At Hogwarts, once curfew had begun, students caught wandering the halls at night would lose points and be given detention. However, Charles had Percy, a prefect, to lead the way, as well as a note from Dumbledore, so Filch could only release them unhappily.
Percy had merely led the way. Once the door to the Headmaster's Office opened, he left.
Curious yet somewhat worried, Charles entered the Headmaster's Office, wondering what Dumbledore wanted with him. Was it because the Sorting Hat had said he should go to Azkaban? Or because he wanted to find a plot of land to grow things? Or was it related to Harry Potter?
The Headmaster's Office was quite lively. The moment Charles walked in, he noticed that the portraits of the headmasters hanging on the walls were all looking at him curiously.
Dumbledore asked him to sit in the chair before the desk, pushed a plate of Cockroach Clusters in front of him, and asked with a beaming smile, "Would you like one?"
"Thank you." Charles picked one up and ate it. It was only candy shaped like a cockroach. It wasn't as if he had never drunk Rejuvenation Fluid before.
Dumbledore's question caught him somewhat off guard. "Charles, may I be so bold as to ask you something? I heard you have a talent for Divination?"
When Charles heard that was what this was about, he immediately answered, "That's true. Sometimes I seem to space out, as if I'm dreaming, and see some fragments."
"But most of what I see is related to things around me, like tomorrow's weather."
Dumbledore looked surprised and asked him, "Does everything you see come true?"
Charles shook his head and said, "Once, I saw a neighbor get hit by a car and sent flying when he left the house the next day. But that night, his wife slipped and hit her head in the bathroom, and ended up in the hospital for several days. Harry and I even helped feed his dog."
Dumbledore nodded, waved the Elder Wand to pour him a cup of tea, and asked, "Malfoy said you once predicted that something would happen to his home?"
Charles understood. It seemed that the bombing of Malfoy Manor had caused quite a stir. The investigation had been thorough enough to uncover even this.
He scratched his head awkwardly and said cautiously, "Actually, at first I didn't know the place that had been bombed was his home. A minute or two before he entered the train compartment, I saw a very beautiful house explode, and there was a middle-aged man beside the ruins who looked furious."
"Later, Malfoy entered the compartment. I saw that he looked a lot like that middle-aged man, so I figured the place must be his home."
"Of course, if Malfoy just happens to look like my neighbor, then there's nothing I can do about that."
Dumbledore had been listening very seriously at first, but when he heard the last sentence, the corner of his mouth twitched.
He said, "That truly is an extraordinary talent. I think you could begin studying Divination with Professor Trelawney."
Charles shook his head. "No, thank you. Divination brings a lot of trouble. For a while, my family received twenty-six calls every hour from people asking about the weather."
Thinking Dumbledore might not know what a telephone was, he gave an example. "It's like having an owl come looking for you every three minutes."
Dumbledore did not press him after hearing that and said, "I very much agree with what Mr. Smith said. There are many crossroads along the road of life. Just because we old people think one path is right doesn't mean it's suitable for young people. If you change your mind in the future, or find yourself hesitating, you can come and talk to me."
"If you see something in the future that you find difficult to understand, it would be best to come and tell me."
Charles immediately agreed.
That matter was considered settled, so Dumbledore asked him about something else. "Professor Sprout told me that you want to grow things in the wasteland?"
"Yes, yes!" Charles nodded happily. "I think growing those plants would be quite interesting."
Dumbledore said very seriously, "But it's also very dangerous! I believe Professor Sprout has already told you that."
Charles replied, "Yes. I noticed that when I was reading today, too. I'll only do what I can handle."
"I saw a plant called Moonpetal Flower in a book. May I grow it?"
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile, "Did you see what it can be used for?"
Charles smiled a little sheepishly.
Besides being used to make Energizing Potion and other potions, Moonpetal Flower could also be used to brew exceptionally sweet Butterbeer. At his current level as a first-year student, he had no idea how to brew potions, but increasing the sweetness of Butterbeer was no problem. Besides, it was more appealing to young people than potions.
Dumbledore thought Charles was merely a first-year student from a Muggle family who was full of curiosity about the magical world. There were plenty of students like that, so he did not pay much attention and simply told him, "Whatever you want to grow, you'll need Professor Sprout's permission."
Charles immediately agreed with a broad smile. Once he had the Headmaster's approval, things would be easier from now on.
Then Dumbledore brought up something that made Charles's heart tighten. "You seem to have... quite an appetite?"
Charles asked nervously, "Headmaster, are you going to make me pay an extra meal fee?"
"No, no, no!" Dumbledore immediately shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with having a good appetite. I simply thought of a possibility. Are you hungry now?"
Charles shook his head twice, then nodded somewhat sheepishly. "A little. I prepared some food during dinner."
Dumbledore thought for a moment and said casually, "Although your situation is extremely rare, it isn't a serious problem. Any problem that can be solved by eating isn't a problem."
Charles asked awkwardly, "Then how long do I have to keep eating?"
"I don't know," Dumbledore answered frankly.
Charles froze. He had thought Dumbledore was an all-knowing and omniscient being.
Dumbledore pointed to the teapot in front of them and said, "A wizard's magic is like the water in a teapot. When it isn't full, it needs to be replenished. Your 'teapot' is much larger than an ordinary wizard's. I'm afraid even mine can't compare to yours, so you use up a great deal of magic every day."
Charles understood. If other people were teapots, then he was a water barrel.
A possibility suddenly occurred to him, so he asked, "Is it possible that I'm... leaking?"
If the water could not be filled, besides the container being too large, it might also be because some "Xiaoming" was causing trouble by draining the water while it was being poured in.
Dumbledore fell into thought, making Charles somewhat worried. Was he really a leaky pot?
Charles did not want to disturb the Headmaster's thoughts, so he began looking around the office.
The headmasters on the walls were chattering away. From the sound of it, they were also discussing whether he was a leaky colander or a huge water tank.
Fawkes the Phoenix stood on a perch, seemingly watching Charles with great hostility.
After a long while, Dumbledore said, "Your concern is reasonable, but it probably isn't the case. If magic were leaking, all sorts of strange things would happen around you."
Charles relaxed after hearing that. As long as he was not a leaky colander, everything was fine. At worst, he would eat a little more. The Headmaster had not asked him to pay extra for meals, anyway.
Dumbledore thought for a moment, took a piece of parchment, and wrote him a note. "If you get hungry, you can go to the kitchen and find something to eat. As for how to get to the kitchen, you can ask those two Mr. Weasleys."
Charles accepted the note with a beaming smile. From now on, if he was caught wandering the castle at night, he could say that he had gotten lost on the way to the dining hall.
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