That night, everyone at Lawrence Manor slept soundly.
By the time everyone woke up, it was already ten o'clock the next morning.
Penelope hurried off to the Ministry of Magic for work right after breakfast. The Ministry's shutdown these past few days had caused quite an impact on the entire wizarding world.
Crouch and Dumbledore were already discussing that if things continued like this, they would have to select a new office building.
After Penelope left, Nagini also arrived at the Celia Store in Hogsmeade via the fireplace, ready to reopen.
Wayne suddenly thought of a question and looked at the little one beside him.
"Gabrielle, which house were you sorted into?"
Gabrielle, who had been engrossed in watching cartoons, froze her smile and said somewhat sheepishly, "I haven't gone to Hogwarts yet."
"Not sorted yet?" Wayne was taken aback, then thought of something and looked at Fleur: "Don't tell me you haven't even been to school either?"
"You were nowhere to be found. How could I be in the mood for school?" Fleur cooed, deftly changing the subject: "I'll go pack my things now, we should get going soon."
With that, she dragged her younger sister and dashed upstairs.
Soon, the girls had packed everything they needed for school into their Undetectable Extension Charm pouches.
Wayne shook his head helplessly, waved his hand, and a strange force enveloped everyone. The space shifted continuously before finally settling in the Headmaster's Office.
No sooner had they steadied themselves than they heard an exaggerated voice.
"Wow, look who it is, Lawrence? Good heavens, do you remember you're the Headmaster of this school?"
Phineas's beard quivered as he looked at Wayne with schadenfreude: "A Headmaster returning to school a week after term starts – you're definitely the only one. Has your watch slowed by five or six days?"
"Phineas, do you want to be relocated again?" Wayne shot a sidelong glance at his portrait, and Phineas immediately shut his mouth.
"I was delayed this long to save the world, unlike some people. I heard someone took two months off specifically to travel to Brazil?"
Phineas flushed instantly, "I was there to inspect other schools' situations. How can a Headmaster's business be called tourism?"
Wayne snorted and led everyone out of the office.
Hermione, Cho, and Astoria went back to their dormitories to unpack, while Wayne took Fleur and Gabrielle to the previously prepared professor's quarters. The decorations and furniture inside were all brand new.
But Fleur still seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
"Can't I live with you?"
"Er, sometimes, but you still need some private space, don't you?" Wayne hedged.
The half-Veela shot him a disdainful look but didn't say anything more.
It wasn't until lunchtime that everyone realised Wayne had returned.
"I apologise for missing the start-of-term feast due to certain matters. Welcome to all new students joining the Hogwarts family. Once you're at school, there's no need to be nervous – just treat this place as your home."
Standing at the head table, Wayne delivered his belated start-of-term speech.
The newly enrolled young wizards watched curiously at the teenager who wasn't much older than they were.
This was their Headmaster, and also a sixth-year student?
Many Muggle-born newcomers marvelled inwardly – this truly was the wizarding world, where even the Headmaster was so unconventional.
Some book-loving students were already gazing at Wayne with starry-eyed admiration.
Like Dumbledore before him, many of Wayne's deeds had been recorded in books, and there would be increasingly more in the future, making him an iconic symbol of an era.
Wayne gestured towards Fleur—"Let me introduce Miss Fleur Delacour, who will become the Charms professor for years one to three."
Thunderous applause erupted in the Great Hall. Fleur's charm was now irresistible even to female students, and many young wizards shyly lowered their heads.
In front of everyone, Wayne conducted a brief sorting ceremony for Gabrielle.
To both his and Fleur's surprise, Gabrielle wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor—she actually ended up in Slytherin.
Gabrielle was quite unhappy, her little mouth pouting slightly.
She had been negotiating with the Sorting Hat, wanting to be placed in Hufflepuff, but the hat insisted she lacked Hufflepuff qualities, instead having pure bloodline traits that directly landed her in Slytherin.
"Old Hat, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Wayne asked, holding the gleaming silver Sorting Hat.
"Of course not," the hat exclaimed. "That girl is absolutely perfect for Slytherin, just you wait. And don't call me Old Hat—it sounds strange, like I've been betrayed three times over."
"Alright then, Old Hat."
Wayne responded, ignoring the protests as he put the Sorting Hat away and observed the situation in the Great Hall.
The surge in student numbers had required extending the four house tables considerably, almost reaching the main entrance, making the originally spacious Great Hall feel rather cramped.
Then there were the common rooms—previously adequate for each house's students—but now they were likely completely full.
Wayne noted all these issues and planned to design a major renovation of the castle when he returned.
His current mastery of spatial magic allowed him to permanently fix Extension Charm effects, enabling him to expand the area without altering the castle's structure, which would save considerable trouble.
"Oh, that reminds me," Wayne suddenly thought of something, turning to Professor McGonagall. "Minerva, with so many first-year students, how have you and Dumbledore arranged things?"
He'd been busy exploring the void recently and knew nothing about the school's current situation.
Professor McGonagall sighed wearily. Wayne's approach to being Headmaster... was even more unconventional than Dumbledore's, and Dumbledore himself gave her plenty to complain about, too.
He seemed more motivated now as a temporary helper than when he'd actually been Headmaster.
What on earth was going on!
Though internally fuming, Professor McGonagall still performed her duties and reported: "The new students in each house have been divided into A and B classes, still maintaining the traditional mixed-house teaching system."
"That's increased the teaching load—four extra classes per week," Wayne remarked.
Professor McGonagall couldn't help but give him a deadpan stare: "Headmaster Lawrence, we already have two professors each for Potions, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and even Care of Magical Creatures. What about a new Transfiguration professor? I can't handle the workload anymore."
Professor Sprout directed an equally deathly stare his way.
After this week, Professor Sprout felt completely worn out—teaching from morning until afternoon every day without a moment's rest, then having to work overtime marking homework in the evenings.
Every day, she had to use eye drops made from Bubotubers to relieve fatigue. If this continued, Professor Sprout was already considering early retirement.
"Isn't there any suitable candidate?" Wayne laughed awkwardly. He had indeed landed his own Head of House and Professor McGonagall in quite a predicament.
"How about..." Wayne quickly came up with an idea, "You find suitable candidates yourselves?"
"This..." The two Heads of House exchanged glances, thinking it was a good solution.
They maintained contact with many outstanding graduates, and there were indeed suitable candidates for teaching positions.
"Then I'll try writing some letters." Professor McGonagall nodded, finally showing a slight smile on her face, though it soon disappeared.
The most suitable successor... was no longer here.
After lunch, Professor McGonagall deducted fifty points each from Hermione, Cho, and Astoria, ordering them to serve detention in her office all day next Saturday.
She knew that Hermione and the other two were worried about Wayne's safety. From the Ministry of Magic's recent strange actions and Dumbledore's seriousness, they could infer the gravity of the situation—it's only human nature.
But school rules couldn't be ignored just because there were understandable reasons. Taking leave without proper cause necessarily warranted some punishment.
Thus, the points recently accumulated by three houses were nearly wiped out in an instant, leaving Hufflepuff standing alone in the lead.
Wayne couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
Was this fate's doing?
Exactly three houses, one girlfriend from each house, yet none from Hufflepuff. It seemed Hufflepuff would win the House Cup again this year.
Hermione and the others were feeling upset, and when they saw Wayne actually taking pleasure in their misfortune, they immediately shot him death glares.
Wayne cleared his throat twice: "Professor McGonagall's decision is very fair. Let it be carried out accordingly. I have much official business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
With that, Wayne quickly slipped away before Professor McGonagall left, otherwise his lower back would suffer later.
Finding Harry and Malfoy, he collected this term's tuition fees, then made a round through the Common Room.
After identifying suitable locations for space expansion, he visited Gryffindor, then Slytherin, finally arriving at the most troublesome - Ravenclaw.
Even as Headmaster, he had to answer questions to enter, unless he Apparated in directly— but wouldn't that make him seem afraid?
So Wayne came prepared.
"Which came first, fire or the Phoenix?"
"The egg came first," Wayne answered with absolute certainty.
The bronze eagle door knocker remained silent for a moment without opening the door. "Incorrect answer."
"How could you understand Phoenixes better than me?" Wayne looked at it with an expression of seeing a fool, summoning Ho-Oh.
"Ho-Oh, tell it - did you hatch from an egg?"
"Chirp chirp!" Ho-Oh nodded proudly, then affectionately nuzzled Wayne's cheek.
"Convinced now?"
The bronze eagle door knocker fell silent again, but this time the door opened.
Although Wayne's answer wasn't the ideal one, he had proven with facts that the egg indeed came first. What could the door knocker do about it?
As it was class time, there weren't many students in the Ravenclaw Common Room.
The few students reading looked quite surprised upon seeing Wayne, quickly standing up to greet him.
"Headmaster."
"Look at you all, don't mind me." Wayne gestured for them to sit, then asked: "Is the Grey Lady here?"
Before anyone could answer, a mournful ghost drifted through the wall, gazing at Wayne with slightly resentful eyes.
"You've finally come looking for me."
Huh?
The nearby students all perked up immediately—this sounded like juicy gossip.
Wayne looked at the Grey Lady with a 'benevolent' gaze. "Go wait for me in the Astronomy Tower first. There are some things I should tell you."
A flicker of excitement flashed in the Grey Lady's eyes. She nodded and floated out without hesitation.
But after leaving, she felt something wasn't quite right. Why had Wayne looked at her so strangely, just like looking at a junior, radiating... paternal affection?
How absurd.
The Grey Lady shook her head, dismissing this bizarre thought from her mind. She must have been a ghost for too long, to the point where she could no longer distinguish human emotions clearly.
Arriving at the Astronomy Tower, the Grey Lady floated before the floor-to-ceiling window, feeling both nervous and expectant.
Could Wayne truly know who her father was?
She didn't have to wait long. After confirming Ravenclaw's renovation direction, Wayne soon arrived at the observatory as well.