Hogwarts, Please Graduate Soon, Ch 13

At Florin's Dessert Shop, the two found a table with a sun umbrella. Wayne ordered two ice creams, one for himself and one for Hermione.

"This is a complimentary service. I need to head home by five at the latest," he said.

Hermione took out her wallet and handed two Sickles to Wayne. Ever since she learned that Wayne was an orphan, her attitude had softened considerably. Just moments ago, she had been advising him not to spend money recklessly since he wouldn't be able to earn his own living for several more years.

Wayne simply smiled and nodded, not bothering to argue.

Hermione was just as he remembered her: speaking with an air of superiority, her conversation inevitably returning to studies and books. However, her inner kindness had never been hidden.

It was no surprise that the Sorting Hat had ultimately placed her in Gryffindor.

As she received "Hogwarts: A History," Hermione eagerly flipped through it. It was a rental for one Sickly per hour, and the little witch treasured it, fully engrossed in her reading.

Meanwhile, after Wayne received the Sickly, a system notification suddenly chimed in.

[Detected that the host has successfully earned a living allowance from the young wizard. A large long-term task has been activated—Empty Their Wallets!]

[Task Description: What could be more valuable than a child's pocket money? Empty their wallets! For every Galleon earned, it can be exchanged for system points at a rate of 1 Galleon for 5 points.]

[This task is valid during the time the host studies at Hogwarts. It will disappear upon graduation or withdrawal.]

Wayne: "..."

System, come on. 1 Galleon for only 5 points?

Wait, young wizards only get a few Galleons a year. Normal students might have a dozen or so; purebloods like those in Slytherin might have more, but there are plenty like Ron who only get one or two a year.

With such little money, you're targeting their wallets?

That's just miserable!

Wayne sighed dramatically, prompting Hermione to look up, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just thinking about some things. By the way, how much pocket money do you have?"

Without giving it much thought, Hermione replied immediately, "After buying books, I only have 5 Galleons for this school year."

That's only 25 points...

Wayne gave a disdainful glance at the little witch, leaving her confused, and she huffed softly before returning to her book.

Though he disapproved of the system's task, the points still seemed enticing.

With points, he could grow stronger quickly. If he became strong enough to protect the other young wizards in Hogwarts from Voldemort's minions, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?

But wait, he wasn't actually stealing from the young wizards. The system made it clear he had to earn it to exchange for points.

So, he could only acquire the money through normal transactions.

Calculating it this way, the young wizards technically came out on top while he ended up at a loss!

The more Wayne thought about it, the angrier he grew, silently considering what he could sell to maximize the emptying of the young wizards' wallets.

A future unsavory merchant that the young wizards would both fear and love was slowly emerging...

Time flew by.

The sun dipped further towards the west, and before long, two hours had passed.

Wayne gently tapped the table, waking the still-captivated Hermione, and said softly, "I need to head home."

"Ah? Oh." Hermione reluctantly closed the book and returned it to Wayne.

"When will you come back to Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked.

"And you?" Wayne looked at her.

"I've been practicing spells at home in the mornings and going to the Leaky Cauldron to read books in the afternoons."

Hermione planned to finish reading the books that introduced the magical world and Hogwarts before school started to gather as much knowledge as possible.

"Then you can keep this book for now," Wayne waved his hand.

"But I don't have that much money..."

"You don't need to pay. I'll lend it to you for a week, and when I come back to Diagon Alley, you can return it."

This could be considered the little witch activating a system task for him.

Hermione was incredibly delighted as she tucked the book into her arms, promising to return it in a week.

She even left her home phone number for Wayne and took his number too, making it easier for them to stay in touch.

.....

At Hogwarts.

This morning, Professor McGonagall had finally completed the orientation task for the last young wizard from a purely Muggle family and returned to the school.

Since Dumbledore was also at the school, she went to the principal's office located on the eighth floor to report the situation.

Smiling as McGonagall finished her report, Dumbledore's gentle gaze, peering through his half-moon glasses, landed on her:

"Minerva, you've worked hard. If I hadn't sent Snape out, you would have had a much easier time."

McGonagall's expression remained serious: "It was all for the school; it wasn't hard work. If anyone's worked hard, it's you, Albus."

"Haha." The old man chuckled: "You've made me feel guilty for that remark."

McGonagall didn't respond but instead inquired about a matter of concern: "How's things with Potter? Hagrid didn't mess things up, did he?"

"I trust Hagrid, just like I trust you," Dumbledore replied. "Although there was a small incident, you'll see that child on September 1st."

Dumbledore then briefly recounted what Hagrid had encountered with the Dursleys, and McGonagall visibly grew furious.

"How can they do that!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed angrily.

"Calm down, Minerva. Muggles often harbor some prejudices against wizards. In fact, there isn't much difference between the two. At least they raised that child," Dumbledore reassured her.

Although McGonagall's anger hadn't dissipated, her good upbringing prevented her from saying anything overly harsh.

Dumbledore comforted her: "Alright, Minerva, if there's nothing further, you can head back to rest and enjoy the less than a month left of your break. Soon you'll be facing those energetic little ones."

"Sorry, but I do have something else. I almost forgot." McGonagall rubbed her forehead: "I encountered a remarkably talented young wizard, Wayne Lawrence."

"He spent nearly an hour selecting a wand, and in the end, he even spontaneously conjured a Patronus."

"Oh?"

Dumbledore's eyes lit up, and he straightened in his seat slightly.

"Impossible!"

The portraits of past headmasters on the wall ceased pretending to sleep, with one particularly sour-looking wizard exclaiming loudly.

"Minerva! You can't fool me after all my reading—how could a young wizard just starting with wands conjure a Patronus!"

"Please be patient, Phineas," Dumbledore gestured for him to quiet down before asking, "Can you elaborate on the details for me?"

_____________________________

Wanna read more chs?

Then head over to Cloudruntl . xyz to read 10+ free chs and 200+ advance chs