Charles suddenly felt that sitting here might have been a mistake.
Hermione was staring at him expectantly, clearly hoping he would do something—and to his surprise, he actually felt a little pressure under her gaze.
But he couldn't tell her the truth. It wasn't yet time to reveal Quirrell's true identity.
"Maybe Professor Snape is just casting a spell to help Harry steady his broom. Either way, let's focus on getting Harry stable first," Charles said, imitating Snape's tone as he fixed his gaze on Harry's broom and began to chant an incantation.
With his addition, Snape's counterspell grew stronger, immediately suppressing Quirrell's jinx. Harry's broom quickly returned to normal.
Crisis resolved—and Snape's already limited supply of intact robes saved. A win-win situation!
Charles could clearly feel someone in the crowd glaring daggers at him. Without a doubt, it was Quirrell.But he didn't care. Even if the caster had been Voldemort himself, Charles wouldn't have been afraid.
Meanwhile, freed from the curse's control, Harry began plummeting toward the ground—only to catch the Golden Snitch in his mouth just before landing.
After the match, Charles immediately left the stands. Hermione, who had wanted him to seek justice and report Snape to Dumbledore, was furious.
Later, the trio followed Hagrid to his hut, where Hagrid, once again, accidentally let slip the name Nicholas Flamel.
But none of that had anything to do with Charles.
A few days after December arrived, Charles received a package delivered by an owl from Germany.
"The elder wood has finally arrived."
After feeding the owl, Charles took the package to the reserve. Inside was a slab of elder wood roughly the size of a computer keyboard.
"Such a large piece of elder wood… I wonder where Gregorovitch got it."
He estimated that the material could be used to craft several wands. If he ever obtained materials from Giratina or Lunala, he could use this elder wood as a base for their wands as well.
Wandmaking was a delicate craft, and Charles had made quite a few by now. But none had received as much care and precision as the Rainbow Wand.
Before crafting that one, he'd practiced dozens of times on lesser materials.
For this "Destruction Wand," he planned to make it about sixteen inches long—his preferred size. Changing wand lengths too drastically threw off the balance in the hand.
He picked up his carving knife and began to shape the wood. Ever since he'd gained the Technician ability, his craftsmanship had become far more refined.
This wand, once completed, might even surpass the Rainbow Wand in destructive potential.
Still, he decided that if he ever found better materials, he'd remove the wand core and rebuild it from scratch.
By Christmas Day, the Destruction Wand was still unfinished.
That morning, Charles was woken by the sound of countless owls pecking at his window.
Mr. Mime was struggling to manage the chaos—there were simply too many. Each owl swooped into his office, dropped off a package, then flapped away, leaving feathers everywhere.
With a resigned sigh, Mr. Mime used telekinesis to neatly arrange the mountain of presents.
"Why are there so many this year?" Charles muttered, dumbfounded. Normally, he'd be lucky to get three or four gifts, not dozens.
"Let's see… this one's from Dumbledore."
He picked it up, read the card, and shook the box—he could already hear the telltale rustle of candies inside.
"Candy again? How thoughtful of you, Headmaster. Good thing I sent you something smarter this year."
Everyone knew Dumbledore didn't particularly enjoy receiving books as gifts.Of course, Charles hadn't actually given him just books—inside the book covers was a hidden set of sweet Pokéblocks.
Pokéblocks were made from Berries, edible for both Pokémon and humans—though admittedly, some Pokémon had… rather eccentric tastes.
Charles had used Oran Berries this time, crafting a mild sweet-and-sour flavor anyone could enjoy.
As for wool socks—between Beedrill and Mareep, Dumbledore already had plenty. What he truly longed for was never socks, but warmth and companionship.
Snape's gift, on the other hand, was a potion. It looked clear and crystalline—not the kind of thing that would kill you at a glance—but even after using a Scarpin's Revelaspell, Charles couldn't identify its contents. In the end, he didn't dare drink it.
"That damn Snape—he must be trying to poison me! And to think I so kindly sent him a full set of Teacher Certification Exam materials!"
The other professors had sent their own thoughtful gifts. Professor McGonagall's was a set of advanced Transfiguration texts. Professor Flitwick sent his personal notes on Charms.
Professor Sprout's gift was a Christmas cactus, a plant resembling Devil's Snare but far more ornamental. Charles planned to plant it in the reserve.
Kettleburn and Hagrid's gifts were, naturally, magical materials—massive quantities of them. Unicorn hair among them, which for those two was practically pocket change.
Besides the professors, many students had sent him presents as well—most of them girls.
What could he say? The world was, after all, a face-based economy.
In comparison, the gifts he sent out were far fewer.
After sorting through the students' gifts, Charles found there were still several unopened packages left.
"This one's from Fudge? That guy really knows how to butter people up."
The Minister for Magic's gift was an alchemical artifact—not something Charles could really use, but he accepted it nonetheless.
There was also a gift and letter of blessing from Nicholas Flamel, which Charles carefully set aside.
Then he picked up the final package.
"What's this?"
Inside was a box of Chocolate Frogs, along with a collectible card tucked beside it.
Printed on the card was a moving photograph—of himself. On the back was a detailed introduction.
Charles Gold, current professor at Hogwarts.
Major achievements include:
— Expelled from Hogwarts in his third year.
— Defeated twenty-five pure-blood wizards in a single duel.
— The youngest professor in Hogwarts history.
— Discovered a new species—Pokémon.
— Founded a brand-new course: Pokémon Mastery.
— Helped establish Pokémon protection offices and laws.
— Currently serves as the Head of the Official Pokémon Battle Club.
Below that was a letter explaining that they wished to include him in the Chocolate Frog card collection. The enclosed card was a trial print, and if he was dissatisfied, he could mail it back.
Charles: "???"
"I got printed on a Chocolate Frog card?"
"At least pay me a portrait fee!"
He was stunned. He'd never imagined he'd end up on a Chocolate Frog card. This was—the highest "honor" in the wizarding world!
…Too bad there'd be no payment. Wizards didn't care about things like copyright.
(End of Chapter)