When Charlie returned to the Hufflepuff common room, the little wizards were laughing and chatting away, completely unaware of the chaos that had unfolded in the castle earlier.
As far as they were concerned, if the school let the feast continue, then things couldn't be that serious. The professors would handle it.
Ernie was the first to notice Charlie's return. Beaming, he brought out the food he'd saved, he knew Charlie had been in detention with Snape that night.
"Charlie, look at this! Roasted pumpkin meat, special for Halloween. It's amazing."
"You didn't run into anything weird on the way back, did you?"
"Not much. Just a troll."
"Oh, a troll, wait, WHAT?!"
Ernie nearly choked, but the common room was so noisy that no one else really noticed.
"You must've been rescued by a professor, thank Merlin. Good thing you're alright!"
In his mind, Charlie was strong, but he was still a first-year. Trolls were Class 4X dangerous creatures. No way someone like Charlie could've handled one alone.
Charlie simply smiled and didn't bother explaining.
Later, back in the dormitory, Charlie opened up his system panel:
[His Majesty: Charlie White]
[Age: 11]
[Magical Aptitude (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: 968]
[Learned Spells: Transfiguration (Lv.2: 280/500), Incendio (Lv.3: 60/1000), Stupefy (Lv.3: 100/1000), Expelliarmus (Lv.2: 210/500), Protego (Lv.2: 380/500)...]
Despite many recent lottery pulls, he hadn't gotten anything truly impressive, no rare skills or aptitude points, but he had at least leveled up most of his key spells to Level 2.
"System, initiate draw!"
[Each pull costs 10 Tyrant Points. You may draw 96 times. Proceed with all?]
A blinding burst of spinning icons filled his vision, and a rush of magical knowledge flooded his brain.
[Congratulations! +50 Stupefy proficiency]
[Congratulations! +30 Expelliarmus proficiency]
[Congratulations! +40 Impedimenta proficiency]
[Congratulations! +60 Incendio proficiency]
[Congratulations! +2 Aptitude Points]
[Congratulations! Acquired: Expecto Patronum (Level 1)]
...
A wall of rewards filled his vision, so many he almost went cross-eyed.
But what truly thrilled him were the two Aptitude Points… and the Expecto Patronum spell.
"System, invest both Aptitude Points into Charms."
[Charms Aptitude: 8 → 10]
Instantly, Charlie felt his senses sharpen, his mind clearer than ever.
All those vague magical theories now clicked into place with startling clarity. Even the proficiency levels of his learned charms rose across the board.
It felt as if someone had flipped a switch in his brain.
Then came the rush of information about the newly acquired Expecto Patronum.
A highly advanced spell used to conjure a Patronus, a being of pure positive energy designed to repel dark creatures like Dementors.
At his current level, Charlie could only emit a silvery light from his wand tip, a far cry from a full corporeal Patronus. But still…
"I wonder what my Patronus will be," Charlie murmured, stroking his chin.
In theory, a Patronus's form reflected the caster's heart and personality.
His updated panel now read:
[His Majesty: Charlie White]
[Age: 11]
[Magical Aptitude (Max: Level 10)]
• Transfiguration: 10
• Charms: 10
• Potions: 6
• Defense Against the Dark Arts: 7
• Herbology: 4
• Astronomy: 4
• History of Magic: 5
[Tyrant Points: 8]
[Learned Spells: (Omitted for brevity)]
His three Level 3 spells were now Incendio, Stupefy, and Protego.
Incendio and Stupefy were already halfway to their next upgrade.
Satisfied, Charlie closed the panel and quickly drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, something felt off the moment Charlie stepped out of the dormitory.
As he walked down the hallway, students fell silent whenever they saw him, whispering furtively the moment he passed.
Charlie didn't think much of it. All he wanted was to get to class and take a good nap. The Halloween feast had gone late last night, and he was groggy as hell.
After a long sleepy morning of lessons, Ernie dragged him to the Great Hall for lunch.
No sooner had they sat down than a pair of redheads came barreling over.
"Charlie!" Fred plopped into the seat across from him.
"Ron says you took down a troll!" George said, sliding in beside his brother.
"Is it true?"
Only then did Charlie realize why everyone had been staring at him earlier.
"Yep," Charlie replied, slicing into his steak without a care.
Ernie dropped his fork into his plate with a clatter.
"You what?! You actually beat a troll? But last night you said a professor saved you!"
"I didn't say that. You said that," Charlie replied coolly.
"..."
Ernie thought about it… and realized he had, in fact, made that assumption.
Well… who could blame him? What kind of first-year takes down a troll?
Fred and George exchanged excited glances, clearly hyped.
"Come on, give us the details!" Fred urged.
"There are already some crazy rumors going around," George added.
"Someone said you're actually the Troll Prince, and the troll came to escort you back to your kingdom, but you refused, so you beat the crap out of it."
Charlie nearly choked on his steak.
"What the hell kind of fanfic is that?"
"Well, no one really believes it," George shrugged.
"The upper-year girls heard it and called the guy a bloody idiot."
Fred waggled his brows.
"You're pretty popular with the older girls, you know."
Charlie ignored the twin gossip and instead focused on a practical matter still on his mind.
"Ernie, do you know anyone who can make armor?"
Ernie paused mid-sip of pumpkin juice.
"Armor? You want armor?"
"Dumbledore agreed to give me some troll hide last night. I want to make some protective gear out of it."
Despite still being a little miffed that Charlie hadn't told him about the fight, Ernie answered seriously.
"If it's armor you're after, goblins are the best bet. Their craftsmanship with weapons and armor is top-notch."
"But not many wizards use them anymore, magic's way more versatile than melee gear these days."
"Because of that, goblin smiths are becoming pretty rare. I wouldn't know who to go to."
Charlie pondered for a moment.
Then a name came to mind, someone who might just know a goblin craftsman.
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