Charles wasn't in any rush about the mission. After all, the reward wasn't going anywhere. Even if he didn't lift a finger, the Horcruxes would eventually be destroyed anyway. All he had to do was sit back and collect the rewards.
First-year lessons took place on Monday afternoons.
When Charles was still setting up in the classroom, a bushy-haired girl had already arrived. She took a seat in the very front row, and the textbook in her hands looked as though it had been read dozens of times over the summer.
Hermione Granger—she looked almost exactly like her movie counterpart, though her front teeth were a little larger. She was neat and tidy, which probably meant Professor Sprout hadn't made the first-years get their hands dirty right away in Herbology.
Back in his own school days, Charles had never been fond of Herbology or Potions. His grades were excellent, yes—but he hated dealing with herbs, magical plants, and foul-smelling potion ingredients.
Especially when Snape punished students by making them help with ingredient preparation. That was a nauseating experience he never forgot.
"Good afternoon, Professor Gold," Hermione greeted brightly, completely unafraid of strangers.
"Hello, Hermione Granger," Charles replied with a small smile. Though it was their first meeting, every Hogwarts student's robe came with a name badge, so introductions were hardly necessary.
Hermione looked as though she was bursting with questions, but since class was about to begin, she forced herself to hold back.
Before long, the rest of the students began arriving one after another. Because Harry already knew Charles from before, he felt naturally close to him—it was Charles and Hagrid who had rescued him from that dreadful place and even given him a birthday present.
So the moment he entered, he grabbed his friends and chose seats right up front.
"Hello, Professor," Harry said cheerfully. Having not yet experienced Snape's Potions lessons, his face still shone with optimism. Of course, the morning's History of Magic and Herbology classes had been less than thrilling. Apart from the ghostly professor, he didn't see what made any of it "magical."
"Hello, Harry," Charles greeted back. Then his gaze dropped toward Harry's desk. "But you two brought the wrong textbooks."
"What?" Harry's smile froze.
"Oh my goodness, how could you bring Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?" Hermione leaned over, eyes wide in disbelief. "That's for Defense Against the Dark Arts! Didn't you read the supply list properly? It clearly says the textbook for Pokémon Mastery is Pokémon Encyclopedia!"
"We're sorry, sir. We must've mixed them up," Harry said sheepishly.
"It's fine—just remember next time. I'm guessing you won't be the only ones." Charles said with a knowing glance—he'd already spotted a third offender.
—Neville Longbottom.
Ah, of course. Three members of the same dormitory—what a combination.
Neville hadn't yet realized his mistake. The moment he saw his dormmates, he jogged over happily, eyes filled with admiration for Charles.
During the summer, he'd read about Professor Gold in the Daily Prophet. His grandmother had told him: This professor walks the path of heaven… a truly extraordinary wizard.
"Neville, you brought the wrong book too!" Ron groaned in despair.
Neville froze, panic flashing across his face.
Soon enough, all the students had arrived just before the bell rang.
"All right, everyone, quiet please." Charles took out the attendance list and began calling names one by one. Whenever he reached a Slytherin student, he made a point of kindly asking about their families.
Most first-years didn't really understand why, though some had heard rumors. The Daily Prophet had indeed reported on the event, but under the influence of the pure-blood families, the paper hadn't explicitly mentioned who Charles had defeated—preserving their "honor," such as it was.
Even so, quite a few students had begun to put two and two together.
Draco Malfoy, for instance, was far more polite than he had been back in Diagon Alley. After returning home that day, both his mother and his father—once Lucius had returned from his business trip a week later—had sternly warned him to show proper respect to Professor Gold.
Though judging by his expression, Draco still wasn't entirely convinced.
"Good. No absences." Charles set the roll aside, and with a wave of his wand, the blackboard shimmered and transformed—displaying slides not unlike a Muggle PowerPoint presentation.
"My name is Charles Gold. From this year until your seventh year, I will be teaching you a brand-new subject—Pokémon Mastery."
"'Pokémon' sounds quite similar to 'Fantastic Beasts,' doesn't it?(TL Note:In the Original) I noticed that about ten of you brought the wrong books—but don't worry. We won't be using textbooks for the first lesson."
A collective sigh of relief rippled through the class, especially among those who had only just realized their mistake.
"Before we begin, can anyone tell me—what exactly is a Pokémon?"
At once, a hand shot up.
"Excellent. Miss Granger, please."
Hermione stood proudly, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Pokémon—also called Pocket Monsters or simply Pokémon—are mysterious and fascinating creatures. Much about their ecology remains unknown to humankind.
"Pokémon hatch from eggs, and many of them can evolve into other Pokémon, becoming larger or more powerful. They can learn and use a variety of moves, which they use in battles or other activities.
"According to their traits, Pokémon are divided into eighteen types. For example, Pikachu is an Electric-type Pokémon, while Raticate is a Normal-type. Some Pokémon have dual types—like Charizard, which is a Fire- and Flying-type Pokémon. Type matchups determine how effective moves are in battle."
Hermione recited the textbook definition perfectly, then looked up at Charles expectantly.
"Very good. Two points to Gryffindor."
Harry and Ron turned toward her, staring as though she'd just grown another head.
But Hermione wasn't done yet. She raised her hand again, curiosity burning in her eyes. "Professor, the textbook says there are eighteen Pokémon types, but among the 146 species listed, there are no Dark-types. Why is that?"
"Excellent question. The answer is simple—the 146 Pokémon listed in your textbook are not the full roster. When you reach your second year, you'll begin studying Dark-type Pokémon." Charles motioned for her to sit down.
At that moment, to everyone's surprise, Draco Malfoy raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco stood, his tone teetering between arrogance and skepticism.
"Excuse me, Professor, but I grew up in the wizarding world. I've never heard of any such thing as Pokémon. Are you sure these creatures really exist? Or are they just stories? Otherwise, why wouldn't my father have mentioned them?"
He flipped open his book at random, smirking. "If they do exist, then I think I'll have my father buy me one."
(End of Chapter)