Cedric pursued them in silence, completely forgetting the rule against running and casting spells in corridors, relentlessly firing hexes that elicited yelps of pain upon impact.
"Wayne, move aside!" Fred barely had time to greet him as he dashed past, with George only managing a quick gesture.
"What's going on here?"
Baffled by their behaviour, Wayne intercepted Cedric and asked in confusion, "Stop chasing them. Filch is on the first floor—if he sees you, you'll definitely get detention."
Being blocked finally made Cedric halt.
But the moment he spoke, Wayne couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Filch? Even better! I'll take these two bastards down with me!"
It was clear Cedric was genuinely furious—even the usually mild-mannered boy had been pushed to this point.
But the problem lay in his voice.
His normally deep teenage voice had transformed into a clear, melodious girlish tone, which looked utterly bizarre paired with his slightly stubbled chin.
"Pfft!"
"What... what happened to your voice?"
Only then did Cedric realise he'd been exposed, so he resigned himself completely. "It's George! This is all his fault!"
Using his new feminine voice, Cedric lamented indignantly, "Today in Potions class, Snape assigned us to brew an anti-inflammatory potion. George altered the recipe and added a few extra ingredients."
"I was paired with him, and since my throat's been sore lately, I thought I'd test it. Now look what happened!"
Wayne couldn't help laughing again. "You can't blame George for that. You were in the same group—if you didn't notice, that's on you."
"He deliberately had Fred distract me with conversation! I even lost five points because of Snape!" Cedric jumped up in anger.
"You're a real genius."
Wayne had noticed—though Cedric had matured quite a bit and become sneakier, he was still no match for the twins' cunning.
"Stop chasing them for now. Just ambush them in the Gryffindor common room tonight," Wayne suggested.
"But I don't know the password to get in."
"I know the password—Dragon Blood. I'll go with you when the time comes." Wayne rubbed his chin. "This potion looks quite interesting, and unlike the Gender-Swap Mints, it's not as sensitive. Probably going to be a bestseller."
Cedric's eyes lit up, too.
At the mention of money, his anger over the prank was instantly forgotten.
He still owed Wayne quite a few Galleons, after all. As long as there was money to be made, he could grudgingly forgive these two troublemakers.
...
After parting ways with Cedric, Wayne headed to Snape's office and handed over the prepared materials.
Staring at the frozen flesh and blood within the ice block, Snape asked, "How much is in here?"
"About a tenth. Should last you a good while."
"Barely adequate. Very well, you may leave." Snape began shooing him away the moment he got what he wanted.
Wayne didn't argue, simply collecting his share of the potion before exiting the office.
The massive Basilisk had now been carved into pieces—two-tenths went to Nicolas, another two-tenths to Snape here.
In the blink of an eye, only half remained.
Aside from keeping some for personal use, he planned to set aside a portion as Christmas gifts for several professors over the coming years.
That would save him the annual headache of agonising over presents.
...
At dinner, Cedric's voice still hadn't returned to normal.
A cluster of young badgers crowded around him, chattering excitedly, eager to hear him speak—just to experience the surreal contrast of a grown man producing a maiden's voice.
Cedric wore an expression of utter despair, glaring daggers at the Weasley twins over at the Gryffindor table.
"Cedric, would you like me to do your makeup?" Senior Grace asked with a playful smile. "A maiden's voice paired with feminine attire—quite the fitting combination."
Cedric shook his head vehemently. He'd already decided—if his voice didn't return by tonight, he'd seek out Madam Pomfrey and check into the hospital wing until he was normal again.
Perhaps fearing Cedric might come after them for revenge, Fred and George ate particularly quickly that evening.
After finishing, they even dragged Percy—who hadn't finished his meal—along as they made their escape.
Percy called out in bewilderment, "I'm not done eating yet! If you want to go back to the dorm, just go yourselves!"
"Eating? Do you even realise how much weight you've gained lately?"
At the mention of weight gain, Percy's expression faltered as he patted himself down. "You're not lying to me?"
"Honestly, you've got a double chin now," George said, forcibly squeezing Percy's face to create the illusion of one.
Percy: "..."
Watching them disappear into the crowd, leaving the Great Hall, Cedric turned pleading eyes to the boy beside him.
"Wayne, you've got to stand up for me!"
"Stand up for what?" Cho happened to approach Wayne just then, catching the tail end of his words.
Only then did she realise that the delicate, melodious voice had come from Cedric, startling her. "Did someone dose him with something?"
"Guess that accurate?" Wayne arched an eyebrow.
"I just said it offhand—wait, that's really what happened?" Cho gasped.
"Enough," Wayne stood, taking the girl's hand. "Fancy joining me to watch the spectacle at the Gryffindor common room?"
"Mhm."
Cho nodded eagerly. A moment's thought told her this had to be connected to the twins' escape—prime entertainment material.
The group made their way to Gryffindor Tower, where the Fat Lady was practising her singing. Wayne frowned. "That's awful. Tosca doesn't need such high-pitched vocals."
The excited soprano voice abruptly stopped as Fat Lady looked at him disapprovingly: "What would a little wizard know? This is Fat Lady's exclusive singing style. Every portrait that's heard it says it's marvellous."
"Don't believe me? Let me sing another passage for you." As she spoke, Fat Lady prepared to sing again.
Wayne twitched his lips and hastily recited the password.
Though Fat Lady clearly knew they weren't from her house, she reluctantly opened the common room door after hearing the correct password.
Gryffindor and Slytherin had the worst security in the entire school.
Even a dog could get in if it knew the password.
Inside the common room, the twins playing Exploding Snap with Lee Jordan thought they were seeing things when Cedric appeared before them.
It wasn't until two Body-Bind Curses hit them that they reacted, loudly begging for mercy.
"Bro, spare us!"
"Cedric, it was George who wronged you, I'm Fred!"
"Bullshit, I'm Fred..."
The surrounding Gryffindors were startled, too. They'd initially thought Wayne had brought his friends for a visit, and many had smiled and greeted them.
Wayne used to visit Hermione often and play Wizard's Chess with Ron.
Though later, Ron became less willing to play with him.
But seeing Cedric suddenly attack, several students had already drawn their wands, glaring at him angrily.
Coming into their common room to ambush the twins? This was practically slapping them in the face.
"Easy now, easy. This is personal business."
Wayne quickly tried to calm them. "Cedric, say something."
"George, Fred, you've finally fallen into my hands!"
"Pfft!"
Hearing this clear girlish voice, many couldn't help but burst into laughter, immediately understanding what was happening.
Some even pointed their wands at George and Fred, cheering Cedric on.
"Diggory, teach those two a proper lesson! They've gone too far!" said one student who was on good terms with Cedric, barely containing his laughter.
"Absolutely," Lee Jordan chimed in gleefully. "Make sure they remember this."
Cedric clasped his hands together in thanks.
He approached the twins and quickly shoved some herb into each of their mouths - so fast Wayne couldn't even see what it was.
"What did you give them?" Wayne asked curiously.
"Puffapods," Cedric replied succinctly.
"Excellent choice," Wayne marvelled. "Got any spare? Sell me a few."
"I've got some left. Professor Sprout gave them as payment for helping last Saturday. You can have them when we get back."
As they spoke, George and Fred began inflating uncontrollably, turning into two floating balloon-like spheres.
That was the effect of puffapods - similar to the Engorgio charm but lasting longer and completely harmless.
Looking at the two 'balls', Wayne suddenly had an idea. With a flick of his wand, a sofa transformed into a ping pong table.
"Anyone here play ping pong?" he asked.
A boy holding a camera raised his hand: "I do, Senior Lawrence."
"Colin! Fancy a game?" Wayne beckoned him over.
Soon, they were using George as the ping pong ball, their wands transformed into oversized paddles for an energetic match. During the game, George even played along with a couple of dramatic screams, sending the crowd into fits of laughter.
Then everyone's gaze turned towards the unoccupied Fred.
The vast Common Room had transformed into a makeshift pitch, with Ginny and Ron following Wayne and Colin's lead by batting Fred around like a ball, while a crowd of young wizards watched eagerly from the sidelines.
"Ginny, not my backside!"
"Ron, you're done for! Once I'm back to normal, I'm planting you headfirst in the ground!"
The room brimmed with merry chaos. Seeing the twins' Troll-like state, Cedric's anger dissipated, and he prepared to take his leave.
Before leaving, Wayne reminded the twins to organise the potion recipes for him, so he could see if there were any improvements to be made.
But the twins were still dizzy from being knocked aside, and it was unclear whether they'd even registered his words.
...
Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's Office.
Snape arrived with the potion for Dumbledore.
"A strong elixir to induce hyper-recollection. It causes some damage to the brain, but the effects are undeniably potent—even childhood bedwetting incidents can be recalled with perfect clarity."
Snape shook his head regretfully. "Basilisk blood is indeed a remarkable ingredient, but its toxicity is too severe. Otherwise, the potion's efficacy could be further enhanced."
"Damage?" Dumbledore frowned. "Can this damage be remedied?"
"Since when have you cared about playing the hypocrite?" Snape snapped impatiently. "If it helps uncover clues and evidence, their sacrifices are worth it."
"We're not yet at that level of severity," Dumbledore replied calmly, his gaze steady.
"Snape, I'll need you to prepare some remedies for brain damage as well."
"Hmph."
Snape snorted but didn't refuse.
His eyes suddenly flickered. "Basilisk venom is highly unusual—difficult to counteract. I'll require more ingredients. Lawrence's side—"
Dumbledore gave him a strange look.
'I treat you as a tool, and you treat me as a fool?'
"Ahem." Dumbledore cleared his throat, deliberately changing the subject. "Severus, let's discuss the matter of Voldemort instead."
"During your time by his side, did he ever mention anything about Horcruxes? Or were there any unusual behaviours worth noting?"
Though he knew Dumbledore was deflecting, Snape suppressed his irritation and frowned in thought.
Seeing his hesitation, Dumbledore helpfully nudged the potion towards him.
"Care for some?"
Snape: "..."
He had brewed the potion himself—did Dumbledore think he didn't know its effects?
Drinking it would be no different from inducing early dementia.
"Thank you, but my memory hasn't deteriorated to that extent yet," Snape said darkly. After a moment of contemplation, he continued slowly,
"My time serving the Dark Lord was limited. His most trusted were the Lestranges, Barty Crouch Jr., Dolohov, and their ilk."
"As for Horcruxes..." Snape's eyes gleamed.
"You know exactly the kind of man he is. To him, immortality is a mark of glory—something he would never share with anyone."
"Not even his most loyal followers."
Snape sneered. "A man who embodies Slytherin selfishness to its absolute extreme. That he became the heir is no surprise at all."
"Is that so..." Dumbledore nodded faintly. "What about peculiar actions?"
"Such as entrusting objects—like the diary—to others. Did he ever do so?"
Snape closed his eyes, then abruptly opened them. "There was one instance, though I can't confirm if it was Horcrux-related."
"He took Regulus away for a time. Where they went, what they did—no one knows."
"Regulus..."
"Sirius's brother?"
Upon hearing that name, Dumbledore quickly recalled.
"Correct," Snape said through gritted teeth, his mood worsening.
"Anything else?" Dumbledore remained unmoved and pressed further.
Snape snapped, "I don't know. I don't. He often spoke to people privately and forbade the Death Eaters from disclosing their conversations."
"That's one of the Dark Lord's methods of control."
He stood up. "I have matters to attend to. The potion you requested will be delivered in a few days."
Without waiting for Dumbledore's response, he turned and left.
Sirius...
He was the third person Snape hated most, after himself and Voldemort.
That damned man was already locked up in Azkaban, but Snape still felt it wasn't enough. The Dementors should give him a deep kiss, sending him to meet Merlin sooner rather than later.
In the blink of an eye, only Dumbledore remained in the room.
He stored the potion carefully and took out Tom Riddle's Diary.
Now, there was both good news and bad news.
The good news was that he might have found a lead regarding a Horcrux.
The bad news was that he had no idea how many Horcruxes Voldemort had made—perhaps even Voldemort himself didn't know.
From the very beginning, Dumbledore had never believed Voldemort had made only one Horcrux.
Whether it was his increasingly inhuman transformation or his casual attitude toward the diary's disposal, if he had only made one Horcrux, would he have entrusted it to a fickle family like the Malfoys?
Only if the number was large enough would he have done so.
Determining how many Horcruxes Voldemort had created would be an immensely difficult task, a monumental undertaking.
He was secretive, evil, and buried his past well, never revealing his true thoughts to those around him.
To find the Horcruxes, one had to understand Voldemort's history and personality—to trace it all back to the source.
The Heir of Slytherin... with ties of blood.
That was a good place to start.
Dumbledore's first step would be to investigate the Gaunt family.
He needed to uncover exactly where Voldemort came from and where he went after leaving Hogwarts.
These potions were meant to jog the fading memories of anyone connected to his search.
...
Inside the enchanted suitcase.
Wayne lay with his head resting on Nagini's ample lap, gazing up at the starry sky, while Nagini wore a helmet, watching the memories Wayne had placed inside.
After a long while, she finally removed it.