Hogwarts, Please Graduate Soon, Ch 66.3

You little rascal! I'll get you one day! Voldemort cursed inwardly, his expression unchanged, as he pulled out a piece of paper.

"This is a spell I discovered while exploring ruins; it's very powerful, and even I haven't mastered it fully. Do you think it's sufficient?"

Wayne took it and looked it over.

[Thunder Web, woven from lightning threads, can effectively control enemies and has considerable lethality upon contact.]

What a coincidence! He had just drawn the decree of the Thunder Lord last night, and today, Voldemort sent him a lightning-based spell.

Wayne smiled as he put the spell away.

"Thank you, Professor."

Wayne wouldn't learn it recklessly; he planned to let Dumbledore examine it first.

At first glance, the spell seemed fine, but who could know what traps Voldemort had laid within it?

Though his power was not what it used to be, Voldemort was still far ahead in magical proficiency.

Having received what he wanted, Wayne readily handed over the tears. Chilo quickly accepted them, afraid Wayne might change his mind, but his expression soon altered.

"Aren't these the tears from your phoenix?"

"No," Wayne replied cheerfully, "My phoenix has conjunctivitis and can't cry at the moment."

"These are Fawkes's tears; they're both phoenixes, so there shouldn't be much difference, right?"

From the beginning, Wayne had never intended to give Voldemort his phoenix's tears. Recently, Fawkes had become more like a little brother to the phoenix king; getting a few tears shouldn't be too difficult.

Damn, the phoenix has conjunctivitis. Why don't you say your phoenix has been overheating lately instead?

Voldemort gritted his teeth, fearing he might lose control and use his wand to give Wayne two good whacks.

"Professor," Wayne observed him, "you seem rather dissatisfied?"

"How about you give me back the tears? Once my phoenix is better, I'll help you collect some more."

"No… that's not necessary," Voldemort took a deep breath; if he returned them, who knew how long Wayne would take. By then, he wouldn't even get the tears from Fawkes.

"Let's use them for now. If your phoenix gets better, we can make a trade then; I have other high-level spells as well."

Voldemort could only continue enticing him, and Wayne nodded.

Not in a hurry to leave, he asked a few more questions, thinking that if Voldemort was still here, there was no better time to take advantage of this situation.

Fifteen minutes later, Wayne left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, pleased, and headed to the dining hall for a meal. As he took a seat, a line of text appeared on his plate.

"Lawrence, would you mind accompanying a lonely old man for some afternoon tea? I will be waiting for your arrival in my office after class."

The words slowly faded away after Wayne read them twice, as if they had never appeared.

Looking up, Wayne saw Dumbledore on the main guest table playfully wink at him. Understanding the implicit message, Wayne lightly nodded in acknowledgment. He couldn't quite figure out what old Dumbledore was up to, working in such a mysterious manner.