After finishing their shopping, Professor McGonagall led Charlie out of Diagon Alley.
"This is your ticket." She handed Charlie a red ticket.
"September first. King's Cross Station. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."
Charlie stared at the number on the ticket, thoroughly confused.
"Professor, do platforms have decimal points?"
On the way back to the Orphanage, Charlie secretly checked the system interface while Professor McGonagall wasn't looking.
[Tyrant King System]
[Host: Charlie White]
[Magical Talent (omitted)]
[Tyrant Points: 8]
[Lottery Draws: 0 (10 points per draw)]
The system's explanation was simple: perform an act that qualified as Tyrant Behavior to earn Tyrant Points, which could be used to draw prizes. Prizes included Talent Points, Spell Proficiency, and other items.
Charlie pondered.
Kill innocent people indiscriminately? No, no. If he dared kill someone, Dumbledore would dare bury someone—and it was best not to ask who would end up in the grave.
Besides, he'd grown up under the red flag and in the spring breeze. How could he do something like that?
Spend recklessly? That might work, but he had far too little money to squander right now.
As he was thinking, they arrived at the Orphanage. Professor McGonagall stopped at the entrance.
"Mr. White," she said earnestly.
"You have excellent talent. Don't waste it. You can get a head start on your textbooks before term begins."
Charlie nodded solemnly.
"I will, Professor."
But inwardly, he thought, Why did every teacher use the same lines?
Professor McGonagall smiled with satisfaction and turned to leave.
Charlie watched her disappear, then dashed back to his room, tossed everything onto the bed, and flopped down hard after it.
Study in advance? Yeah, right!
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! You completed a tyrant king action by neglecting state affairs and earned 1 Tyrant Point!]
"Haha, it really works!"
Charlie jumped up excitedly.
A few minutes later, the system's notification appeared again.
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! You completed a tyrant king action by neglecting state affairs and earned 1 Tyrant Point!]
[Current Tyrant Points: 10. You can make one lottery draw!]
"A prize draw!" Charlie said eagerly.
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! You acquired the spell: Incendio]
[Incendio (Level One): 0/100]
"How do I level up a spell?" Charlie asked, puzzled.
[In reply, Your Majesty, you can improve your proficiency through practice or lottery draws. Once your proficiency is full, the spell will level up automatically.]
[Each spell has five levels.]
Charlie picked up his wand.
"Flaming Bear."
A small flame sprang from the tip of his wand. The orange-red fire danced in the air, casting a warm glow.
"Whoa!"
Charlie stared at the flame in amazement.
So every wizard started out with a fireball spell.
The flame grew with his excitement, and it looked as if it might leap onto the bedsheets.
Charlie hurriedly waved his wand and extinguished it.
"Phew..."
Charlie let out a breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
If he burned the bedsheets playing with fire, Grandma White would give him a Bamboo Stick Stir-fry he'd never forget.
He tried a few more times, carefully controlling the size of the flame each time to avoid starting another fire. He practiced for about half an hour.
[Incendio (Level One): 1/100]
"Forget it. I'm done practicing."
Charlie tossed his wand aside and sprawled across the bed.
"That's exhausting."
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! You completed a tyrant king action by lazily neglecting your duties and earned 2 Tyrant Points!]
Charlie grinned. "This system gets me."
Now this was the right way to use magic.
He rolled over and gazed at the ceiling.
The excitement of becoming a wizard still coursed through him.
Charlie closed his eyes contentedly and drifted off to sleep, listening to the system's notifications sounding now and then.
Over the next month, Charlie completely let himself go.
He slept through the day, neglecting his duties, and went out at night instead of sleeping. His Tyrant Points shot up.
"Charlie, shouldn't you be looking at those magic books?"
Grandma White finally asked one day.
Charlie was in the yard, playing with the children from the Orphanage.
"It's okay, Grandma. I can study when I get to school." Charlie glanced back at her with a smile.
"I want to spend more time with you all. I won't have as much time once I start school."
[Your Majesty, you're truly shameless, even tricking an old woman. You earned 3 Tyrant Points!]
Hey, you!
Grandma White smiled with relief. Charlie had always been thoughtful, and even after becoming a wizard, he still cared about them.
What else could she say?
Every night, Charlie took Storm out for a stroll.
The owl was enormous and imposing, and whenever it appeared, passersby couldn't help staring.
Storm seemed to enjoy the attention, spreading his enormous wings and letting out a majestic screech each time, sending curious cats and dogs fleeing in fright.
After a month, Charlie had amassed an astonishing 910 Tyrant Points, enough for 91 prize draws.
He had gained proficiency in most basic spells, such as the Levitation Charm, the Mending Charm, and the Unlocking Charm.
Talent Points were incredibly hard to draw, though. He had only gotten three in total, and put all of them into Transfiguration.
His stats now looked completely different.
[Your Majesty: Charlie White]
[Age: 11]
[Magical Talent Ratings (maximum: 10)]
[Transfiguration: 9]
[Charms: 8]
[Potions: 6]
[Defense Against the Dark Arts: 7]
[Herbology: 4]
[Astronomy: 4]
[History of Magic: 5]
[Tyrant Points: 9]
[Known Spells: Transfiguration (Level One: 90/100), Incendio (Level Two: 360/500), Aguamenti (Level Two: 160/500), Levitation Charm (Level Two: 180/500), Reparo (Level Two: 210/500), Alohomora...]
After a month of experimentation, Charlie discovered that the higher his talent in a subject, the easier it was to cast the corresponding magic—and the more powerful it became.
Although his Transfiguration was only at Level One, his talent had already reached Level Nine.
Now he could easily transform one object into another. He often used the trick to entertain the children, pretending it was magic.
Time flew by, and before long, September first had arrived.
Charlie got up early and packed his things.
He usually slacked off, but he was really looking forward to going to Hogwarts.
"Grandma, I'm off."
Charlie gave Grandma White a hug.
With red-rimmed eyes, Grandma White handed him a small parcel.
"I made you some biscuits. Eat them if you get hungry on the way."
"I'll miss you, Grandma." Charlie hugged her tightly.
"I'll write to you."
Grandma White patted his back.
"Go on. Study hard, and listen to your teachers at school."
Charlie nodded, pulling his suitcase along and taking Storm with him as he set off for King's Cross Station.
Charlie: Dad! Can you squeeze a big me into your tiny bookshelf? Don't make me beg.
Before you continue