On the third day of exam week, Hogwarts was suddenly blanketed by heavy snowfall. The castle was draped in a thick layer of snow, dyed pure white. The accumulation on the grounds was so deep that even Hagrid struggled to walk through it. Hardly any students could be seen outside, all preferring to remain within the warm castle.
During breakfast, many were discussing their holiday plans.
"My father said I don't need to return home for Christmas," Macmillan told his friends. "He's bought a house in Hogsmeade that's currently being renovated. They'll move in by Christmas time."
"I hope Wayne permits me to leave the castle during the holidays."
After Macmillan spoke, he immediately received numerous envious glances.
Present-day Hogwarts and its surrounding villages could be called Britain's last sanctuary, with countless people wanting to relocate here.
The consequence was Hogsmeade's expansion, with property prices skyrocketing.
Original residents suddenly found themselves with countless relatives appearing from nowhere, visiting their homes every other day, and even bringing their own bedding.
Only someone from the Macmillan family - with their extensive connections, deep heritage, and status as one of the pure-blood twenty-eight families - could afford property in Hogsmeade.
The divide between wizards and ordinary people wasn't easily bridged. Even in Britain, where relations between wizards and government were most harmonious, numerous conflicts had recently erupted.
Some involved wizards using magic to torment Muggles being discovered, while others stemmed from wizards' ignorance of Muggle laws, leading to various ridiculous situations.
Previously legal Muggle-Repelling and Confundus Charms had become sensitive spells, with large numbers of British police receiving specialised concentration training and spell resistance instruction.
Ordinary wizards attempting such spells on them would most likely fail.
Nobody wanted to be treated as fools to be manipulated at will - this represented Wayne's compromise with the cabinet.
He'd never forgotten how the Roberts family, campsite managers, had been tortured by Death Eaters, only for the Ministry of Magic to resolve the matter with casual Memory and Confundus Charms.
Without spell concealment, many wizards' peculiar behaviours were exposed.
The Sun had mocked wizards who didn't know how to use the underground as 'uncivilised savages,' only for their editor to be stuffed down a toilet two days later - by a wizard.
Such friction couldn't be suppressed by authority alone; both sides had to adapt gradually until it became commonplace.
If this was Britain's situation with Wayne and Dumbledore present, other countries fared worse.
Across the channel, French wizards had all retreated into cities, not daring to reveal their uniqueness, using urban density to make governments hesitate to act. Some unrestrained ancient wizards, relying on their powerful abilities, had caused significant trouble.
Out of respect for Fleur and Madame Maxime, Wayne intervened twice, eliminating several Voldemort-level wizards, which made others more restrained.
As for other nations, countries under Grindelwald's protection fared relatively well, with the disciplined, coordinated actions of his followers defeating many more powerful wizards.
The rest... could only be advised to look out for themselves.
The worst off were the Japanese wizards. Their numbers were already fewer than those of other countries; they lost some during the beast tide, and when Takamagahara emerged, the Ministry of Magic was absorbed.
Rather than calling them wizards now, it would be more accurate to say they've become servants under the Three Noble Children of Takamagahara.
...
Two more days passed, and the final exams concluded.
Apart from the few students returning home for Christmas, Hogwarts saw little change. The Great Hall remained packed as ever.
Wayne was contemplating whether to start charging tuition fees next term...
The daily expenses for over a thousand people were no small sum. One might say Hogwarts' meals weren't particularly delicious, but the meat dishes were certainly filling.
Then there were the teaching costs. Potions and Transfiguration were absolute money pits. With three hundred new students this year, next year's intake might be even larger.
Relying solely on the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic, the annual cost increases could bankrupt several governors.
Wayne stood up, raised a glass with the remaining students to celebrate the end of exams, then returned to the Headmaster's Office.
He took out a copy of 'Comprehensive Guide to the Planes of Faerûn' and began reading.
Recently, he hadn't managed to find either of the planar cores for the water and fire planes he was handling. The main issue was their sheer size - each was roughly equivalent to the combined landmass of Eurasia, making the search extremely troublesome.
The Water Elemental Plane wasn't too bad; he encountered few obstacles. Most water elementals were gentle-natured, and with Wayne's Tidecaller inheritance, they caused him little trouble.
But the Fire Elemental Plane was far more annoying. Those irritable fire elementals were like honey badgers - regardless of whether they could win a fight, they'd charge straight at you.
He'd destroyed no fewer than eight hundred fire elementals during this period.
Wait, that wasn't right. They were more like huskies. After all, he was a badger house student - how could he speak ill of the adorable little badgers?
As his mind wandered, Wayne continued studying the book, learning methods to precisely determine elemental concentrations.
The location of a planar core would undoubtedly be the area with the highest elemental density in that world. However, these pure elemental planes already had high overall concentrations, requiring considerable skill to make detailed distinctions.
He hadn't been reading long when Wayne looked up in surprise - Gardevoir had suddenly appeared before him.
"Gardevoir!"
"Luna's here?"
In the suitcase miniature world, Wayne met with Luna, who had suddenly arrived.
Without a word, he picked her up, settled her in his lap, and rested his chin against her forehead.
"You never come to see me unless I seek you out first. What brings you here today?"
Luna's ethereal voice floated softly, "You're always busy. I didn't want to disturb you."
Wayne held her a bit tighter, somewhat embarrassed.
He truly was busy - not only accompanying the ladies at school, but also making weekly trips to London to see Sakura and Tomoyo. His schedule was packed solid.
Indeed, the time he spent with Luna was the least among all of them.
"Did something prompt your sudden visit?" Wayne smoothly changed the subject.
"Wayne, I want to ask for your help." Luna looked up, her bright eyes showing a trace of worry.
Wayne sensed something amiss and grew more serious. "Tell me, I'll handle it for you."
He didn't ask for specifics - there was no need.
There wasn't a problem in this world that he couldn't solve.
Luna felt slightly reassured, leaning against his chest and whispering, "After the ancient ruins appeared, Dad went to search for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and other magical creatures. I used to receive letters from him every ten days, but it's been half a month now..."
Wayne's eyebrows furrowed. "Why did you only tell me now?"
"I only started feeling uneasy yesterday, and today as well, so..."
Wayne knew exactly how terrifying Luna's intuition could be. Without another word, he activated his divination technique, manipulating the celestial and earthly dials. Using Luna's bloodline connection, he quickly deduced Mr Lovegood's current condition, his expression relaxing slightly.
"He's indeed encountered some trouble, but there's no immediate danger to his life."
The blonde girl's expression brightened considerably as she asked with slight excitement, "Where is he?"
"At the border between Germany and Austria. The exact location is difficult to pinpoint, but he's most likely inside Nibelung."
Wayne set her down and stood up, taking Luna's small hand.
"Whether he is or not, we'll know once we check Nibelung."
...
The Alps stand as Europe's backbone, stretching across the borders of six major countries and serving as a premier skiing destination for many.
Every winter, people from around the world would come here to ski - Hermione had visited with her parents just a few years earlier.
But starting this year, things had changed. These mountains had become a paradise for beasts and magical creatures.
Particularly along the German-Austrian border, where Nibelung had manifested, numerous dragon subspecies gathered alongside fire dragons that had escaped from various dragon reserves. After several disappearances, the area had become forbidden to humans.
In a narrow valley, hydras, wyverns, and various fire dragons coexisted.
Nibelung revered dragons above all, and this was already considered core territory. Further inward lay the spatial passage to the Nibelung Divine Realm.
Deep night had fallen, and even dragons were creatures that rested after dark. The valley lay in unusual silence.
It was at this moment that a great sun rapidly rose, illuminating the area as bright as daylight. Dozens of dragon subspecies and fire dragons awoke to see the great sun swiftly descending.
BOOM!
When the sun struck the ground, it instantly triggered a tremendous storm, the violent shockwaves sending the nearest dragons flying.
As the light faded, Wayne and Luna's figures appeared.
The young man's cold gaze swept across the scene, and the enraged fire dragons and dragon subspecies immediately prostrated themselves, not daring to make any sudden moves.
Let me reiterate - though the Star Forger Dragon King is called a dragon king, he is not actually a dragon.
His true form is too magnificent to appear in the mortal world, hence he chose the form of a dragon.
But since he adopted a dragon's form, he naturally possessed draconic majesty.
Facing all dragonkind in this world, unless the difference in rank wasn't great, he could exert absolute suppression.
"Take me to your dragon king," Wayne commanded without courtesy. His mood was foul - during the journey, he'd been reflecting on how he hadn't paid enough attention to Luna, feeling deeply remorseful.
He was the one who had made mistakes, but Young Master Lawrence couldn't very well blame himself, so he could only vent his anger outward.
These great lizards became the innocent victims.
Were it not for his suspicion that Mr Lovegood was in their custody, he would not be issuing commands now but rather unleashing carnage.
Seeing no dragons respond to him, Wayne intensified his aura, causing the weaker dragons to begin whimpering in distress.
Finally, a fifty-foot-long Common Welsh Green let out a roar. Through his innate gift, Wayne understood its meaning and gradually withdrew his pressure.
Not daring to delay, the Common Welsh Green led them toward the valley's end, breathing a blast of scorching flames at the cliff wall.
The flames seared a massive doorway through the air, and Wayne led Luna inside.
Watching the two disappear, the Common Welsh Green fled back to its territory as if its life depended on it.
...
Within Nibelung, it resembled a primaeval wild forest, densely overgrown with vegetation that starkly contrasted the icy wasteland outside.
Upon entering, Wayne blatantly released his Legend-tier pressure, which Orynix detected almost instantly, his draconic eyes revealing grave solemnity.
"Veldora, bring our guests here. Maintain a respectful demeanour."
"Yes."
The wyvern named Veldora took to the skies.