Lawrence?
Upon hearing this name, most people immediately reacted.
Then came expressions of disbelief. "I admit Lawrence is a genius and quite formidable, but you're comparing him to Grindelwald and Dumbledore?"
"Every single one of you." Fudge pointed at them. "If Mr Lawrence hadn't shown mercy back then, those Quidditch hooligans from your countries would be lying in unmarked graves by now."
"One against a hundred - with that kind of power, not only is he comparable to Grindelwald, but defeating him would absolutely not be a problem."
Everyone exchanged glances, carefully considering this.
That did seem reasonable.
They didn't know exactly how powerful Grindelwald was, but at least Lawrence's achievements were visibly verifiable.
This was precisely the benefit of Wayne letting those hundreds of football hooligans go.
As long as they remained alive, whenever the Quidditch World Cup was mentioned, they couldn't help but recall how those people had been beaten like dogs.
That overwhelming inferno had become an eternal nightmare in the troublemakers' hearts, and, through spreading accounts, Lawrence's fearsome reputation now circulated throughout all of Europe.
The peak master tournament, one against a hundred, 20KD - all verifiable records.
As for Grindelwald and Dumbledore, they belonged to the 'ancient era' - old-timers' boasts with no specific verifiable achievements.
Suddenly, the envoys' gazes toward Fudge changed completely.
What incredible luck had this fellow stumbled upon? Top-tier wizards one after another - losing Dumbledore only to gain an even younger Lawrence.
"Minister Fudge, I admit I spoke too loudly earlier." The envoy from Turkey forced a smile, speaking ingratiatingly. "With the International Wizarding Conference scheduled in Paris next week, I'd like to invite Mr Lawrence to jointly discuss how to deal with Grindelwald."
"You think he'll just go because you ask?" Fudge finally felt he could hold his head high. "Mr Lawrence is Britain's treasure - why should he help you handle your troubles?"
"Grindelwald's prison break is a disaster for wizards worldwide." The German envoy said excitedly. "This isn't just helping us - it's saving your Britain too!"
"We're perfectly fine, thank you for your concern." Fudge sneered.
Despite the envoys' persistent pleas and pressure, Fudge remained unyielding. He had enough self-awareness to know he couldn't make decisions for Wayne.
Left with no choice, the various countries' envoys could only depart, reporting the information back to their respective Ministries of Magic.
As for Lawrence himself, they planned to contact him privately.
They also wouldn't abandon the search for Dumbledore, hoping both could act together to directly eliminate Grindelwald.
As for Fudge, after sending these people packing, he returned to his estate in high spirits to continue enjoying his holiday.
Completely forgetting that the Centaur Liaison Office had also submitted a report today.
With top-tier Grindelwald's presence, a minor figure like Umbridge no longer drew anyone's concern about her current situation or whereabouts.
...
Russia
Regarding Grindelwald's prison break, Russia probably had the most intense reaction among all nations.
Back when the Death Eaters swept through, they nearly completely destroyed their Ministry of Magic.
Fortunately, Russia had large numbers of wizards, each fearless unto death. Through sheer ferocity and harsh weather, they collectively held the final defensive line.
However, this was partly because Grindelwald's focus was tied up on the western front and he hadn't personally come to Russia.
Otherwise, numerical superiority would be utterly useless against absolute power.
Besides this, there was another person who was utterly stunned.
Dumbledore had only just arrived in Saint Petersburg when he heard this thunderbolt of news.
'Why has he suddenly emerged now?'
Compared to Voldemort or Tom, Grindelwald was the real major trouble. If he got any ideas, the entire wizarding world would be plunged into catastrophe.
The Death Eaters of the past were merely a disorganised rabble, a bunch of thugs and hooligans, while the followers of Grindelwald... they were a proper army!
True danger never lies in power alone, but in people's hearts.
It was precisely because Grindelwald understood this deeply that he could command such influence, with people still remembering him fondly decades after his defeat and imprisonment.
Munching on his black bread, Dumbledore pondered for a while.
He ultimately decided that dealing with Tom was more important for now. Although Grindelwald was more dangerous, he was a rational man, and based on Dumbledore's understanding of him, the other had likely already realised his own methods were unworkable.
His emergence this time might not necessarily mean a comeback—he surely had other purposes.
As long as he wasn't going to wreak havoc upon the world again, there was room for discussion.
Of course.
This didn't mean Dumbledore planned to do nothing about it.
He had to find out why Grindelwald had emerged and who had provided him assistance. The number of people who could access Grindelwald was extremely limited—he himself counted as one, those Ministers for Magic counted as others, but they would absolutely never go. The remaining possibility... was Wayne.
As Wayne's youthful face with its gentle smile flashed through his mind, Dumbledore knew it was highly likely connected to Wayne.
He asked a waiter for paper and pen, then bent over the table to begin writing a letter.
After filling two pages with his flowing script, Dumbledore finally stopped, found an empty corner, and called Fawkes out.
...
The next day, Wayne saw Dumbledore's letter in his office, along with his bird.
Without reading the letter first, Wayne stroked Fawkes' feathers and tutted.
"Look at you, roughing it out there with old Dumbledore—your plumage isn't as glossy as before."
"Chirp chirp!"
Fawkes let out two soft cries, and Wayne could hear the grievance in them. Stroking the phoenix's tail feathers, he coaxed, "How about you deliver this letter back and just return to Hogwarts?"
"The office is spacious enough, and I've kept your perch waiting for you."
"It's winter now, and that Russian region is freezing cold—really not suitable for keeping birds."
Unfortunately, although Fawkes seemed tempted, he ultimately couldn't bear to leave his century-old master alone out there and politely declined Wayne's suggestion.
Picking up the letter, Wayne quickly scanned through it.
The beginning inquired about Hogwarts' recent situation and asked him to keep an eye on domestic developments, then it turned to the subject of Grindelwald.
'As expected, those two are the real deal.'
The content related to Voldemort and Hogwarts didn't even make up thirty percent of the letter—the rest was all questions about whether he'd provided assistance to Grindelwald and warnings not to collude with him.
It practically exhausted all the bad things that could be said about Grindelwald.
Wayne thought carefully.
He really hadn't provided any help at all.
He had indeed provided some food and a wand recently, but that was for Horcrux research, not to facilitate his escape.
Grindelwald's escape had absolutely nothing to do with him.
After thinking it through, Wayne comfortably shifted the blame away from himself and began drafting a reply to Dumbledore.
To summarise in one sentence—'Go with peace of mind, I shall look after your school.'
After feeding Fawkes some clean water and precious herbs, Wayne finally let him leave.
Today, besides Fawkes, numerous owls had delivered letters from various Ministries of Magic around the world, including one from Fudge.
Most were invitations for Wayne to attend a cooperation conference scheduled in Paris one week later.
This efficiency...
It's just a meeting, why does it require a whole week of preparation?
Are you preparing, or are you giving Grindelwald time to prepare?
Wayne couldn't help but laugh at the thought, then tossed these letters aside without further consideration. He planned to have his father-in-law make an appearance.
This way, he can legitimately take over as Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Still, he needed to remind Mr Chang not to make any hasty statements or promises—just watch the show.
Just as Wayne was writing to Mr Chang, a massive surge of points flooded his mind, leaving him stunned for a few seconds before he quickly regained his composure.
The class bell had just rung, so the students must have received the good news he'd brought?
...
At nine o'clock, all students entered their classrooms to begin lessons.
They hadn't received good news; instead, they got one piece of bad news, followed by even worse news.
First, the Christmas holiday schedule for this term had been changed—from the original 17th to the 21st.
That was the first bad news.
The second...
The reason for this later break was that Hogwarts had implemented another educational reform. These extra days were to be used for student examinations.
When they learned they'd now have exams every two months on average, the children were utterly dumbfounded.
"Professor, are you joking?" George couldn't help raising his hand to ask during Transfiguration class.
"If you want to hear jokes, you shouldn't be in my classroom, Mr Weasley." Professor McGonagall glanced at the troublemaking twin before addressing all students in the advanced class seriously:
"Exams are for your own good. You must understand, an entire year is long enough to forget everything I've taught. More frequent exams mean you'll revise more often, helping you retain more knowledge."
"Headmaster Lawrence's proposal suits me perfectly... I—"
"Wait!" George was so shocked that he actually interrupted Professor McGonagall. "Did you say Lawrence? This was Wayne's idea?"
"What, are you planning retaliation against our Headmaster?" Professor McGonagall quipped unusually.
But neither the twins nor their classmates laughed. They were all stunned by this revelation, the same thought occurring to them simultaneously:
Only between peers does such pure hatred exist.
We're all students—how could you devise such a vicious scheme!
"Alright, now let's continue with the key points of human transfiguration..." Professor McGonagall paid no attention to their thoughts and began the lesson.
Throughout the entire class, everyone listened with distracted minds.
Similar scenes were playing out in other classrooms. In just one morning, students were already complaining they couldn't take it anymore.
It was already late November, a time when everyone should have been happily counting down the days until Christmas.
But now it had become a countdown to exams.
Moreover, because several days were needed for revision, professors accelerated their teaching pace, and the amount of homework increased accordingly.
In Potions class, Snape threatened the students that anyone whose results didn't satisfy him would be assigned all the toad dissection work for the second half of the term, making everyone feel utterly miserable.
In the past, after exams came holiday time, and Snape's anger would fade after two months.
But the Christmas holiday only lasted about twenty days - wasn't this going to be the death of them?
"I'm already missing Dumbledore," Fred said with genuine feeling during lunch. "Why couldn't he hold on for a few more months? He could have waited until we graduated before letting Wayne become Headmaster."
Ron looked at his brother with dead eyes.
Was this something a human being should say?
You graduate, but haven't considered that your younger siblings are still at school?
"I think the changes are quite good," Hermione naturally had to defend her man. "Many people only study for one month each year to cope with exams. Wayne's reforms are for their own good."
"Besides, Muggle schools have had this system for a long time. They even have short quizzes every week to help professors track students' learning progress. Hogwarts has been too lenient."
Fred and George looked at her in disbelief. "Hermione, don't tell us you're the one who gave Wayne this idea?"
Swish, swish, swish!
The young wizards nearby all turned to look - had they found the culprit?
Indeed, feminine wiles lead kingdoms astray!
"Of course not," Hermione started, quickly shaking her head like a rattlesnake. Although she supported Wayne's methods, she couldn't shoulder such a heavy burden of blame.
Hearing her denial, everyone withdrew their resentful gazes, allowing Hermione to breathe a sigh of relief.
Fred lamented, "Why do I feel like Wayne is more like the Dark Lord than You-Know-Who or that Grindelwald?"
George desperately tried to signal him with his eyes, but it was too late.
A faint voice came from behind them.
"Oh? How exactly am I like the Dark Lord?"