"What happened?"
"Smith? Where was he petrified?"
After a brief silence, the common room erupted. They'd just been saying there'd only been one attack, and now this.
Cedric's face flushed crimson while others clamoured with questions, overwhelming the messenger.
"Quiet!"
Finally, Wayne stepped forward, his commanding voice restoring order.
He reassured the young wizard, "Don't worry. You're Edric, right? Just tell us what you know."
Edric looked at Wayne with admiration. They'd never spoken, yet Wayne knew his name—what an honour!
"Outside the library. Smith was on the floor. Professor Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were all there. I didn't dare get too close."
Edric shared everything he knew.
Just then, Wotley and the others returned with food. Hearing the news, they solemnly suggested, "Let's go see."
The badgers nodded in agreement, ready to leave—until Wayne stopped them."Having too many of us go along isn't ideal—it might disturb the professors. Let's have five students from each year come with me."
"Agreed." The Prefects nodded, and soon over thirty students were selected, following Wayne in an impressive procession out of the common room.
Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernie Macmillan, Smith's roommates, had also joined.
As they climbed the stairs, Wayne couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
Was this Tom's way of welcoming him back? Some kind of grand ceremony?
Probably just a coincidence. The attack had happened too quickly—he'd barely settled in before it occurred.
Besides, Snape hadn't told anyone about his early return, or Hagrid wouldn't have been so surprised.
...
Meanwhile, other students who had caught wind of the news were also rushing toward the library.
But upon encountering the large group of Hufflepuffs, they quickly stepped aside—especially the gleeful Slytherins hoping for some entertainment, whose faces paled the moment they spotted Wayne leading the pack.
"Lawrence is back, too?"
"Obviously. If Russel returned, of course, Lawrence would be with him."
"Move aside, don't block their way!" One Slytherin hastily pulled his friend away, clearing a path for the Hufflepuffs with a resentful but resigned expression.
With Lawrence back, they'd have to tuck their serpent tails between their legs again.
Students from other houses were similarly parted by the crowd.
"So arrogant," muttered a disgruntled Gryffindor under his breath.
Hufflepuff with Lawrence and without him were like two entirely different houses—their presence now fiercer than lions.
In the broad corridor outside the library, Dumbledore and several professors stood gathered together, with Harry Potter standing awkwardly behind the Headmaster.
Numerous students lined the sides of the hallway.
At the sound of hurried footsteps, many turned to see Wayne arriving with his entourage.
The professors noticed too. Professor Sprout forced a weak smile. "Wayne, you're back. Congratulations on winning first place in the tournament."
"Head of House." Wayne nodded, then greeted the other professors.
"Mr Lawrence, come take a look as well," Dumbledore said, stepping aside to make room.
Wayne moved forward without hesitation and saw Zacharias Smith.
Smith's body was rigid, his eyes wide open, his face frozen in sheer terror—as if he'd witnessed something horrifying.
Wayne reached out, placing a hand near Smith's nose. Not even the faintest breath could be detected.
If not for the lingering warmth in his body, one might assume he was already dead.
"Any thoughts?" Dumbledore's expression was calm, yet an undercurrent of anger was palpable.
"Petrification magic. Fast-acting, too. His eyes are fully dilated—meaning he was frozen the instant he saw the attacker."
"An accurate assessment," Dumbledore acknowledged. Then he added, "Do you have any solutions, Mr Lawrence?"
"Albus..." Professor McGonagall stared at him in surprise.
Flitwick and Sprout were equally baffled.
Even we Heads of House and you, the Headmaster, can't resolve this—yet you're asking a student for help?
Only Wayne understood—Dumbledore was referring to Ho-Oh.
"Professor, I can only try."
The young man snapped his fingers, and Ho-Oh flew out from a burst of flames, circling its master joyfully. It hadn't seen Wayne for over a month.
Dumbledore didn't hurry them, waiting patiently for Ho-Oh's actions.
After playing with Wayne for a while, Ho-Oh reluctantly took flight, showering Smith with sacred flames.
Clusters of flames merged into his body, but the petrified state showed no change.
"Did it fail?" The onlookers sighed in disappointment.
"This isn't Dark Magic or a curse. Ho-Oh can't help him either." Wayne showed no surprise. "We'll have to wait for the revival potion."
At this point, Wayne turned to Sprout. "Head of House, have you found out who destroyed the mature Mandrakes?"
"No need to investigate," Sprout said gloomily. "It was Blaise Zabini from Slytherin who came forward to confess."
"Hmm?" Wayne raised an eyebrow, glancing at the equally surprised Snape.
Snape had previously told him it was deliberate sabotage.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Dumbledore explained, "At first we thought it was intentional damage, but two days later, Zabini came to apologise to Pomona."
"He accidentally broke the flowerpot, causing the Mandrakes to suffocate."
Could it really be that coincidental?
Wayne certainly didn't believe it, but he said nothing more, instead observing Snape, whose veins were throbbing.
"Professor, your house's student has caused quite the trouble. Shouldn't there be some punishment?"
Glaring fiercely at Wayne, Snape nevertheless declared, "Twenty points from Slytherin. Starting tomorrow, Zabini will serve detention for a week!"
"That'll do," Wayne clicked his tongue before casually asking, "Any other leads?"
Swish, swish, swish!
Almost half the young wizards present turned to look at Harry, who was desperately trying to make himself invisible.
The Chosen One turned deathly pale. "It wasn't me! I was just the first to arrive at the scene. I'd just come from Professor Lockhart's classroom."
"What were you doing there?" Snape demanded from the shadows.
"My... my last assignment failed," Harry flushed red. "Professor Lockhart asked me to rewrite it. He can vouch for me."
"How amusing..." Snape let out an ambiguous sneer. "Failing even Lockhart's assignments? Truly a rare talent."
"Severus, now is not the time to discuss students' academic performance," Dumbledore said with just a glance, silencing Snape.
He then turned to Harry. "Harry, as the first at the scene, did you notice anything?"
"I..." Harry's heart pounded wildly. "I heard a very strange noise and followed it here."
"Lockhart's office is on the third floor. If you could hear it, many other students should have too," McGonagall analysed quickly, surveying the young wizards. "Did anyone else hear strange noises?"
Not a single person stood by Harry's side—they all shook their heads in unison.
"Professor..." Malfoy sidled up to Snape with a malicious grin. "Perhaps Potter made it all up. He did recently have a falling out with Smith."
Malfoy didn't lower his voice, and those nearby heard him clearly.
Their gazes towards Harry shifted immediately, some even taking steps back to distance themselves.
Justin Finch-Fletchley and the other badgers regarded him with hostility and wariness.
Though Smith was currently as popular as a skrewt in a Hufflepuff common room—even his roommates, Finch-Fletchley and Macmillan, couldn't be bothered speaking to him—he was still one of their own.
"Hold on, don't jump to conclusions," Wayne raised his hand, and almost all the badgers present withdrew their hostility, standing quietly instead.
Sprout marvelled at this. Even if she had stepped in, she couldn't have achieved what Wayne had. To say his commands were followed without question might be an exaggeration, but his prestige among the students had truly surpassed hers.
Snape was frantically signalling Dumbledore with his eyes, blinking until they ached.
Look at him! For Merlin's sake, look at him!
Even the Dark Lord hadn't been this outrageous back in the day. If this continued for a few more years until Wayne graduated, they might as well rename House Hufflepuff to House Lawrence!
What nearly made Snape curse aloud was that Dumbledore not only remained unfazed but actually chuckled.
The old headmaster thought Wayne had handled things perfectly – not swayed by the crowd's will and maintaining his own judgement.
"Harry, don't be nervous. First, tell us what happened between you and Smith."
Wayne glanced outside. During their standoff, more young wizards had gathered in the corridor.
Hermione and Cho had arrived too, visibly excited upon seeing the young man, barely restraining themselves from rushing forward.
Harry, recovering from being publicly accused, quickly defended himself: "At last week's Duelling Club, Smith was my opponent."
"I defeated him, he said some nasty things, we argued, and we haven't spoken since. I swear I didn't do this."
"I see. That clarifies things." Wayne nodded, then addressed the badgers. "Everyone's misunderstood Harry. He couldn't possibly have done this."
Harry looked at Wayne gratefully, as if clutching a lifeline.
"But he was first on the scene both times," Macmillan argued. "Once might be a coincidence, but twice? And that story about hearing voices – no one else heard anything—"
"I know it looks suspicious, but hear me out, Ernie." Wayne calmed his housemate before pointing at Harry. "The magic that petrified Smith is extremely advanced – beyond even my capabilities. If Harry possessed such skill, he wouldn't need me to tutor him."
"Even if I were the culprit, Harry couldn't be. He simply lacks the ability."
Harry's grateful expression turned reproachful.
'Thanks for that stellar defence.'
Another badger objected: "But what if he found some secret weapon in the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Let's not debate whether the Chamber exists," Wayne shook his head. "But even if it does, the heir would surely be from Slytherin?"
At this, the suspicious glances towards Harry finally dissipated.
"Thank you for your explanation, Mr Lawrence," Dumbledore inclined his head. "Minerva, please take Mr Smith to the hospital wing. Pomona, Filius, help disperse the students."
The professors nodded and began ushering students away.
Wayne subtly flashed a hand signal, only withdrawing it when Cho and Hermione nodded in acknowledgement.
"Mr Lawrence, I haven't yet congratulated you on winning the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship," Dumbledore said warmly.
"Thank you, Professor." Wayne glanced around curiously. "Where's Professor Lockhart? He'd never miss something like this, given his personality."
"Lockhart's already asleep," Harry answered before leaving.
"He was utterly exhausted while grading assignments and ended up falling asleep right at his desk."
Harry had heard the sounds from Lockhart's office and only dared to sneak out after seeing Lockhart asleep, nearly becoming a suspect in the process.
Given another chance, he'd rather have slept alongside Lockhart than venture out.
...
The once bustling crowd quickly dispersed, with Dumbledore leading Snape away.
Wayne first returned to the common room with the other badgers. After the incident with Smith, no one was in the mood to celebrate. They simply finished their food and retreated to their respective dormitories.
Seizing the opportunity, Wayne slipped out again and headed to the entrance of the Room of Requirement.
After a short while, Hermione and Cho arrived as well.
The three of them ducked into the Room of Requirement together. Cho, usually the most reserved, was the first to embrace him.
"Wayne, you're finally back."
For Cho, the past month had felt like an eternity. Without Wayne around, everything seemed dull; even Quidditch – her greatest passion – had lost its spark.
Hermione watched the two nearly meld into one, her lips pursed in clear displeasure.
Cho had beaten her to it, and there was no way she'd now throw herself at him too.
Though privately they all knew Wayne had ambiguous relationships with other girls, openly allowing him to have his arms around multiple girls without reservation was unthinkable.
Fortunately, the young witch's feelings were noticed. After separating from Cho, Wayne hugged Hermione.
"Did you miss me?"
"Not at all," the young witch huffed. "I only came to borrow the Virtual Brain Machine."
"Is that so?" Wayne feigned disappointment. "I was going to say if you missed me, I'd let you keep the Virtual Brain Machine for an extra few days. Guess that's off the table now."
"Pity, since I even upgraded it to reduce mental energy consumption. You could use it for at least three hours daily now."
"Fine... I missed you, alright?" Hermione's face flushed crimson as she reluctantly admitted it, though a keen observer would spot the mirth in her eyes.
"That's more like it." Wayne produced the device and handed it to her before addressing both girls.
"Don't worry about the Chamber of Secrets business. With the necklaces I gave you, no danger can harm you."
Wayne's Christmas gift to all the girls had been identical – necklaces capable of resisting powerful Dark Magic.
They could even deflect a Killing Curse, though they'd shatter after one use.
This was possible because each necklace contained a fragment of the Philosopher's Stone's power.
"I'm not too worried," Cho said, though concern lingered in her voice. "But until the Chamber is dealt with, the school remains in danger."
"Fifty years ago, Hogwarts nearly closed after a student died. If this continues..."
Today's petrification of Smith would undoubtedly spread beyond the castle walls.
Hogwarts, once considered the safest place, would no longer feel secure.
"Actually, there's no need for such concern," Wayne reassured, patting Cho's head. "In my view, the culprit doesn't intend to kill."
"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"With the ability to petrify Smith and Mrs Norris instantly, would delivering a follow-up attack be difficult?"
"Yet the culprit didn't do so, choosing instead to leave immediately. That suggests they don't want to kill."
Hermione and Cho pondered for a moment, realising Wayne made perfect sense, and their worries immediately dissipated considerably.