"Lawrence..." Professor McGonagall sighed in astonishment. "I admit—you've finally managed to surprise me... no, to shock me."
A first-year student achieving such mastery in Transfiguration—McGonagall had simply never seen the like, let alone taught anyone comparable.
Perhaps Dumbledore could have done so in his time.
But unfortunately, the two had enrolled decades apart, and she'd never personally witnessed the brilliance of Dumbledore's school days.
"So... the thing you just promised me..." Wayne asked expectantly.
McGonagall gave him a half-smile, half-skeptical look. "One last test. Turn every desk and chair in the classroom into a different animal. If you succeed, you've passed."
Without hesitation, Wayne flicked his wand in rapid succession. The entire classroom transformed into a full-fledged zoo—every sort of bird and beast one could imagine filled the space.
"Very well. You're excused from homework for the rest of the term."
McGonagall was a woman of her word. She granted Wayne the privilege she had promised.
Wayne immediately lit up with joy. If Hermione found out, wouldn't she be absolutely jealous?
Wait, no—that little witch loves doing homework. If anything, she'd be upset that she couldn't do it.
"Lawrence," McGonagall said suddenly, "I'd like to invite you to join my Transfiguration Club."
"Oh—you may not know what that is yet."
Remembering Wayne was only a first-year, she explained patiently:
"It's a private club I established. Most of the students in it have a strong aptitude for Transfiguration."
"We choose one evening each week, or half a day on the weekend, to gather and share our experiences and insights."
"Professor, that really won't be necessary."
Wayne laughed awkwardly. "At my level... what could I possibly share with them?"
Wayne already had a lot on his plate—developing magical devices, sneaking into the Restricted Section for knowledge, tutoring Hermione, taking walks with Cho...
As a somewhat unpolished master of time management, he was already stretching himself thin.
He hadn't even had the chance to visit the Forbidden Forest since term started!
There really wasn't any time to be joining clubs.
McGonagall: "..."
It took her a full thirty seconds to compose herself before she waved him off, visibly weary.
"Forget I said anything, Lawrence."
"Honesty is a virtue," she added, sighing, "but perhaps in the future, try not to be too straightforward."
Wayne gave a well-mannered smile. "I'll be more careful next time, Professor."
He gave a polite bow before finally exiting the classroom.
Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, looked around at the zoo-like chaos and gave a flick of her wand, restoring everything to its original state. Gazing at the neat rows of desks and chairs, she murmured to herself:
"Six-fold transfiguration... dozens of objects in one go. With talent like that... how did he end up in Hufflepuff?"
Alas, in the history of Hogwarts, students had been expelled, imprisoned in Azkaban, even died...
But never transferred Houses.
Otherwise, she would've seriously considered pulling Wayne out of Hufflepuff.
After stepping out of the classroom and hesitating at the doorway for a moment, McGonagall finally turned and headed toward Professor Flitwick's office on the sixth floor.
She really needed someone to share her frustrations with.
---
The next morning, as the young witches and wizards enjoyed their breakfast, the owls arrived right on schedule, dropping off parcels from home.
One particularly exhausted owl landed heavily in front of Wayne, dropping off a large package and then staring at him with a very aggrieved look.
Wayne immediately understood. He pulled out some special pet feed and placed it nearby so the round-faced feathery delivery bird could enjoy its own breakfast.
Just yesterday, Hermione had gone to speak with Hagrid, and today, the delivery had already arrived.
As expected—he could rely on that friend.
Just then, a fiery flash burst through the air—a phoenix appeared.
It was the Ho-Oh. It too carried a package.
It's majestic arrival naturally drew the attention of everyone in the Great Hall, and many could be heard sighing in amazement.
They were all stunned—
Even Dumbledore wouldn't be extravagant enough to use a phoenix as a mail carrier, yet here was a young wizard who did so without hesitation.
No one quite knew what to say.
"What did you buy this time?" Cedric asked from two seats away, curious.
"Just a few books."
He opened the parcel, and sure enough, there were only three books inside:
A Detailed Explanation of Ancient Runes
Ancient Runes Reference Dictionary
How to Use a Dictionary
"Runes?" A senior student exclaimed, surprised. "Wayne, elective courses don't start until third year. Isn't it a bit early for that?"
Ancient Runes, also known as Magical Runes or Runic Script, were characters imbued with magical properties.
Before spells were formally structured and codified, many wizards used runes to cast magic.
Even some Muggles, having stumbled upon snippets of rune knowledge, used them for con jobs or passed themselves off as mystics.
At Hogwarts, students could choose to study Ancient Runes from their third year onward.
However, very few opted for it—and even among those who did, most dropped the subject after taking their OWLs in fifth year.
It was simply too difficult and rarely useful.
"I'm just a bit interested," Wayne replied casually. "Figured I could flip through them during History of Magic. At least I won't fall asleep."
That drew a round of laughter from those nearby.
The older student who'd asked him just shook his head, speechless.
"That Sorting Hat must be faulty. You should've been in Ravenclaw."
"Nonsense!"
Wayne said seriously, pointing at the three oversized sandwiches on his plate.
"No one is more suited for Hufflepuff than me."
The upperclassman fell silent and gave him a thumbs-up.
Respect!
Hmm?
After packing the books away, Wayne suddenly sensed someone staring at him.
Looking up, he saw three professors at the staff table watching him—his own Head of House, Professor Sprout; Professor Flitwick; and even Professor Quirrell.
The moment Wayne noticed, Quirrell quickly looked away and started eating his breakfast.
The other two, however, didn't even bother hiding it—
They even smiled warmly at him.
But Wayne felt a chill run down his spine.
What's with those two...
It wasn't until after Charms class that day—when he was once again asked to stay behind—that Wayne understood what was going on.
"Lawrence," Professor Flitwick said kindly, looking up at him, "Minerva tells me you managed six-layer transfiguration yesterday."
"Today, I'd like to test your limits myself. Same rules as before—"
"If you can impress me, you can skip Charms homework for the rest of the school year."
~~----------------------
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