"You're teaching Hermione spells?" Cho looked at Wayne with dissatisfaction. "Why not teach me too?"
Wayne shrugged. "You've got Quidditch practice most days. You're already tired enough."
But Cho wasn't letting it go. "I don't care. I want to join too."
So Wayne had no choice but to agree.
Only after getting what they wanted did Hermione and Cho finally let him off the hook.
Late at night.
Wayne was seated at his desk, writing a letter to Newt.
He was genuinely curious about this senior of his—almost like the Harry Potter of a previous era. And Newt's expertise in magical creatures was something Wayne deeply admired.
But more importantly… Wayne had his eye on Newt's suitcase.
Yes, Wayne had mastered the Undetectable Extension Charm—to an advanced level, even. He could make a pouch as large as a dorm room.
But creating a suitcase that could contain an entire portable Forbidden Forest? That was a different level altogether.
Newt's suitcase wasn't just an extension charm. It involved spatial anchoring, magical energy transformation, and other complex alchemical techniques.
It was a masterwork of magical craftsmanship—and a secret unique to the Scamander family.
Newt's brother had become Head of the Auror Office at a young age, and even though Newt himself had been expelled, his magical ability was nothing to scoff at. He could still hold his own for a few moves against Grindelwald.
The reason the Scamanders weren't included in the Sacred Twenty-Eight had nothing to do with their bloodline. It was a personal grudge.
Rumor had it that Newt had always disliked Cantankerus Nott—the one who compiled the Pure-Blood Directory—and resented his cheerleading for blood purity.
So the Scamanders were deliberately excluded.
Wayne had no way of crafting such a suitcase himself for now. So he planned to negotiate a trade with Newt.
If it came to it, he'd even offer some of Ho-Oh's feathers to sweeten the deal.
But he wasn't going to bring that up right away. First, he'd use the letter to build rapport and slowly work his way there.
He was planning a trip to the U.S. over Christmas anyway—he could raise the topic during an in-person visit.
It wasn't just about Newt. Wayne had other business to deal with.
This year was... special.
Something huge was going to happen over Christmas.
A towering giant would fall, and countless people would feast on its remains.
Even though he was now part of the magical world, Wayne wasn't about to turn his back on easy money.
He'd also been writing to his uncle Humphrey, setting things up in advance.
Once the time came, he'd join the banquet of the decade.
October arrived, and time suddenly felt like it had accelerated.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
As the weather turned colder, the younger students became more sluggish, entering their metaphorical "hibernation" phase.
But the professors didn't care.
They suddenly increased the homework load dramatically.
The first month had just been a warm-up—helping everyone adjust after summer break. That's why lessons had been relatively slow-paced.
But in October, things ramped up.
In Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall fiercely scolded the students who still couldn't turn a toothpick into a needle and gave them all extra homework.
Ron was on the verge of tears.
And the rest of the students weren't doing much better.
Now that they had a basic grasp of magic, McGonagall had started teaching transfiguration from living creatures to non-living objects.
The students, fighting back nausea, waved their wands at worms, trying to transform them.
There were no strict requirements—if they could turn the living worm into any non-living object, it counted as a success.
Hermione, looking slightly green, begged Professor McGonagall for a mouse instead. She'd rather increase the difficulty than deal with the worms.
Most other subjects followed the same pattern. The homework was getting heavier and heavier, and the students were miserable.
Wayne, however, became the object of envy for everyone.
He had been exempted from homework in Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions.
Some students tried to strike deals with the professors too.
Professor Flitwick chuckled and said:
"If anyone can get the wardrobe to perform a full tango, you won't have to do any more homework this year."
Unfortunately, no one succeeded.
Professor McGonagall's condition was simple as well:
"If you can turn the podium into a fat pig like I did on the first day of class, no more homework."
As for Snape…
No one was crazy enough to try bargaining with him.
Even the Slytherin students didn't dare.
Several students secretly asked Wayne how he got Snape to agree to excuse him from Potions homework.
Wayne always claimed, with a smug look, that it was because his talent had impressed the professor, and it would be a waste of time to do more.
Not many people believed it, nor did they know that Snape was just as annoyed by Wayne as he was by Harry.
Only the little witch Hermione and Cho ever got a straight answer out of him.
"I gave him another bottle of Ho-Oh's Tears."
"You bribed a professor?!" Hermione gasped.
"This is just how the world works," Wayne patted her shoulder and walked off casually.
With the increase in homework, Wayne actually found a few benefits.
First of all, he barely had to write any of it himself. While others were scrambling to finish their assignments, he could sit to the side enjoying cakes and desserts—double the happiness.
On top of that, business was booming. Every day, someone would come in to buy various quills.
Lately, the quills were all being made by Fred and George. They had barely grasped the technique, and the quality was so poor that they were only sold for a Galleon each.
But what they lacked in quality, they made up for in quantity. Fred and George were overjoyed, spending a good amount of money at Zonko's Joke Shop.
Combined with Wayne's newly introduced line of energy potions, Energizing draughts, and other such products, the wallets of the younger wizards had been thoroughly squeezed dry.
One evening, Wayne was having dinner in the Great Hall, listening to Cedric rant about Quirrell across the table.
"I don't know if he's lost his mind or if the world's gone mad. Two two-foot essays every week! I barely have time left for Quidditch training!"
Cedric was talking about Quirrell—only he assigned such insane amounts of homework.
Sometimes Wayne even wondered if Voldemort had been traumatized by homework during his school days and was now just returning the favor tenfold.
A single class's workload from him could rival that of three other subjects combined.
But since Voldemort's lectures were genuinely excellent, he'd won over all seven years of students.
So while everyone grumbled, no one protested too fiercely.
The only drawback was that Quirrell claimed his brain still suffered severe damage from the curse, and the symptoms would flare up unpredictably.
So sometimes, he'd be teaching fluently one moment, and the next, he'd relapse—mumbling nervously like before.
People had even given him a nickname: "Professor Split"—half genius, half lunatic.
Everyone just hoped they'd get Genius Quirrell in class… not Crazy Quirrell.
"You could buy two Filler-Quills," Wayne suggested.
Cedric instantly clutched his wallet protectively.
"You're trying to rob me now?"
"I'd rather break my own hand than dip into my savings for a Nimbus 2001."
Business had been good lately, and Cedric—as well as the twins—had earned a fair share. He immediately set his sights on next year's new broomstick release.
And because he had a goal now, he was more frugal than ever. Even during Hogsmeade trips, he only brought things back for Wayne—never buying anything for himself.
Wayne could only marvel at this little miser and chose not to press the matter.
As the two chatted idly, a sudden commotion broke out at the Ravenclaw table. A few students hurriedly left the hall.
But neither of them paid much attention and continued discussing details of Transfiguration.
Not long after, the same Ravenclaws returned.
Soon, the reason behind the commotion made its way over to the Hufflepuff side.
Wayne's expression changed instantly...
~~----------------------
To read 40 future chapters head over to patreon:
patreon.com/Dreamer20