Charlie returned to his room and gently closed the door behind him.
He opened his Undetectable Extension Trunk and climbed down the ladder inside.
After Dumbledore's second round of enchantments, this was no longer the crude and cramped space it used to be.
The trunk's interior had been expanded several times over.
At Charlie's insistence, it was now divided into four distinct regions: plains, forest, hills, and snow mountains.
Each zone had its own purpose.
The plains were perfect for running, the forest mysterious and quiet, the hills offered gentle slopes and scenic height, and the snow mountains, perpetually frozen, served as a natural refrigerator.
Norbert's food was stored there.
As soon as Charlie stepped into the trunk, a massive figure came charging over from the hilly region.
The Norwegian Ridgeback was now almost the size of Hagrid's hut.
Its black scales shimmered under the sunlight, and with every step it took, it exuded the grandeur of a fire dragon.
But the moment it spotted Charlie, all that majesty instantly vanished.
Norbert skidded to a stop in front of him, lowered his massive head, and looked up with eyes full of flattery.
Its tail swayed nervously across the ground.
Clearly, the psychological trauma Charlie had left ran deep.
"Do your thing. Don't mind me," Charlie said casually, then headed toward the forest zone.
Storm should be in that area. During summer break, he'd need Storm to deliver letters again.
It was best to let the owl readjust to the outside world.
Norbert got excited. With a powerful flap of his wings, he soared toward the snow mountains.
He dug around in one of the snowdrifts for a while, then returned with a large frozen slab of meat clamped in his jaws.
This was meat Hagrid had stockpiled for him, stored in the snow to keep it fresh.
Norbert dropped the raw meat at the entrance of his nest, then opened his jaws and unleashed a wave of orange-red flames.
The fire engulfed the meat, sizzling audibly.
Not long after, Charlie returned with Storm.
Norbert stopped breathing fire and used a claw to push the roasted meat over to Charlie.
Then he looked up with eager eyes, clearly awaiting praise.
Charlie stared at the incomprehensible lump of charred blackness before him. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Thanks, but I'm not hungry."
He declined Norbert's kind offering.
Norbert blinked in confusion, then assumed Charlie really wasn't hungry, so he began eating it himself.
With loud crunches, his huge teeth tore into the blackened meat, scattering charcoal bits all over the ground.
Rudy poked his head out from a cave nearby, scowling at the sight.
What the hell is that thing even eating?
Charlie climbed out of the trunk with Storm.
Storm remembered this place, it had lived here for a full month before the start of school.
It flew straight to the windowsill and perched there, gazing into the distance with deep, solemn eyes.
Without me, I wonder if that little lady falcon in the owlery misses me…
…
Anyone who's gone to school knows the golden rule of summer break: for the first three days, you're a guest. After that, you're a freeloader.
Stay in and they say you're turning into a hermit. Go out and they say you're never home. Don't help and you're called lazy. Try helping and they say you're all thumbs.
Charlie was now in that very situation.
His dreams were shattered early in the morning by Granny White's lion-like roar.
"Charlie! That owl outside is about to smash the window! If you don't get up now, I'll stew it for lunch!"
Charlie groggily climbed out of bed.
He rubbed his eyes and stumbled to the window, where a gray owl was pecking insistently at the glass with its beak.
"Alright, alright, stop that."
He opened the window and let it in.
It was an official Ministry owl, with a small badge clipped to its leg.
It landed on Charlie's desk and stretched out its leg for him to take the letter.
Charlie casually reached into the drawer and pulled out a piece of jerky, Storm's favorite snack.
"Thanks for the hard work. Here, have something good."
The owl's eyes lit up and it was just about to dig in when it suddenly felt a chill run down its spine.
It slowly turned its head.
Storm was perched on the windowsill, staring at it with a gaze full of threat and dominance.
The Ministry owl froze. It sheepishly nudged the jerky toward Storm, then hunched its shoulders and waited quietly as Charlie opened the letter.
Unaware of this minor drama behind him, Charlie tore open the envelope and pulled out a golden-embossed invitation.
"Mr. Charlie White,
In recognition of your outstanding achievement in developing and publicly releasing the Soul-Healing Elixir, the entire Wizengamot has unanimously decided to award you the Order of Merlin, Second Class.
Please report to the Ministry of Magic at 10:00 a.m. on July 10 to attend the investiture ceremony."
At the bottom was a handwritten postscript from Dumbledore:
"I'll come pick you up on July 10. Wear something formal.
Albus Dumbledore"
Charlie finished reading the letter, unsurprised.
With Dumbledore backing him and his own contributions being what they were, getting approval had been a sure thing from the start.
…
The morning of July 10 arrived.
Charlie put on the formal robes he'd bought from Madam Malkin's.
Just as he finished, a knock came from the front door.
Charlie went downstairs to open it.
Dumbledore stood outside, dressed in a deep purple robe with various medals pinned to his chest. He looked especially dignified today.
"Good morning, Charlie. Are you ready?"
"Ready, Professor Dumbledore."
Dumbledore nodded in approval.
"Excellent. You look quite sharp. Come, we mustn't be late."
The two of them walked into a quiet alleyway, where Dumbledore drew his wand.
"Take my arm. We'll Apparate straight there."
Charlie grabbed his arm, and in the next instant, the world spun wildly around him.
By the time he came to his senses, they were standing on a bustling street in the heart of London.
"Where are we?" Charlie looked around at the Muggle shops and office buildings.
"The entrance to the Ministry of Magic is right here." Dumbledore pointed toward a red telephone booth ahead.
"Follow me."
They stepped into the booth. Dumbledore dialed a number.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and purpose."
A female voice came through the speaker.
"Albus Dumbledore, accompanying Charlie White to attend the award ceremony."
"Identity confirmed. Please wear your visitor badges."
Two silver badges dropped out of the phone, engraved with their names and purpose.
Dumbledore handed one to Charlie.
"Put it on, and we can go down."
The phone booth suddenly began to descend, like an elevator.
Through the glass, Charlie could see a whole underground world opening up beneath them.
Before long, the booth came to a stop and the doors opened automatically.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic."
Charlie stepped out.
Before him was a massive underground atrium, with a ceiling so high it vanished into shadow.
Wizards in colorful robes bustled back and forth, some carrying briefcases, others holding stacks of documents.
In the center stood a massive fountain, its sculptures depicting various magical creatures.
"Stick close. Don't get lost," Dumbledore reminded him.
They wove through the crowd and arrived at a row of elevators.
"We're heading to the eighth floor, that's the Ministry's main hall. All large-scale ceremonies are held there."
The elevator was packed. Charlie overheard a few people chatting about work.
"We've been investigating those Dark artifacts for weeks. At this point, they've already stashed them who-knows-where. There's nothing left to find."
"Shh! Keep your voice down. That's the Minister's order. He's not in a good mood lately. Watch yourself."
The elevator stopped and started several times before finally reaching the eighth floor.
Dumbledore led Charlie out and brought him to a pair of massive oak doors.
"Ready?" Dumbledore asked.
Charlie took a deep breath and nodded.
"Let's go."
Dumbledore pushed open the doors.
Inside was a vast, circular hall, filled with wizards and witches gathered to witness the ceremony.
<><>---------------------------------------
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💥> Naruto: Mind Control (Highly Recommended)
💥> Bleach: Sephiroth Template
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