After taking care of the presents, Charlie could finally see what he'd received.
A huge pile of gift boxes sat by his bed, in all shapes and sizes. It looked like quite a haul.
Charlie nodded, quite satisfied with how popular he was.
He casually picked up the first present. The tag bore Professor Flitwick's name.
Unwrapping it, he found a copy of Advanced Spell Explanation and a note.
"If you want to learn Apparition, then keep working hard."
Next came Professor McGonagall's gift: the latest issue of Transfiguration Today, equivalent to the latest academic paper in the field of Transfiguration.
Neither book looked cheap. They weren't available in ordinary bookstores, and contained cutting-edge knowledge in their respective fields.
The professors' high expectations for Charlie were plain to see. But unfortunately, he had no use for either book.
Compared to studying on his own, winning a spell through the lottery was obviously faster and more direct.
Besides, studying didn't earn him Tyrant Points. Without Tyrant Points, he couldn't enter the lottery; without the lottery, his spell progress would be slow. And slow spell progress meant not studying.
So studying was the same as not studying.
It was all the system's fault. Charlie really wanted to read those two books properly.
[...]
Professor Sprout had sent a box of fancy biscuits.
Charlie opened it and tried one. They tasted pretty good.
Then he searched for ages, but still couldn't find a present from Professor Snape.
"That old bat didn't even get me anything?"
"My all-in-one shampoo was wasted on him."
"Unbelievable. Next detention, I'm mixing the ingredients together before I bottle them."
Grumbling, Charlie continued opening presents.
Harry and Ron had sent him a big bag of Chocolate Frogs.
The Weasley Twins had sent a box of prank sweets.
Ernie had given him a set of Hufflepuff badges and tie clips, the very formal kind.
Justin had sent him a whole issue of Victoria's Secret.
Charlie glanced toward the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing Grandma White hadn't come.
He hid the magazine under his pillow. What a scandalous thing. He'd have to give it a thorough critique that night.
The last present was from Hermione.
The box wasn't big, but it was exquisite.
Inside was a silver alarm clock.
"What's this supposed to mean?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.
"She's saying I'm late for class."
"When have I ever been late?"
"I always get there right on time!"
He complained, but deep down, he felt warmed by it.
The presents might not be useful to Charlie, but they showed that his friends cared about him. They showed that he'd truly become part of Hogwarts, part of this world.
After opening every present, Charlie lay back on his bed, satisfied.
"About time I tried my luck."
He checked the System Panel. His Tyrant Points had built up to 1,200.
"System, give me 120 draws!"
A golden wheel spun in his mind, and Charlie watched anxiously.
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! You received: Levitation Charm proficiency +10] [Congratulations, Your Majesty! You received: Shield Charm proficiency +15] [Congratulations, Your Majesty! You received: Free Talent Point]
The next few draws all yielded proficiency in spells he'd already gotten. Charlie was a little disappointed.
The Free Talent Point was pretty good, at least, but his Transfiguration and Charms talents were already maxed out at 10.
He'd save the point for now and use it later if he needed it in another subject.
"Sectumsempra, Apparition, Sectumsempra..."
He kept repeating the little combo Professor Flitwick had used in his mind.
The number of draws dwindled, but he still hadn't gotten the spell he wanted. He hadn't even gotten a single new spell.
Just as Charlie was about to give up,
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! You received: Teeth-Grinding Stick proficiency +25] [Congratulations, Your Majesty! You received: Sectumsempra]
Charlie shot upright.
"Sectumsempra? What kind of spell is that?"
[Sectumsempra is a Dark Magic spell invented by Professor Snape. It is far more powerful than Sectumsempra.] [Wounds inflicted by it cannot be healed unless the corresponding counter-curse is used.]
"Snape can invent spells?"
"And the wounds can't even heal? That's vicious, just like Snape."
Charlie leapt excitedly out of bed.
"I've got to test it!"
He left the room and went to the orphanage's back courtyard.
The courtyard was quiet, with only the faint chirping of insects in the distance.
Charlie found a soccer-ball-sized stone and placed it in the middle of the yard.
"Sectumsempra!"
He whispered the incantation and gave his wand a slight flick.
An invisible blade shot out and cut through the stone in an instant.
Crack!
The stone split neatly in two, its cut surface smooth as a mirror.
Charlie's eyes lit up.
"If I'd known this spell when I was dealing with those goblins, I could've caught every one of them by surprise."
"I finally got a powerful offensive spell."
"But it's Dark Magic. Quirrell said Dark Magic could affect your mind, didn't he?"
Quirrell might not look very reliable, but he was still the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
He shouldn't be wrong about something this basic, should he?
[Rest assured, Your Majesty. Magic obtained from the system does not have such side effects and will absolutely not corrupt Your Majesty's mind.]
That put Charlie completely at ease. He opened the System Panel to check the results of his draws.
[Your Majesty: Charlie White] [Age: 11] [Magical Talent Ratings: (Maximum Level: 10)] [Transfiguration: 10] [Charms: 10] [Potions: 6] [Defense Against the Dark Arts: 7] [Herbology: 4] [Astronomy: 4] [History of Magic: 5] [Tyrant Points: 0] [Free Talent Points: 1] [Known Magic: Transfiguration (Level 3: 0/1000), Flaming Bear (Level 3: 800/1000), Stupefy (Level 3: 760/1000), Expelliarmus (Level 3: 0/1000), Protego (Level 3: 380/1000)...]
Most of his spells had reached Level 3, making him skilled enough to cast them nonverbally.
Even his Transfiguration had reached Level 3. At that level, he could cast it nonverbally and even transform objects into living creatures.
To Charlie, that was the most devious thing about wizards.
Just imagine: if you wanted to assassinate someone, all you had to do was turn a fly, poison its food, and kill them without a trace.
He'd heard that Voldemort had once tried to purge the Muggles, killing many people with Dark Magic.
Charlie thought that was stupid.
If it were up to him, he'd conjure tens of thousands of mosquitoes carrying deadly viruses. London would fall in a week.
That was why being a wizard took brains. If you didn't use your head, you'd be a cut below even as a Dark Lord.
Time always flew when he was at home. It felt as if the holidays had only started yesterday, but now it was time to go back to school.
Charlie took his ticket, said goodbye to Grandma White, and went to King's Cross Station.
Second day of the verification period~ Big shots, add this to your bookshelf~ Sending love~
Before you continue