Charlie, Please forgive me.
The past few days have been…
rather unusual, so it isn’t convenient for us to meet for now.
I’ll send the books you’ve requested.
Study them at your own pace.
Once things have settled down, I’ll come to see you again.
—Severus Snape Charlie stared at the letter in silence.
The past few days have been unusual?
Laying low?
What happened?
If I remember correctly, nothing major should have happened around this time.
Aside from teaching and conducting research, Snape shouldn’t have had anything especially important to deal with.
Charlie shook his head.
He couldn’t figure it out.
Before long…
He went to bed.
Two days later…
The books Snape had gathered for Charlie finally arrived.
A nun, along with several children from the orphanage, carried the heavy stack into Charlie’s room.
“Thank you.” Charlie casually handed the children a few coins.
They immediately beamed with excitement.
Among everyone in the orphanage…
Charlie undoubtedly lived the most comfortably.
He always seemed to have ingenious ways of making money.
Whenever he needed help, everyone eagerly volunteered.
Even if they earned nothing else…
Charlie would at least buy them some snacks afterward.
“My dear Charlie.” “What have you been reading lately?” The nun looked at the pile of books, nearly half the height of the table, in surprise.
“Oh…” “I’m trying to learn a few magic tricks.” “Magic tricks?” “Charlie, your interests really do change all the time.” The nun couldn’t help laughing before leaving the room.
Charlie was finally alone.
He picked up the first book.
Wands and Wizard Compatibility Then another.
A Practical Study on the Feasibility of Wandless Magic And another.
The Common Magical Traits Between Fantastic Beasts and Humans …
This time…
Every book had been selected according to Charlie’s own requirements.
Rather than requesting specific titles…
He had simply given Snape a list of subjects.
Fortunately…
Hogwarts’ library possessed an unimaginably vast collection.
Nearly every book Charlie wanted could be found there.
Many were copies of ancient manuscripts and lifelong research notes left behind by legendary witches and wizards.
They were incredibly precious.
And exceptionally profound.
Following his usual routine…
Charlie took a sip of water.
Closed his eyes.
And entered a state of complete concentration.
You have acquired extensive knowledge regarding wizarding wands.
Insight gained: Optimized Wand-Crafting Theory.
You have finished reading A Practical Study on the Feasibility of Wandless Magic.
Insight gained: Basic Wandless Casting.
Through your in-depth research into the shared magical properties of magical creatures…
Insight gained: Soul Possession Magic.
As time passed…
Charlie’s mind was flooded with an overwhelming torrent of knowledge.
Countless fragments of information surged through his consciousness like a storm.
Breaking apart.
Recombining.
Optimizing.
Evolving.
A full day and night passed…
Before Charlie finally stopped to rest.
When he woke the following morning…
He felt noticeably refreshed.
Thanks to everything he had accumulated previously…
Combined with the books Snape had sent…
This round of study had yielded enormous rewards.
His understanding had expanded in nearly every area.
For example…
He now possessed a solid theoretical foundation for crafting wands.
In fact…
Charlie had the strange feeling that if he held any wand…
He would instantly perceive every flaw within it.
But the insight that pleased him most…
Was undoubtedly wandless magic.
Ordinarily…
A wizard relied heavily upon a wand.
A wand allowed magic to flow more smoothly.
It strengthened spellcasting.
Improved compatibility with spells.
Increased power.
Its advantages were obvious.
Which was why virtually every wizard used one.
Naturally…
There were disadvantages as well.
Some spells required lengthy preparation.
Others took several minutes to cast.
A wizard also had to carry a wand everywhere.
Those who relied entirely upon their wands…
Were scarcely different from Muggles once they lost them.
Of course…
Some exceptional wizards had mastered limited forms of wandless magic.
Snape was one of them.
Charlie remembered clearly.
During Harry’s first Quidditch match…
Snape had silently cast a counter-curse without using obvious wand movements, attempting to protect Harry from another wizard’s interference.
Only to be completely misunderstood.
However…
Snape’s wandless casting was limited to only a handful of spells.
Most magic still required a wand.
Charlie’s newly awakened ability was entirely different.
It meant…
The overwhelming majority of wizarding spells…
Could now be cast without a wand.
That made Charlie extremely satisfied.
After all…
He didn’t even own a wand yet.
With this ability…
Many things would become far more convenient.
The final—and perhaps most remarkable—insight…
Was Soul Possession Magic.
This spell had emerged after Charlie studied numerous books about magical creatures.
Its effects were astonishing.
It allowed his consciousness to temporarily possess ordinary animals or magical creatures.
If Charlie focused on a crow…
Or an owl…
Once he activated the spell…
The owl’s vision would become his own.
It could even speak on Charlie’s behalf.
The technique resembled Voldemort’s Horcruxes in certain respects.
Except…
There was nothing dark or immortal about it.
Even if the possessed creature died…
Charlie himself would suffer no harm.
Overall…
He was extremely pleased with this new ability.
It would make operating within the non-magical world far easier.
For example…
He hadn’t seen his troublesome little brother Harry in more than nine years.
When the opportunity arose…
He could simply possess an owl…
And secretly check on Harry.
That wasn’t a bad idea at all.
Judging by the timeline…
Harry was probably enduring a miserable life at his aunt’s house.
The moment Charlie stepped outside…
The nun stopped him.
Another letter.
From Snape.
Charlie thanked her softly before opening the envelope.
Charlie, Meet me at the Old Street Café.
I’ll come find you there.
—Snape After waiting for so long…
His dependable elder finally reached out again.
If Snape had delayed much longer…
Charlie would have started wondering whether the man had disappeared altogether.