After leaving the headmaster's office, Wayne felt neither fear nor trepidation about Dumbledore scrutinizing all his actions.
Many conjectures from his previous life portrayed Dumbledore as an unforgivable mastermind, but such conclusions often lacked solid grounding. If Dumbledore truly had the ruthless character that dictated death to those who defied his ambitions, Tom would never have had a future as the Dark Lord; he would have been dealt with long before during their time at Hogwarts.
Perhaps Dumbledore changed after Voldemort's rise, but his principle remained one of guidance. He believed that by showing students more care and offering education, history would not repeat itself. Even when Malfoy harbored thoughts of killing him, Dumbledore would attempt to change him, to awaken the goodness buried within.
Wayne, however, was far from being that malicious. He spent his time in the restricted section reading about white magic, alchemy, and potion-making. Certainly, many dangerous pieces of information could be found there, but they paled in comparison to actual dark magic. After all, it wasn't Wayne's fault that Dumbledore was so stringent that even the Polyjuice Potion was restricted!
Returning to the dormitory, Wayne planned to sort and store the materials he had bought from Diagon Alley into a small bag enhanced with a Undetectable Extension Charm. It wasn't that he didn't trust his roommates, but rather he feared they might mistakenly think he had food in there and accidentally consume something dangerous.
Upon entering the changing room, Wayne spotted Cedric examining a broomstick curiously. Cedric noticed him and reluctantly returned the Nimbus 2000.
"It truly is impressive—the craftsmanship and quality are outstanding! I just wonder how it performs," Cedric remarked.
"Did you not try it out?" Wayne asked, taking the broom from him with a puzzled look.
Cedric shook his head. "Haven't we just come to look?"
"But it's your brand-new broom! I wouldn't dare try it; if I broke it, my life savings wouldn't be enough to pay for it."
Wayne patted his shoulder reassuringly. "You underestimate yourself. Just by being the only son of the Diggory family, you're worth that much."
Laughter erupted in the common room. Many of the Hufflepuff students had parents working in the Ministry and naturally knew how much Mr. Amos treasured his son. Cedric's face flushed, and he playfully punched Wayne's arm.
"Come on, stop teasing your seniors!"
"Alright," Wayne said, tossing the broom back to Cedric under his curious gaze. "You can use it for a couple of days to get familiar with it. I'll lend it to you for the Quidditch matches too."
Before Cedric could respond, the Quidditch captain, Waterley, sprang up with excitement.
"Really, Wayne?"
If Cedric had a Nimbus 2000 as a Seeker, their chances of winning the House Cup would skyrocket!
"Why would I lie?" Wayne shrugged. "Harry has already joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Professor McGonagall even gave him a Nimbus 2000."
"What?!"
Waterley was taken aback, then a light of realization crossed his face. "I wondered why Wood seemed to be on cloud nine lately, holding secret training sessions!"
"How sneaky!"
Cedric clutched the broom tightly, his eyes glistening with tears. "I won't say anything else—Godfather!"
More laughter filled the room, and Wayne couldn't help but chuckle along. He truly enjoyed the harmonious atmosphere; compared to other houses, Hufflepuff felt like home, making everything so relaxing.
However, the flying broomstick he intended to lend to Cedric was not the custom one. Wayne planned to buy another and donate it to Hufflepuff. He wouldn't be a fool like Malfoy, directly donating six brooms, but willingly giving one to the house felt right.
Such gestures mean a lot, and it would certainly give him more chances to deduct points from Hufflepuff in the future. While nobody minded it too much, Wayne still felt he should show some appreciation—consider it an early form of compensation.
Once he got permission, Cedric left his meal behind and dashed out of the common room, broomstick in hand, heading to the Quidditch pitch to try it out. Several team members and curious younger wizards followed him.
Wayne then made his way to the Great Hall to grab a bite before looking for Hermione. As soon as he entered, he drew many curious stares. Now all the students and faculty knew he had a phoenix as a pet and had bent the school rules to acquire a Nimbus 2000. Both feats elicited considerable envy.
At the main table, Snape bit into a piece of steak, chewing furiously as if he were gnashing his teeth at Wayne. This kid would rather lose points than make a deal with him. Quite annoying—he was almost as bothersome as Potter!
"Wayne…"
Hearing a soft voice from behind, Wayne set down his cutlery and turned to see her.
"What's up, Cho?"
Since many had gone to the Quidditch pitch to watch the broomsticks, several spots at the Hufflepuff table had opened up. Cho took advantage of this and sat beside Wayne, her curious eyes sparkling.
"I heard… you have a phoenix and bought a Nimbus 2000?"
She had arrived late in the morning and only heard others talking about the events without grasping the full details.
"Yep."
"Really?" Cho's eyes widened slightly. "I thought it was just a rumor!"
"The phoenix was a pet I found; I bought the broom after our flying lesson," Wayne explained with a laugh. "And here's a little secret: I lent the broom to Cedric."
"What?!" Cho was initially shocked, but then her cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish. "Aren't you bullying him?"
After joining the Quidditch team, Cho received a Shooting Star as a reward, which was also a decent broomstick. However, compared to the Nimbus 2000, it fell a rank or two short.
"How can that be bullying? I'm just helping my house," Wayne defended himself.
"Hmpfh." Cho huffed, clearly annoyed. "If you join the Quidditch team next year, I'll switch to Beater and knock you off your broom!"
"Then just wait and see," Wayne shrugged.
He wasn't particularly interested in Quidditch; buying a broom was merely for the enjoyment of flying. It seemed Cho's wish might not come true after all.
"What about your bird? Can I see it?" Cho asked, her eyes sparkling; she had never seen a real phoenix before.
"I don't know where it's off playing right now. I'll call it over in a moment; Hermione wants to see it as well."
"Why not have you both come over together?"
"Sounds good."
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