By now, everyone was familiar with the concept of Animagi. Professor McGonagall demonstrated feline-to-human transformation for first-years annually, and third-years received related instruction.
Most importantly, after Sirius Black's public trial, anyone following the news knew Animagi could evade Dementor detection, making the magic even more renowned.
For Wayne to claim that many Uagadou students had mastered this was utterly world-shattering. No wonder so many doubted him.
"Schools differ," Wayne explained, shaking his head. "From what I gathered from their students, they take nearly eight Transfiguration classes weekly, three Astronomy, while Potions and Herbology are electives only available after the third year."
"Moreover, their Transfiguration focus differs—specialising in human Transfiguration," Wayne observed Toby and Norman's speechless astonishment.
"Even you two could master any magic after years of dedicated study."
"Oh, and apparently many can transform into multiple animals—a Uagadou speciality."
"Now I want to learn Animagi," Cedric murmured enviously after regaining his composure.
Hannah's eyes sparkled. "Potions as an elective? Such progressive policies—Hogwarts should adopt this immediately!"
"True," Norman agreed absently, though something about Wayne's phrasing nagged at him.
What did he mean by 'even you two'....
Not only the students, but even the professors were mentally unsettled by the imminent arrival of their guests.
"I simply cannot believe that Miss Granger was the only one in the entire class who managed to turn a hedgehog into a satisfactory pincushion. Thomas, I should remind you that your pincushion curled up in fear whenever someone approached it with a needle!"
Hermione's face turned crimson, while Wayne gave Professor McGonagall a resentful look.
Are you no longer regarding me as human?
Professor McGonagall ignored Wayne and continued sternly, "Students from Ilvermorny and Uagadou will be arriving the day after tomorrow. I don't want them to know that Hogwarts students can't even master such basic transfiguration!"
"Whoever embarrasses me will lose their weekend!"
"Miss Brown, Finch-Fletchley, and Thomas, come to my office after class."
The three named individuals nearly burst into tears.
But their suffering wasn't over yet.
In Charms class, Professor Flitwick demanded that students must proficiently use the Levitation and Refilling Charms to serve tea to their peers.
Toby accidentally knocked over the teapot, spilling tea all over the floor.
Flitwick was extremely displeased. After class, he took Toby away, forbidding him from dinner until he trained properly.
For a Hufflepuff, this was an exceptionally cruel punishment.
Additionally, Filch spent almost his entire day, apart from eating and sleeping, patrolling the corridors, practically crawling on the floor to inspect every young wizard's shoe soles.
Two first-years who tracked in some mud from outside provoked his fury, frightening them into hysterics.
...
In the early hours of Friday morning, Wayne rose before four o'clock, yawning as he left the Common Room.
He'd never seen 4 a.m. in Los Angeles, but he now witnessed 4 a.m. at Hogwarts – devoid of students, filled only with house-elves.
Nearly all the school's house-elves had been mobilised. The suits of armour gleamed from polishing, and the grimy portraits had been scrubbed clean, much to the displeasure of their subjects, who sat huddled in their frames, muttering discontentedly.
Upon seeing Wayne, many house-elves immediately stopped their work, leaping down from the walls to bow and greet him.
Eventually, the young man stopped the elves from jumping down like dumplings into boiling water, telling them to carry on without minding him, before proceeding through the corridor.
Passing through the entrance hall into the Great Hall, he found old Dumbledore resting with closed eyes at the head table. At the sound of the door opening, the headmaster slowly opened his eyes and stretched.
"Age makes these late nights rather unbearable."
Wayne gave him a dead-fish stare. "And yet you summoned me here. I'm at a growing age, too."
"To the capable go more burdens."
Dumbledore rose with a smile. "I'd get no sleep all night working alone. With your help, it'll be easier."
"Remember the house points," Wayne said without further comment, adding, "Snape's been acting up again recently. Aren't you going to rein him in?"
"I trust Severus knows his limits."
With that, Dumbledore produced his wand. "Let's try first. I think you and it might be quite compatible."
Wayne didn't stand on ceremony, taking the Elder Wand and weighing it in his hand.
"Doesn't feel any different."
"You'll notice when casting spells."
At four in the morning, the two of them meeting in the school's Great Hall wasn't for chatting over morning tea—they had important business to attend to.
Students from Ilvermorny and Uagadou would be arriving soon, and the Great Hall was already slightly crowded. It couldn't seat so many people, so they had to expand the space.
This expansion wasn't something an ordinary Undetectable Extension Charm could achieve.
Previously, whether for the Duelling Club or Lupin's Patronus demonstration, the Great Hall's space had been enlarged. But that merely borrowed space from other parts of the castle and couldn't be sustained long-term.
For a large magical artefact jointly created by the four founders and filled with countless enchantments, attaching a long-lasting Undetectable Extension Charm was an exceptionally difficult task.
So difficult that Dumbledore had no choice but to enlist Wayne's help to complete it together.
The price? Letting Wayne play with the Elder Wand for a while, plus restoring the points Snape had madly deducted.
Hearing Dumbledore's offer, Wayne didn't stand on ceremony. Casting the Undetectable Extension Charm on the walls, the space within the Great Hall suddenly grew hazy, faint distortions appearing at the edges.
The young man frowned.
The wand wasn't as easy to use as he'd imagined. Its enhancement effect was roughly equivalent to his own wand empowered by Knight Does Not Die Empty-Handed.
But the smoothness of magical flow was worlds apart – it just felt awkward somehow.
"Here, not worth it." Wayne terminated the spell and tossed the Elder Wand back to Dumbledore.
"So soon?" Dumbledore looked at him in surprise.
The youth shook his head. "Just average. Not as miraculous as Grindelwald made it out to be."
Perhaps it would be more powerful after claiming ownership, but he couldn't very well duel Dumbledore first to seize the Elder Wand's allegiance. For now, his own wand felt far more comfortable.
Unaware of the boy's thoughts, Dumbledore was simply pleased with Wayne's attitude towards power.
This was how true masters wielded strength – not like Voldemort, who'd lost his mind pursuing power and immortality.
"Shall we begin then? The students will arrive in three hours."
Each taking a side, they set to work.
This was undoubtedly the most challenging application of the Undetectable Extension Charm Wayne had ever attempted.
To use a metaphor: previous efforts were like digging soil – loose and soft, where strength alone could excavate a large pit.
This was more like quarrying a mountain.
Not just earth, but rocks, even impossibly hard mineral deposits blocked their path.
Every inch of expanded space required dozens, even hundreds of times more magical power – excruciatingly difficult.
Two of the world's greatest wizards huffed and puffed as they 'tunneled' away.
Wayne was already regretting agreeing to Dumbledore's terms. This job was utterly exhausting.
Yet there were gains to be had. This amounted to crossing wands with the four founders across centuries, revealing just how formidable Gryffindor and the others had been.
"Professor, how's your research on cheating progressing? Any confidence?"
Working in silence was dull, so Wayne chatted with Dumbledore while channelling magic.
"Narrow escape, really. I only found the loophole thanks to your reminder." Dumbledore sounded genuinely shaken.
He'd planned every step after Harry became champion, never imagining he'd nearly been thwarted at the very first hurdle.
The Holy Grail's champion selection wasn't as easily interfered with as the Goblet of Fire. It had taken him this long just to find an approach.
That fool Voldemort still thought they'd be using the Goblet of Fire, believing a simple Confundus Charm from Crouch Jr. would suffice.
Without Dumbledore's interference, Crouch Jr. could have worked himself to death without making the Holy Grail select Harry as champion.
...
Two hours later, the Great Hall had more than doubled in size, and they could finally stop.
Wayne was fine, merely looking slightly flushed, but Dumbledore was in a far worse state—his back was hunched as he sat there panting heavily, staring at the young man in disbelief.
Just how much magical power did this boy have? Two hours of relentless output without even breaking a sweat?
Feeling Dumbledore's gaze as though he were some kind of monster, Wayne offered a casual excuse: "Well, young people recover faster, right?"
Dumbledore: "..."
I've read enough books—you can't fool me.
Magical recovery speed does correlate somewhat with age, but why not mention that magical capacity does too?
To have more magical power than me before even coming of age—what happens when you reach my years? Will you just ascend to the heavens?
Unaware of Dumbledore's inner grumbling, Wayne was quite pleased with his Aftershock talent.
With his feet planted on the ground, his magical recovery speed had more than doubled, and by the time he finished chatting with Dumbledore, he was already fully replenished.
He glanced up at the ceiling and frowned.
Only the central portion of the starry sky ceiling was illuminated—the newly expanded areas remained pitch black.
Dumbledore followed his gaze and chuckled. "Leave this to me. You don't need to worry about it."
"Then I'll head back to catch up on sleep." The young man waved. "Could you excuse me from classes today?"
"Mm, go on."
Watching the boy's retreating figure, Dumbledore couldn't help but feel envious.
He'd love to slack off and rest, too—but who made him Headmaster?
...
By seven o'clock, as the young witches and wizards trickled downstairs for breakfast, they discovered the Great Hall had been completely transformed overnight.
The entrance remained unchanged, but stepping inside revealed a space more than twice its original size. The four long tables had expanded to six, with ample room on either side for even more.
Four enormous banners representing each house hung on the walls. Behind the staff table, a crest intertwined the lion, eagle, badger, and serpent, with a large "H" at its centre.
The students buzzed with excitement, their minds too distracted to focus on lessons that day.
Wayne slept until the afternoon before finally rising. He grabbed a quick bite from the kitchens, barely finishing when the clock outside chimed.
Joining his classmates—who were rushing back to drop off their bags and books—he donned his cloak, fastened his badge, and headed to the entrance hall.
The Heads of House stood at the front, organising the students into lines.
"Sherlock, straighten your hat! Brown, your buttons are misaligned—oh, not you, Miss Brown, Toby!"
Professor Sprout went down the line adjusting uniforms, while Professor Flitwick attempted to fix Roger Davies's tie—though even jumping didn't help him reach. Snape stood with arms crossed, coldly scanning his students, occasionally barking a name.
The busiest was Professor McGonagall, who simultaneously straightened the twins' hats and sternly ordered a group of girls to wipe off their makeup—lest anyone mistake Hogwarts for admitting Ghoul students.
After much chaos, the lines were finally somewhat orderly. Following their professors, the students filed down the steps.
It was a frigid evening, the sky darkening as the temperature dropped.
Fortunately, the students were dressed warmly enough not to feel the cold, though many little badgers still complained.
Why did they have to come right at mealtime? Earlier or later would have been fine.
Dumbledore stood at the forefront, today clad in a rather flamboyant bright purple robe, his wizard's hat adorned with moon and star embellishments.
"How will they arrive?" Professor McGonagall asked quietly, standing slightly behind him, her lips barely moving.
"I'm not entirely sure," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "But it should be quite interesting. I heard Headmaster Zakar led his students out of school on foot."
"What?" Professor McGonagall stared at him in shock, her unguarded exclamation drawing curious glances from those nearby.
"Dumbledore, are they walking here from another continent?"
"Probably not," Dumbledore shook his head. "If they were walking, they'd have had to set out in July rather than this month."
"What about Ilvermorny then?" Professor McGonagall asked uneasily. "They're not planning to swim here, are they?"
"As for them... I believe they might already be here?" Dumbledore mused, looking up at the sky.
"Is it going to rain?"
The clouds grew heavy, friction between them producing flashes of lightning that illuminated the dark night sky.
Many young wizards began feeling uneasy, regretting not having brought raincoats.
Crack!
A far thicker bolt of lightning split the heavens, and sharp-eyed students noticed something unusual.
"Up there! There's something in the clouds!"
Students and professors alike squinted, the lightning revealing two shadowy forms rapidly approaching through the clouds.
As the shadows drew nearer, rain began to fall.
Fred surreptitiously pulled out a brass monocular and gasped, "Thunderbirds! And... what's that? A flying snake? They're pulling a house!"
"Horned Serpents!" Hagrid bellowed, practically bouncing. "Blimey, I've been dyin' ter see these beauties!"
Professor McGonagall's expression darkened considerably. Was all this fanfare really necessary?
First wind, now rain - didn't they know people were waiting for them?
A show of strength?
Clearly, the professors (Hagrid excepted) understood the implied message, their faces growing stormy.
The competition and rivalry between schools had begun from this very moment.
Wayne twitched his fingers.
Just as the Thunderbirds and Horned Serpents reached the airspace above the Forbidden Forest, preparing to land, a clear yet imperious cry pierced everyone's ears.
"Scree~!"
The sky grew brighter still!