Hogwarts: Please Graduate Soon

It was a new week, and Hogwarts was noticeably livelier compared to the first. Right after class on Monday, a notice was posted on the Great Hall's bulletin board announcing that Quidditch tryouts and first-year flying lessons would begin that week.

Everyone has an innate yearning for the sky. Ordinary people conquer it with airplanes, while wizards use flying broomsticks. Oh, and there are flying carpets, though their sale has been banned in Europe. In truth, not many wizards are interested in flying carpets. They tend to be too unsteady, and their fur material makes them hard to maintain; they get dirty quickly. Moreover, due to cut corners by some manufacturers in the Middle East, safety issues frequently arise, leaving very few fans of flying carpets.

In any case, Quidditch rapidly became the top topic of conversation at Hogwarts. No matter where you went, you could hear young wizards discussing broomsticks and Quidditch.

"I once flew around a Muggle helicopter for a long time. You know, the one with the spinning head?"

"The Muggles were so scared they almost fell out!"

Malfoy had been telling this story multiple times, each version a bit different, but they all ended with him skillfully evading danger with his flying prowess. Other young wizards were no less enthusiastic, casually throwing around various Quidditch terminology, speaking as if they could do it all themselves. Even the teachers joined in the fun; Professor McGonagall had her students turn pencils into flying balls during class.

No one succeeded except for Wayne, and even Hermione turned her pencil into a piece of leather; the frustrated witch snapped her pencil in half after class but had to use a Repairing Charm to fix it since they needed it for the next lesson.

In Charms class, Professor Flitwick introduced a new spell: the Acceleration Charm.

"Actually, all flying broomsticks are engraved with a permanent Acceleration Charm. The higher the skill level of the spell, the better the conductivity, and thus the faster the broom's acceleration."

"By now, the Nimbus company has iterated their basic acceleration hundreds of times; it's a closely guarded secret of their company."

"If anyone could develop an even higher-level Acceleration Charm, they might just start their own broomstick company!"

His words got the young wizards excited, flailing their wands and shouting, while the snails on the desks remained utterly indifferent.

"What have you been up to lately?" Hermione asked, poking Wayne in the side while Professor Flitwick was distracted with the others.

The past two days, besides attending class, Hermione hadn't seen Wayne; even at lunch, he was absent from the Hufflepuff table.

The boy yawned. "I'm getting ready to start a business. I've nearly got it all set up."

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "A business? What scheme are you hatching now?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Wayne said as he cast an Acceleration Charm; his snail immediately activated its turbo engine, surpassing Hermione's snail and reaching the finish line first.

"Do you want to earn some pocket money?" Wayne raised an eyebrow.

"Of course! I have so many books I want to buy." Hermione replied helplessly.

"Then help me out in a couple of days. I'll give you thirty percent of what we earn."

Hermione looked at him with doubt. "It won't involve any rule-breaking, right?"

"Confidential, but it's not against the rules."

"Fine. If you won't tell me, I won't ask." The little witch pouted, ignoring Wayne for the rest of the class.

But after class, as they left the classroom, Hermione hesitated and finally spoke up: "Malfoy has been saying bad things about you lately."

Wayne paused, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm busy, so I don't have time for him. You don't need to worry about it. Just let Harry bite him."

"Bite him?" Harry emerged from the classroom, looking slightly confused at the mention of his name.

"Let you bite Malfoy."

"Don't gross me out." Harry grimaced, "But if I could land one punch, I'd be all for it."

...

Wayne already knew about Malfoy talking behind his back. Hufflepuff wasn't short on wizards; they were everywhere. Malfoy hadn't been discreet, and naturally, some of the badgers overheard him and told Wayne.

Having understood the whole situation, Wayne just chuckled.

Not being envied is a mark of mediocrity. Wayne shone brighter than even Hermione in just one week, having become known as a genius among the first-year students. Malfoy and his pure-blood friends were naturally somewhat annoyed.

They didn't say much, only that Wayne was just a bookworm who had to rely on advanced studying to impress the professors. However, when it came to Quidditch—an activity that only they, the pure-bloods, had experienced since childhood—Wayne would surely reveal his true colors.

It was merely a child's jealousy. If Wayne were to get worked up over such trivial matters, how would he get through his day without attending to more important things?

Before they knew it, Thursday arrived.

Wayne had no classes that afternoon and was busy crafting items for sale in his room when suddenly Toby and Norman burst in, looking as if they had juicy gossip.

"Something big has happened!"

Wayne nodded, pretending to listen attentively while continuing his work.

"Lombard broke his wrist!"

"Potter and Malfoy clashed during flying class! While Madam Hooch wasn't there, they were chasing each other on their broomsticks like they were stuck together!"

Was that the right expression for this situation? Wayne smirked, feeling sorry for Toby's command of the English language.

Toby continued excitedly, "You have no idea! Potter was flying so well, teasing Malfoy, but McGonagall saw it. He's likely in big trouble now."

"Who knows," Wayne casually replied, "perhaps the professor will notice how well he flies and approve his entry onto the Quidditch team. Didn't their Seeker graduate last year?"

"But we're only first-years." Norman reminded him, "First-years aren't allowed on the Quidditch team."

"Actually, they can." Wayne put away his parchment and turned to face them, "In 1853, Comet Fleming joined the team as a first-year."

"Well, I can't argue with you," Norman said, sounding disheartened. "What I'm most worried about now is whether I'll fall on the ground like Lombard tomorrow. A broken wrist is one thing, but a broken neck would be the end for me."

"Don't worry," Wayne reassured him, patting his shoulder. "If you do end up breaking something, we'll go to the infirmary to check on you."

Toby looked up in surprise. "If my neck breaks, shouldn't I just be laid out?"

Norman: "..."

Can't you hope for something a little more optimistic for me?

Just as they were about to sit down again to look at some books about Quidditch, excited shouting erupted from outside:

"Come quick! Potter and Malfoy are fighting in the Great Hall!"

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