.
This group was also the most numerous. The wizarding world had originally belonged to pure-bloods, and as half-bloods and Muggle-borns grew in number, the old aristocracy's interests were inevitably threatened.
Opposing them were the radicals.
These families not only refrained from hostility toward Muggles but actively embraced them, believing there should be no distinction between them.
Families like the Weasleys, the Longbottoms, the Boneses, and the Potters.
In short, it was essentially the conflict between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters.
The smallest and most low-key faction was the neutralists.
Most endorsed the idea of blood supremacy but weren't as extreme as the conservatives, harbouring no particular hostility toward half-bloods and opposing the persecution of Muggles.
Families like the Greengrasses, the Macmillans, and the Ollivanders were prime examples.
They aligned with neither Voldemort nor Dumbledore.
Content to live quietly, relying on their heritage and principles, their sole aim was to ensure their lineage endured.
"Have you eaten? Want to join me?"
Under Astoria's eager gaze, Wayne found his meal oddly uncomfortable and finally extended the offer.
The girl shook her head. "I took medicine this morning. I don't feel like eating anything."
"How many lollipops did you have?"
"One a day, you won't let me have more..."
"Such a good girl."
Whenever Wayne chatted with Astoria, he unconsciously slipped into the role of an older brother.
Perhaps it was because this little girl was too well-behaved, trailing behind him like a tiny shadow.
...
After the meal, Wayne walked ahead while Astoria followed with her head bowed, always maintaining exactly three steps between them.
First, he went to find Hermione and Cho, asking if they wanted to come along.
But neither agreed.
Hermione needed to practise spells in the Room of Requirement, while Cho had Quidditch training with the Ravenclaw team.
In the end, it was just the two of them heading to the Forbidden Forest.
However, as they passed the hut, Wayne suddenly stopped. He hadn't seen Hagrid since the term started.
Since they were passing by anyway, he might as well say hello... and perhaps get some freebies while he was at it.
"Fang, is Hagrid in?"
The boarhound barked twice before bounding over to rub against his trousers. Satisfied, Wayne knocked on the door.
Soon, the half-giant opened it, his rugged face breaking into a broad grin.
"Wayne! Good ter see yeh."
"Haven't spotted you much since the term started. What've you been up to?" Wayne strode into the wooden cabin with practised ease.
Astoria hesitated for two seconds before following.
"Who's this?" Hagrid eyed the perpetually downcast girl.
"My client."
"Right, right." Hagrid nodded, bustling about before presenting them with hot tea and fudge.
"That smell... something burning?" Wayne ignored the tea, frowning instead.
Hagrid scratched his head sheepishly. "Been keepin' some Fire Crabs. Nasty little blighters near set the place alight."
'Fire Crabs...'
A thought occurred to Wayne as he circled the room, plucking two vials from the mantelpiece.
Hagrid's expression immediately changed as he watched him nervously.
"Tsk... Amortentia." Now Wayne understood what Hagrid had been doing.
So the hybridisation master's journey begins.
"Wayne—" Hagrid hurried over, desperate to explain.
"Easy does it. The Ban on Experimental Breeding isn't just for show, you know."
Hagrid went pale, utterly shocked.
How'd he guess so accurately...?
"I'll be careful," Hagrid pleaded. "Don't tell anyone, 'specially Harry an' Ron. Their mouths ain't as tight as mine. 'Specially Ron—if he knows, the whole wizardin' world'll know!"
Astoria blinked her large eyes, not understanding their conversation.
Wayne gave him an exasperated look.
'Your mouth's tight?'
Last academic year, Hagrid might as well have been a quest-giving NPC, effortlessly guiding Harry to Nicolas Flamel's clues and the Philosopher's Stone. The most absurd part was that Hagrid hadn't even done it deliberately—it all came completely naturally.
Wayne extended his hand. "Hush money."
The directness actually relaxed Hagrid. "Wha' d'yeh want?"
"You've got plenty of jewels from those Fire Crabs, yeah? Hand them over."
"No problem! Just need time ter pry 'em off. Yeh can collect 'em this afternoon."
Fire Crabs were Class XX protected creatures. Despite their name, they resembled giant turtles with jewel-encrusted shells.
Although not of top quality, the gems were more than adequate for home decorations.
Still unsatisfied, Wayne proceeded to list an extensive inventory of materials—mostly things found in the Forbidden Forest. For Hagrid, it was merely a matter of some effort.
Putting away the list, Hagrid glanced at Astoria, who hadn't said a word since entering the hut. After a moment's hesitation, he finally said, "Aragog asked me ter ask ya... could yeh... maybe spare 'em?"
"Oh?" Wayne raised an eyebrow.
'That old spider actually dared to complain and thought telling Hagrid would help?'
"How exactly did he put it?" Wayne asked without urgency.
After Hagrid recounted the version he'd heard, Wayne laughed.
The cunning old thing had conveniently omitted the part where he'd attacked first.
Only someone as trusting as Hagrid would believe such a tale.
Not bothering to expose the lie, Wayne simply said, "Let's just say those who understand will understand. For those who don't, don't. It's best to pretend you never heard anything. There are too many interests involved. The waters run deep here. Knowing too much won't do you any good. Let's leave it at that."
Hagrid's head spun from the explanation.
Each word was simple enough, but strung together, what did they mean?
"Wayne, yeh agreein' or not?"
"Of course not." Wayne looked at him disdainfully. "Newt was with me last time. He took plenty of Acromantula venom as well. As for where the rest went—don't ask."
Hagrid startled, thinking he'd stumbled upon some tremendous secret, and nodded repeatedly.
Still, he couldn't help pleading: "Then please, don' harm Aragog. He's never eaten a human, he ain't."
True, Aragog hadn't. But what about his offspring?
Wayne didn't respond directly. These spiders would survive at least until his graduation.
Afterwards, he'd take them all away—doing the Forbidden Forest a favour by removing this menace.
...
After sitting a while longer, Wayne finally left the hut with Astoria, carrying a small bag of gemstones. Most were red, though other colours glittered among them.
Jerry shot out from a coat pocket and burrowed into the pile, digging frantically.
"A Niffler!" Astoria stood on tiptoe, peering excitedly. "How adorable!"
Watching Jerry's plump body and long snout, she asked hopefully: "May I pet him?"
"Your responsibility now." Wayne handed over both Niffler and gems.
Astoria accepted them joyfully as they walked deeper into the forest. Yet within moments, the girl was panting heavily, unable to continue.
Seeing her constitution so frail, Wayne could only sigh in resignation.
Summoning Gardevoir, he had her Apparate them both to the Unicorn clearing.
"Th-three Unicorns!" Astoria's eyes widened as she gazed in wonder at the three creatures surrounding them.
She'd expected only Lulu, never imagining Wayne had raised two others.
The girl was so happy she nearly fainted.
Just as she cautiously reached out to stroke the smallest unicorn, Diana, Wayne abruptly grabbed her wrist.
"You're going back on your word?" The girl stared at him in shock, her heart brimming with grievance.
Wayne said calmly, "No, I just want to add one more condition."
"What condition?"
"I want to examine your body."
Astoria's fair cheeks instantly flushed crimson.