After finishing the gift-giving marathon, Charlie finally had time to check his own haul.
Piled beside his bed was a glorious stack of gift boxes, big, small, neat, crumpled… the sheer volume was enough to make him grin with satisfaction.
Clearly, he was popular.
He picked up the first one. The label read: Professor Flitwick.
Inside was a copy of Advanced Spellwork: Annotated Edition, along with a note:
"If you want to learn Apparition, keep working hard."
Next came Professor McGonagall's gift, a newly released issue of Transfiguration Today, essentially the transfiguration world's latest academic journal.
Both books were clearly expensive, the kind that normal shops didn't even carry, cutting-edge material in their fields.
The professors' expectations for Charlie were clear as day.
Too bad neither book was of any real use to him.
Compared to studying, drawing spells from the system is faster and more efficient.
Besides, studying didn't earn Tyrant Points. No Tyrant Points meant no spins, no spins meant no new spells.
Which meant, studying = not studying.
All the system's fault.
Charlie would love to flip through those books.
[...]
Sprout had sent a lovely tin of biscuits.
Charlie tried a few, they were actually pretty good.
Then he looked around, where was Snape's gift?
"…That old bat. Nothing? Not even a thank-you?"
"My 13-in-1 shampoo was wasted on you!"
"How rude. Next time I'll mix the potion ingredients during detention, see if you survive."
Grumbling, he moved on.
Harry and Ron had sent a giant bag of Chocolate Frogs.
Fred and George gifted him a box of trick sweets.
Ernie sent a Hufflepuff badge and a formal tie clip, classic House pride.
Justin… sent an entire volume of Victoria's Secret.
Charlie glanced toward the door, let out a relieved sigh, thank Merlin Grandma White wasn't here.
He tucked the book under his pillow.
A disgrace. Must thoroughly "criticize" it later.
The final gift was from Hermione.
The box was small, but elegantly wrapped.
Inside was a silver alarm clock.
"…What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie arched a brow.
"She thinks I'm always late to class?"
"I'm always on time! Just barely, but it still counts!"
Despite the grumbling, Charlie's heart felt warm.
Maybe these gifts weren't all useful, but each one represented care and affection.
They meant he'd truly become part of Hogwarts… part of this world.
Lying back on the bed, Charlie sighed in satisfaction.
"Alright, time to spin."
He opened his system panel, 1,200 Tyrant Points saved up.
"System, give me 120 spins!"
A golden roulette wheel began spinning in his mind, and Charlie watched with bated breath.
[Congratulations: Levitation Charm Proficiency +10]
[Congratulations: Shield Charm Proficiency +15]
[Congratulations: Free Attribute Point Gained]
...
The next dozen or so were just upgrades to spells he already had. Useful, but… underwhelming.
At least the free point was decent.
But both Transfiguration and Charms were already maxed out at Level 10, so he stored the point for later.
In his heart, Charlie kept chanting:
"Sectum, Apparition, Sectum, Apparition…"
Spin after spin, his hopes waned. Nothing new.
Not even a single new spell.
Just as he was about to give up…
[Congratulations: Densaugeo Proficiency +25]
[Congratulations: Sectumsempra acquired]
Charlie bolted upright.
"Sectumsempra?! What is that?!"
[Sectumsempra is a Dark Magic spell invented by Professor Snape. Far more lethal than Sectum Quadra.]
[Wounds inflicted cannot heal without the counter-curse.]
"Snape invented spells? And this one's unhealable?"
"So sinister… totally his vibe."
Charlie leapt from his bed in excitement.
"I have to try this out!"
He stepped out into the orphanage backyard.
It was quiet, save for the faint chirping of winter bugs.
Charlie found a stone the size of a football and placed it in the center of the yard.
"Sectumsempra."
He murmured, flicked his wand.
A formless blade of magic shot forth, slicing clean through the rock.
It split perfectly in two, the cut smooth like glass.
Charlie's eyes lit up.
"If I had this during the goblin fight, I could've dropped them all in one shot."
"Finally! A proper offensive spell!"
Then a thought struck him.
"But wait… this is Dark Magic. Didn't Quirrell say Dark spells can affect your mind?"
Quirrell was shady, sure, but as the DADA([Defence Against the Dark Arts]) professor, he should know the basics.
[Don't worry, Your Majesty. All spells obtained via the system have no such side effects. They will not corrupt your mind.]
Reassured, Charlie opened his system panel to review the full draw results.
[Player: Charlie White]
[Age: 11]
[Magical Aptitude (Max: 10):
<> Transfiguration: 10
<> Charms: 10
<> Potions: 6
<> D.A.D.A: 7 *[Defence Against the Dark Arts]
<> Herbology: 4
<> Astronomy: 4
<> History of Magic: 5**
[Tyrant Points: 0]
[Free Attribute Points: 1]
[Learned Spells:
Transfiguration (Level 3: 0/1000)
Incendio (Level 3: 800/1000)
Stupefy (Level 3: 760/1000)
Expelliarmus (Level 3: 0/1000)
Protego (Level 3: 380/1000)
Sectumsempra (New!)**
Most of his spells had reached Level 3, strong enough for non-verbal casting.
Even Transfiguration was at Level 3, which meant he could now transfigure inanimate objects into living creatures.
To Charlie, that was what made a wizard truly lethal.
Just imagine: if you wanted to assassinate someone, all you had to do was transfigure a fly and poison their food. No trace. Silent death.
He'd heard Voldemort killed thousands with Dark Magic during the First War…
Foolish.
If it were him, he'd conjure swarms of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Within a week, London would fall.
This is why brains matter.
If you're going to be a Dark Lord, at least be a smart one.
Time flew.
It felt like break had just started, yet it was already time to return.
Charlie packed his ticket, hugged Grandma White goodbye, and headed for King's Cross Station.
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