“That was amazing!” Ron enthusiastically waved his hands while chewing on an ear of sweetcorn in the Great Hall.
Ever since Charlotte had slapped Malfoy off his broomstick, Ron had been in an exceptionally good mood.
He looked as though he had been the one to knock Malfoy down himself.
Beside him, Hermione rolled her eyes repeatedly.
She simply couldn’t understand boys.
Did everything really have to be settled with a duel?
“You should be grateful Malfoy didn’t report you to Madam Hooch.” “Otherwise, we’d all have lost House points.” “He won’t.” Charlotte smiled.
“From Malfoy’s point of view…” “Being defeated by a Mudblood is already humiliating enough.” “If he then ran to a teacher to complain…” “It would be even more disgraceful.” “So instead of reporting us…” “He’ll only think about getting his revenge.” Harry was equally excited.
“Charlotte.” “You should join the Quidditch team too.” “Your flying talent is even better than mine.” During the remainder of that morning’s flying lesson, Harry had demonstrated astonishing natural talent.
By sheer coincidence, Professor McGonagall had witnessed it firsthand.
Breaking a long-standing rule, she immediately recruited him to the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Harry thus became the youngest Seeker Hogwarts had seen in a century.
Charlotte nodded.
“Actually…” “I’m planning to visit Professor Flitwick after lunch.” “I want to join the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.” “I’ve discovered Quidditch is actually quite interesting.” Ron laughed triumphantly.
“I told you!” “You’d all end up loving Quidditch.” “Next year, I’ll try out for the Gryffindor team too.” “Then we’ll get to play against each other.” After lunch…
Charlotte headed straight to Professor Flitwick’s office.
Seeing Charlotte arrive, Flitwick looked surprised for only a moment before breaking into a delighted smile.
Over the past two days, nearly every professor at Hogwarts had praised Charlotte’s remarkable performance.
That was an extremely rare occurrence for Ravenclaw.
Thanks largely to Charlotte, Ravenclaw was currently leading all four Houses in the House Cup standings.
“So…” “You wish to join the Ravenclaw Quidditch team?” “Yes, Professor Flitwick.” Charlotte nodded.
“I’ve discovered that I have an exceptional talent for flying.” “If possible…” “I’d like to help Ravenclaw bring home the Quidditch Cup.” Flitwick smiled warmly.
“I’ve no doubt you possess remarkable flying talent.” “After all…” “You’ve excelled in every subject so far.” “If you wish to join the team, then I gladly approve.” “I’ll speak with Roger.” “You’ll become Ravenclaw’s youngest Seeker.” “Thank you, Professor.” As always…
Professor Flitwick truly was one of the kindest teachers at Hogwarts.
He treated every student with warmth and patience.
He rarely became angry.
Nor did he enjoy punishing students.
Even Malfoy—who constantly flaunted his pure-blood status—was unfailingly respectful whenever he met Professor Flitwick.
He never dared mock the professor’s height or heritage.
A short while later…
A remarkably handsome older student entered the office.
It was Roger Davies.
Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.
And one of its Chasers.
Although Ravenclaw hadn’t achieved particularly impressive Quidditch results under his leadership…
His handsome appearance and excellent flying skills had still earned him plenty of admirers throughout Hogwarts.
Flitwick gestured towards Charlotte.
“Roger.” “From today onwards…” “Charlotte will be joining the team as our Seeker.” “I hope you’ll take good care of him.” “And I very much hope Ravenclaw achieves better results this year.” Roger looked visibly surprised.
Charlotte was incredibly young.
Still…
He trusted Professor Flitwick’s judgement.
After giving Charlotte a careful look, Roger nodded.
“Lightweight.” “Quick.” “He certainly has the build for a Seeker.” “But we’ll need to find him a suitable broom.” “Perhaps a brand-new Nimbus 2000…” “Or a Cleansweep Seven.” Flitwick smiled.
“I’ll take care of that.” Turning to Charlotte, he asked, “Which would you prefer?” “The Cleansweep Seven.” Charlotte answered without hesitation.
“Most Ravenclaw players fly Cleansweeps.” “I’d like to use one as well.” The Nimbus 2000 and the Cleansweep Seven were fairly similar in performance.
More importantly…
Charlotte knew Professor McGonagall would soon give Harry a Nimbus 2000.
He wasn’t interested in using exactly the same broom as the protagonist.
Roger smiled approvingly.
He still didn’t know Charlotte’s true abilities…
But judging by his choice of broom…
He seemed like someone who valued the team over personal prestige.
“Good.” “Starting tomorrow…” “You’ll begin training with us.” “I’ll arrange for someone to teach you the fundamentals.” “Hopefully you’ll catch up with the rest of the team quickly.” With Charlotte’s recruitment settled…
Roger took his leave.
Once the captain had gone, Charlotte spoke again.
“Professor Flitwick…” “I have a few questions about Charms.” “I was hoping you could help me.” Flitwick immediately stood up.
“Certainly.” “It would be my pleasure.” “Would you like some cherry soda?” “I’ve added ice and little cocktail umbrellas.” “We can have a drink while we talk.” “That would be wonderful.” “Thank you, Professor.” For the next hour…
Charlotte asked every question that had been troubling him.
Flitwick answered each one patiently.
As one of Hogwarts’ greatest experts in Charms…
His explanations were both clear and remarkably easy to understand.
Even a beginner like Charlotte could quickly grasp the underlying principles.
The reason Charlotte had come to ask these questions was simple.
He had discovered something unusual.
When transformed into a Thunderbird…
He could unleash its supernatural powers naturally.
No wand.
No incantation.
Yet once he returned to human form…
Those same abilities became almost impossible to use.
His wand could still produce lightning.
But the bolts were weak…
Unstable…
And impossible to control.
In actual combat…
They would be practically useless.
Which was why…
Charlotte had decided to create a spell entirely his own.
The Thunderbird form was undeniably powerful.
But it wasn’t suitable for every battlefield.
If he could wield lightning magic while remaining in human form…
Wouldn’t that make him nearly unstoppable?
After bidding Professor Flitwick farewell…
Charlotte returned directly to the Ravenclaw common room.
Flitwick’s explanations had been like a sudden flash of enlightenment.
Many of the questions that had troubled him finally made sense.
His mind was overflowing with ideas he couldn’t wait to test.
If I can truly create lightning magic…
Then the next time I meet Voldemort…
I’ll be sure to give him a very big surprise.