Hogwarts, having enjoyed only a few days of peace, was rocked by another major scandal.
Though it didn't affect many people, the psychological impact was undoubtedly significant.
Snape had actually awarded points to Gryffindor!
Not just any points – twenty to Harry Potter, the person he despised most.
Aside from some first-year newcomers, nearly everyone in the school knew Snape's two most hated individuals.
One was Harry Potter, the other Wayne Lawrence.
Just how much did he hate them?
It was a daily necessity.
If Snape ever went a week without deducting points from these two, it could only mean something was wrong with his head.
Thanks to Wayne's exceptional skills and formidable connections (being Professor Sprout's top supplier), he occasionally managed to reclaim some points from Snape.
Harry had never possessed such an ability before.
But today, people witnessed something truly extraordinary.
Compounded by the effects of the Transfiguration Solution, wherever Harry went that day, she attracted swarms of curious stares.
The most uncomfortable moment came when Colin came bounding over excitedly with his camera.
He wanted to take a series of artistic portraits of her as keepsakes.
Like hell she'd let him!
Harry angrily shooed Colin away and ducked into the Great Hall.
She just wanted the potion's effects to wear off soon – otherwise, she wouldn't dare sleep in the dormitory tonight.
"Malfoy keeps staring at you, Harry," Ron whispered. "Be careful these next few days. He's definitely holding a grudge after Snape scolded him this morning."
"Let him try. I'm not afraid of him anymore," Harry replied nonchalantly, her petite voice carrying unexpected boldness.
After training with Wayne for some time, beyond improving her skills, Harry's greatest gain was a boost in confidence.
These so-called pure-blood nobles might know more about wizarding customs and rules, but in an actual duel, who could say who'd win?
At the very least, Malfoy was no longer her match.
"That's brilliant," Ron said, casting an envious glance at his friend.
With Wayne, money could buy power – unfortunately, Ron had none.
...
With Harry serving as a walking advertisement, the fame of the Gender-Swap Mints spread rapidly.
Numerous young witches and wizards came inquiring, undeterred even by the two-Galleon price tag, eagerly placing deposits and urging Wayne to restock quickly.
The buyers included both genders with wildly varying reasons for wanting the sweets.
Some boys wanted to see if they'd be pretty as girls; one claimed to have "a woman's soul in a man's body" and thanked Wayne for giving him the chance to be his true self.
Others pooled money with roommates to buy one for a particular target.
Truly inheriting the finest traditions of Great Britain, even among wizards.
The girls' intended uses were even more varied.
After all, when it came to risqué behaviour, girls often left boys in the dust.
...
After dinner, Wayne returned to the common room and planned to video call Fleur.
The half-Veela grew more beautiful by the day – if they video-called from the dormitory, perhaps she'd even treat him to some... exceptional views. The last time, the silk nightgown had accentuated her graceful figure, giving Wayne quite the eyeful.
However, just before entering the boys' dormitory passageway, Wayne was stopped by Grace.
"Senior, is something the matter?"
"About those Gender-Swap Mints—could you make a long-lasting version?" The bold senior asked directly.
Wayne looked puzzled. "How long do you need it to last?"
"About seven days."
"Impossible." Wayne shook his head. "The potency within a single dose is limited. To extend the duration, you'd have to take another dose before the effects wear off—similar to Polyjuice Potion."
"Is that so?" Grace frowned. "That makes it rather costly then."
"Why do you need it for so long?" Wayne grew even more curious.
"Little brother, you're still too young—it's normal you wouldn't understand." Grace giggled. "You'll know when you're older. Women bleed for a few days every month. I plan to turn into a man to skip that."
Wayne: "..."
Utterly absurd. Who knew the potion could be used in this way?
Wayne was deeply impressed by the ingenuity of this senior, who often teased him, and proactively sponsored a small vial of potion sufficient for seven days.
He also wanted to see whether the potion could truly avert the "bloody disaster."
...
Back in the dormitory, his two roommates were still at the Quidditch Pitch watching team practice, so Wayne initiated a video call.
Soon, Fleur's breathtakingly beautiful face appeared on the page.
"You're back." The girl spoke in English, so her intonation sounded slightly odd.
Fleur believed that since Wayne had mastered French, she could certainly master English—they shared the same roots, and English was simpler anyway.
After only a short period of study, Fleur had already grasped the basics.
To Wayne's slight disappointment, Fleur didn't seem to have finished her lessons for the day. She was video-calling him from a temporary lounge, still wearing her traditional blue satin school uniform.
Though she looked lovely, it wasn't as stimulating as the silk nightgown.
"You still have classes this late?" Wayne asked.
"Madame Maxime asked Professor Balzac to tutor me." Fleur's lips curved slightly. "I've made significant progress recently."
"How significant?" Seeing her confident expression, Wayne casually pressed further.
"At the very least..." Fleur's eyes twinkled. "No one in my year can rival me now."
"Sounds like you found a proper teacher." Wayne smiled. "How about setting a small goal first—become the strongest among the students?"
Fleur propped her chin on one hand, her proud demeanour deflating slightly at Wayne's suggestion.
"Maybe in another year. By sixth year, I should be there."
Wayne didn't argue. Fleur's magical talent was merely good, not exceptionally outstanding.
In the original story, after she was selected as Beauxbatons' champion, several students had cried over their rejection—proof that the gap between them and Fleur wasn't insurmountable.
Separated by thousands of miles, Wayne couldn't offer specific guidance. He merely helped her resolve a few issues with spell casting before shifting to casual conversation.
Lately, Wayne had been grinding Alchemy, so their chats always ended abruptly—something the girl clearly resented in subtle ways.
This was precisely Fleur's charm.
She would openly show her displeasure, making Wayne coax her. When she sensed the boy's sincerity, after deliberately putting on a few haughty words, her anger would instantly vanish without a trace.
It wasn't so much anger as it was playful coquetry.
As they chatted, the conversation inevitably turned to the Christmas holidays, now less than a month away.
"Come to France for Christmas," Fleur said, her emerald-green eyes shimmering with a silvery light that was utterly captivating.
"After the holidays, you can return with me to Beauxbatons to prepare for the Potions Championship."
"Gabrielle misses you terribly."
Calculating it this way, the two would have nearly a month and a half together, something Fleur was looking forward to very much.
Unfortunately, Wayne was destined to decline.
He had plenty of matters to attend to during the Christmas holidays.
First were the issues concerning the Muggle world.
Though professionals managed the family's enterprises and finances, the broader direction still required Wayne's approval to determine the main objectives and tasks for the coming year.
Secondly, there were meetings with senior management from various conglomerates, where minor magical methods would be employed to ascertain whether these individuals were embezzling or betraying the Lawrence family's interests.
Moreover, after being away for so long, Uncle Humphrey would undoubtedly want him to stay home for a while.
Additionally, Mrs Greengrass was due to visit to express her gratitude, and over in Dorset, Grandma Tina was waiting for him...
After tallying it up, Wayne's holiday schedule was already packed to the brim.
He explained some of these reasons to Fleur, and though still disappointed, the young woman showed understanding.
Soon, it was time for Fleur to attend her remedial lessons, and their video call came to an end.
...
The next day was Friday.
After the final Potions class, Snape kept Wayne behind.
"Was the Gender-Reversal Potion your own research?"
"Yes." Wayne was utterly composed. "A byproduct of researching Animagus potions."
Snape's eyelid twitched.
Animagus transformation, to some extent, signified that one's Transfiguration prowess had reached an exceptionally high level.
And this boy actually wanted to achieve it through potions?
"Did you succeed?" Snape couldn't help asking.
"Not a clue." Wayne shook his head regretfully. "There's far too little material on humanoid Animagi."
"Humanoid Animagus?" Snape's voice rose several pitches. "Aren't you being rather fanciful?"
Humanoid Animagi, also known as Metamorphmagi, could freely alter their physical appearance.
Those possessing such abilities were even rarer than ordinary Animagi, mostly inheriting the trait as an innate gift.
He recalled a Hufflepuff from several years above who'd had such capability.
Though useless in combat, it was remarkably effective for infiltration and intelligence gathering.
That Hufflepuff had been pre-selected by the Auror Office before even graduating.
Ahem.
Snape feigned a light cough. "Though fantastical, one can't deny it's an interesting line of thought."
"Let me see your formula. Perhaps I could offer some suggestions."
Wayne looked at him disdainfully.
'Trying to freeload off me, are we?'
Growing somewhat flustered under the gaze, Snape withdrew a tattered copy of Advanced Potion-Making from his sleeve and handed it over.
Wayne took it and flipped to the title page.
[This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince.]
Wayne curled his lip scornfully. "Half-Blood Prince? Might as well call it Pure-Blood Golden Boy."
Swish!
A wand appeared in Snape's hand, a vein throbbing at his temple as he ground out through clenched teeth: "Has it ever occurred to you that 'Prince' might not solely denote royalty, but could also be a surname?"
"Even lamer."
Huff...
Huff...
'Don't lose your temper, don't lose your temper.'
'It's been over a year now, you should be used to this, Snape. The boy's doing it on purpose – you mustn't take the bait.'
Snape continued soothing himself, and then...
"Hufflepuff loses twenty points for disrespecting a professor!"
A hundred points gained—Wayne was satisfied.
Opening the textbook, he noticed many sections had been scribbled over. He skipped the potions parts, as Snape had already taught him those, and some of the revisions were outdated.
This merely reflected Snape's potion-making skills during his sixth and seventh years. After all these years, his expertise had continued to advance.
What caught Wayne's interest were the numerous jinxes Snape had invented—none particularly lethal but all highly practical.
"Deal!"
Wayne handed over the Gender-Swap Potion recipe to Snape.
As he reached the classroom door, Wayne turned back and asked, "Professor, can I teach these spells to others?"
Snape, engrossed in studying the recipe, waved him off impatiently.
"Do as you please."
...
Since Snape had given permission, Wayne saw no reason to hold back.
He copied out the spells and shared them with Hermione, Cho, and Penelope.
As for Astoria, the wealthy little girl was still too young—she could learn them once her skills improved.
"Where did these spells come from? I've never seen them in the library," Hermione asked curiously after reading them.
Cho stared intently at one particular spell. "A whitening charm... does it actually work?"
"It should, but judging by the spell structure, it's only a temporary effect—won't last long," Wayne glanced at the incantation and quickly deduced.
By now, he could confidently call himself a Charms expert. Ordinary spells were child's play for him.
"As for their origin... they were created by the Half-Blood Prince."
Hermione wanted to press further, but Wayne, out of moral decency, didn't reveal Snape's embarrassing past.
A man remains a boy at heart—what's wrong with a bit of cringe?
Thrilled by the practical and amusing spells, Hermione and the others were eager to practise immediately. But Wayne had other matters to attend to, so he sent them off to the Room of Requirement.
Meanwhile, he headed into the Forbidden Forest.
...
Inside the suitcase world, Wayne descended into the basement and released Nagini.
The moment she saw him, Nagini grew exhilarated—she knew the final moment had arrived at last.
"Don't get too excited. Drink this first."
Wayne stroked Nagini's cold scales and poured an entire vial of golden liquid into her mouth.
Had Snape witnessed this, he would have lost his mind.
'All that Felix Felicis, painstakingly brewed, just dumped down a snake's throat?'
Most people used the potion sparingly—a teaspoon or two at most. The amount Wayne had just given Nagini was enough for ten doses.
It was extravagance bordering on waste.
With that single gulp, thousands of Galleons had vanished.
After drinking the Felix Felicis, Nagini grew even more cheerful. Guided by Wayne, the pair made their way to the lakeside, where Ho-Oh appeared, stepping to the rhythm of a song.
"Nagini, tell me immediately if it becomes unbearable. I'll have Ho-Oh stop."
With this final warning, Wayne signalled for Ho-Oh to begin.
For added safety, he immobilised Nagini with a powerful Hardening Spell.
Agonised hisses erupted from the serpent's mouth, but barely any dark mist emerged now. In the end, all that remained was the cursed fragment, inseparable from her very soul. This time, Ho-Oh's target was to annihilate this fragment of soul completely.
For Nagini, it was also the most painful experience yet.
Fortunately, Ho-Oh hadn't been idle all this time—its power had grown considerably compared to six months ago.
Half an hour later, a grotesque, twisted spectre surged out from Nagini's body before dissipating into smoke, the flames vanishing along with it.
"Chirp chirp!"
"Well done. Extra treats tomorrow." Wayne hugged Ho-Oh, praising it before letting it fly off to the side.
Nagini had fainted the moment the spectre appeared. By the time she woke, an hour had already passed.
The first thing she did upon waking was dive into the lake.
Just as Wayne wondered what was happening, ripples disturbed the water's surface, and a woman of traditional Eastern beauty emerged—her slender waist leading to astonishingly shapely legs, each step captivating beyond measure.
Wayne tossed out the prepared wizard's robe, draping it over the woman's delicate frame.
With a smile, Nagini swayed gracefully towards Wayne, gently pulling the young man into her embrace.
Perhaps because she hadn't spoken in decades, her voice was halting, but the emotion behind it was unmistakable.
"M-master... th-thank you..."
Without a word, Wayne subtly shifted his head.
'Hmm. So soft.'
'Nagini truly understands gratitude.'