"Took us a whole month, it did—me an' Olympe—to find where the giants were," A gentle expression appeared on Hagrid's face. "She weren' afraid o' hardship, never complained once, she didn'."
"Followin' Dumbledore's guidance, we found tha' valley. Hard fer humans ter get inter, but perfect fer giants—remote an' untouched."
Wayne proved to be an excellent listener, never interrupting Hagrid's account.
"Giants don' hate magic itself, yeh see, they just hate humans usin' it 'gainst 'em. We went ter the Gurg—that's what they call their chieftain—as Dumbledore's emissaries, bearin' gifts."
"Dumbledore once stood up 'gainst the slaughter o' Britain's last giants, so they hold 'im in high regard."
"Things went well at first. Gurg Karkus took our gift—a torch o' Everlastin' Fire."
Wayne nodded to himself. Everlasting Fire was just another name for Gubraithian fire, that ancient magic said to never extinguish. Probably Dumbledore's own creation.
"But then the next day." Hagrid's expression darkened as he said sorrowfully, "Next day Karkus was dead. Giants ain't fit ter live together—fightin' all the time, terrible violent. Karkus got killed by a giant called Golgomath—cut off his head an' made hisself the new Gurg."
"He weren' near as easy ter deal with as Karkus, but Olympe later worked out the problem," Hagrid said grimly, "He only rejected us."
"Death Eaters?" Wayne asked.
"Aye," Hagrid clenched his fist angrily. "Tha' man Macnair—he'd teamed up with the werewolf, Greyback—givin' gifts ter Golgomath every day, he was."
"But luckily, not all the giants sided with You-Know-Who. We spent a fair bit o' time persuadin' the others, an' in the end, we brought a few over ter our side."
Wayne frowned. "You put them in the Forbidden Forest?"
"No, no." Hagrid scratched his head sheepishly. "Giants still prefer the mountains, yeh see, so most o' 'em went with Olympe, near Beauxbatons. I only brought one back."
He hesitated, then added, "Name's Grawp—he's... me half-brother, he is." Hagrid's voice dropped, heavy with discomfort. "He's not quite right in the head. Our mum's been dead a long while, an' the other giants were always bullyin' him."
"Hagrid, if you can guarantee he won't destroy the Forbidden Forest or disrupt its balance, I won't refuse."
Seeing his discomfort, Wayne chose to be direct. "But you must teach him properly. Students will be visiting the forest for classes quite often now."
"Don' worry, Wayne, I'll keep 'im under control, I will." Hagrid thumped his chest emphatically, completely forgetting that half the injuries on his face were from Grawp.
"Good, I trust you."
Wayne naturally changed the subject. "Besides giants, didn't you contact other creatures? Like... Vampires, mountain Goblins perhaps?"
Hagrid frowned. "Them? Those dark creatures wouldn' choose our side, they wouldn'."
"How do you know without trying?" Wayne wore a deeply concerned expression. "You know about the major events happening recently. It's not just Voldemort now - even Grindelwald is causing trouble again."
"Any force worth winning over, we should attempt to."
Hagrid also wore a troubled expression after hearing about Grindelwald's affairs. Madame Maxime had originally planned to accompany him to seek out scattered giants in other regions, but upon receiving the news, she immediately lost heart and hurried back to preside over Beauxbatons.
"But... I reckon me movements're bein' watched by Death Eaters," Hagrid said, frowning with concern. "Few days after we got there, Macnair an' Greyback came lookin' fer us—clear as day they were targetin' us in particular."
'That's exactly the effect I wanted,'
Wayne thought to himself.
'Those of different tribes must have different hearts.'
He had never held any fondness for dark creatures or Goblins, planning all along to use Voldemort's influence to lure out the main forces of dark creatures and eliminate them.
Just like the Death Eaters who had escaped from Azkaban.
Wayne had long obtained intelligence from Malfoy through dreams, yet chose not to prevent it.
While hiding in prison, Death Eaters could still survive.
But once they emerged... death would be their only destination.
Among them were not only Death Eaters imprisoned over a decade ago, but also those he had spared during the World Cup.
He hadn't killed them then precisely because he knew they would eventually emerge.
This time, no one could obstruct his plans.
Hagrid, persuaded by Wayne's arguments, became motivated and decided to rest for a month before resuming his search for allies after Christmas.
He didn't believe he was skilled enough to reclaim the job from Newt anyway.
With both objectives accomplished, Wayne returned with full success.
Before departing, he left more healing potions. With Grawp around, Hagrid's injuries would likely take some time to fully heal.
...
The next day, students finally saw Hagrid at the staff table after many months' absence.
The injuries on his face had mostly healed, though dark circles remained around his eyes.
Apart from Harry, Ron, and a few others, most students weren't particularly enthusiastic about Hagrid's return, instead showing some resistance to his reappearance.
It was then that Wayne announced Hagrid's reinstatement as gamekeeper, but due to the heavy workload, Newt would continue teaching Care of Magical Creatures, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
After making the announcement, Wayne joined other students for Divination class.
Divination had returned to the North Tower, as Firenze had been taken back to his tribe by other Centaurs after the conflict with Umbridge.
Officially, it was punishment for his inaction when Centaur honour was insulted, but in reality, it was a form of protection.
With Firenze gone, Professor Trelawney naturally resumed her position, and from then on, she treated Wayne more warmly than anyone else.
This was the man who controlled her salary!
As long as Wayne didn't overturn tables or curse in class, Trelawney didn't mind anything else - he could even skip classes if he wanted.
However, unless special circumstances arose, Wayne wouldn't miss classes. Being a student was his main role, while being Headmaster was merely a side responsibility.
As night fell, a layer of white frost descended from the sky. The weather grew increasingly cold, forcing even the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest to hide in their warmer dens.
Despite the freezing weather, Wayne, through sheer willpower, left Cho's warm embrace and ventured into the Forbidden Forest.
Umbridge had been imprisoned and tortured by the Centaurs for some time now. Her resentment must have reached its peak, making it time for the final utilisation of this waste—to send her on her way.
Using Ho-Oh as a mobile torch, the boy felt much warmer and walked briskly to the Centaur tribe.
After paying twenty bottles of 'Blessed with Many Children' potion, he successfully saw Umbridge inside a wooden cage.
"Take her away," Magorian said. "I don't know what you intend to do, but Pluto's light has surpassed everything. She is the source of disaster."
Wayne glanced at him, feeling like this guy was making indirect accusations.
"Remember to keep records of the potion's effects. If unsatisfied, I can make improvements."
Leaving these words, Wayne took Umbridge and left.
"Lawrence, where are you taking me?"
A weak voice suddenly spoke. Inside the floating cage, deprived of the warmth from the Centaur tribe's bonfire, Umbridge had awakened from her unconsciousness.
Wayne didn't turn back, continuing to walk forward as his voice drifted over.
"It seems your time as a prisoner has improved you somewhat, Professor Umbridge. You didn't immediately start shouting at me."
"I've been abandoned, haven't I?" Umbridge analysed calmly. "I've been imprisoned for half a month, but the Ministry of Magic still hasn't sent anyone to rescue me."
"Not exactly. The report about your conflict with the Centaurs is already on Fudge's desk, but coincidentally, the former Dark Lord Grindelwald has broken free. Your matter has become insignificant."
Umbridge looked blankly at the boy's back. "Grindelwald? Who's that?"
Wayne paused mid-step, turning his head to look at her with an expression of viewing a rare creature. "With this level of common knowledge, you still want to pretend to be a descendant of an ancient pure-blood family?"
Umbridge's face changed. "I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Heh."
With a light laugh, Wayne continued forward.
Umbridge's father was a wizard, her mother a Muggle, and she had a Squib brother.
Her father worked as a cleaner at the Ministry of Magic. Umbridge was extremely dissatisfied with his lack of ambition and humble status, so after she joined the Ministry herself, she persuaded her father to retire, then pretended to be a descendant of a declining pure-blood family, gradually climbing higher step by step.
Now that Wayne had exposed this secret, she felt like everything about her had been seen through.
As the nearby trees grew denser, Umbridge's feeling of dread grew stronger. "Lawrence, where are you taking me?"
She naively believed that the consequence of losing this power struggle would be being expelled from Hogwarts and returning to the Ministry of Magic as Senior Undersecretary.
But judging by the path Wayne was taking, it was completely opposite to the castle's direction. She couldn't even see the towers anymore.
"We're here."
Wayne stopped walking and extended his wand in a sweeping motion.
The scenery shifted dramatically. Dozens of towering giant trees disappeared, replaced by a clearing untouched by snow and ice. The ground was marked with grooves outlining a pentagram formation.
Crack!
The cage shattered. Umbridge's body flew uncontrollably towards the centre of the formation. She wanted to struggle, but was hit by another Body-Bind Curse. Only her eyeballs could still move freely; she couldn't even speak.
"Professor Umbridge, you know?"
Wayne wasn't in a hurry to begin; instead, he stood outside the formation and chatted with her with great interest.
"The curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts position is real, not just student rumours."
"The curse Voldemort placed on the subject couldn't even be broken by Dumbledore, which is why the professor changes once or twice every year."
"Very few people know this secret, but Dumbledore and Fudge are both aware."
He watched with amusement as Umbridge's eyes widened gradually. Even without words, Wayne could sense her shock.
"You say... since Fudge knows about the curse, why would he still send you?"
"Three seconds to answer."
"Alright, three seconds are up. Since you won't speak, I'll tell you." Wayne answered his own question like a madman.
"Because from the very beginning, you were the one being sacrificed."
As the restrictions of the Witch-Heart talent gradually lifted, the boy's features remained unchanged, but the sudden shift in demeanour made him appear demonicly handsome. A crimson glint flashed in his eyes as the magic circle ignited.
"Your arrival completes the final piece needed to break the curse, Professor Umbridge."
"This is the last time I'll call you Professor. Similarly, this is the greatest contribution you'll make to Hogwarts."
"Using your life and your soul to break this curse that has plagued the school for years, benefiting generations of future students."
Umbridge's eyes bulged violently, bloodshot veins covering the whites, making one wonder if her eyeballs might burst at any moment.
Blood flowed from her wounds along every groove of the magic circle, the eerie crimson glow intensifying until it seemed to stain the full moon in the sky red.
Umbridge's shock and resentment had reached their peak, amplified by the magic circle to dozens of times greater effect than simply killing her outright.
Wayne didn't retreat, merely watching her calmly without a trace of emotion in his gaze.
"Don't blame me. This has nothing to do with stance..."
"For the greater good!"
...
"For the greater good!"
In Durmstrang's magnificent Great Hall, Grindelwald raised his right arm high, shouting to the crowd.
After a brief silence, hundreds of students and professors in the hall erupted into thunderous applause!