Wayne easily brushed off Lockhart's proposal.
But he realised Lockhart truly believed partnering would be massively advantageous for Wayne.
The man possessed some inexplicable confidence, as if he'd actually accomplished all the feats written in his books.
Otherwise, how could a fraud maintain such bravado while swindling right under Dumbledore's nose?
Even after leaving the office, Wayne remained astonished by the diversity of nature.
However...
The young man narrowed his eyes.
When the partnership fell through, Lockhart had swiftly changed tactics, chatting like old friends while probing about Wayne's Thunderbird encounter and Order of Merlin achievements.
His entire bibliography relied on this method - extracting details from witnesses before ambushing them with Memory Charms to claim their stories as his own.
Targeting an innocent little badger... Lockhart truly had no conscience.
...
December arrived, and students grew increasingly restless.
Without midterms and with professors rarely giving quizzes, months of uninterrupted lessons had everyone desperately anticipating Christmas break.
To curb this restlessness, professors employed various methods to 'discipline' young wizards.
During Potions class:
"Potter, if you can't even brew a simple Pain Potion, what use are you?" Snape said coldly. "Five points from Gryffindor."
Comparing Harry to Harriet only worsened Snape's temper.
"Next lesson, take this before attending." Snape placed a vial before Harry.
"Professor," Harry's angry expression shifted, "Professor McGonagall classified Gender-Reversal Potions as contraband - they're point-deductible offences."
"You're the exception," Snape said flatly. "I simply cannot endure your idiocy in my classroom, so I specially requisitioned this."
"Potter, you should be grateful for Professor McGonagall granting you this privilege."
Harry inwardly sighed. Although transforming into Harriet made Potions class far more comfortable for him, the odd looks from classmates in daily life still caused considerable discomfort.
He was losing out either way.
Snape couldn't care less about such matters. He knew Harry wasn't Lily, but merely catching glimpses of her shadow in him was satisfaction enough.
...
In Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall doubled the homework assignments to motivate students, even distributing the Christmas work early.
No one except Hermione found this pleasing. Most students would have preferred to hear about their assignments for the first time on the evening before the term began.
Only Charms remained as enjoyable as ever.
Professor Flitwick handed each young witch and wizard a box of bells, instructing them to use a combination of the Levitation and Sticking Charms to hang them on Christmas trees.
Even when some hung their bells crookedly or strung them into necklaces by mistake, he simply chuckled good-naturedly.
...
"What are your holiday plans? Mum asked us to invite you."
Before the Duelling Club began, the Weasley twins found Wayne.
"Are you going back to The Burrow this year?"
"Yeah. Last year Mum and Dad visited Charlie, and Bill was too far away, so we're not travelling this time."
"All of us are going back."
Harry's expression darkened upon hearing that the entire Weasley family would be returning home.
Although the Dursleys treated him decently now, Harry had chosen to stay at school, where at least he could practise magic without restrictions.
Last year, he'd had Ron and the twins for company. This year, he'd truly be alone.
"I probably won't have time to visit The Burrow," Wayne shook his head. "Remember to send my birthday present over."
The twins simultaneously raised middle fingers - a gesture they'd learnt from Harry. Wizarding insults didn't involve this motion. The traditional insulting gestures might have made certain people lose their temper completely.
...
By eight o'clock, students were filing into the Great Hall.
Drawing from last time's experience, Lockhart appeared much more composed today, efficiently pairing up students.
"Severus, you'll handle the safety specifics."
Indeed, Lockhart's version of composure involved pushing Snape forward as his errand boy, grandly claiming that as the organiser, he only needed to oversee the big picture.
This arrangement suited both parties perfectly.
At least during these sessions, Snape could experience the joy of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Wayne sat alone in the audience. Not a single student wanted to partner with him - people came here to duel, not to get beaten up.
"H-hello, I'm Astoria Greengrass."
"Hello, I'm Luna Lovegood."
Luna responded airily. Today, the little rich girl who usually clung to Wayne had been shooed away, only to be unexpectedly paired with Luna.
Both were first-years, but they'd never interacted before.
Noticing Wayne's gaze, Luna turned her head and blinked at him.
"Astoria," Wayne smiled. "If you lose to Luna, no fancy meals next week."
The little heiress pouted. "That's not fair."
"If you lose, it reflects poorly on my teaching. Why would I reward that?" Wayne remained unmoved by her pitiful expression, maintaining his role as school bully.
Astoria reluctantly raised her wand, warning Luna: "Please be careful, I... I'm going to try properly."
"Alright," Luna replied, still distracted.
As Lockhart finished the countdown, Astoria called out in her childish voice:
"Flipendo!"
The blue spell shot past Luna, unfortunately missing its mark. Astoria looked disappointed but immediately prepared a second spell.
For a little glutton like her, Wayne's threat proved highly effective.
To her surprise, after hesitating for a second, Luna suddenly collapsed to the floor, her wand slipping from her grasp.
"Oh dear, you won."
Had the spell hit after all, with delayed effect?
Astoria immediately dismissed this notion. Seeing Luna's subtle nod towards Wayne, she understood and broke into a smile.
"Wayne, I won!"
Wayne: "..."
Were these girls taking him for an idiot?
Even Professor Binns wouldn't fall for acting this poor.
Astoria quickly ran over to help Luna up, whispered her thanks, then led the girl over to Wayne with an air of triumph.
"No matter what, I still won."
"That's right," Luna chimed in beside her. "You never specified the exact requirements for victory."
Though the two girls had only just met, they displayed remarkable synchrony in this moment.
"Is this Ravenclaw wisdom?" Wayne observed the ethereal-looking girl.
"Just a minor application of it."
"Fine, you win." Wayne shrugged, prompting Astoria to immediately beam with joy and give Luna a hug.
However, the little rich girl's smile froze upon hearing Wayne's next words.
"I won't withhold your feast, but you still won't get to eat it. After this weekend, it's the Christmas holidays."
"You... you bully!" Astoria's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Luna, who hadn't considered the holiday issue either, could only pat Astoria's back comfortingly while shooting Wayne a disapproving look.
Her expression seemed to say, I never thought you'd be that kind of person.
...
Meanwhile, Hermione effortlessly defeated two opponents.
After her training with the Virtual Brain Machine, her composure had improved tremendously compared to before. Facing enemy spells, she could now dodge and counter with complete calm.
"Is hiding all you can do, Potter!"
Malfoy's shout could be heard from across the room: "Have the guts to face me one-on-one like a real man!"
Harry gritted his teeth in frustration.
'Remove that Protection Ring first before talking!'
'What kind of skill is relying on props?'
"Have you no shame?" Harry retorted. "Spoiled brat, are protective items meant to be used now?"
As he spoke, he hastily ducked to avoid an incoming curse.
Rather than feeling ashamed, Malfoy actually puffed out his chest proudly at Harry's words: "Wealth is a form of strength, too. It's not like I stopped you from using any, did I?"
"Oh, wait, my apologies. With your inheritance, you probably can't afford to, can you?"
This barb clearly struck a nerve. Harry immediately used Toby as a human shield to tank two of Malfoy's attacks, seizing the chance to shatter the Shield Charm's protection.
Then Harry lunged forward, and the two began grappling hand-to-hand.
It wasn't until the Duelling Club ended that Harry finally extracted his hand from Malfoy's mouth, while Malfoy withdrew his fingers from their death grip on Harry's thighs.
"Enjoy being the school's unwanted orphan this Christmas!" Malfoy spat before storming out of the Great Hall.
On his way back to the common room, Malfoy suddenly remembered the letter Lucius Malfoy had sent yesterday - something about important family business requiring him to stay at school over the holidays.
To prevent loneliness, Crabbe and Goyle would also be staying.
"Damn it..."
Malfoy's expression darkened at the thought of being trapped at school with so few people around, forced to see Harry's face everywhere he went. The very idea made his skin crawl.
Then a bold notion surfaced in his mind.
If Harry became Harriet... wouldn't that at least be easier on the eyes?
...
In the Forbidden Forest, Wayne strolled down shadowy paths with Penelope.
He handed her his briefcase.
"You'll be responsible for this while I'm away from school."
"Why?" Penelope asked, puzzled. "Can't you take it home?"
"It's safer to stay at school." Wayne shook his head. "Hestia and the others are inside, plus Gardevoir and Ho-Oh. If any danger arises, they can protect you."
Among the girls, Hermione was the first one Wayne ruled out.
The young witch was still somewhat impulsive - clever enough to seem like a Ravenclaw, but with Gryffindor recklessness in her bones.
Next was Cho, whose temperament leaned too much towards gentleness.
If possible, Wayne didn't want her to bear too much pressure. She could just quietly remain the beautiful girl she was.
Only Penelope was mature enough compared to the other two, someone who wouldn't panic when faced with trouble.
Most importantly, Penelope was far more pragmatic and level-headed.
Wayne felt most at ease leaving the suitcase with her.
"This is too valuable..." Penelope clearly sensed Wayne was hiding something, but didn't press for answers.
Still, being entrusted with such a treasure made her nervous.
"Don't worry, with Gardevoir around, you'd have trouble losing it even if you tried," Wayne said with a smile.
"Your usual task is just to pop in occasionally to keep Gardevoir and... well, company. You can also inform her if anything happens at school."
"Oh, and don't be surprised by anything you see inside the case."
Penelope looked up.
Why was Wayne so certain the school would face turmoil?
Reading the question in the girl's eyes, Wayne said softly, "You haven't forgotten the Defence Against the Dark Arts curse, have you?"
"You mean Lockhart's problematic?"
Penelope recalled Quirrell from last term.
"More or less. After all this time, you should have seen through his actual competence."
The girl nodded silently.
Lockhart bore no resemblance to the heroic figure portrayed in his books - the man was utterly useless.
Tilting his head back, Wayne bathed in the pure moonlight streaming from the sky.
Truth be told, he'd hesitated for a while about how to handle Tom Riddle's Diary.
In the end, he decided to spare Tom's life.
Especially after the last lottery draw, this conviction had grown stronger.
At Wayne's current stage, ordinary golden rewards could hardly satisfy him anymore.
Even rewards like Glacial Augment and Final Spark only enhanced specific aspects of his abilities without breaking his limits.
His two most powerful talents had both come from critical hit rewards during major events -
One was Gathering Storm, the other Thunderlord's Decree.
SS-rank was formidable enough, yet still insufficient. Beyond it lay SSS-rank Legend, then the realm surpassing all limits, Godhood.
To advance further, he needed to create major incidents, big news.
So... what could be more fitting than resurrecting the Dark Lord?
The diary was special - with enough life force absorbed, it could temporarily manifest physically, unshackled from being a Horcrux.
With even more life force, complete resurrection became possible.
In the original timeline, had Ginny been completely drained, the seventeen-year-old Tom Riddle would have truly returned to the world.
No other Horcrux could achieve this.
Both Tom Riddle and Voldemort appearing simultaneously in the wizarding world...
The thought was nothing short of terrifying. Wayne had a premonition that the rewards he would obtain would reach an unprecedented level.
Initially, his chosen target had been Flint, but since Lockhart had delivered himself to his doorstep, the candidate had changed.
By any calculation, a grown wizard's vitality had to be considerably stronger than a student's, didn't it?
Due to the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship, he would have to leave the school again for some time.
The safety of Astoria, Cho, Hermione, and Penelope must be guaranteed.
The other students were innocent too. If any mishap led to a student's death, it was something he couldn't bear to see.
Thus, Wayne left behind Ho-Oh, Gardevoir, and Nagini, who could speak Parseltongue.
Even if someone made direct eye contact with the Basilisk, Ho-Oh's current power could resurrect them as long as death hadn't occurred more than a day prior.
It might seem hypocritical, but at least this arrangement would ease his conscience.
Noticing the boy had remained silent, walking aimlessly, Penelope quietly followed by his side. At some point, her slender fingers had intertwined with Wayne's.
Only when they reached the entrance of the secret passage did Wayne snap out of his thoughts.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought just now."
"It's fine." Penelope gently embraced him. In the quiet night, their heartbeats were unmistakably loud.
Who knew how much time passed before they slowly pulled apart.
The golden-haired senior's cheeks were flushed. She had unconsciously leaned against Wayne's chest—his hands were being a bit mischievous.
"Whatever you plan to do, I'll support you. Even if it means ending up in Azkaban."
"Don't worry." Wayne wrapped an arm around the girl's slender waist. "If any Auror dares arrest you, I'll storm the Ministry of Magic to get you back."
Penelope's eyes sparkled. "Now I'm almost looking forward to it."
...
Back in his dormitory, Wayne took out Tom Riddle's Diary.
Lately, Tom had stopped engaging in intellectual exchanges with him, which stung a little.
Fortunately, the homework-writing service was still operational, though the demands grew increasingly unreasonable—even asking him to capture small creatures in the Forbidden Forest.
Wayne could sense Tom growing more impatient. He craved power, wanting stronger magical power to control 'Harry.'
To avoid blowing his cover, their interactions had dwindled. Their last conversation had been a week ago.
But since he was about to hand the diary over to Lockhart, Wayne felt reluctant to part with this old 'friend' and decided to talk to Tom one last time.