"I've noticed you have a unique talent — you can turn a terrible situation into something worth celebrating."
Snape, emboldened by Dumbledore's presence, mocked as he examined the wounds on the three-headed dog.
"A young wizard beat a three-headed dog into this state. He might be the next Dark Lord, and yet you still have the mood to praise him?"
"If you hadn't told me it was a student who broke in, I would've thought it was Quirrell..."
A flash of alarm crossed Snape's eyes. Just moments ago, he and Dumbledore had been discussing Quirrell in the office when a portrait burst in, reporting that another young wizard had trespassed into the restricted area — and that Filch had been lured away.
The two had rushed here together.
"I don't think that's the case," Dumbledore still smiled cheerfully. "Tom—"
"Don't say that name!"
Snape shuddered, as if confronted with something terrifying.
"All right." Dumbledore sighed a little helplessly. "Severus, if you want to truly defeat the Dark Lord, you must learn to face him — at the very least, regard him as just another person."
"Just another person?" Snape sneered.
In the whole world, only you would dare call the Dark Lord a regular person.
Oh — maybe one more: that predecessor locked away in Nurmengard.
"Back to the point." Light reflected from Dumbledore's eyes as his expression grew serious.
"The Dark Lord's rise was shaped by many coincidences. A series of wrong choices led him down the path he walks today."
Speaking of Voldemort, Dumbledore couldn't help but sigh. "If I had guided him properly back then, maybe none of this would've happened."
Snape scoffed at Dumbledore's thinking. "Some people are born rotten. If you had the ability, you should've killed him when he was still in school!"
"I haven't killed anyone in eighty-two years..." A flicker of sorrow crossed Dumbledore's eyes.
"Don't dwell on the past. Who is that little wizard? Don't tell me you don't know — this entire castle is your eyes and ears."
Snape knew this old man all too well. He might act indifferent most of the time, but there wasn't a secret in Hogwarts unknown to him.
Same with Quirrell — that fool thought he was hiding well.
But the moment he showed up, even without Dumbledore, Snape himself could already smell that foul, disgusting stench.
He must've made contact with that guy!
"In fact, I truly don't know," Dumbledore mused for a couple of seconds. "I only have a vague suspicion, and making hasty conclusions would be irresponsible."
"Hmph. Just keep covering for them."
Snape tossed out one last comment, then lost interest in continuing the conversation. He left behind two bottles of healing potion, turned, and strode away with his robes billowing.
In the corridor, only Dumbledore remained, still casting healing spells to treat the three-headed dog's wounds.
"Wayne Lawrence… What terrifying talent."
Snape wasn't wrong — the entire castle was Dumbledore's eyes and ears. What he referred to were the ever-present portraits.
Every portrait had been given orders upon its creation — to serve the current Headmaster.
Naturally, the actions of Wayne and the other three hadn't gone unnoticed.
Although the exact situation inside the room was unclear, Dumbledore was well aware of the abilities of the other three.
Only Wayne — the newly enrolled first-year wizard — could possibly be the one.
Perhaps… it was time he shifted his focus and paid a bit more attention to some of the other truly outstanding students.
...
The next day.
At nine in the morning, Wayne yawned as he arrived at the washroom to freshen up. After changing into a clean set of robes, he finally felt fully awake.
He had worn himself out messing around in the Restricted Section last night. It wasn't until the roosters on campus began to crow that Wayne realized it was time to leave.
That was where the real treasure lay.
Any book placed in the Restricted Section was guaranteed to be special—or dangerous.
Take, for example, the book Wayne had been reading: Alchemical Soul: Equivalent Exchange. Many of the recipes recorded within were highly dangerous, some even potentially fatal.
Honestly, it was a bit early for him to be reading something like this. He hadn't yet mastered a lot of the knowledge required.
Without extensive experimentation, jumping straight into crafting high-level alchemical items was an unwise move.
That said, Wayne hadn't come away empty-handed—it was well worth the effort.
He fetched one of the school's owls and quickly scrawled a long list of ingredients and quantities, stuffing several dozen Galleons into the pouch, and sent the owl off toward Diagon Alley.
Once that was done, he headed to the kitchens for breakfast, and only then did he leave the castle, walking toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
By September, the Scottish Highlands were already getting chilly. Today was overcast, the air heavy with moisture, and the thick fog concealed the castle—only the tips of the towers could be seen from afar.
Following the edge of the Black Lake, Wayne crossed the grasslands until he reached a small wooden hut at the border of the Forbidden Forest.
Well, not exactly small—the door alone was nearly three or four meters tall. Its rugged style made it look like something a child had built on a whim.
Before Wayne even got close, a black dog by the hut started barking loudly.
Soon after, a muffled grumble came from inside the house.
"Fang! Is there another little wizard trying to sneak into the Forest again? Stop him!"
Then came a series of chaotic noises.
Wayne activated his Beast Affinity talent, and in an instant, Fang's barking turned into a friendly whimper.
He had discovered a little trick: the talent only worked when he genuinely showed a desire to bond with animals.
"Young wizard, stay away. The Forbidden Forest isn't a place for you,"
came a deep voice.
Hagrid finally stepped out. With his wild, tangled hair and knotted beard, he looked utterly unkempt. Add to that his nearly three-meter height and two-meter-wide build—he was a true half-giant.
"Hello, I'm Wayne Lawrence. I'm not here to enter the Forbidden Forest—I came to see you."
Wayne gave an innocent, harmless smile while continuing to ruffle Fang's head.
"Came to see me? Don't try to trick me. I won't fall for it!"
Hagrid remained highly suspicious. These little wizards would try all kinds of tricks just to get into the Forest.
He waved at Fang. "Fang, come here!"
To his surprise, his beloved dog acted as if it hadn't even heard him, sitting obediently and letting Wayne pet him.
"That's right. I have something I'd like your help with," Wayne said with the same warm smile. "Oh, and I forgot to mention—I'm a first-year in Hufflepuff."
"I'm from Hufflepuff. Why would I lie to you?"