At the long table of Gryffindor, Hermione was already staring longingly.
Seeing Wayne and Qiu laughing and chatting together made her let out a cold huff.
It wasn't until Wayne stood up and waved at her that the young witch immediately got to her feet.
The two girls followed closely behind him, leaving the castle and heading toward the Black Lake.
Wayne began introducing them.
"This is Hermione Granger, a new student in Gryffindor this year. You can also call her Miss Know-It-All."
"And this is Qiu Zhang, a second-year student from Ravenclaw and the best female Seeker in the school."
Both girls rolled their eyes.
"Who introduces others like that?"
Hermione was even more annoyed and pinched Wayne's arm.
That nickname was given to her by Snape, and she originally hated it. Now, hearing Wayne say it made her hate it even more.
With a common target to unite against, Hermione and Qiu quickly bonded, and soon they felt familiar with each other.
Only then did Wayne have a thought and summon the phoenix.
Since the phoenix had hatched, an intangible connection had formed between them. Even from a great distance, they could sense each other at any time.
In a flash of flames, the phoenix flew out, and it wasn't alone—Fawkes, who had been following her since morning, also came flying out.
The eyes of the two girls sparkled, and they could hardly contain their excitement as they moved closer.
Although Wayne thought the phoenix's appearance was rather ordinary, both Qiu and Hermione found it incredibly beautiful.
Especially its lovely, flowing feathers, which emitted a faint glow.
The entire bird radiated an aura of purity.
Fawkes, on the other hand, seemed a bit lacking; it appeared close to a rebirth, its feathers somewhat dull but still full of vitality.
"Where have you been playing around?" Wayne gently stroked the phoenix's feathers and asked softly.
The two birds chirped twice in response.
"Unicorns?" Wayne's eyes lit up.
"How many?"
"Chirp! Chirp!"
"Just three? That's still good."
Wayne nodded, determined to go see them when he had the chance.
He was also a bit of a visual person, and unicorns, such pure creatures from various legends, piqued his interest.
Noticing that Hermione and Qiu were still standing still, Wayne waved, "Come over! The phoenix is very friendly, but don't touch her crown."
With his permission and seeing that the phoenix didn't seem to mind, the two girls stepped closer to observe it closely, even pulling out some snacks they had prepared earlier.
Wayne also took out some fresh leaves and phoenix eggs from his pocket.
"Here, this is what phoenixes love to eat—healing herbs and fire-related materials."
This was something Dumbledore had given him earlier, which worked out perfectly for him to offer as gifts.
The phoenix and Fawkes happily accepted the food as Qiu and Hermione carefully reached out to stroke the phoenix's feathers.
They happily closed their eyes in bliss.
It felt warm and so comforting.
"By the way, Dumbledore has already allowed you to stay in the Forbidden Forest."
Wayne advised the phoenix, "If you're going to play, be mindful, and remember to help heal any injuries you encounter."
What he meant by "play" was obviously about leveling up by battling monsters.
The Forbidden Forest had its own food chain, and if the phoenix acted too recklessly, it could upset the balance within.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
The phoenix lifted its head proudly, flapping its wings twice as if to say, "Don't worry, I can handle myself."
Wayne was momentarily speechless.
He hoped nothing too chaotic would happen.
"Wayne, why does the phoenix wear a crown while Fawkes doesn't?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"Because my phoenix is a king, and Fawkes isn't."
"Showing off."
"You'll see in time."
"....."
After the two birds had their fill, they flew off, leaving Hermione and Qiu completely satisfied.
At this point, Hermione asked, "You mentioned you wanted to talk about something during class; now's your chance."
Qiu glanced at the two of them, "Then I'll take my leave now."
"No need." Wayne waved his hand, "Even if you hadn't come today, I'd still need your help."
Qiu became interested, "What could I possibly help you with?"
In her eyes, Wayne was exceptionally talented—he had mastered wandless magic, bought a Firebolt 2000 as a first-year, and wasn't short on money.
She couldn't imagine what he would need her help for.
Wayne pulled two pieces of thick parchment from his bag, handing one to Hermione and one to Qiu.
"I plan to start a small business; you don't need to worry about Hufflepuff, but I'll need help with the other houses."
"What is this?"
The parchment had no content, but the decorative patterns and designs were beautiful.
Hermione's parchment had a reddish-gold edge, adorned with two proud lions at opposite corners.
Qiu's had a sky-blue pattern with the image of a soaring eagle.
"Just tap it with your wands."
The two girls followed his instructions, and the blank parchment suddenly revealed a blob of ink, which quickly spread, turning into a map.
"This is a map of Hogwarts Castle?" Hermione exclaimed, looking at him in surprise.
"Exactly, but it's not just a map. As long as you're inside the castle, you can see your location, as well as the real-time movements of the staircases."
Qiu's curiosity was piqued, "That's amazing?"
Wayne shrugged, "You won't know unless you try it."
The three returned to the castle, and sure enough, each of them had a marker appear on the map.
Wayne's was represented by a badger, Hermione's by a lion, and Qiu's by an eagle.
As they moved, their icons followed suit.
Reaching the staircase, Hermione compared it to what the map showed, and the staircase's movements matched perfectly.
Even when they were about to step onto the tricky stairs, the map displayed a warning not to run or stomp.
"That's incredible." Qiu exclaimed, turning to Wayne.
"Did you really make this?"
"Of course." Wayne felt a bit proud, "I spent more than a week working on it."
Qiu clapped excitedly, "Wayne, you're amazing! With this map, I'll never be late again!"
Hermione, however, fell silent.
She had been studying diligently to catch up with Wayne.
But looking at this map, she felt a sense of despair.
How could she possibly keep up with such a genius?
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