With Voldemort sending his lackeys to Hogwarts, Wayne wasn't actually worried at all, given the presence of Nicolas and Newt, along with the safeguards he had left behind.
Though Newt might appear to be just one person, once his potential was unleashed, he couldn't be considered merely human anymore.
Moreover, with Norberta around—having stayed by Ho-Oh's side for over a year—Norberta's strength could absolutely overwhelm most professors. Combined with her massive size and vitality, she was a super-powered war machine.
What Wayne feared was that Newt's old friends might go too far and damage the castle in their antics, forcing him to spend money on repairs later.
After all, the Board of Governors' funds were essentially his money too—he couldn't afford to waste it like that.
Eager to return, Wayne performed several consecutive Apparitions and arrived just outside Hogsmeade, then transformed into a streak of light as he rushed into the school.
But the scene before him brought him up short in mid-air.
A large area in front of the castle was piled high with corpses—werewolves, Vampires, Inferi, giants—but conspicuously absent were any human wizards.
Meanwhile, inside the Quidditch Pitch, most students were seated in the stands. Under the magical lighting, the playing field was as bright as day.
Flitwick and Newt were guarding a few young wizards, watching them gang up on a Vampire.
Soon, the Vampire was knocked unconscious, and several Inferi were brought up to replace it.
Wayne landed with a face full of exasperation. "What's going on here, some kind of gladiator arena?"
"Wayne?"
"The Headmaster's back?"
"Mr Lawrence has returned! What about You-Know-Who? Is he completely dead?"
Students and professors looked at him with delight, erupting into thunderous cheers. Newt hurried over to check him for injuries, and only after finding none did he ask, "Wayne, what about Voldemort?"
Wayne raised his head to address everyone, using a Sonorus Charm to announce, "Voldemort is dead. He won't be coming back. You can all say his name freely from now on."
After a moment of chilling silence, everyone froze, then burst into an overwhelming wave of noise — shouts and cheers — that shook the very foundations. Countless magical fireworks shot into the sky. Hearing the commotion outside, those still inside the castle rushed out, hugging whoever was nearby, regardless of who they were or which house they belonged to.
Hermione, Cho, and Astoria dashed to Wayne's side, embracing him and giving him light kisses.
With the heavy burden lifted, Hogwarts became a sea of joy. Dumbledore stood at the hospital wing window, smiling as he watched them. After one last glance at the sleeping Harry, he summoned Fawkes and vanished.
After the brief but intense celebration, the house-elves happily prepared the feast, with various alcoholic drinks, beverages, and snacks already covering the tables.
Before the banquet officially began, Wayne gathered the professors and the young women in a side chamber to understand what had happened during the attack. But before he could even ask, Professor McGonagall began settling accounts.
"Mr Lawrence, are you telling me that back in your first year, you were already keeping dangerous magical creatures in Newt's suitcase inside the castle?"
"Er..." Wayne glanced at Newt, but the old man very wisely lowered his head to study his own palm, as if reading his own fortune.
"Mr Lawrence, you may be Headmaster now and beyond my authority, but you were a student back then. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"
Facing an angry Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore was nothing, and Wayne wasn't much better either.
Fortunately, his skill at shifting blame was maxed out.
"Minerva, I did indeed receive the case during the Christmas of my first year."
Seeing Professor McGonagall's increasingly stern expression, Wayne quickly sped up his speech, "But Dumbledore was aware of it at the time, and he even permitted me to take some little creatures from the Forbidden Forest to complete my little world."
"This shows that the Headmaster believed I was capable of managing magical creatures properly, and the facts have proven it true. Hestia and the others have never caused any trouble."
"Albus knew about this?" Professor McGonagall's attention was indeed diverted.
Professor Sprout also seemed thoughtful. She had been wondering why she couldn't find any Mooncalf droppings for fertiliser back then – it turned out Wayne had collected them all.
Having passed this hurdle, Wayne finally relaxed and listened as Hermione began to tell her story.
He wasn't surprised at all to hear that George and Fred had brought students out to help.
Even without those two, other Gryffindor lions would have stepped forward, and even students from other houses would have stood up.
Then, when he heard that Newt had released eight Chimaeras and a large group of magical creatures, Wayne's eyes began to gleam.
Newt quickly hugged his case to his chest, "Wayne, they're all here to help. Don't get any ideas."
"Senior, what difference does it make where they live? They'll eat well, drink well, and become stronger here. It's definitely safer than in the wild."
"Magical creatures belong in nature."
"But we should hear their opinions too. What if some of them just want to slack off and take it easy?"
There was no way Newt could win an argument against Wayne. After just a few words, he drowsily agreed to let Wayne go in and talk with the magical creatures.
Nicolas, watching from the side, kept shaking his head.
'Such a grown man still so naive – all the cunning went to this boy instead.'
"Mr Nicolas Flamel is really amazing too," Hermione said with some admiration. "Just now, he alone killed over a dozen giants, using nearly a hundred Command Seals."
What?
Wayne stared at the old man in shock. Nicolas smiled sheepishly, "I haven't acted in many years. Got a bit carried away in the excitement."
Many people secretly rolled their eyes.
A bit carried away? That was an understatement.
They had been terrified at the time.
Nicolas Flamel, despite being the oldest, had charged forward the fastest. Every spell he cast was enhanced with Command Seals, so powerful they didn't distinguish between friend and foe. Fortunately, there were mostly giants around him, so not too many allies were hurt, but it still scared everyone thoroughly.
Who could imagine a six-hundred-year-old man being so violent?
But Nicolas himself knew he had simply gotten excited and wanted to test all the spells he knew.
With the Command Seal enhancements, he temporarily possessed combat power not inferior to top-tier wizards – a level of strength Nicolas had never experienced before. He even felt some regret that Voldemort's followers were too few; he hadn't had his fill before they were all defeated.
"Old master, you have more important tasks ahead. Please don't take such risks in the future," Wayne urged helplessly.
He had invited Nicolas here to set up some traps and maybe bring out some treasures – not to charge into battle.
"Understood, understood. Probably won't get another chance like that anyway," Nicolas agreed cheerfully.
Wayne then turned his gaze towards Lupin, who had been grinning foolishly all this time. "Remus, what's going on with you?"
"Greyback," Lupin said with a wide smile. "I defeated Greyback. This time, we've also eliminated all the unruly werewolves. There won't be any more incidents of werewolves attacking children in the future."
Wayne suddenly understood and offered his congratulations with a smile.
Afterwards, everyone asked him about what happened after the live broadcast ended. Wayne briefly recounted the events, but didn't mention Slytherin—Some matters shouldn't be spread too widely.
The feast was nearly ready, so everyone returned to the Great Hall to celebrate with the students.
Though not everyone joined in the revelry—at least some Slytherins were quite despondent, still believing that Voldemort's pure-blood ideology was the correct one.
But Wayne had won. In the future, his influence would be at its peak, and life for pure-bloods would only become more difficult.
Yet there was nothing they could do but keep their heads down and behave.
Of course, this didn't include Malfoy, who laughed heartily as he brought out sweets sent by his mother and shared them with those around him.
Pure-blood status might be unstable, but he's Lawrence's lackey. Even at his worst, it's better than living in constant fear under Voldemort.
The party lasted until the early hours of the morning, with some students still playing games in the Great Hall.
Wayne had already announced that the holiday would extend until the following weekend. Students who wished to return home to reunite with their parents could do so, as the Hogwarts Express would depart promptly at noon.
Professor McGonagall, unusually, didn't object and tacitly approved of Wayne's generosity.
It wasn't until the first light of dawn that the last of the students dragged their weary bodies back to their dormitories to rest.
By noon, the school had lost over half of its young witches and wizards, leaving it feeling somewhat empty. Wayne, meanwhile, gathered Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Newt, Nicolas, and Snape in his office.
As soon as he entered the office, Grindelwald shoved Dumbledore aside and sat down next to Newt.
"Scamander, we meet again."
Newt didn't respond, merely looking helplessly at Wayne as if to say—'Why did you invite him too?'
"Don't be afraid of him, senior," Wayne fanned the flames. "If Grindelwald dares to make a move, I'll have Dumbledore beat him up."
Dumbledore smiled. "Newt, Gellert won't do anything to you."
With Voldemort completely finished and his sister soon to be revived, his mood was at an all-time high. It would be even better if he could resign from his position as Minister for Magic.
Newt responded with a bitter smile. "Mr Grindelwald and I have some rather deep misunderstandings."
"You call that a misunderstanding?" Grindelwald snorted coldly. If sabotaging dozens of his plans counted as a misunderstanding, then were there any enemies left in the world?
"Alright, stop scaring my senior," Wayne waved his hand, cutting short the casual chatter. "There's something rather important I'd like to get your opinions on."
Everyone straightened up and turned their attention to Wayne.
"Mr Grindelwald, first, I'd like to ask you a question," Wayne said. "When an object is made into a Horcrux, no matter how ordinary it was before, it becomes indestructible and won't decay over time, correct?"
"Exactly," Grindelwald nodded. "That's what makes Horcruxes so powerful. Aside from a few specific magics, they're essentially impervious to external forces."
"Even after a thousand years, ten thousand years, it could be preserved perfectly well."
"Besides Horcruxes, how many methods of achieving longevity do you know?"
Grindelwald slowly furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment before speaking gradually: "To my knowledge... There aren't many ways to achieve true immortality, but there are five or six types of Dark Magic that can extend one's lifespan."
"Three to four hundred years is easily achievable, reaching over a thousand is difficult, but if the wizard is powerful enough, it's not impossible."
"I know of more than twenty methods," Nicolas said, "but they all come with side effects. Had I not discovered the Philosophers Stone back then, I might have resorted to some of those methods myself."
"Wayne, have you discovered something?" Dumbledore said.
The young man placed his hands flat on his legs and gently shook his head, "Not exactly a discovery, just a doubt."
"Ancient wizards possessed greater innate talent. Most modern magic was formed by consolidating their legacy. Take Herpo the Foul, for example."
"He was the inventor of Horcruxes, so where did his Horcrux go? Why do historical records show Herpo only being active for a few decades before vanishing without a trace?"
"I don't believe anyone from his era could have plotted against him."
"Even if they could, it's impossible they would have destroyed his Horcrux along with him, isn't it?"
Everyone in the room visibly changed expression. Snape looked at him with shocked uncertainty, "Lawrence, what exactly did you encounter in Russia?"
"I met Salazar Slytherin."
The portraits of Headmasters on the walls could no longer maintain their composure, their eyes widening in unison.
The room fell into deathly silence.