He Needs to Be Charged More

Chapter 11: He Should Charge More

The castle gates opened, and Professor McGonagall, dressed in a emerald green robe, walked out.

Her expression was stern, her gaze sharp. Harry turned to Charles and said, "She's formidable, not easy to deal with."

To his surprise, Harry found Charles wearing an innocent smile, looking every bit the good child.

Charles had no choice but to be a good child. The old man had said if he angered Professor McGonagall, he should report to the Azkaban private room.

Besides, the old man had a custom-made flying broomstick for him, which was sent directly to Professor McGonagall for safekeeping once it was ready.

Professor McGonagall led the students into the castle and into a small room to the left of the entrance hall.

She informed the first-years that the Sorting Ceremony would begin soon and asked them to tidy up their appearance.

Charles was a bit distracted until Harry asked him if he had brought a comb.

Nearby, several students were discussing what the Sorting Ceremony was like.

Hermione felt a little nervous and reached out to tug at Charles's sleeve, asking if he knew what it was.

Charles whispered mysteriously, "I asked Mr. Ollivander. He said the test is related to everyone's wand. Whatever animal the wand core is made from, you'll fight that animal."

"R-really?" Hermione stammered, "My wand... its core... is from a Dragon..."

She was so scared she couldn't finish her sentence.

The students nearby were also terrified. They had all met Ollivander, and if he said so, it must be true.

"Dragons... are powerful... I've read about them," Hermione was on the verge of tears. "What should I do? I won't be admitted!"

Harry nervously added, "I... I can't fly, what should I do?"

Charles ignored Harry and comforted Hermione, "It's okay. A dragon's weakness is its belly. When it charges, you do a slide tackle, go under it, and attack its belly with your wand."

Ron, standing nearby, witnessed a sudden change of expression. Harry and Hermione, who had been extremely nervous, immediately relaxed. One elbowed Charles, and the other kicked him.

Harry had known Charles, who lived opposite him, since he was young. Hermione had been his classmate in primary school and had been teased by him countless times over the years.

Harry: "Ouch!"

Hermione: "Ow!"

Charles: "That's the Shield Charm. If you want to learn, read a book."

The old man said Hogwarts was very dangerous, and one would have to deal with ten people on the way to class, so he had to protect himself at all times, keeping the Shield Charm active all day.

Just then, a group of ghosts phased through the wall, and the Fat Friar greeted them.

The ghosts distracted everyone, but the pressure of the Sorting Ceremony wasn't easily dispelled. If not for Professor McGonagall's reminder, Harry would have held onto his comb tightly until he saw the Sorting Hat.

After Hannah Abbott demonstrated how the Sorting worked, the first-years breathed a sigh of relief.

Charles saw that the Sorting results were the same as in his memory. When Professor McGonagall called his name, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

The grubby Sorting Hat was placed on Charles's head and immediately declared loudly, "Azkaban!"

Everyone thought the Sorting Hat was playing a prank, and the entire Great Hall erupted in laughter, even Dumbledore chuckled.

Harry asked George Weasley beside him, "What does Azkaban mean?"

George replied, "It's a wizard prison."

Fred continued, "Mom always worries we'll end up there."

"Oh..." Harry nodded. "I think if Dudley came, it wouldn't be a joke."

Over there, Charles, with a dark expression, whispered to the Sorting Hat, "Did I offend you?"

The Sorting Hat swayed its brim and said, "Life is so dull, why not find some amusement?"

"I can sense you are enduring immense suffering. What incredible courage and spirit! You belong in Gryffindor!"

"Gryffindor!"

With the verdict set, Charles calmly took off the hat, a smile on his face, and walked towards the Gryffindor table.

As soon as Charles approached the table, the fourth and fifth Weasley twins pulled him over, making him sit between them.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Smith."

"Oh, you're also named Charles, just like our second brother. I believe we'll get along great."

"Charlie is a Romanian Dragon Keeper now. He used to be the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain. Do you know Quidditch? We're on the house team, and we can teach you if you want to learn."

"Would you like a pre-meal dessert? How about a Chocolate Frog?"

The identical twins engaged Charles in a lively conversation, seeming to build rapport, which made Prefect Weasley quite pleased.

Although Charles outwardly agreed, his internal alarm bells were ringing, worried they were up to something.

Seeing the mood was right and feeling they had sufficiently boosted his affection, the twins got down to business.

Fred asked Charles, "I heard you have a Bag of Holding?"

George added, "You just gave Harry a comb earlier."

Charles understood, recalling that Ron had mentioned on the train that they had once researched a Bag of Holding but gave up because they couldn't afford the materials.

"I do have one." He had no intention of hiding it, as it was impossible to hide anyway.

Fred immediately said, "Can you show us?"

George followed up, "We can help you with your homework."

Charles replied, "No problem, no need for homework. This isn't the place; we'll talk about it back in the dorm."

Seeing that he had agreed, the twins happily shared the prank props they had made with him.

Charles was truly impressed by them, realizing that their grasp of spells far surpassed that of their peers.

As the three chatted, the Sorting Ceremony concluded. Ron walked towards the Gryffindor table, Dumbledore finished his speech, and a lavish dinner appeared on the tables.

Hogwarts maintained ancient traditions, which meant the food remained at the level it was before Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated.

Charles asked for a large piece of roast beef, two pork chops, and three boiled potatoes. He also took some peas and carrots, finally pouring ketchup over the potatoes.

George looked at Charles's full plate and asked in surprise, "You can eat that much?"

Harry, sitting next to George, said, "He's always eaten more than others since he was little."

Hermione, sitting opposite, chimed in, "He had to pay for three people's meals when he was in primary school."

Charles looked up and glared at Hermione. He glanced at her plate and said with a cold laugh, "I'll write to Mr. Granger and tell him you've been eating a lot of mint candies."

Hermione immediately backed down. Her family tried to limit sweets to protect their teeth.

Charles then looked at Harry's plate and said just as coldly, "Remember to eat more vegetables."

Harry also backed down immediately.

At this moment, a Ghost approached. Nearly Headless Nick had intended to remind Charles that leaving too much food would result in point deductions, but seeing him devour his meal, he felt it might not be enough.

"There's pudding later," Nick reminded him.

"Thanks for the reminder," Charles said, taking a sip of Pumpkin Juice. "I know my limits when it comes to eating."

As he ate, he started chatting with Nick, who reluctantly showed them the relationship between his head and neck.

Charles had seen this unfortunate ghost in the old man's memories and had even helped him out back then. However, Nick, due to his own issues, hadn't been able to join the Headless Hunt Club.

But the old man had intentionally omitted some details, skipping over many parts.

Nick left shortly after, and then the pudding appeared on the table.

Charles chatted with everyone about his family, eating two slices of Apple Pie in the process.

Dumbledore had been observing Harry, and he also noticed Charles, whose mouth hadn't stopped moving. He wondered if Hogwarts would start charging him for his meals.