The outcome of the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship was never in doubt.
In fact, the judges were so distracted by the appearance of the Flying Potion that they forgot to score Wayne entirely. It wasn't until the next day that they remembered this oversight.
Not that anyone cared. Damocles took Wayne's membership application and immediately handed it to Oleg.
Oleg casually added the magical seal, officially making Wayne a member of The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers.
"Congratulations, Mr Lawrence. You've become the youngest member of The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers," Damocles said with a broad smile.
Wayne asked curiously, "Who held that record before me?"
"Why, it was Severus. He joined at twenty-three and became Head of Slytherin House two years later," Oleg remarked with admiration. "Hogwarts truly produces remarkable talents."
As a Durmstrang graduate who'd once served as Potions professor there, he'd even taught Grindelwald for a time.
...
When the evening banquet concluded, Madame Maxime presented Wayne with the championship medal and a prize of five hundred Galleons amidst applause and cheers, giving him an embrace as well.
"You mustn't participate in such competitions again. It's utterly demoralising for the other students," Madame Maxime whispered before straightening up to award the second and third place medals.
Cassandra took second place, with Henderson in third.
With two Hogwarts students earning medals, Snape's perpetually stern expression softened slightly, bearing the faintest hint of a smile.
But spotting Russel languishing in tenth place wiped that smile away.
Both high achievers were from Hufflepuff, while his own house performed so poorly. Wasn't this a slap in the face for him as Head of House?
Standing among the competitors, Russel suddenly sensed something.
Turning, he met Snape's icy glare and couldn't suppress a shiver.
'I'm done for. The Head's going to murder me when we get back.'
...
After the brief awards ceremony, the Hogwarts staff and students collected their already packed luggage and departed the palace.
All three girls stayed close to Wayne.
The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy, and everyone felt rather despondent.
Even Fleur's shining silver hair seemed duller, reflecting her mood.
"Don't be so sad," Wayne said helplessly. "We can correspond by letter. Ask me anything you don't understand."
"Mmm," Sakura replied weakly. "Take care of yourself, Wayne."
"I will."
When they reached the Thestral-drawn carriages, Snape boarded first. Russel and Henderson tactfully followed, leaving space for the four.
Wayne conjured two notebooks, handing them to Cassandra and Sakura.
"A parting gift. Take them." Neither of them refused.
Wayne waved his hand and was about to board the carriage when Fleur rushed forward and embraced the boy.
Her delicate frame pressed against him, and her enchanting fragrance filled his nostrils, intoxicating his senses.
"Remember to miss me. You must miss me, or I won't let you play with Gabrielle," the half-Veela's voice trembled.
Wayne patted her back and said earnestly, "I'm missing you right now."
They held each other for a full minute before Fleur reluctantly let go and stepped back.
Just when Wayne thought it was over, Cassandra also approached, offering a brief hug before quickly pulling away.
Even so, the girl's ears turned red as she stiffly declared, "D-don't misunderstand. It's just proper etiquette between friends."
"From now on, you'll be Cassandra Worley's first male friend."
Wayne smiled. "Very well. Then Miss Worley shall be my first Ilvermorny friend."
He then turned to Sakura.
The implication was clear.
Both of them had hugged him. Wasn't it inappropriate for her to just stand there watching?
Though extremely shy, Sakura fulfilled Wayne's wish.
Indeed, the original magical girl was fragrant and soft.
"I'm off now." Wayne waved and jumped onto the Thestral-drawn carriage without looking back.
After he boarded, the carriage quickly took flight, growing smaller in the trio's vision until it disappeared into the night sky.
Only then did Fleur and the others return to the palace.
They walked in silence until nearing the entrance, when Cassandra suddenly chuckled.
"How interesting. Wayne only prepared two gifts."
"Indeed," Fleur agreed without any trace of anger, nodding. "Between him and me, gifts are unnecessary now."
"Besides, last night Wayne already gave me a wonderful surprise."
Cassandra's face darkened. She quickened her pace with loud footsteps, parting ways with them.
Sakura also puffed her cheeks and hugged her notebook tightly.
...
Back in her dormitory, Sakura opened the notebook to see what gift Wayne had left her.
The first page made the girl blush furiously.
It was a colour illustration depicting a girl in beautiful clothes holding a pink wand, standing atop a massive magic circle.
"This... this..." Sakura immediately recognised the girl as herself.
Even his drawings were exceptional—so lifelike.
Flipping further revealed over twenty more illustrations, each featuring her in different outfits. Though reluctant to admit it, Sakura had to acknowledge they were all lovely—she adored them.
The final page bore a message:
[Limited by time, this is all I could design. If I have more ideas later, I'll send them to you.]
"Still not enough? You rascal." Sakura mumbled before turning another page.
"Eh?"
This page was filled with dense notes—all Wayne's insights on Alchemy, tailored to Sakura's current level for easy comprehension.
Sensing the sincerity in every word, the girl couldn't help but picture the black-haired boy's gentle smile.
She suddenly recalled what Wayne had told Fleur before leaving: "I'm missing you right now."
...
Meanwhile, in Cassandra's dormitory...
The first thing Cassandra did upon returning was identical to Sakura—she opened her notebook. The first page was also a painting, depicting a blonde girl returning home with her wand, while dark storm clouds loomed in the sky, unleashing lightning.
Accompanying the image was a weather charm modified by Wayne.
"Cassandra, who can't perform the weather charm, isn't a good sister."
"Bastard, why do I have to know the weather charm!" Cassandra bit her silver teeth in frustration.
The two had discussed this issue before.
When Wayne discovered that Cassandra couldn't perform the weather charm, his expression was filled with disdain.
She was so angry that she wanted to hit him.
"Since you dare to teach me, I dare to learn," Cassandra said fiercely. "Next time we meet, I'll use the charm you taught me to strike you."
Saying this, she turned to the second page, which contained her favourite knowledge about Herbology and Magical Creatures.
The anger on the blonde girl's face gradually faded, transforming into a faint smile.
"Bastard... you can be quite considerate."
...
On the Thestral carriage.
Wayne was deeply sunk into the soft sofa, eyes closed in rest, but in reality, he was contemplating the gains from this trip to Beauxbatons.
First, there were over a hundred love letters from Beauxbatons girls...
Ahem, that could be crossed off the list.
The girls from Beauxbatons were much more enthusiastic than those from Hogwarts. Even with Fleur beside him, every night when he returned to the dormitory, he would find quite a few love letters slipped through the door crack.
Although he had no intention of responding, at least it was someone else's heartfelt gesture, and Wayne naturally wouldn't throw them away; instead, he stored them away, permanently sealed.
Then there were the local specialities from Beauxbatons.
He had found three nests of Pixie-Sprites that Newt had mentioned, and adhering to the principle of leaving a line for others, he only brought back two and a half nests, leaving a few behind.
These little creatures were currently sleeping soundly in the bag; once he returned, placing them in the box would fill the flowerbed with fragrance, and Gardevoir would surely love it.
Wayne had already planned how to utilise the Flying Potion.
Madam Gringotts had given him two shops in Diagon Alley, and he would take one out to open a store.
As for the rest, there wasn't much else.
When Wayne opened his eyes, Russel and Henderson had also arrived in the living room.
The Thestral carriage was moving quickly, and by eight o'clock, they reached the Scottish Highlands. Through the window, the Forbidden Forest was already visible below.
The carriage gradually descended, landing at the door of Hagrid's hut.
Hearing the commotion outside, Hagrid came out, blinking in surprise at the few people getting off the carriage.
"Professor Snape, an' Wayne—why're ye back so soon, then?"
"The competition ended, so we returned early," Snape said coldly.
Hagrid didn't mind his indifference and crouched down slightly, looking at Wayne with a hopeful grin. "So… how'd it go, then?"
Wayne smiled. "Of course, I came first. Was there ever any doubt?"
"Tha's brilliant! Knew ye could do it!" Hagrid laughed, clapping his hands together. "Have yeh eaten yet? Fancy some roast with me?"
"Thanks, Hagrid, but I ate before coming back."
"I see… well, off yeh go then—back to tha castle. An' mind yerself, don' go wanderin' where yeh shouldn't," Hagrid added, his voice firm but gentle.
"Mm, I understand." In response to Hagrid's kindness, Wayne said nothing more, just nodded.
After bidding farewell to the half-giant, the group quickened their pace back to the castle. When it came to the splendour and magnificence of palaces, Hogwarts couldn't quite compare to Beauxbatons.
Yet whether it was Wayne, Snape, Russel or Henderson, upon returning to school, a familiar sense of ease washed over them all.
This was their true home.
Wayne moved the fastest, pushing open the doors of the Great Hall with a wave of his hand before charging inside.
Without even saying goodbye to Snape.
Henderson hastily bid "Goodbye, Professor" and followed Wayne into the basement
"Wayne! Henderson! You're back?"
Several Hufflepuff students they encountered along the way exclaimed in delighted surprise at seeing them.
"Come on, let's head back to the Common Room together."
Wayne waved his hand, and the group immediately fell in behind him.
As the barrel door to Hufflepuff Common Room swung open, Wayne ducked inside and raised his right hand triumphantly: "Hufflepuff! Your best friend has returned!"
The noisy Common Room fell abruptly silent before erupting into thunderous cheers.
"Wayne!"
"Merlin's beard! You're back today? Weren't you supposed to stay for a month?!"
"What a sneak attack! How rotten - we were planning a surprise for you!"
"Did you win? Did you get first place?"
The little badgers swarmed around him, chattering excitedly.
Cedric pushed to the front and gave Wayne's shoulder an enthusiastic thump. "You're finally back! Things just didn't feel right without you here," he said emotionally.
Many nodded vigorously in agreement.
Only in someone's absence do people realise their importance.
When Wayne had been around daily, no one had particularly noticed the difference.
But this past month has given them all a profound understanding.
Without their backbone, Hufflepuff had quickly reverted to its old, idle ways, unable to unite its efforts.
"Death to bromance!" Wayne shoved Cedric away in mock annoyance, provoking gales of laughter from everyone.
The crowd parted to let Wayne and Henderson take the central sofa in the Common Room.
"I'll fetch food from the kitchens! Someone, come help!" Wotley called, and several students followed him out.
Hufflepuff celebrations always involved eating and drinking. Before Wayne and Henderson had even settled properly, an array of snacks appeared before them.
Wayne picked up a liquorice wand and stuck it between his teeth.
"Someone tell me what interesting things happened while I was gone this month."
"Now hold on, Wayne." Senior Grace crossed her legs elegantly, giving the boy a knowing smile. "Shouldn't you be reporting your results first? Didn't embarrass Hufflepuff, did you?"
"Of course not."
Before Wayne could answer, Henderson declared proudly, "With Wayne there, first place was never in doubt. I even came third myself."
The room erupted in applause again.
"Henderson, you actually got third? Impressive!"
"All thanks to Wayne. If he hadn't explained those Wolfsbane Potion key points, I'd have placed much lower..."
After the excitement died down, Wayne pressed again: "Now answer my question - any fun happenings recently?"
"Me! Me!" Toby and Norman both jumped up simultaneously.
"Alright, you go then, Toby," Norman conceded to his best mate.
"Cheers, Norman." Toby grinned before launching in eagerly: "Wayne, you wouldn't believe what happened after Snape left..."
"After Snape left, it was Professor Dumbledore who took over the class. He taught brilliantly! And he assigned so little homework that everyone's hoping Snape never comes back!"
Toby stared at Norman in disbelief. "Didn't we agree I'd be the one to say it?"
Only then did Norman realise his mistake, scratching his head sheepishly. "Sorry, got carried away. You go ahead."
Toby glared at his best friend before continuing, "Lockhart—"
"Professor Lockhart's gone mad! He assigns more homework than Transfiguration, and it's ridiculously hard. I've used up all my flattery!"
"Hannah, you—" This time it wasn't Norman who interrupted but Hannah herself.
Toby was utterly exasperated.
"Oops, go on, I won't say more." Hannah stuck out her tongue. "Just wanted to complain a bit."
Toby took a deep breath.
At least they hadn't blurted out the most shocking news yet.
"Wayne, the Chamber of Secrets—"
"The Chamber's been opened. Filch's cat was petrified," Cedric said gravely. "I looked it up—the Chamber was last opened fifty years ago, and a student even died."
"Wayne, you must be careful. The Chamber was left by Salazar Slytherin. No one knows what's inside."
"But its purpose is to purge the school of half-bloods and Muggle-born wizards."
Thud!
Toby collapsed onto the sofa.
This was unbearable!
"It's just a petrified cat—surely it's not that serious?" Wayne feigned nonchalance.
"That's true," Cedric nodded. "Only one attack so far, but better safe than sorry. Professors are patrolling the corridors every night now."
He subtly hinted that Wayne should be cautious after dark.
Just then, the barrel door to the Hufflepuff common room swung open. Everyone assumed it was Wotley and the others returning, but instead, a panicked first-year badger rushed in.
"Bad news! Someone else's been petrified—Zacharias Smith from our house!"
Gasps filled the room.