Nana Seasinger, the princess of this generation's Siren tribe.
It was upon hearing news of a Siren appearing near Portuguese waters that Wayne hurried over, finding her with little effort.
Initially, these Siren regarded him with hostility, but when Wayne demonstrated the power of the Tidecaller, they immediately knelt in submission.
Yet this wasn't the reason they 'sold' their princess to Wayne - the primary cause was their threatened survival.
The Sirens and the ancient demon sharks of the deep sea are natural mortal enemies. Since returning to Earth, conflicts between them had been constant.
Compared to the ferocious demon sharks, the Siren's combat prowess was undoubtedly inferior. Within a short period, they had lost many tribesmen and were forced to flee to shallower waters to escape the sharks' slaughter.
Wayne secured ownership of Nana Seasinger and the allegiance of all Sirens by pledging to eradicate the ancient demon shark species.
Oh, and he incidentally acquired a batch of shark fins in the process.
This wasn't a dramatic scene of overwhelming dominance in which followers immediately prostrated themselves.
The Sirens had calculated carefully - aligning with Wayne cost them nothing while gaining them a powerful patron.
For weaker races in this world, survival means attaching themselves to the strong. Without the ancient demon sharks, other races would still covet them.
The Siren's first choice had originally been Poseidon, God of the Sea from the Olympus Divine Realm. But then Wayne appeared, and his feat of single-handedly destroying the Heaven Divine Realm was widely known even in the deep sea.
Wasn't this stronger than Poseidon?
As for Nana Seasinger, who was given as a gift, she felt no resentment. She sensed the oceanic power radiating from Wayne and had long regarded him as divine.
After hearing Nana's origin story, Hermione clicked her tongue in amazement.
So many magical races had already emerged in the world?
It was becoming more and more like a fairy tale or a legend.
"Nana will be your Ancient Runes teacher from now on." Wayne patted her small head, explaining under Hermione's puzzled gaze: "Runes are only part of Ancient Runic magic. Many ancient runes were previously lost. Nana only learned English recently - these ancient races all use runes to communicate and cast spells."
"Though more cumbersome than modern magic, the power increases exponentially. You'd better master it thoroughly."
"I understand." Hermione's spirits lifted as she smiled at Nana. "Nana, I'll be in your care from now on."
The little Siren gave a sweet smile, her electric fish tail wagging happily.
Seeing Hermione already eager to start learning immediately, Wayne quickly stopped her.
"What's the rush? You still have a bet to fulfil."
"Back then, you said that if I could find a Siren, you'd do anything I wanted."
Meeting the young man's mischievous gaze, Hermione's pretty face immediately flushed red.
...
Morning.
Seeing Hermione still deep in slumber, Wayne moved with extra gentleness.
After instructing Gardevoir to prepare breakfast for her, Wayne left the pocket dimension to find Professor McGonagall and request leave for Hermione, then joined Norman and Toby for Herbology class.
While removing thorns from Devil's Snare, the three friends discussed the History of Magic and Professor Binns.
Professor Binns was facing an unprecedented crisis.
Stories he had once dismissed as absurd rumours and mythological tales had now become actual history.
This reboot was monumental for the ghostly old man.
The collapse of his worldview nearly caused his entire spectral form to dissipate.
Fortunately, Snape had a sudden inspiration at the time and said, "Professor Binns, if you don't go to class now, you'll be late," diverting the old man's attention and preventing him from further wild speculation.
But this was merely a temporary solution, not a fundamental cure.
As the ancient wizards brought more and more information, the current History of Magic textbooks required major revisions. Yet for a ghost, being able to teach was already quite an achievement - how could anyone expect him to quickly absorb new knowledge?
So far, Professor Binns' curriculum had only progressed to the mid-eighteenth century, and he hadn't even learned the subsequent content himself.
Thus, a voice emerged within Hogwarts - that the History of Magic class had lost its reason to exist.
Those holding this view were mostly lower-year students who had long been fed up with the dull, tedious History of Magic lessons, and naturally welcomed one less class.
However, older students didn't share this perspective.
Although they considered Professor Binns' lessons equally unsubstantial, his very existence represented Hogwarts itself, making him profoundly significant.
If History of Magic were cancelled, Professor Binns wouldn't be far from complete dissipation.
After hearing Toby's thoughts, Wayne fell into deep contemplation as well.
"That is indeed a problem. Professor Binns was among the first professors invited by Ravenclaw back in the day - he's part of the school's valuable assets."
Norman inwardly exclaimed, 'Well done,' marvelling how one sentence had directly classified Professor Binns as school property.
'Truly worthy of you, Earl Lawrence, a typical representative of capitalists.'
He even suspected Wayne kept Professor Binns around to avoid paying salaries.
After several years as roommates, Toby and Norman had long known about Wayne's Muggle identity. Beyond initial surprise, they quickly accepted it.
After all, Wayne had done plenty of outrageous things - just being Muggle nobility wasn't worth making a fuss about.
"What do you think about finding another History of Magic professor?" Wayne wanted to hear their suggestions.
"What about Professor Binns then?"
"From now on, Professor Binns will be responsible for history after the Middle Ages - this part can't possibly go wrong. We'll appropriately reduce his teaching hours, which works perfectly since I'm planning to start a new course that everyone must attend."
"Eh?" Hannah, who'd been secretly listening to their conversation nearby, made a face. "A new course? Don't you think we have enough already?"
"You'll study even if you're tired," Wayne glanced sideways at her. "Unless you want to become the most bottom-tier witch who can't defeat anyone."
Hannah shrank her neck, not daring to object.
"What course could be so remarkable?" A curious voice came from behind them.
They all jumped, Toby so startled he dropped his small trowel.
"Professor Sprout."
Wayne turned around with a smile, greeting her.
"It's a new runes course, different from Professor Babbling's Ancient Runes. But it's just an idea for now - we haven't sorted out textbooks or teachers yet."
"Well, learning more knowledge is always good. I hope you'll properly accommodate Professor Binns, too."
"Of course, I will."
Sprout nodded, not bothering to chastise them for chatting during class before walking away, allowing Toby and the others to breathe sighs of relief as they continued whispering with Wayne about the new course.
...
The news of Wayne's return quickly spread beyond the castle, but the first to arrive weren't the Ministry of Magic officials who had been eagerly awaiting him.
Instead, it was Grindelwald, who came rushing from Durmstrang that very afternoon.
"Did you plant spies in our school? You knew the moment I returned?"
In the Headmaster's Office, Wayne regarded the first Dark Lord warily.
The old man, who had just taken a sip of tea, paused briefly before explaining with exasperation, "I was speaking with Ariana at noon when she accidentally let it slip. I don't have any spies at Hogwarts."
Wayne grew even more surprised. "It seems you and Ariana are getting along quite well."
"Of course." Grindelwald's expression turned smug at this. "Although Dumbledore has gained Ariana's forgiveness, he has no idea how to interact with children. It's all that nonsense he uses to deceive young people - only fools like my apprentice would appreciate it."
The foolish apprentice he referred to was naturally Harry.
"What about you?" Wayne asked curiously. "Weren't you the one responsible for Ariana's death? Even if she's forgiven you, how can your relationship be good?"
"Heh." Grindelwald chuckled softly. "Muggles aren't completely useless. At least they understand human psychology quite thoroughly. I consulted several adolescent specialists, and their methods have proven quite effective."
The young man was astonished.
He hadn't expected Grindelwald to go to such lengths to win Ariana's favour.
"You've really changed so much," Wayne couldn't help shaking his head.
"People change." Grindelwald dismissed this casually, but then his relaxed hand gradually clenched. "But my pursuit of power remains constant."
Wayne knew he was getting to the main point and leaned back. "What's on your mind?"
"How many angel corpses do you have?" Grindelwald asked.
Wayne thought for a moment. "I can't give you the six-winged ones - I still need them. There are thirty complete corpses remaining. Why, do you want them?"
"I do," Grindelwald admitted frankly. "I've been researching a form of Dark Magic recently - extreme light can catalyse ultimate darkness. If successful, it could significantly enhance my magical power."
"I can give you ten." Wayne didn't refuse either. "But what can you offer in exchange?"
His relationship with Grindelwald was that of both friends and allies with shared interests - already quite good.
But Lawrence refused to give things for free.
The bodies of four-winged angels were remarkable treasures indeed. Even Grace had taken two corpses for research purposes. Offering Grindelwald ten was already quite generous.
"What do you want?" Grindelwald frowned. "The wealth I currently possess probably doesn't interest you anymore, does it?"
"When I destroyed their realm, I killed forty-six four-winged angels in total, with four remaining at large..." Wayne continued as if talking to himself. "Two are suspected to have entered the Asgard Divine Realm, which I don't want to deal with for now. The other two are hiding in Africa..."
"Do you have specific locations?" Grindelwald immediately understood Wayne's meaning and asked directly.
A piece of parchment drifted down before him.
"Kill them, and the ten bodies are yours to keep."
Grindelwald quickly departed. Killing two angels of his own calibre would undoubtedly present a tremendous challenge, but how could someone who had come this far possibly show fear?
Wait, that coward Voldemort should be excluded from this category.
Grindelwald understood this was a trial Wayne had set for him. If he could slay two angels, he would certainly gain something from it.
As for seeking Dumbledore's help? The thought had never crossed his mind.
Wasn't his urgent drive for improvement precisely because he wanted to surpass Dumbledore?
...
On the second day after Grindelwald's departure, representatives from various Ministries of Magic finally arrived with awkward demeanours.
Because of the large number of visitors and Wayne's reluctance to let outsiders into the school, he met them directly at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade.
Keynes came along as well.
Seeing his old acquaintances, Keynes felt a complicated mix of emotions.
"Mr Lawrence..." a middle-aged wizard began ingratiatingly, but Wayne raised a hand to cut him off:
"Enough. My time is limited, and I've no patience for listening to your complaints and pointless chatter."
"You want my protection for your Ministries, don't you? Fine. Sign this, and henceforth you'll be under my command."
A thick booklet landed on their dining table.
Someone unconsciously read the title aloud.
Modern Magic Alliance Draft.