The three found Li Qiao Dan inside a suit of armor on the fifth floor.
“Filch was going crazy. He chased me from the fourth floor to the eighth. I jumped into a secret passage and returned to the sixth floor, but he caught up to me again.”
In the kitchen, Li Qiao Dan spoke excitedly, munching on a sandwich.
Escaping from Filch seemed no less thrilling than surviving the Sword Fight. Combined with his unique racial talent, it was like listening to rap.
The house-elf thoughtfully prepared a large round table for them, laden with food and drinks.
After finishing a sandwich, he said with some worry:
“But I have a feeling Filch might know it was me. What if he gives me trouble later?”
Fred comforted him: “It's not a possibility, but a certainty.”
“There are only a few black ghosts in school, and you're the most unruly. Filch definitely knows it's you.”
“Damn it,” Li Qiao Dan trembled with anger. “So you two deliberately tricked me?”
“Don't worry,” Cedric comforted him after finishing a glass of lemonade. “He doesn't have the right to punish you unless he catches you on the spot or has evidence.”
Fred scoffed, “Of course. You've been hanging around with us for so many years and still don't know this basic rule?”
“It's because I follow you two that I get detention so many times.” Li Qiao Dan retorted indignantly, then asked the question that was on his mind.
“What was in that hallway anyway? Did you see anything?”
The conversation got everyone excited.
“Let me tell you… you wouldn't believe it…”
Li Qiao Dan's mouth was wide open, big enough to fit a pear inside.
“Three-headed dog? Trapdoor?”
Then he turned to Wayne, who was still stuffing his face:
“You guys, did Wayne defeat the three-headed dog?”
“I didn’t defeat it,” Wayne corrected him. “I just held it off for a bit.”
“We were holding you back,” Cedric interjected. “Look at the way you were going, you wouldn’t stop until the three-headed dog was dead.”
“How did you manage to build your magic power so much,” George said in awe. “Compared to you, I’m practically a waste of space in my first year.”
“So are we,” Fred said, mercilessly self-deprecating, even to himself. “Just with those few moves, he could turn us all into Muggles.”
Cedric twitched his lips. Just self-deprecating yourselves, fine. But why drag me into this?
Don’t I have any pride as the top student?
“Is there any secret to it?” Cedric couldn’t help but ask.
“I can’t really teach you this,” Wayne shook his head. “Magic is an inherent talent, you can only unlock it, not really improve it.”
“If you want to be stronger, besides mastering more spells, you need a deeper understanding of magic.”
He wasn’t lying to them, this was the truth.
The strength of Dumbledore and Grindelwald was a result of both innate talent and acquired skills.
They exhibited exceptional talent during their school years, coupled with diligence, which allowed them to achieve such terrifying feats.
Talent was the foundation. Only with that foundation could hard work bear fruit.
The most obvious example was Hermione.
When they first entered Hogwarts, Harry spent his days playing and only charged headfirst into situations. Hermione, meanwhile, had already mastered many spells.
However, after Lupin’s guidance, Harry's magic power surpassed Hermione’s after third year, and the gap continued to widen.
This was the difference in talent.
Cedric’s talent was good, but only good among ordinary people. According to the system’s classification, his overall rating was just B-level.
He was just well-rounded and hardworking, allowing him to hold the top spot in his year.
The twins were even worse, and their main interest was figuring out how to have the most fun.
“I just hate you guys, you talent monsters,” Fred grumbled.
The conversation ended, and they focused on their late-night snacks.
Half an hour later, Wayne and the others left the kitchen, each returning to their own house.
However, after seeing Cedric enter the dormitory, Wayne left the common room again.
He had already completed the fourth-floor corridor and earned fifty points.
He had already earned over one hundred points tonight.
Wayne wasn’t going out to earn more points.
He wanted to go to the Restricted Section of the library to see if he could find any books he needed.
He had purchased a basic Alchemy book from Flourish & Blotts, an alchemy textbook from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
Because of Nicolas Flamel, Beauxbatons was far ahead in alchemy. Beauxbatons students could choose to study alchemy in their third year.
At Hogwarts, you needed to pass your OWLs before being eligible.
The more advanced books were not mass-produced. Alchemy was a highly-demanding subject, not suitable for widespread promotion.
Wayne could only try his luck in the Restricted Section, hoping to find what he needed.
Just as he was returning to the second floor, Dumbledore and Snape arrived at the fourth-floor corridor.
Looking at the oak door, which appeared unchanged, Snape rested his wand on the handle and sensed it.
Then, he spoke in a sinister tone.
“Unlocking Charm. It seems your warning was completely useless, Dumbledore.”
“That’s understandable, Severus,” Dumbledore didn’t get angry at the transgression of his warning.
He sounded as casual as if he were chatting with a friend about his mischievous grandson.
“Wasn’t that how you were back then? Oh, right, you once even got caught by…”
“Shut up!” Snape snapped, interrupting him. “Don't keep reminiscing about the past, you’re getting old. Was it a pleasant experience? They should have been expelled!”
“And those little wizards who snuck in here should be expelled too!”
“Things haven't reached that point yet,” Dumbledore winked, took out his key and opened the oak door. “Let's see how far they've gotten.”
Snape snorted and didn't enter first.
The stupid dog only recognized Hagrid and Dumbledore. If anyone else appeared before it, they would be attacked.
He followed after Dumbledore went inside.
The three-headed dog was about to growl, but seeing the familiar white beard, immediately lay down, its three tongues hanging out as it whimpered.
“This is…” Snape’s eyes narrowed.
His wand glowed, allowing them to see the three-headed dog's injuries.
Dumbledore said meaningfully, “It seems our young wizards are quite capable.”