There exists a mentality that transcends race and nationality—a universal human trait:
The thirst for entertainment.
Cassandra's striking appearance had already drawn frequent glances, and being the prodigy Headmaster Fontaine had singled out during introductions had made her a focal point.
With their tables adjacent, many Slytherins had preened like peacocks during dinner, attempting to impress her. Yet the haughty girl hadn't even deigned to lift an eyelid, leaving the group thoroughly embarrassed.
Now she was actively calling out to Wayne, and with such a plaintive tone of accusation...
This was premium drama!
Those heading upstairs froze mid-step; those descending quietly retreated. A crowd of spectators gathered in the Great Hall, in no hurry to return to their common rooms, eager to witness Wayne's response.
Meanwhile, countless boys wept with envy—how could he have ensnared even beautiful girls from distant America?
Outrageous!
Hermione, who had just reached the second floor upon hearing Wayne's name, hurried back down.
But she wasn't here for the spectacle—she was here to defend her territory!
Hermione stared at Cassandra with wary suspicion. With Sakura—that little truth-serum-gulping sweetheart—around, she naturally knew of Cassandra's existence.
But hadn't Sakura said Wayne and she were just ordinary friends?
Why did this sound like she'd been abandoned?
"Wayne, she's calling you. Better answer," Norman prodded, then dragged Toby aside to avoid collateral damage.
Shooting a glare at these traitorous friends, Wayne rubbed his face into an expression of delighted surprise before turning around.
"Cassandra? I was just looking for you! There were so many Ilvermorny students, and the Hufflepuff table was rather far—that's why I didn't spot you earlier."
"Is that so?" The golden-haired girl smirked coldly. "What I saw was someone eating nonstop from start to finish, looking rather reluctant when the food disappeared."
Wayne's smile froze.
Seriously, why weren't you eating properly and watching me instead?
Perhaps because they were hosting foreign guests today, the House-elves had put their utmost effort into the meal, making the dishes noticeably better than usual. So he'd eaten a bit more.
And he still got caught.
Hermione couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to grab Wayne's arm, eyeing Cassandra warily.
"One should focus on eating during meals, Miss Worley. You're overstepping rather... excessively."
"Miss Granger, correct?" Cassandra, being older and taller than Hermione, made the latter uncomfortable with her aloof gaze, accentuated by their height difference.
To Hermione's surprise, Cassandra suddenly placed both hands before her abdomen and performed an impeccably graceful curtsy, saying courteously, "Pleased to make your acquaintance. In his correspondence with me, Wayne frequently mentioned your name, praising you as an intelligent and courageous witch."
"Th-thank you." Hermione was thrown off by Cassandra's manner, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
Then Cassandra struck again.
"Miss Granger, I merely wish to understand why Wayne failed to reply to my letters all summer. Surely you wouldn't—nor could you—prevent me from learning the truth?"
Fight!
Fight!
Fight!
At this moment, countless spectators silently cheered inwardly, eyes gleaming with excitement, yet none dared make a sound lest they disrupt the three protagonists.
"Wayne..."
The young witch didn't know what to do, casting a pleading look at Wayne.
Had Cassandra started with sarcasm or unreasonable demands, Hermione might have found an opening to counterattack. But faced with such politeness, she was nearly persuaded.
Usually so fierce, why was she acting like a kitten now?
Wayne exasperatedly ruffled Hermione's head before pulling the young witch to his side by her hand.
Only then did he smile at Cassandra. "You must be tired after travelling all day. The reasons are rather complicated—too involved to explain now. Why don't you rest first? Tomorrow, when I... when I show you around campus, I'll explain everything properly."
"I'm not the least bit tired," Cassandra chuckled. "Now would be perfect."
Wayne's expression darkened. "There are too many people around. This isn't the place."
"What of it?" Cassandra lifted her delicate chin. With her imperious nature, crowds meant nothing unless they contained someone she deemed noteworthy—to her, they might as well all be Jiangdong Jerrys.
As the gathering spectators multiplied—some practically settling in with melon seeds—Wayne sighed.
How had Cassandra grown even more domineering after a year apart?
Unless he navigated this, there'd be no peace today.
"I was swamped during the holidays," Wayne said earnestly. "Right after the term ended, I had lawsuits to handle and a girlfriend to accompany. Then the World Cup finals started in August, and Sakura visited—"
"Wait, Sakura came to see you?"
Cassandra's composure cracked, eyebrows knitting. "Why wasn't I informed?"
"You're still in contact with Sakura?" Wayne stared at her in surprise.
Cassandra turned up her nose with a haughty "Hmph. She's barely worthy as a rival."
"That's not the point—Sakura attended the World Cup finals too?"
"She stayed at my place for nearly twenty days." Wayne spread his hands. "After she and Tomoyo—that's Sakura's best friend—left, the term started. With everything happening, I forgot to write to you. That's all there is to it, truly."
Wayne had genuinely forgotten. During the day, he could watch Sakura's costume play, and at night, he could discuss fashion design and chat about everything under the sun with the gentle young lady. Who had time to think about writing letters?
Moreover, most of Cassandra's letters were just boasting about her latest magical achievements, and he never knew how to respond.
Over time, it slipped his mind entirely.
Now, however, the blonde girl's attention had completely shifted away from Wayne's lack of replies. She felt utterly betrayed!
Just a few days ago, she'd received Sakura's reply, which didn't even mention the World Cup, let alone staying at Wayne's place.
How outrageous!
Seeing Cassandra's rapidly shifting expression, Wayne assumed she was angry and apologised sincerely:
"My bad. I'll make sure to reply next time."
"There'll be a next time?" Cassandra glared at the boy. "You're spending the whole day tomorrow showing me around Hogwarts, or I won't forgive you."
"No, Wayne has things to do," Hermione interjected hastily. "He's tutoring us. He doesn't have that much free time."
"Tutoring?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Sounds interesting. Can I observe?"
"Fine, see you tomorrow," Wayne agreed hurriedly, not wanting to be treated as gossip fodder.
Hermione pinched him discreetly but didn't object further.
...
Back in the common room, Wayne found himself cornered by a group of badgers.
Cedric looked at him with tragic indignation. "Another pretty girl! How do you even meet them?"
"Wizarding Schools Potions Championship," Wayne leaned back on the sofa. "Aside from that, I wouldn't have a chance to interact with students from other schools."
"Damn it..." Cedric gritted his teeth in envy. "I'm definitely joining the next Potions Championship!"
"You won't be able to," Wayne calculated. "The next one's during my sixth year. You'll have graduated by then."
Cedric clutched his chest in agony and collapsed dramatically.
...
Returning to the dorm, Wayne watched his two roommates fall asleep the moment they hit their beds. Silently, he cast a Stunning Spell on each—they wouldn't wake until half past eight.
Not only had they refused to help, but they'd also pushed him into this mess.
Useless idiots.
Breakfast in the Great Hall was only served until 8:30. They could forget about eating tomorrow—let them starve all morning.
To ensure they couldn't scavenge anything from the kitchens either, Wayne made a special trip to inform the house-elves before finally turning in for the night.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn, when Wayne entered the Great Hall, many eyes followed him discreetly, accompanied by hushed gossip about last night's drama.
It wasn't just Hogwarts students—even those from Ilvermorny were sizing him up, whispering to their friends.
"Cassandra, is he your boyfriend?" the freckled girl beside her asked curiously.
"Of course not, Robin. Where did you hear that?" Cassandra nearly spat out her milk.
"But everyone's saying it," Robin's gaze remained fixed on Wayne. "They say you stopped him from leaving last night because he dumped you."
She even clicked her tongue twice.
"A bit young, but so handsome..." She completely missed her friend's darkening expression.
Had the rumours really spiralled this wildly in just one night?
Cassandra only remained annoyed for a short while before regaining her composure.
She knew that the more attention she paid to these rumours, the more people would believe them. The best approach was to ignore them entirely—soon enough, new gossip would replace the old.
After finishing breakfast quickly, Cassandra positioned herself by the entrance, her gaze fixed on the Hufflepuff table.
Wayne noticed her actions but didn't hurry. He ate at a leisurely pace before turning to Cedric, who was reading a newspaper beside him. "How many of those maps do you still have left?"
"Dozens unsold. You want some?" Cedric lowered the newspaper.
"Why would I need maps? The Marauder's Map is still with me. I meant for you to sell them to students from other schools."
Wayne pointed towards the tables of Uagadou and Ilvermorny. "They're practically like first-years—they'll definitely need maps to navigate."
Cedric's eyes lit up.
Of course. Why hadn't he thought of that?
With students from six different schools, selling maps alone could make him a fortune.
The thought of piles of Galleons and Sickles waiting for him made Cedric restless. He stood up. "I'll go find Fred and George."
There was no way he could produce that many maps alone in just a few days—he'd need their help.
Wayne excused himself to Cho and Astoria before finally heading to the entrance.
"Let's go."
"Where to?" Cassandra asked.
"You're the guest. Anywhere you like."
The blonde girl thought for a moment before answering, "Let's see that Thunderbird of yours first. I nearly fell off my seat yesterday."
"No problem." Wayne nodded in agreement.
The two left the castle, stepping into the bright sunlight as they made their way into the Forbidden Forest, arriving at a wide clearing.
Soon, Mia flew over, followed by two smaller companions.
In just one night, Ilvermorny's Thunderbird and Horned Serpent had become her underlings.
The Thunderbird had a patch of missing feathers, while the Horned Serpent's boomslang skin bore scorch marks—likely the results of Mia's "physical persuasion."
Seeing Wayne, Mia happily nudged her head towards him, though it was so large that even with his arms outstretched, he couldn't fully embrace her.
"None of that mischief." Wayne gave her a light pat when she tried to nudge him onto her head, and she finally settled down.
Beside them, Cassandra's eyes were filled with envy, her fingers itching.
That feather sheen... she really wanted to touch it...
"Aren't you from Horned Serpent House? Why the interest in a Thunderbird?" Wayne turned to her, puzzled.
"The two aren't mutually exclusive," Cassandra replied softly, snapping out of her thoughts. "At Ilvermorny, Thunderbirds are the most beloved magical creatures in any house—even worshipped as totems by many families."
She lifted her chin slightly with pride. "Besides, back then, three houses chose me—Thunderbird was one of them."
"It's just that the Horned Serpent's motto and ideals suited me better, so I ended up missing Thunderbird House by a hair."
Wayne played along. "Really? That's quite impressive."
He knew exactly why Cassandra was so pleased with herself.
As the North American counterpart to Hogwarts, Ilvermorny naturally inherited the sorting tradition—though without a Sorting Hat, they had to use alternative methods.
Every year after new students arrive, they are led to a circular Great Hall and stand above a symbol called the Gordian Knot, surrounded by statues representing the four houses.
These statues are enchanted to activate when they encounter a student suited to their house.
Typically, a student can only activate one statue, but exceptions exist. Those who activate two or more may choose their house freely.
However, such cases are extremely rare, occurring perhaps once every few years.
The Horned Serpent, resembling a blend of Ravenclaw and Slytherin, seemed particularly suited to Cassandra.
Wayne thought of a question: "Has there ever been a student chosen by all four houses in history?"
"Of course," Cassandra replied, her face showing rare admiration. "Seraphina Picquery—the only student in Ilvermorny's history selected by all four houses. She went on to become the most popular President of the Magical Congress in history."
"And she was a Horned Serpent, too."
"You mean the Minister for Magic who was played like a fiddle by Grindelwald? Doesn't sound that impressive," Wayne said, blinking innocently.
His words instantly shattered Cassandra's composure. She pinched him twice in frustration before storming off to cosy up to Mia.
The boy looked utterly wronged. He didn't think he'd said anything unreasonable.
If she couldn't even notice her most senior Auror had been replaced, and only exposed Grindelwald because Newt provoked him into a slip-up—how long would she have remained oblivious?
If this was Ilvermorny's most outstanding witch in history, the school's standards must be rather mediocre.
...
By noon, Cassandra reluctantly bid farewell to Mia. Though the aloof Thunderbird gave no response, this only made Cassandra adore her more.
After lunch, Wayne picked a random classroom to tutor Hermione and the others.
Previously, lessons had been held in the Room of Requirement or inside his suitcase world, but with Cassandra observing today, he naturally wouldn't take her to such private spaces. Their relationship wasn't that close yet.
These "lessons" mainly consisted of Q&A sessions and task assignments.
Apart from the lazy little Astoria, the others were highly self-motivated—Hermione and Daphne could even be called diligent, requiring little supervision from Wayne.
However, as the girls began practising after Wayne answered their questions, Cassandra, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke.
"Care for a duel? Many of your spellcasting techniques differ from what Ilvermorny teaches."
"Gladly," Hermione agreed without hesitation, her eyes alight with competitive fire.
She'd been left speechless by Cassandra's scolding yesterday, so this was the perfect opportunity to vent.
Wayne pulled out a packet of sunflower seeds and began quietly nibbling.
How thrilling...