Chapter 72

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Wayne felt emotional too. Before he realized it, he had been living at Hogwarts for almost two months. Time flies when people get busy. The two months he had spent at Hogwarts were the most fulfilling and far more interesting than any Muggle school.

With the holidays approaching, starting this week, the professors' classes centered around Halloween. During Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall handed each student a mouse and instructed them to turn it into a pumpkin. Wayne, examining his wilted mouse, nudged Ronald, who was sitting in front of him, with his wand.

"Is something wrong, Wayne?" Ronald turned back, puzzled.

"I think this mouse of mine is not too bright. How about you lend me Banban?" Wayne asked.

"Banban is a pet, not a prop," Ronald replied nervously, "and besides, Banban is still in the dorm; I didn't bring him here."

"Oh, okay." Wayne was slightly disappointed. "Maybe next time you could lend him to me? I'll pay you one Sican per day."

Ronald was tempted by the high offer. A Sican a day could add up to nearly two Galleons a month, a considerable sum for him. However, weighing his affection for Banban, Ronald reluctantly refused.

"Wayne, why are you so interested in Scabbers?" Harry inquired.

"Mice usually live for one to three years, and Banban has lived for over ten. It's natural I'd want to study such a long-lived mouse," Wayne explained.

Harry then realized something odd: How could Banban survive so well?

"Scabbers is a wizard's pet; you can't compare him to ordinary mice," Ronald quickly interjected.

"But as you mentioned, he's just a normal mouse without magical blood," Harry pointed out.

"Maybe Percy fed him some magic potion?" Ronald suggested. "Scabbers used to be his pet, after all."

"Forget it. I won't force you, but if you ever need money, come to me. And don't forget your rat," Wayne said casually before returning to his droopy mouse.

In Herbology, the class wasn't held in a greenhouse this week. Braving the cold wind, Professor Sprout led the students to Hagrid's garden full of pumpkins. The task was not only to pick the pumpkins but to enlarge them too.

Professor Sprout distributed swelling potions to each student, instructing, "Place one drop at the melon's base and wait for it to swell before adding another. Be careful not to use too much."

In a previous class, a Gryffindor student had nearly caused an accident by using too much potion. The class chuckled; mishaps seemed a tradition in Gryffindor.

"What's wrong, Wayne?" asked Hannah, noticing Wayne's grim expression as he smelled the potion.

"Nothing, just checking the quality," Wayne replied with a forced smile. He thought back to when Snape had him make this simple potion, perhaps exploiting his labor.

Snape's expectations hung over him, but Wayne managed the levitation spell flawlessly, earning Hufflepuff ten points. Professor Sprout always seemed to find ways to acknowledge Wayne's competence subtly.

After Hogwarts, the classes relaxed for Halloween. Snape, however, burdened his students with assignments—all except Wayne, who was tasked with ensuring all Hufflepuff essays were perfect.

Halloween brought an exciting atmosphere at Hogwarts. Despite the celebrations, Wayne spent his time ordering new robes to accommodate his growth since starting at Hogwarts two months ago, now too tall for his current ones.

"I don't need it," Hermione said, shaking her head and advising Wayne like a little housekeeper. "You'll have to buy a new robe in just two months anyway. Why not order a larger size? It can save a lot of money."

Wayne sighed, finished his last request, and regretfully put the letter back into his pocket. "After all, I'm so poor that I only have money and no place to spend it at Hogwarts. Do you really want to deprive me of even this bit of happiness?"

Hermione was momentarily speechless, then she remembered Wayne's identity. When they first met, he only mentioned that his parents were dead, not that he was a count! Had it been in the Muggle world, she would have respectfully addressed him as 'lord'.

"Just showing off," the little witch muttered, ignoring Wayne angrily.

Later, hearing Ronald chant the spell incorrectly, Wayne reminded him a bit irritably, "Pay attention to the pause. It's Yu-jia-Dim, Levio-sa. You need to elongate and clarify the word 'Jia'."

After numerous corrections, Ronald snapped, "If you're so smart, why don't you try it!"

Without any hesitation, Hermione rolled up her sleeves, revealing her pale wrists, and waved her wand as Professor Flitwick had taught them. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Her feather smoothly rose from the table, hovering steadily a few inches above her head.

"Excellent, Miss Granger!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, delighted. "Five points for Gryffindor."

Ronald remained silent for the rest of the class.

His mood worsened when Seamus accidentally set his feather on fire at the end of the class. "No wonder no one can stand her," he complained to Harry, "She's a nightmare."

Harry, spotting Hermione nearby, saw Ronald swiftly cover himself. "Don't Hermione and Wayne get along well? They are both geniuses."

"There's a difference between geniuses," Ronald continued, undeterred. "Wayne is more talented, but he's never as bossy as her. Look at how popular Wayne is; even Malfoy greets him voluntarily! But Hermione? She just looks down on me."

Harry silently thought it might be because Ronald was too short but said nothing.

Ronald's ranting led him into deeper trouble. "I've barely seen Wayne and Hermione together lately. He's always with that second-year from Ravenclaw. What's her name? Cho Chang, right? She's so gentle."

Harry nodded subconsciously, having also noticed Cho.

"The Upside-Down Golden Bell!" A furious voice interrupted.

The next thing Ronald knew, he was hanging upside down from a courtyard pillar. Hermione, her hair a mess with anger, scolded him, "Ronald Weasley, what's the point of gossiping? You should learn from your three brothers—what are the basics of decency?" After her words, she stormed off.

Harry was too shocked to move, having never seen Hermione so furious, rather like Professor McGonagall.

In the garden between the school buildings, the sudden conflict had attracted everyone's attention.

"It's actually a silent spell. Was that first-year Granger?" whispered a student.

"Yes, what spell was that? I've never seen it before," another replied.

Ronald, humiliated and the subject of laughter, urged Harry to help him once the spell wore off. "Ronald, are you okay?" Harry asked.

Embarrassed, Ronald pushed Harry aside and fled.

As night fell, the castle transformed for the Halloween festival. The auditorium was festively decorated with a ceiling of ghostly faces and walls fluttering with bats. The usual brass candlesticks were replaced with jack-o'-lanterns. Despite the spooky decorations, the scene was rather charming.

Dumbledore, with a flourish of his wand, filled the golden plates with a feast as grand as the opening dinner.

While the Hufflepuffs enthusiastically grabbed their share, Wayne secured himself a generous portion and noticed Hermione at the Gryffindor table. He thought of Quirrell's plans, not worried as long as Hermione wasn't in danger. Catching each other's gaze, Wayne smiled, but Hermione rolled her eyes, confusing him.

At another table, Cho raised her juice glass to Wayne, and they toasted from a distance, which seemed to irritate Hermione further.

Harry, noticing the tension, tentatively asked, "Um... have you seen Ronald?" but Hermione's response was sharp.

"I just saw him crying in the second-floor bathroom," Neville chimed in, his face greasy from dinner.

"Nothing," Harry laughed it off, deciding to check on Ronald after eating.

The festive atmosphere was only slightly dampened by Professor Snape's indifference.

Suddenly, as everyone was enjoying the festival, Professor Quirrell burst into the auditorium, looking terrified.