"He must be really squeezing you dry," Hermione chuckles. "Aren't you afraid he'll take the opportunity to deduct points from Hufflepuff?"
Wayne gives her a look of pity, as if addressing a simpleton: "When have you ever seen Hufflepuff care about points?"
Hermione opens her mouth, unable to find a rebuttal. The general impression of Hufflepuff is that they are… too laid-back. They'll earn points when they can, and if points are deducted, they just shrug it off. As long as they can somehow complete their assignments, if they really can't make it, they'll just give up.
Even the professors have no way to deal with this group of badgers who have already settled into a retirement lifestyle. At least they are better than the noisy Gryffindor lions, who can't sit still and always cause trouble for others.
Hermione suddenly feels a twinge of regret. Would it have been better if she had been sorted into Hufflepuff? The relationships in her dormitory with her roommates aren't that great. However, thinking back, the Sorting Hat never even gave her the option of Hufflepuff, so she dismisses it as just a fantasy.
After Transfiguration class ends in the afternoon, Wayne had planned to go to the library to borrow another book, but Professor McGonagall calls him aside. Once all the other students have left and only the two of them remain, Professor McGonagall says, "Lawrence, I know you've mastered all the content from class, but I must consider the pace of the entire class."
Wayne is taken aback, feeling anxious for a moment, thinking that Harry's feather quill must have revealed something. But upon hearing it's not that, Wayne quickly shakes his head, "Professor, you can lecture as you normally would; you don't need to worry about me."
Professor McGonagall nods slightly, a hint of a smile showing on her serious face: "From the first time we met, I knew you were not an ordinary young wizard. I didn't receive any letters from you during the summer."
Wayne awkwardly replies, "I didn't want to disturb your vacation, and I didn't encounter any difficult problems."
"Would you mind demonstrating your true abilities?" McGonagall states her purpose for keeping Wayne behind. She wants to see how far Wayne, who usually appears to be just coasting along, has actually come in Transfiguration. After all, this little guy managed to successfully grasp all the content from class on his first try, and even she couldn't pick out any flaws.
To prevent Wayne from holding back, McGonagall even promised a reward: "If you can surprise me, I can exempt you from your Transfiguration homework for this semester." Wayne's eyes light up as he eagerly asks, "Really, Professor?"
"Of course." Professor McGonagall smiled slightly at the corners of her mouth. "However, my standards are quite high."
"I understand, Professor," Wayne replied, feeling more alert. After all, this was an assignment in Transfiguration.
Aside from Snape's potions homework, McGonagall's assignments were the most numerous, and most of them were essays. Even though Miss Know-it-all had his back and he had revision notes, it was still a hassle he wanted to avoid.
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