Cedric ultimately concluded his competition with an astonishing score of three points... and a ten-point deduction from Hufflepuff.
Despite his repeated pleas for another chance to do better this time, the judges unanimously rejected him.
Professor Sprout hastily waved her hand, signalling several senior students to escort the embarrassing fellow away.
Fortunately, the remaining contestants didn't let her down, presenting works that were commendable and fully embodied Hufflepuff's qualities.
Wayne temporarily acted as host, announcing the final results.
"First place, Emilia Grace!"
"Second place, Hannah Abbott!"
"Third place, Alt Burnham!"
The professors and badgers gave them a round of applause, while Wayne distributed the promised prizes to the winners.
Hannah felt slightly regretful. Though her fried cod was good, it was outdone by Senior Grace's French smoked duck breast.
Only now did everyone realise that the senior wasn't just skilled at makeup – she could cook too.
Wayne shared the same thought.
"Senior, you're really talented," Wayne wiped his mouth and gave a thumbs up. "I'll come to you whenever I'm hungry for midnight snacks."
"Of course," Grace covered her mouth with a light laugh. "But you'd better hurry. I'll graduate in six months, and then you won't get the chance."
Wayne nodded before asking, "Any preferences for your prize? Design, appearance, or type of spell?"
Grace glanced at the surrounding crowd. "No rush, we'll discuss it later."
"Alright."
All prizes except the first-place reward could be distributed immediately.
Under everyone's envious gazes, Hannah received Felix Felicis while Burnham got a hundred-Galleon voucher.
All other participants received Newt's signed books, leaving everyone satisfied.
Dumbledore looked troubled. "As for prizes... I really didn't prepare anything..."
"I'm afraid Fawkes will have to bear the burden."
The golden-red Phoenix was summoned. Despite his vigorous protests, Dumbledore plucked several tail feathers to give as student prizes.
The furious Fawkes, seeing his tail now resembling dog-chewed remains, thoroughly messed up the old man's hair.
The young badgers watched this spectacle in amazement.
To preserve the Headmaster's dignity, Professor McGonagall stood and declared: "Alright, it's very late now. You have trains to catch tomorrow – off to bed with you all."
Students returned to their dormitories with food in hand. Snape kept staring at Wayne until a small vial appeared in his hand, bringing a satisfied smile.
Dumbledore finally freed himself from Fawkes' claws, cradling the Phoenix as he said: "An early Merry Christmas to you, Mr Lawrence. May you achieve excellent results at the Potions Exchange Tournament."
"Don't worry, first place is mine," Wayne declared with absolute confidence, even making a dire vow: "If I don't win first place, the supervising teacher will resign on the spot."
Snape's smile instantly froze. After glaring daggers at Wayne, he turned and stormed up the stairs.
What a bastard – using someone else's name for his curse.
Supervising teacher? That meant him!
...
After seeing the professors off, Wayne restored the venue to its original state as several house-elves emerged to clean up.
"System, settle the rewards."
[Major Event 'Hufflepuff Cooking Championship' being settled... Event completion: Exceeds Expectations (E).]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained 1000 points and one gift package.]
"Just open it directly."
Although the decent completion rate was notable, golden rewards rarely appeared in gift packages, and Wayne didn't particularly mind either.
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained the talent - Malicious Slander!]
[Malicious Slander: A Domination-type talent that enhances the power of your curse magic.]
A talent leaning towards Dark Magic, Wayne felt he wouldn't have much use for it at the moment.
He didn't have anyone he particularly wanted to curse recently. Had it appeared earlier, he might have used it on that journalist he encountered back then.
Returning to the common room, the little badgers were still gathered there, discussing the recent competition.
Grace, who was sitting by the fireplace drinking warm milk, waved at Wayne, signalling him to come over. Around her, several girls wore mischievous smiles.
Wayne instinctively sensed trouble but approached nonetheless.
"Wayne." Senior Grace elegantly set down her cup, smiling at him. "I've decided on the prize design."
"Go on." Wayne regarded her warily.
Grace leaned close to his ear and whispered something. Wayne's expression turned peculiar, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards her headlights.
Finally, he looked utterly astonished.
"How on earth did you come up with this?" Wayne was floored.
"What can I say..." Grace lamented self-deprecatingly, "Being too well-endowed is its own burden. My back aches every day."
The surrounding girls all wore expressions of envy.
"So, little Wayne, would you like to take manual measurements? Only then can it be made accurately." Grace licked her lips in invitation.
"No thanks." Wayne couldn't handle this female rogue any longer and beat a hasty retreat. "Just wait. I'll have it ready after the holidays."
The senior girls burst into collective laughter, pointing at his fleeing figure.
A bra that concealed size externally, incorporated Undetectable Extension Charms internally, while providing adequate support...
Wayne was already regretting promising this particular reward.
Why custom-made? Wouldn't an off-the-shelf product have sufficed?
...
It wasn't until boarding the Hogwarts Express for the journey home that students from other houses learned about all the events that had transpired in Hufflepuff the previous night.
The Gryffindors, especially, were beating their chests in frustration.
Missing out on such excitement was truly a loss!
The twins consequently sought out Wayne to complain: "Why didn't you tell us about such fun?"
"Exactly, exactly." Astoria nodded vigorously, a glistening tear at the corner of her mouth. "All... all that delicious food..."
"Want to try some stargazy pie instead?" Wayne said irritably, ruffling her hair while Daphne looked on in distress.
She'd carefully styled Astoria's hair that morning, which was now thoroughly mussed.
"Professor McGonagall was there. What could you have done even if I told you? Would you really have dared to come?"
"We could've borrowed Harry's Invisibility Cloak," George quickly proposed. "Or used Polyjuice Potion to disguise as Slytherins."
"Next time," Wayne said. "Professor Dumbledore mentioned we could hold it again next year, open to all four houses."
"Will Felix Felicis still be among the prizes?" Fred asked curiously.
Wayne neither confirmed nor denied: "That could be arranged."
"That must be arranged."
"..."
The twins departed in high spirits, resolved to learn cooking from Mrs Weasley upon returning home to compete in next year's event.
"You're making me want to join in too," Cho said thoughtfully, gazing at the closed compartment door.
"You're welcome to," Wayne replied with a smile. "When you have time, you could learn from Gardevoir."
"No need." Cho lifted her chin slightly with pride. "My dad's cooking is excellent, especially Chinese cuisine. I can learn from him."
"Shame we're returning tomorrow, otherwise you could taste his skills."
Wayne's smile didn't reach his eyes.
Given Mr Chang's attitude towards him, no matter how delicious the food was, he wouldn't dare eat it – he was afraid there might be... extra ingredients.
"Remember to take lots of photos for me," Wayne reminded her.
He'd only recently learned that Cho's return to China wasn't merely a family visit.
Rather, it was for a large ancestral worship ceremony.
Family members from across the world would be gathering there.
The Changs... a magical family...
Thankfully, this world didn't have a certain Great Mage called Chang Zhiwei; otherwise, Dumbledore's title as the greatest white wizard of the century might be in jeopardy.
...
The train traversed snow-covered plains, leaving the Scottish Highlands behind.
After playing games for a while, Astoria was the first to fall asleep against Wayne's shoulder, followed by Cho, who nestled into his arms.
Hermione browsed books stored in her Virtual Brain Machine, growing fonder of it by the minute. The digital library was a perfect replica of Hogwarts' library – any book she desired would appear before her with just a thought.
Finally, just as Wayne's shoulder became thoroughly damp, the train arrived at King's Cross Station.
"Look at you, where does all this water come from?" Wayne said disdainfully, eyeing Astoria.
The wealthy young girl flushed crimson with embarrassment, burying her face in her sister's chest without a word.
Cho discreetly wiped her lips, her cheeks turning pink.
She'd been drooling too...
Upon disembarking, Wayne found himself busy.
The platform was crowded with familiar faces.
The Weasleys, Mr Diggory, Madam Bones, and many parents of young badgers who knew Wayne – all required greetings.
Madam Greengrass had come too. Seeing Wayne's popularity, she simply delivered a formal visiting card, arranging to call upon him in two days' time before departing with her daughters.
Seeing Astoria's rosy cheeks and healthy complexion, Madam Greengrass' eyes grew moist.
"Mum, don't be sad." The young girl gently embraced her mother. "I'm fine now."
"Good." Madam Greengrass smiled tenderly, stroking her daughter's long hair.
"Thank Merlin, you met Mr Lawrence."
"Mmm." Astoria nodded vigorously. "Wayne's so good to me, though he does like teasing me."
Seeing her daughter's adorable pout, Madam Greengrass couldn't resist pinching her cheeks.
Definitely plumper than before.
No wonder the young man showed little interest in their initially agreed compensation – he'd set his sights on the Greengrass family's most precious treasure...
Madam Greengrass harboured no objections to this. Quite the opposite.
Through regular letters, she'd clearly sensed Astoria's growing dependence on Wayne – at least three mentions of him in every five sentences.
Not only physically, but also in temperament, Astoria had become far more cheerful than before. She was well aware that this was all thanks to Wayne.
If their relationship could remain as it is, the blood curse of the Greengrass family would no longer be a threat. Moreover, Wayne's talent and abilities surpassed all his peers, even many adult wizards.
As for so-called bloodlines...
Could any pure-blood family command such a miraculous Phoenix to follow them?
She had her own way of judging whose lineage was truly noble.
Listening to her daughter chatter about how Wayne had bullied her, Madam Greengrass nodded with a smile on the surface, but her mind was already considering whether the gifts for her upcoming visit should be more substantial.
...
Meanwhile, Wayne returned home and released several humanoid puppets from his bag.
These Palus were ones he'd crafted in his spare time to assist Gardevoir in caring for the magical creatures inside his suitcase.
When leaving school, Wayne had brought some back—they would now serve as guards at home.
After a quick bite to eat, he began making calls to the family trust fund to arrange tomorrow's meeting.
Finally, he rang his uncle Humphrey, asking him to come over tomorrow to lend his presence.
Age was an undeniable disadvantage. Apart from the top few executives who knew Wayne was the reason behind the Lawrence family's rise, those further down the hierarchy had no access to him.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, they still needed to rely on Humphrey's status and commanding presence.
...
Early the next morning, Humphrey arrived at Wayne's home.
Recently, the Chief Civil Servant had been riding high.
With the northern inheritance and Wall Street's relentless harvesting, the Lawrence family had become a behemoth in industries ranging from energy, heavy industry, and defence to emerging sectors like finance and the internet.
Not long ago, the family had even joined the Bilderberg Club, extending their influence into mainland Europe.
Now, even the once-dreaded Arnold treated him with a newfound respect.
"What do you need me to do later?" Humphrey asked, watching his nephew sprawled lazily on the sofa, yawning. He found himself far more tolerant than usual.
He was just a child, after all—still at that mischievous age.
Wayne was already well-behaved enough; there was no need to be too strict.
Wayne waved it off. "Just chat with them normally. Try to steer the conversation towards company operations and business partners."
"Fine." Humphrey agreed without hesitation. Such a request was trivial for him.
At ten o'clock, the managers began arriving one after another.
Apart from a select few, most assumed Humphrey was the man in charge, directing all their attention towards the Chief Civil Servant of Great Britain.
Wayne sat quietly like a young noble being introduced to high society, saying nothing.
Occasionally, he would glance curiously at the visiting guests.
Nearly everyone who met his gaze responded with a warm smile.
At this point, Wayne would usually duck his head with a shy smile.
Humphrey found it odd—how could such ordinary conversation yield anything useful?
But remembering Wayne's identity as a wizard, he didn't press further, dutifully playing his role as the tool.
...
Night fell, and after the last visitor left, Humphrey stretched.
Wayne drained the last sip from his teacup.
"Any progress?" Humphrey asked.
"Got a good grasp of things," Wayne nodded. "The situation isn't bad. Most are fairly honest—just minor schemes here and there."
Water too clear breeds no fish. Petty embezzlement or minor abuses of power for personal gain didn't bother him.
Compared to the value they created, such grey income could be treated as bonuses.
"You can read minds?" Humphrey shuddered.
"It's called the Legilimency Spell," Wayne explained. "As long as we make eye contact, I can see their thoughts."
Humphrey, who had been staring at Wayne, hastily averted his gaze, making the boy laugh.
"I'd never use it on you."
"Best not," Humphrey shook his head vigorously. He harboured too many secrets—even if it was his nephew, he couldn't risk that unsettling feeling of being laid bare.
Seeing his reaction, Wayne smoothly changed the subject.
A piece of parchment fluttered down from upstairs, rows of names appearing upon it. Some belonged to recent visitors, while others who hadn't come were present in people's thoughts.
Humphrey examined the eight names on the parchment, his exceptional memory quickly matching each to specific individuals.
He frowned deeply. "So many... what have they all done?"
Two in particular had impressed him with their outstanding abilities. He'd even planned to discuss promoting them with Wayne. Yet here they were on the list.
"Look closely at their names," Wayne said without elaboration, merely offering a hint.
Humphrey scanned the list repeatedly until the anomaly struck him, his eyes widening in shock.
"These people... they're all blood-related..."