The two Dark Wizards had been killed by lightning.
And now Charlotte had displayed an extraordinary affinity for lightning magic.
As the Ministry’s greatest Auror, Mad-Eye Moody immediately connected the two.
He had never believed in coincidences.
Just as the look in Moody’s eyes grew increasingly serious, Charlotte suddenly stopped walking.
He looked up and said, “Mr Moody, there’s something I think I should tell you.” “What is it?” “The moment I picked up this wand, some images suddenly flashed through my mind.
They seemed to be memories connected to the Dark Wizards Magis Brooke and White Clare from over two months ago.” Charlotte paused before continuing.
“I think I saw a giant golden bird with six wings…
and a man wearing a black suit and a gentleman’s hat.” “What did the man look like?” Moody asked immediately.
Charlotte gently shook his head.
“I couldn’t see his face clearly.
It was as if it was covered by a layer of mist.” Moody frowned slightly while his magical eye spun wildly.
A golden bird with six wings…
Without a doubt, it had been a Thunderbird.
That explained why Charlotte had recovered those memories after touching a wand with a Thunderbird feather core.
In that case, the creature that had killed Magis Brooke and White Clare was very likely an adult Thunderbird.
Everything fit together.
According to the Ministry’s records, Magis and White had hunted and killed a juvenile Thunderbird ten months earlier as part of one of their Dark magic experiments.
There was every chance that the adult Thunderbird had simply taken revenge.
As for the mysterious man in black…
There wasn’t a single clue about his identity.
Having pieced everything together, much of the seriousness disappeared from Moody’s face.
Looking at Charlotte, who was burdened with bags full of school supplies, he quietly let out a breath.
Looks like I was overthinking things.
Charlotte was only eleven years old.
He hadn’t even learned a complete spell yet.
There was simply no way he could have killed two experienced Dark Wizards.
“Have you bought everything you need, Charlotte?” “Yes, Mr Moody.” “Good.” Moody handed him a train ticket.
“Tomorrow, make your own way to King’s Cross Station before eleven o’clock.” “Between Platforms Nine and Ten, you’ll find the third pillar.
That’s the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.” Then, after a brief pause, he added with complete seriousness, “One last piece of advice.” “Never stick your wand in your back trouser pocket.” “If it suddenly catches fire…” “It’ll burn your backside off.” The next instant, his entire body compressed into a single point before vanishing.
Apparition.
Charlotte watched enviously as Moody disappeared.
Only after he was gone did Charlotte quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
Fortunately…
He had managed to fool him.
He had genuinely been worried that Moody might drag him straight to the Ministry and interrogate him with Legilimency—or even Veritaserum.
His Level 2 Occlumency wasn’t foolproof.
The only reason he’d escaped suspicion before was largely because he was a child…
and a victim.
That naturally lowered Moody’s guard.
Charlotte wasn’t a Dark Wizard.
But who knew what would happen if the secret of his transmigration—or his ability to transform into a magical creature—ever became public?
Without Moody constantly watching him, Charlotte relaxed considerably.
He glanced around Diagon Alley before heading towards Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Across the street, he stopped by Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour and bought his favourite vanilla chocolate ice cream.
Only after finishing it did he gather up his school supplies and leave Diagon Alley.
Early the next morning, Charlotte arrived at King’s Cross Station.
Finding the pillar between Platforms Nine and Ten proved effortless.
Passing straight through it, he entered Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
An old-fashioned steam locomotive rested quietly on the tracks, surrounded by students preparing to begin their first year at Hogwarts.
Charlotte stepped aboard with obvious curiosity, looking around at every detail of the train’s interior.
Everything felt wonderfully new.
“Trevor!
Wait for me!
Trevor!” A frantic shout suddenly echoed through the corridor.
Charlotte instinctively turned his head.
A chubby, round-faced boy was running towards him while a plump toad hopped rapidly along the carriage floor.
The moment Charlotte saw both the boy and the toad named Trevor, one name immediately came to mind.
Neville Longbottom.
Seeing Trevor hop to his feet, Charlotte bent down, picked up the toad, and handed it back.
“Thank you!” “Thank you so much!” Neville accepted Trevor gratefully.
Noticing Charlotte’s luggage, he asked, “Are you a new Hogwarts student too?” “I’m Neville Longbottom.” “Charlotte Elvis.” “It’s nice to meet you.” Neville smiled awkwardly before digging out a box of sweets.
“Fizzing Whizzbees.” “They’re my favourite.” “I hope you’ll like them too.” “I’m in one of the carriages further back.” “I’ll put Trevor away first, then come back and chat with you.” Charlotte accepted the sweets and was just about to tell Neville which compartment he was in…
But Neville had already dashed off with Trevor in his arms.
Just like in the books…
Still hopelessly absent-minded.
Using the seat number printed on his ticket, Charlotte found his compartment.
After storing his luggage, he pulled out The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and began reading.
More than anything else, he wanted to learn magic as quickly as possible.
It wasn’t simply because he wanted to become stronger.
He was genuinely fascinated by magic itself.
The book contained numerous practical beginner spells.
While most weren’t particularly useful in combat, they were invaluable in everyday life.
The Repair Charm.
The Unlocking Charm.
The Levitation Charm.
The Wand-Lighting Charm.
And many others.
These simple spells were basic enough that Charlotte felt confident trying them without a professor’s guidance.
Silently recalling the incantation for the Wand-Lighting Charm, he raised his wand.
“Lumos.” Immediately, he felt the magic within his body flow down his arm and into the wand.
A soft white light bloomed at its tip.
It worked!
Joy surged through Charlotte.
He hadn’t expected his very first attempt at casting magic to succeed.
Glancing at his system panel, he noticed that it had already updated.
Name: Charlotte Elvis Age: 11 Race: Human Occupation: Wizard (Animagus) Talent: Thunderstorm Strength: 8 Intelligence: 9 Magic Power: 8 Spells: Occlumency (Level 2)Killing Curse (Level 0)Lumos (Level 0) Skill Points: 0 As long as he successfully cast a spell once, it was considered learned.
From then on, he could simply spend skill points to raise its level instead of repeatedly practising the spell.
Over the past two months, Charlotte had come to understand his system much better.
His ability to cast spells successfully on the first attempt was closely tied to his extraordinary talent.
Ordinarily, an average adult wizard possessed around 8 Strength, 8 Intelligence, and 8 Magic Power.
Even without transforming into a Thunderbird, Charlotte had already reached that standard after fusing with its bloodline.
If not for his lack of magical knowledge…
The eleven-year-old Charlotte would already be qualified to graduate.
In other words…
He was, without question, a genius.
He went on to try several more beginner spells.
Every single one succeeded on the very first attempt.
“Were you just casting magic?” A pleasant voice suddenly spoke from beside him.