The Flag Jerry Raised

Crunch!

Neville reached out and pinned the Chocolate Frog that had leaped from its box onto the table, then stuffed it into his huge mouth. In one bite, he bit off the Chocolate Frog's head, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it.

(So cruel!!!)

Trevor, the Golden-backed Toad that had been lying beside Neville, silently shuddered at the sight of Neville eating the Chocolate Frog. He turned around, quietly hopped off the seat, and vanished after a few leaps.

"Neville, you seem to really like Chocolate Frogs!"

Hermione took small bites of the cake in her hand. Watching Neville eat six Chocolate Frogs in a row, she could not help asking curiously.

"Not especially, but they come with cards of famous Wizards. I've collected... Oh no, I forgot how many cards I've collected, and which ones I'm still missing!"

Neville pulled a card from the box and placed it before the two of them. He had only gotten halfway through his explanation before suddenly becoming upset.

Sure enough, the combination of blind boxes and collecting obsessions worked on people of every country and every age, Wizards included.

Jerry remembered that when he had been little in his previous life, he had spent what little allowance he had on Little Raccoon Instant Noodles. It was not because he particularly liked eating them, but because he wanted to collect all the 108 Heroes of the Water Margin cards inside.

Though he had never managed to complete the set.

Shaking his head to dispel the memories, he looked at the card on the table together with Hermione.

The card showed an obviously very old man, as both his hair and beard were completely white.

The old man had a crooked, long nose, wore half-moon spectacles and purple wizard's robes, and looked very kind.

A name was written beneath the card: Albus Dumbledore!

"It's Dumbledore!"

Hermione cried out in surprise when she saw the name.

Jerry turned the card over, revealing a series of introductions about Dumbledore on the back:

Albus Dumbledore, current Headmaster of Hogwarts,

Widely recognized as the greatest Wizard of the modern age,

Dumbledore's well-known achievements include:

Defeating the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 1945,

Discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood,

Accomplishing remarkable achievements in alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel,

Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling.

"Defeating the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 1945... That was probably the achievement Old Dumbledore wanted least!"

Having watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Jerry knew that Dumbledore and Grindelwald had once been lovers deeply in love with each other.

When he turned the card over again, the portrait of Dumbledore on its front had already disappeared, presumably off visiting another card.

"Neville, you should eat fewer Chocolate Frogs from now on!"

Jerry shifted his gaze to Neville, who was still trying hard to remember exactly how many cards he had collected, and kindly offered a reminder.

"Why?"

Neville looked puzzled.

"Because eating too much chocolate makes you gain weight, and you might never collect every card!"

Jerry glanced at Neville's round figure.

It would be hard to find a little girlfriend if he got too fat!

"By the way, have you decided which House you want to join?"

Seeing Dumbledore's card seemed to remind Hermione of something, and she suddenly became excited.

Before Jerry or Neville could answer, however, she immediately began muttering away like a little machine gun:

"I hope I get sorted into Gryffindor. Everyone says it's the best. I heard Dumbledore himself graduated from there, though I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad either..."

Well, apparently, it had been a rhetorical question.

After Hermione rattled off a whole stream of explanations, Neville finally gathered a little courage and raised his hand.

"I hope I get Gryffindor too, because Gran said my mum and dad were both in Gryffindor!"

"Jerry, what about you? Which House do you hope to join?"

After hearing Neville's answer, Hermione immediately nodded in agreement and turned her gaze toward Jerry.

Jerry hesitated slightly before finally replying with a smile:

"Definitely Gryffindor!"

After thinking it over for so long, Jerry had gradually come to a decision about the Sorting.

Originally, he had thought Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff would be best. That way, he could quietly study magic and improve himself without encountering much danger.

But after thinking about it some more, he realized that he desperately lacked Little Red Stars. Since he could earn Little Red Stars in the Small World as well, joining the reckless House full of troublemakers did not seem so bad.

Besides, Gryffindor's Head of House, Professor McGonagall, might be a little stern, but she was quite nice. She had also formed a very favorable impression of him last time.

As long as he made good use of the "Refreshing the Mind" function later on, his grades naturally would not be poor. Maybe he could even get Professor McGonagall to give him some private tutoring.

Just as Professor McGonagall had specially applied for a Time-Turner to assist Hermione's studies in her third year.

More importantly, he wanted to get himself a good flying broom before his next return. Without suitable transportation, his efficiency at earning Little Red Stars in the Marvel world was simply too low.

And if he joined Gryffindor, he could follow the original plot and intercept the Remembrall before Harry did, putting on a dazzling display in front of Professor McGonagall.

Then Professor McGonagall would make an exception and let him join the Gryffindor team, even paying out of her own pocket to give him a Nimbus 2000.

That way, the fastest flying broom currently on the market would be his for free!

As for whether he would be any good on a flying broom, there was no need to worry about that at all.

What did Quidditch test?

The level of magic power in one's body?

The ability to use magic?

Of course not. Otherwise, how could Harry, who had just started school and could not cast a single spell, have been valued enough to be admitted as an exception?

What Quidditch truly tested was bodily coordination and physical reaction speed.

That was why physical fitness and sharp senses were the most important things.

The same was true for a Wizard skilled in combat. It was not enough to have strong magical ability; physical fitness, reaction speed, and other qualities also required a certain degree of talent.

In terms of learning ability, magical usage, and understanding of magic, Hermione surpassed Harry by far.

But when it came to fighting, Harry's practical combat ability was much stronger than Hermione's.

That was why Harry could be exceptionally admitted to the Quidditch team at the start of school, while Hermione did not do particularly well in flying lessons.

And physical fitness and sharp senses were Jerry's strengths!

As long as he could get the flying broom into the air, once he activated Superman State, his senses and body would instantly enter their limits. Forget gifted Harry—even the very best Quidditch players, Jerry was confident he could utterly crush them.