"Sakura Kinomoto?" Wayne murmured the name again, his eyes seemingly trying to pierce through the brown-haired girl before him.
The girl nervously lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly. "I... I am Sakura Kinomoto. Mr... Mr. 'Finish-and-Run'... is there something wrong with my name?"
'Tomoyo, please save me! The people outside are terrifying!'
Sakura screamed internally, on the verge of tears.
She'd been trying to ask for directions but couldn't communicate properly due to the language barrier. Finally, someone who understood Japanese appeared, only to fall silent upon hearing her name and stare at her intensely.
The gaze felt even more scorching than the ones she'd received in the examination hall earlier.
Having grown up sheltered by family and friends, Sakura had never experienced such intensity before. Her legs were practically jelly now.
Fortunately, Wayne snapped out of his daze after hearing that outrageous Japanese name, his lips twitching involuntarily.
"Erm... Sakura, perhaps you should just call me by my English name. My Japanese name isn't commonly used and sounds... uncomfortable. I'm Wayne Lawrence. You can call me Wayne or Lawrence."
Sakura felt slightly uneasy about Wayne addressing her so familiarly, but when she looked up and saw the boy's face...
Well, isn't that what names are for? Maybe this is just how people behave in England.
One had to admit that a handsome face worked wonders in most situations.
At the very least, it could elevate a stranger's goodwill by several notches.
Having mostly regained his composure, Wayne glanced around before saying, "You're heading to the Great Hall, right? I need to find someone there, too. Shall we go together?"
"Thank you, Lawrence," Sakura expressed her gratitude again.
They were already on the second floor. After descending the stairs and navigating a few corridors, they reached the Great Hall.
During their brief conversation, Wayne refrained from probing for more information, knowing it might backfire. Instead, he casually discussed Mahoutokoro's current affairs.
Watching the girl skip away into the distance, Wayne shook his head helplessly.
Truly worthy of being the first-generation Moe Queen. Absolutely adorable.
The question was...
Had only this Moe Queen crossed over, or had their entire universe merged?
If Clow Reed and Yuuko Ichihara also appeared...
Wayne couldn't suppress a shudder.
He'd have to consider blowing up the school upon returning to farm massive amounts of points.
Failing that, beating up the Headmaster and other professors might trigger enough major events to restore his sense of security.
Though the likelihood seemed slim.
If such powerful figures truly existed, Japan's magical community wouldn't be so obscure, having never produced any renowned wizards.
Comforting himself with these thoughts, Wayne spotted Fleur in the crowd - always the most conspicuous presence.
The half-Veela currently sported a pout, clearly displeased.
She'd seen Wayne enter the Great Hall, laughing and chatting with that Mahoutokoro student, which made her itch to bite him in frustration.
"What's wrong with you?" Wayne asked, puzzled by the girl's exaggerated pout.
"Already making moves? She just arrived! Weren't you supposed to deal with Samuel's problem? Is this how you solve it?" Fleur retorted sarcastically, though her verbal attack lacked potency.
"Fleur," Wayne sighed. "Is this really how you see me?"
Fleur responded with a cold smirk, maintaining her silence."Are you even listening to yourself?"
Perenelle had already told her that Wayne had two close girlfriends at school.
If Wayne knew what Fleur was thinking, he would shake his head.
That information was ancient history.
Two?
Who did she take him for?
"That girl didn't speak French and couldn't find her way to the Great Hall. I was just showing her the way."
"Didn't you see us part ways as soon as we entered the Great Hall?"
Wayne patiently explained. Fleur's expression softened slightly, but she still looked doubtful. "You even know Japanese?"
It made sense that Wayne spoke French – the two countries were close, and as a Muggle-world aristocrat with deep ties to France, learning French wasn't strange.
But Japanese... that was completely unrelated.
"Underestimating my learning abilities, are you?" Wayne immediately demonstrated his linguistic repertoire, switching between German, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and even some Siren language and ancient Latin, leaving Fleur utterly dumbfounded.
"Convinced now?" the boy asked.
"Fine, I believe you," Fleur rolled her eyes prettily before continuing, "What about Samuel..."
"Sorted," Wayne said. "Madame Maxime just warned him. If he shows his face near you again, just report to her, and he'll be sent home immediately."
"In the end, we still troubled Madame." Fleur looked embarrassed, but Wayne remained unfazed.
Influence was wasted if not used. Why choose complicated methods when the simplest solution was available?
Besides, such a trivial matter hardly counted as him owing a favour – Maxime wouldn't give it a second thought.
Despite her words, Fleur seemed pleased, piling Wayne's plate with delicious food during dinner.
As the boy devoured his meal, he discreetly guided a small origami crane from his pocket, weaving it through the crowd until it landed in the pocket of Mahoutokoro's lead professor.
He wouldn't rest easy until he'd uncovered Sakura's situation.
The fastest approach wasn't befriending Sakura for a heart-to-heart, but finding someone to interrogate directly.
...
Late at night, lying bedridden and distracted, Wayne judged the time right. Casting a Disillusionment Charm on himself, he slipped quietly from his room.
The tracking spell he'd placed on the origami crane gave him perfect awareness of the lead professor's location, allowing him to easily reach the door.
Beauxbatons probably never anticipated someone would trouble another school's professor at midnight.
Thus, the room lacked any counter-curses – a simple Unlocking Charm granted Wayne entry.
"Hey, wake up."
Wayne patted the lead professor's cheek, rousing him from sleep.
Befuddled before fully comprehending his situation, the professor barely registered two flashes of red light.
"Petrificus Totalus! Silencio!"
Eyes widening, the professor watched helplessly as Wayne poured a potion down his throat, his expression soon turning vacant.
"The Veritaserum meant for Snape, but you get it first," the boy muttered, lifting the silencing charm.
Meanwhile, Snape sneezed abruptly in his sleep.
"Name," Wayne demanded.
The professor answered dully, "Morinaga Noriyuki."
"What's your position at Mahoutokoro?"
"Potions Professor and Head of the Discipline Committee."
"Tell me about Sakura Kinomoto's situation."
Wayne felt a bit tired standing, so he tossed Morinaga Noriyuki onto the floor and plopped himself onto the bed.
"Sakura Kinomoto, an advanced student at Mahoutokoro, fourteen years old this year..."
"You're saying Sakura is fourteen?" Wayne interrupted, sounding surprised.
"Yes," Morinaga Noriyuki replied blankly. "Sakura Kinomoto enrolled seven years ago. I was the one who delivered her acceptance letter to her home..."
Wayne nodded, accepting the fact that Sakura was actually two years older than him.
Well, she was the reigning champion—looking youthful was only natural.
"Go on."
"Sakura Kinomoto is the heiress of the Kinomoto family in this generation. Her magical talent is outstanding, particularly excelling in Potions, Herbology, and Charms. She's also skilled at Quidditch, serving as the Seeker for one of the school teams."
"The magic she practices differs from conventional spells—it's a hereditary art called Clow Cards."
Wayne perked up. "Tell me more about the Clow Cards."
This was what he had come here to learn.
"The Clow Cards are a card-based magic system passed down through the Kinomoto family for centuries, combining magic and Alchemy."
"Different cards can be crafted to produce different effects. They're activated using magical power when needed, making them incredibly convenient."
As Morinaga Noriyuki explained, an envious expression flickered across her face.
"Have you ever heard of someone called Clow Reed?" Wayne asked, first relieved, then curious.
"No."
"What about Yuuko Ichihara?"
"No."
"What about Tomoyo Daidouji?"
"She's Sakura Kinomoto's best friend, the young lady of the shrine clan."
Princess Tomoyo is here, too?
Wayne raised an eyebrow and asked several more questions in succession, some related to Sakura and others concerning magical history.
Fortunately, it wasn't the worst-case scenario he'd imagined.
The Clow Cards did exist, but they were merely a special casting method - using pre-made cards to bypass the tedium of incantations and gestures, with Alchemy enhancing their magical effects.
Sakura's parents were both officials at the Japanese Ministry of Magic. She was an only child with no elder brother, and her best friend at school was Tomoyo. All this information was publicly available with no hidden secrets.
Finally reassured, Wayne felt Hogwarts Castle was temporarily safe.
"Thank you, Professor Morinaga." Wayne pressed his wand against Morinaga Noriyuki's temple.
You could call Lockhart incompetent in many areas, but not when it came to Memory Charms.
Through seemingly casual inquiries, Wayne had gained considerable insight from him.
After erasing the recent memories and administering a few drops of Draught of Living Death to Morinaga, Wayne departed silently.
It wasn't until noon the next day that Morinaga Noriyuki awoke groggily.
Finding himself lying on the floor, he was utterly bewildered.
'Why am I sleeping on the ground?'
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall what had happened the previous night.
In the end, he had to let it go.
Checking the time, Morinaga scrambled up in alarm and hurried towards the Great Hall.
...
At two in the afternoon, in the same classroom as yesterday.
"Sakura, are you from the Kinomoto family? The one that can use Clow Card magic?"
Wayne deliberately sat in front of Sakura, striking up a conversation before the exam began.
"How did you know?" Sakura looked at the boy in surprise.
"I've studied some Japanese magical history and came across records of the Kinomoto family and Clow Cards. I didn't make the connection yesterday, but it clicked today."
The explanation was flawless, and Sakura didn't suspect anything. She nodded, then admitted somewhat sheepishly: "I am from the Kinomoto family, but I haven't mastered many Clow Cards yet. I've only created the Windy, Watery and Wood cards."
The girl was so guileless - with just a simple question, she'd revealed everything.
"That's already impressive," Wayne praised sincerely. "It means you can perform several spells through wandless magic. Once you've mastered the technique, creating more cards will become easier."
"Mm!" Sakura beamed. "I'll do my best!"
"Could you show me the Clow Card magic?" Wayne pressed his advantage. "We'll be here for over three more weeks - plenty of time."
"Well..." Sakura hesitated but eventually agreed.
It wasn't exactly a secret - the true mystery of Clow Magic lay in the card-making technique. Simply demonstrating the spells wouldn't reveal anything.
Sakura just felt slightly embarrassed about showing off her magic.
As the two chatted animatedly, Cassandra, watching from the side, grew increasingly furious.
Why did Lawrence maintain such distance when speaking to her, yet seemed so familiar with this little witch from Mahoutokoro?
You only just met yesterday!
At that moment, several invigilating professors entered.
Snape paused slightly upon seeing Wayne and the beaming Sakura, then his expression turned numb.
This Lawrence always has pretty little witches surrounding him wherever he goes...
He'd grown accustomed to it.
...
The exam papers were quickly distributed. Yesterday's focus leaned more towards herbs and ingredients, but today marked the true start of the potions competition.
Upon receiving them, nearly everyone furrowed their brows.
This paper... was far too difficult.
Over half the content exceeded student-level knowledge, delving into much deeper territory.
Cassandra and Sakura were no exception. Their very participation in this competition was a testament to their talent, but their age limited their knowledge reserves.
In the written exam segment, innate talent mattered less – it placed greater emphasis on memory and accumulated knowledge.
They had no choice but to grit their teeth and write.
Wayne's expression also turned peculiar.
Most of these questions...
Were actually about Wolfsbane Potion – specifically his improved version.
What was this?
Being both the examiner and the examinee?
Snape also noticed Wayne's shifting expression, his lips quirking briefly before settling back into impassivity.
The room fell utterly silent, filled only with the scratching of quills against parchment.
Wayne finished in half an hour again, leisurely observing his fellow competitors' tortured expressions.
Russel scratched his head in frustration, bitterly regretting not having finished reading that Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers journal Snape had thrown at them – it contained the complete improved Wolfsbane Potion methodology.
Henderson also had regrets, though, being in the same house as Wayne, he'd once asked some curious questions about Wolfsbane Potion during casual conversation and remembered a few key points.
No more than three sentences in total, and now he had to expand those three sentences into an entire essay.
Exam technique #1: The more words you write, the more convincing you sound.
Two hours passed swiftly, and the competitors reluctantly handed in their papers.
The professors didn't dismiss them, instead beginning to mark the papers on the spot.
With only twenty-one participants, the grading proceeded quickly. The three professors even exchanged papers to avoid any bias toward their own school's students.
The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship used a hundred-point scale – forty points for the written exam, sixty for practical application.
After reviewing all papers, Professor Padilla from Beauxbatons announced the results.
"Wayne Lawrence – forty points!"
"Cassandra Worley – thirty-six points!"
"Pato Henderson – thirty-six points!"
"Sakura Kinomoto – thirty-five points!"
"..."
Worried Sakura might not understand, Wayne acted as a temporary translator.
Sakura was delighted with her thirty-five points – an excellent score by her standards.
But upon learning Wayne had achieved full marks, the young girl gazed at him with admiration.
Despite being two years younger than her, he'd managed a perfect score – truly remarkable.
What Sakura didn't know was this: she earned thirty-five points because that reflected her actual ability.
Wayne got forty points because forty was the maximum possible.
"Lawrence, you're truly amazing," Sakura said admiringly.
"Just average, really. I just have a good memory and can recall things quickly after seeing them," Wayne said modestly. "We can exchange knowledge more often. If there's anything you don't know, feel free to ask me."
"Really? Then I'll trouble you."
"It's no trouble at all. Didn't you agree to let me witness Clow Card magic, too?"
"..."