Some men walk this earth though they're already dead.
Some aren't dead yet, but death isn't far off.
Merlin's beard, please send a Dark Lord to attack London immediately—whether it's Tom, Voldy, or even old Grindelwald, I don't care.
Just let me survive this ordeal, and I'll burn incense in your honour every single day.
But Wayne forgot that his template came from Morgana, Merlin's sworn enemy. Why would Merlin ever help him?
If Merlin could actually hear his prayer, he'd probably deliver Fleur straight to his doorstep.
Wayne felt several icy gazes piercing his back. He shot Sakura a mournful look.
Such a sweet girl... if only she hadn't opened her mouth.
Sakura blinked at Wayne in confusion, completely unaware of the bombshell she'd just dropped, merely wondering why the atmosphere had turned so frosty.
The more perceptive young mistress Tomoyo understood perfectly, but she remained silent, quietly observing with growing amusement in her eyes.
"Sakura, Tomoyo, you must be exhausted after such a long flight?" Cho finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence.
Sakura nodded vigorously. "It took twelve hours! Though it's still faster than a flying broomstick and more comfortable than a Portkey."
Cho found herself warming to this adorable girl. "Then you should eat something and rest first. We can go shopping this afternoon—either in Muggle stores or Diagon Alley."
"Eh, can I really come with you?"
"Of course. You're Wayne's friend, which makes you our friend too."
"Wayne, go prepare rooms for Sakura and Tomoyo. Gardevoir, could you handle lunch, please?"
"Gardevoir!"
Cho's hostess aura was in full force as she took command of the situation. Wayne didn't dare utter a word, fleeing upstairs to hide.
As for preparing the rooms... with an attentive maid like Gardevoir around, everything had already been taken care of long before he could lift a finger.
Watching the boy's retreating figure, Cho merely glared at his back without comment.
As the saying goes, don't air your dirty laundry in public.
Even if she intended to settle accounts with Wayne, it wouldn't be in front of outsiders.
With the only male gone, the atmosphere downstairs actually became more harmonious.
All present were well-bred young women of good character, so getting along posed no difficulty.
Hermione, Cho, and the others were deeply curious about the most enigmatic magical academy, while Sakura and Tomoyo were equally fascinated by the historic Hogwarts.
Before long, the living room was filled with the lively chatter of the girls.
By lunchtime, no one had noticed Wayne's absence—except for Sakura.
"Eh, aren't we going to call Wayne?" the girl asked innocently.
Hermione flashed a dangerous smile. "No need. He overate this morning and isn't hungry now."
"Oh."
Seeing Sakura actually believe it, Tomoyo nearly burst out laughing. Fortunately, her well-bred composure kept her expression perfectly neutral.
Lunch passed in such a harmonious fashion. Noticing the tired looks on Sakura and Tomoyo's faces, Gardevoir led them to their respective rooms and even helped settle their luggage.
Before leaving, she thoughtfully lit a soothing incense stick to aid their sleep.
Sakura watched curiously as Gardevoir closed the door. She had never seen such a beautiful creature before, but refrained from asking questions.
...
A quarter of an hour later, once sure that Sakura and Tomoyo were sound asleep, Cho finally spoke softly.
"Hermione."
Hermione understood her meaning and drew her wand, giving it a small flick.
"Silencio."
An invisible force enveloped the two guest rooms. Now, even if there were murder outside, no sound would penetrate within.
"Let's go," Hermione smirked coldly after completing the spell.
"Let's hear how our dear Lawrence explains himself."
Earlier, they'd restrained themselves in front of outsiders to preserve Wayne's dignity, but that didn't mean the matter would be easily forgotten.
The four girls stormed into Wayne's room with righteous fury, only to burst into laughter at the sight before them.
Wayne had tied himself to a chair, his body completely wrapped in strange black material with only his head exposed, gazing at them with puppy-dog eyes.
Penelope was so exasperated that she laughed, turning to Cho. "Well, seems he's quite self-aware."
"Useless. He's just playing the victim," Hermione huffed, marching up to Wayne and roughly pinching his handsome face – which only made her angrier.
His skin was smoother than hers! How did he even maintain it?
"Ow ow ow!" Wayne cried out exaggeratedly, but this time, no one came to his rescue. Even Astoria seized the chance to give his cheeks a good squeeze.
Usually, it was Wayne who bullied her. Finally, she'd found an opportunity for payback.
Wayne mentally noted this betrayal from the wealthy little heiress, vowing to settle the score once he survived this ordeal.
When they'd all had their fun, Cho finally asked: "Explain. Who is Miss Delacour?"
Wayne eyed the girls cautiously. "Which... which one do you mean?"
He'd never noticed before today how naturally Cho assumed the role of first wife, with the other girls instinctively deferring to her leadership.
His answer nearly made the girls faint from rage.
"What do you mean by 'which one'? Are there multiple Delacours? The one Sakura mentioned earlier!"
"Oh, you mean Fleur." Wayne sighed, realising full confession was inevitable.
After hiding it for two and a half years, he'd done his best.
He began with rescuing Gabrielle, their reunion at Nicolas' home, subsequent encounters during potion symposiums, and last summer's visit to the castle...
If he was coming clean, it had to be thorough – no omissions that could become future ammunition against him.
The girls' expressions grew increasingly incredulous.
Initially, they'd assumed this Miss Delacour merely had some ambiguous connection to Wayne.
Now they saw.
The situation was painfully clear...
This was full-fledged girlfriend treatment!
"Why did you never mention her?" Astoria pouted.
"Because you never asked," Wayne replied with shameless logic.
Penelope pinched his cheek in frustration – she'd wanted to put her hands on his waist, but Wayne's cocoon left no accessible targets.
"Since when do we need to ask about such things? If Sakura hadn't slipped up today, were you planning to hide this forever?"
"Of course not." Wayne gave an awkward chuckle.
"I was actually planning to introduce you all this summer... but Fleur's preparing for next year's tournament, so she won't be coming to the World Cup. We'll have to postpone a while longer."
The girls exchanged glances, simmering with helpless frustration.
What could they even do about Wayne?
Start a massive fight over this? Give him the silent treatment?
Last year, when he got engaged to Astoria, there had already been quite a scene. Doing it again wouldn't make much difference.
The girls were surprised to find their anger stemmed more from how deeply Wayne had hidden things, rather than the sudden addition of another...
With so many already, what was one more?
Cho was startled by her own absurd thought and quickly asked, "Apart from this Delacour, are there any others?"
"No," Wayne answered firmly.
He mentally tallied things up.
Luna didn't count - she was just his plaything.
Cassandra didn't count either - they just interacted frequently, and nothing too intimate.
Senior Grace was even less relevant - just some photography sessions, completely innocent.
After this inventory, Wayne suddenly felt much more justified.
Seeing him suddenly puff out his chest, Hermione asked curiously, "Why do you suddenly look so confident?"
"I didn't eat earlier - I'm hungry!"
"Oh." The wealthy girl nodded instinctively and turned towards the door: "I'll get you some food."
Cho quickly stopped her: "Astoria, Wayne just made a mistake."
The wealthy girl looked at her, puzzled: "But he's hungry. We can scold him after he eats."
"Besides, Miss Delacour knew Wayne even before I did... I don't really have the right to criticise him."
"How about this - you can lecture him while I feed him. We won't interfere with each other."
With that, Astoria scampered out.
The remaining three were dumbfounded...
She made a good point...
Wait, my head feels itchy...
Penelope also guiltily shrank her neck.
By Astoria's calculation... she was also a latecomer.
...
The interrogation thus ended anticlimactically.
With a little traitor in their midst, Hermione and Cho were both angry and amused.
They could only watch as the wealthy girl fed the pitiful-looking Wayne bite by bite, while Penelope wiped food stains from his mouth with a handkerchief.
By afternoon, Tomoyo and Sakura were still asleep, so Cho didn't wake them for shopping.
Rest was most important - there'd always be time for outings later.
Sakura only woke up when dinner was nearly ready.
Realising it was almost dark outside, she kept apologising.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened - I slept so comfortably I completely lost track of time."
"It's fine," Hermione reassured her. "One day doesn't matter - we can spend all tomorrow shopping."
Cho chimed in: "Exactly. Tomorrow's forecast says it'll be a rare sunny day - perfect for going out."
This finally brought a smile to Sakura's face.
The girls began discussing where to go first tomorrow.
While many places were considered "not worth a dog's visit" by locals, they were must-sees for tourists.
In fact, many speciality attractions and foods survived solely on tourist trade - each customer only got fleeced once.
Strangely, Tomoyo didn't join their discussion, but kept staring curiously at Wayne.
Wayne noticed her gaze and moved closer to whisper, "Why do you keep staring at me?"
"Ah... caught me." Tomoyo smiled with crescent eyes. "I was just checking if you were hurt."
"Well, thank you for your concern." Wayne rolled his eyes. "Thanks to Sakura, I nearly followed in Brother Makoto's footsteps this afternoon."
"Who's Brother Makoto?" Tomoyo asked curiously.
"A pioneer," Wayne said solemnly with respect. "Though he's no longer with us, he lives forever in my heart."
"I see."
Tomoyo half-understood, vaguely grasping what kind of person Brother Makoto must have been.
Probably another boy with many girlfriends.
"By the way, have you designed any new clothes recently?" Wayne asked again.
Tomoyo's eyes instantly brightened. "Yes! About a dozen sets, all inspired by your suggestions."
The girl suddenly deflated. "But Sakura absolutely refuses to try them on. She's too shy."
"Tell you what." Wayne's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Cooperate with me, and I'll get Sakura to agree."
Tomoyo blinked her large eyes at the boy, then suddenly laughed.
"Wayne, you're planning revenge on Sakura, aren't you?"
"That's part of it," Wayne admitted without denial. "But mainly I want to see for myself. Photos you send can't compare to seeing her in person."
Glancing at Sakura, who was enthusiastically discussing with Cho when to visit Greenwich Observatory, Tomoyo quietly nodded in agreement.
Poor Sakura remained completely unaware she'd just been sold out by her best friend.
...
Over the following days, Sakura and Tomoyo toured London's attractions with Hermione and Penelope.
Wayne bided his time until their rest day to launch his revenge.
"Sakura, Tomoyo says you're Mahoutokoro's best Seeker. I find that hard to believe."
That day, the other girls were absent, leaving just the three of them at home.
Sakura set down the Tower of London model she'd bought yesterday, modestly replying, "Many players are better than me."
"Nonsense," Tomoyo countered. "You caught the Golden Snitch in last year's match."
"I think that was luck. At Hogwarts, you'd only beat Slytherin's Seeker at best."
Far away, Malfoy sneezed violently before cursing that damned Potter.
Even Sakura's gentle temper flared at Wayne's words, her cheeks puffing out. "That's not true! There might be some luck involved, but I'm actually quite good."
"Then prove it against me." Wayne bared his fangs. "If you win, I'll let you play with the Golden Snidget for a whole day."
"If you lose... never mind, let Tomoyo set the terms."
Tomoyo smiled and nodded.
The prospect of playing with the Golden Snidget immediately tempted Sakura.
She'd learned Wayne wasn't on his school's Quidditch team - just one substitute appearance years ago. Victory seemed assured.
Even if she lost, surely Tomoyo wouldn't help Wayne bully her?
So... the advantage was hers!
"You can't go back on your word if you lose, or blame me for bullying you," Sakura double-checked.
"Of course. I'll honour the bet gracefully."
With their agreement made, Wayne immediately took Sakura and Tomoyo to another of his castles, where vast open grounds awaited.
Since it was just a contest between two people, there was no need for goalposts or a professional pitch—not even a Bludger.
Only two Bludgers were released, along with a Golden Snitch.
Whoever caught the Golden Snitch first would win.
Sakura had brought her own flying broomstick this time—still a Nimbus 2000.
But when she saw Wayne take out a Firebolt, the girl was stunned.
"F-Firebolt?"
"Yep." Wayne stroked the broomstick, a triumphant smile spreading across his face. "In a match, equipment is part of your strength."
"You're not scared, are you?"
Watching Tomoyo stifling her laughter and Wayne already soaring into the sky, Sakura finally realised she'd been tricked.
Stamping her foot in flustered annoyance, she cried, "Wayne, you bully!"