The miserable morning finally came to an end.
Charlie sat at the Hufflepuff table, and his mood lifted a little as he stared at the spread of lunch before him.
Harry and Ron soon joined him, sliding into the seats beside him. On the way over, they'd been laughing with Justin and Ernie, roasting Snape from every angle.
After all, nothing bonded classmates faster than trash-talking a shared enemy. Now they were all eating together like old friends.
Charlie didn't join the chatter. Their jabs were too tame.
Instead, he opened his system panel to check his Tyrant Points.
[Tyrant Points: 678]
After a week of classroom naps, nightly castle strolls, blowing up Filch, and verbally brawling with Snape, he'd racked up a grand total of 678 points.
"System, draw," Charlie commanded in his mind.
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! +50 proficiency in Incendio!]
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! +45 proficiency in Stupefy!]
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! +30 proficiency in Wingardium Leviosa!]
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! Unlocked: Perfect Draught of Living Death recipe]
[Congratulations, Your Majesty! +1 Talent Point!]
…
Charlie's eyes lit up. Not a bad haul this time.
Both Incendio and Stupefy had now reached the advanced stage of level 2, just shy of level 3.
That already put him on par with Hogwarts graduates.
At level 3, he'd be able to cast silently. At level 4, he'd unlock silent and wandless casting, essential if he ever wanted to cast spells in Animagus form.
But best of all: he'd finally drawn a Talent Point.
As for the Draught of Living Death recipe? Meh. Even if he brewed it perfectly, that old bastard Snape would still find fault.
Without hesitation, Charlie dumped the Talent Point into Transfiguration. His level 9 Transfiguration talent maxed out instantly.
A strange sensation coursed through him, suddenly, his understanding of Transfiguration felt… profound.
"What the- ?" Ron frowned at his cutlery.
"Where's my fork? Why do I have two spoons?"
He held them up, utterly puzzled.
Charlie glanced over, pulled out his wand, and gave it a lazy flick.
One of the spoons instantly morphed into a silver fork, complete with ornate carvings.
"Merlin's toothbrush!" Ron gaped, inspecting the fork.
"Charlie, that's amazing! We've only been here a week!"
"Way better than a certain bossy know-it-all," Ron added under his breath.
Harry nudged him quickly, signaling him to shut it. Hermione wasn't around, but word still traveled fast.
Charlie, meanwhile, was stunned.
That one little spell had boosted his Transfiguration proficiency by 5 points!
He didn't need much to hit the next level, those 5 points pushed him right into level 2.
So that's what maxed-out talent did.
He'd asked the system before about spell level differences.
<> Level 1: Basic usage, object-to-object transfiguration, like turning a stick into a needle or a spoon into a fork.
<> Level 2: Turning creatures into objects, like rats into snuffboxes.
<> Level 3: Silent casting, plus transforming objects into creatures (like turning a desk into a pig, à la McGonagall).
<> Level 4: Wandless casting, plus transforming one creature into another, a much harder task, requiring full biological restructuring.
<> Level 5: Permanent transfiguration.
Charlie's status panel had updated:
[Name: Charlie White]
[Age: 11]
[Magic Talent Ratings (Max Level: 10)]
[Transfiguration: 10]
[Charms: 8]
[Potions: 6]
[Defense Against the Dark Arts: 7]
[Herbology: 4]
[Astronomy: 4]
[History of Magic: 5]
[Tyrant Points: 8]
[Known Spells: Transfiguration (Lv. 2: 0/500), Incendio (Lv. 2: 450/500), Stupefy (Lv. 2: 470/500) …]
"Hey, Charlie," Harry said suddenly.
"We're free this afternoon. I was gonna visit Hagrid. Wanna come?"
Charlie thought for a second, then shook his head. "Nah, I've got other plans."
Sipping tea with Hagrid didn't sound exciting. He had chaos to plan, Tyrant Points didn't earn themselves.
"Alright," Harry said, a little disappointed, but didn't push.
After lunch, Harry and Ron trotted off toward Hagrid's hut, full of anticipation.
Charlie strolled across the lawn alone. Ernie and Justin had gone back to the common room.
It was a breezy September day in the Scottish Highlands. Sunlight broke through the clouds and danced across the ancient castle walls.
Charlie was brainstorming ways to stir up some premium-level trouble.
Just then, he spotted two familiar figures hiding behind a large tree, acting shady as hell.
"Fred, George, what are you two up to?"
He crept up and tapped their shoulders.
"Shhh!" they both hissed, making urgent silence gestures and pointing ahead.
Charlie followed their gaze.
A man in a purple turban was pacing along the lake, glancing around nervously every few steps.
"Professor Quirrell?" Charlie squinted.
Quirrell taught Defense Against the Dark Arts. In theory, it should've been a class full of badass spells.
But the guy stuttered through his lessons, read straight from the book, and reeked of garlic so badly that even napping in his class was a struggle.
That smell could send a basilisk running.
"Yup," Fred muttered.
"We think he's hiding something."
"What kind of something?" Charlie asked, intrigued.
George pointed at Quirrell's head.
"See that turban? Never takes it off. Not even at meals."
"Exactly," Fred added.
"Back when he taught Muggle Studies, he was normal, balding, sure, but still human. Now he's walking around like an Arabian prince."
Charlie rubbed his chin. He had a hunch.
"Don't you guys want to know what's under that turban?"
The three locked eyes, and grinned like goblins.
"You got a plan?" Fred's eyes sparkled.
"Oh, I've got a plan," Charlie said, slinging an arm around each twin's shoulder.
Three heads leaned in close.
"I'll tell you everything…"
They spent the next while plotting, working out every mischievous detail.
Before long, the sun began to set, and warm lights lit up the castle windows.
"Crap!" Charlie slapped his forehead.
"I almost forgot, Professor McGonagall asked me to see her tonight."
"For what?" George asked.
"Something about Potions class today."
"Well then, don't be late. You do not keep McGonagall waiting," Fred said with mock gravity.
Charlie took off toward the castle at a jog.
"Remember, get the gear ready!" he shouted over his shoulder.
"Leave it to us!" they called back.
McGonagall's office was on the second floor. Charlie jogged the whole way, then stopped at the door.
He straightened his robes, took a deep breath…
And knocked.
#<><><><><><><><><><><><>
35 Advanced Chapters on p(a)treon
p(a)treon.com/Aaltairr