"What… what's going on here?" The three of them felt their legs weaken as they stared at the massive head of the three-headed dog.
"Why is there such a ferocious monster in the school?" Harry recalled his escape route and suddenly exclaimed, "This is the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor?!"
Wayne nodded. "That's right. What happened to you guys? You all look pale and bruised."
Ron swallowed hard and whispered, "Wayne, can we talk about this outside? That dog behind you…"
"Filch is still out there roaming around, so let's talk here," Wayne said, rubbing the dog's head. The three-headed dog obediently lay down, making it more convenient for Wayne.
"See? Fluffy is very obedient."
Upon hearing his praise, Fluffy let out a rumbling sound, and Harry and the others felt their fear dissipate significantly.
Thinking of Filch outside, Ron complained: "Don't remind me. I had a duel with Malfoy scheduled for midnight, and just as we were getting into it, Filch came looking for me. What terrible luck."
Wayne was surprised, "Malfoy really showed up? No, wait, I mean, you actually duelled with Malfoy?"
That was quite a change.
Hermione hadn't been with them, and Malfoy hadn't cheated; he had actually fought Harry.
From the looks of it, things had escalated unexpectedly.
With everything now revealed, Harry no longer hid anything and recounted the events leading up to the dragon incident.
Neville was touched to learn that the conflict had ignited because of his memory ball.
"Wayne, why are you here with that dog…?"
Wayne replied succinctly, "I learned a few new spells, came to test them out on Fluffy, and so far, the results are pretty good."
Fluffy shuddered.
Not just pretty good; if it went on, Fluffy's head would be smashed like a piñata.
As Wayne said, he had come to test out the effects and strength enhancements he had just drawn. Initially, it seemed Wayne had the upper hand, but that was just surface-level.
At most, he had inflicted a few superficial injuries on Fluffy.
This time, to give Fluffy some room to maneuver, he had even used an Undetectable Extension Charm to temporarily enlarge the corridor.
Upon seeing his enemy, Fluffy charged angrily, only to be sent into a panic by Wayne's counterattack.
With an increase in magical power and spell level, along with enhanced dynamic perception, Wayne had become much stronger in just two weeks.
Without even using dark magic, he simply cast an Aquis Shield on himself, and Fluffy was no match for him.
The power of his various attacking spells had also greatly increased. Even the most ordinary of spells could impact Fluffy now, potentially causing him harm.
Having achieved his goal, Wayne generously explained that he had no intention of sneaking through the trapdoor and even handed out some Mottled Rat jerky as a treat.
With the assistance of his magical creature affinity, Fluffy soon turned into a puppy.
Wayne said it casually, but Harry and the others were nearly petrified.
Testing spells on such a terrifying creature?
The three were academically struggling and didn't know just how fierce Fluffy really was. However, it was clear from his menacing appearance and size that he was not to be trifled with.
Ron chuckled nervously, "You really have a lot of leisure time, don't you…"
"What's that?" Harry suddenly noticed a trapdoor hidden beneath Fluffy and curiously asked.
"Growl!" Fluffy let out a warning growl, and Wayne calmly assured, "It's alright."
"We won't go in. They are just… well, I don't know what's inside, but Fluffy's job is to guard this. If you ask him, he'll consider you an intruder."
Harry shook his head like a bobblehead, "Forget I asked."
Even though he said that, his curiosity only deepened. Ron and Neville stole glances at the trapdoor as well.
Terrifying.
Wayne mentally shook his head.
Welcome to Gryffindor, where curiosity runs rampant.
He pulled out a map and saw that Filch's mark had moved to the sixth floor.
"Filch is not nearby. I need to go; what about you guys?"
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll head back too. Let's hope the Fat Lady returns from her walk."
"Thanks for today, Wayne."
"No problem."
After thanking him once more, Harry and the others quietly made their way upstairs, grumbling to themselves about their stupidity for forgetting to bring the map on their nighttime adventure.
Wayne turned back, canceling the Undetectable Extension Charm, and departed after bidding Fluffy farewell.
On Saturday, the school hall appeared particularly deserted as some students had gone to Hogsmeade early.
Another part of it was sleeping in. Wayne met up with Hermione and Qiu around nine and they all went to the library to do their homework. Of course, Qiu and Hermione did their homework while Wayne read books.
Madam Pince just cast a glance at the three of them and then ignored them. After writing for a while, Qiu got bored. She wasn't a top student like Hermione and had only a mild interest in studying. The girl tugged at Wayne's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "How has Feng Wang been lately? I haven't seen her for several days."
Wayne put down his "Advanced Potion Making" book, looking slightly awkward. "She should be fine, right? Not just you; I haven't seen her for a long time either."
Qiu rolled her eyes dramatically. "But she's Feng Wang! If anyone else had a phoenix, they would treat it like a treasure. Why aren't you paying more attention?"
"Uh, it's not that I'm not paying attention, it's just that I annoyed Feng Wang the other day…"
"What happened?"
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