Voldemort, still speaking in Quirrell's voice, said softly, "Don't be afraid. Fiendfyre might be considered dark magic, but at its core, it's just fire."
He tempted Wayne, "If you had used Fiendfyre last night, that troll would have been reduced to ashes already. Why waste so much magic using something like the Water Prison?"
Voldemort just wanted to see what Dumbledore's reaction would be if he managed to lure Wayne into becoming a dark wizard.
As for recruiting Wayne under his wing because of his talent—
He used to consider it, but after being stomped on twice by Wayne yesterday and then trampled like a doormat afterward…
Now he just wanted to kill this menace!
"Fiendfyre, huh." Wayne's expression turned cold, making Voldemort's heart sink.
Could it be that Lawrence despised dark magic?
Then how was he supposed to tempt Wayne into corruption?
Wayne rubbed his brow in annoyance. "Professor, are you seriously offering me such a dime-a-dozen spell?"
"There are at least ten books in the Restricted Section that describe Fiendfyre. That's the best you've got? You're not even trying."
Voldemort froze for a moment, doubting his own existence.
Fiendfyre was one of the most powerful offensive dark spells—low magic cost, huge attack range.
And this brat… was turning his nose up at it?!
"What exactly do you want?" Voldemort asked helplessly.
"That lightning web you gave me last time was decent," Wayne replied lazily, fiddling with his fingers.
"If it's lightning magic, even better. If not, any lost magic will do."
Voldemort thought for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth. "Come find me after class."
Satisfied with the answer, Wayne left contentedly.
When class ended, Voldemort handed him a piece of parchment.
"These are some of my insights on continuous casting. That should be enough, right?"
Spells didn't have a fixed cooldown, but casting the same magic repeatedly would lead to diminishing power or even outright failure—
A bit like "strike while the iron is hot," followed by "momentum lost" and finally "completely exhausted."
Wayne glanced at it and didn't see any obvious problems, but he still planned to let Old Dumble take a look—
And casually mention that he'd traded Quirrell some phoenix tears.
In serious matters, Wayne never fooled around.
He knew Dumbledore's personality well: show him your bright side, and the man would be endlessly indulgent.
Holding the small vial, Voldemort stared coldly at Wayne's retreating back.
No one had ever blackmailed him twice.
Once he got the Philosopher's Stone and revived, the first thing he would do was kill Harry—
Then kill Wayne Lawrence!
And as for Dumbledore…
He'd simply outlive the old man!
That afternoon, after the last Potions class ended, Wayne headed to the Headmaster's office with a spring in his step, under Snape's watchful eyes.
Luckily, Dumbledore was inside.
"Professor, I have some questions about continuous casting I'd like to ask you…"
Using the same excuse as last time, Wayne recited the technique Voldemort had given him, waiting for Dumbledore's assessment.
"Professor Quirrell taught you this?" Dumbledore, ever the shrewd old fox, quickly guessed the source.
Wayne admitted cheerfully, "Yep. I traded him some of Fawkes' tears for it."
Fawkes, who was perched on his stand preening his feathers, clearly didn't appreciate this—
He flew over, landing on Wayne's head, and pecked his neatly combed hair into a messy tangle.
"Oi, what are you doing, Fawkes? Keep this up and I won't let Ho-Oh play with you."
At that threat, Fawkes finally relented and left him alone.
Dumbledore chuckled, "Professor Quirrell is a fine Ravenclaw alumnus, and his insights on continuous casting are indeed unique."
"But please, leave Fawkes alone. He's close to his next rebirth—he doesn't have that many tears to spare for you."
Wayne understood the implication:
This trade was fine, but better not to go to Quirrell again in the future.
He readily agreed.
After the boy left, Dumbledore stroked Fawkes' feathers and sighed.
"What a clever little wizard."
In the library, Hermione and Cho sat in a corner doing their assignments.
When they were tired of writing, they whispered to each other—careful not to let Madam Pince hear.
After the troll incident, Hermione had sought Cho out to make peace. They hadn't said anything directly, but their friendship had returned to its old state.
Hermione asked quietly, "Cho, did Wayne tell you what he's doing tonight?"
"No," Cho shook her head. "He's being all mysterious—just told me to be out of the tower right at ten o'clock."
Hermione's curiosity was piqued too, and soon she was joining Cho in grumbling about a certain boy.
Before long, the two of them were laughing together like silver bells.
Night fell. Ten o'clock.
Wayne first went to the Gryffindor Tower to fetch Hermione, then to the Ravenclaw Tower to get Cho.
"Where are we going?"
"The Forbidden Forest."
"It's not dangerous, is it?" Hermione rubbed her arms. "The books say there are lots of dangerous magical creatures in there."
"Don't worry," Wayne reassured her. "I promise I won't do anything to them."
The young witch opened her mouth.
No, what I meant was—the magical creatures are the dangerous ones!
But in the end, curiosity outweighed fear. Hermione had long been fascinated by the mysterious Forbidden Forest.
And with Wayne along—someone who could take down a troll without effort—there didn't seem to be too much danger.
Wayne didn't use Ho-Oh's phoenix-powered Apparition, but instead intended to take a proper walk through the Forest.
"This way."
The three of them came to a blank picture frame on the third floor. Wayne took out his wand and tapped it lightly.
At once, a doorknob appeared on the frame. When he pulled it open, it revealed a pitch-black passage.
"Follow me."
Wayne stepped in first, his wand shining white light to illuminate the way for the two girls.
By the time they emerged, they were inside the Owlery.
To the west lay Hagrid's hut, and to the east, the Quidditch pitch.
"We'll have to go around Hagrid's hut," Wayne reminded them. Cho and Hermione nodded excitedly.
It was their first time sneaking out of the castle at night. Looking back, the castle glowed with scattered light beneath the tranquil night sky—peaceful and serene.
They stayed close to Wayne. Hagrid's hut was lit, and through the window they could see his huge silhouette—apparently cooking.
To make sure they weren't discovered, Wayne didn't even spare Fang, hitting the boarhound with a quick Stunning Spell to send him into dreamland.
The three finally entered the Forbidden Forest. Hermione, seeing Wayne head in a straight line, asked curiously:
"Where are we going?"
"To check on my precious treasure," Wayne said, still refusing to give details.
The round moon hung high in the sky. Along the way, they encountered quite a few magical creatures—
Kneazles, Bowtruckles, Fire Crabs, Diricawls, and a lone Horklump.
The unicorns lived deep in the Forest. To speed things up, Wayne cast a Featherlight Charm on all three of them, letting them glide swiftly across the ground.
They came to an open space with no trees, only two small hills. Suddenly, Hermione pointed at the one on the right:
"Look! Something's coming out!"
Wayne glanced at the moon and realized something. He quickly pulled the girls into hiding and cast a Disillusionment Charm over them.
"It's a full moon tonight—we're in for a treat."
From a cave in the hillside, a cluster of small creatures emerged.
They had round heads, big eyes, long necks, and four tiny short legs.
Cho and Hermione's eyes turned into hearts.
"They're so cute!"
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