"What? Professor Quirrell got beaten to death by Charlie?"
"That's right! I saw it with my own eyes, Charlie hung Quirrell from a tree and whipped him all night long!"
"Merlin's tweezers! Why would Charlie do that to Quirrell?"
"Rumor has it that Quirrell looked at Charlie the wrong way, and Charlie clubbed him unconscious for it."
"No wonder today's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was self-study."
Overhearing the growing buzz of whispers, Charlie rolled his eyes and glanced across the hall toward the Gryffindor table.
How the hell did these absurd rumors even start? Which two bastards were responsible?
The moment Harry and Ron saw Charlie looking over, they shoved their heads down into their plates, nearly dunking their noses into their pumpkin juice.
What the hell had the rumor turned into?
It wasn't like they did it on purpose. They'd only said Quirrell was a Dark wizard and that Charlie had defeated him. How did that spiral into this mess?
Ernie leaned over curiously.
"Charlie, did you really hang Professor Quirrell and beat him?"
Justin grinned with a weird gleam in his eyes.
"Man, that's so twisted, I love it."
Bro, something's seriously wrong with you.
Charlie shoved their heads down into their plates. "Eat your Stargazing Stew and shut up."
After lunch, Charlie stood up and headed toward Hagrid's hut.
The moment he stood, students from every House except Hufflepuff instantly fell silent and buried their heads in their meals.
Now this... this was what you called eating with fear.
As for Hufflepuffs? Well, they were already buried in their meals anyway.
Shaking his head helplessly, Charlie left the Great Hall, deciding to check in on Hagrid.
Hagrid still didn't know the full details of what had happened yesterday, he'd only been told to rescue a unicorn.
Seeing Charlie leave, Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly got up and followed.
The walk to Hagrid's cabin was peaceful, with the warm spring sun shining on their faces, lifting their spirits.
Before long, they reached Hagrid's door.
Knock knock.
"Who is it?" Hagrid's deep voice boomed from inside.
"It's us, Hagrid!" Harry called.
With a creak, the door swung open, and Hagrid's big, bearded face peeked out.
"Oh! Come on in, kids, come on in." Hagrid stepped aside to let them in.
"I was just thinking of finding you lot. What exactly happened yesterday?"
They all sat down in the cozy cabin, and Harry filled Hagrid in on everything that had happened, well, except for the part about Voldemort. Dumbledore said that was to be kept secret.
Hearing the story, Hagrid's face fell into guilt and regret.
His eyes turned red, and his voice trembled slightly.
"This is all my fault. If I hadn't sent you back to the castle yesterday, you wouldn't have run into that blasted Quirrell..."
As he spoke, big teardrops began to roll down his cheeks again.
"I was supposed to protect you. If anything had happened to you, I'd never have forgiven myself."
Harry rushed over to console him.
"Hagrid, it wasn't your fault. Who could've guessed Quirrell was a Dark wizard?"
"Besides, we're all fine now, right?" Ron added.
"Charlie handled that guy like a pro."
But Hagrid still looked devastated.
Trying to change the subject, Harry quickly asked:
"Right, Hagrid, how's the unicorn doing?"
At the mention of the unicorn, Hagrid's mood eased a bit.
He wiped away his tears and said with relief, "Nolan's fine, just a bit injured. I treated the wounds last night, he's recovering nicely now."
So the unicorn they'd rescued yesterday had been Nolan, the one they knew.
"Wanna go see him?" Hagrid offered. "He's resting in the woods behind the cabin."
The group followed Hagrid to the grove out back.
Not far ahead, a beautiful unicorn lay on a patch of soft grass.
Its fur was still pristine and glimmering in the sunlight, though its hind leg was wrapped in thick bandages.
Hearing their approach, Nolan raised his head.
The moment he spotted Charlie, his eyes lit up.
Struggling, he rose to his feet, limping heavily, and made his way over to Charlie.
Then, the proud magical beast knelt before him and bowed its noble head.
Though knocked down by Quirrell the previous day, Nolan had remained conscious throughout.
He had seen clearly, it was Charlie who had saved him, pulling him back from the edge of death.
"Merlin's beard," Hagrid gasped, eyes wide.
"I've never seen a unicorn bow to a human before!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just as stunned.
Unicorns were among the most prideful of magical creatures.
And now, Nolan knelt before Charlie.
Charlie glanced down at the unicorn in front of him.
Act all high and mighty, huh? Where's that pride now? Didn't you act tough before? Now look who's kneeling. Letting me do whatever I want, aren't you?
[Your Majesty, cross-species relationships are forbidden! Tyrant Point +5]
Charlie: You son of a-
Nolan, seeing that Charlie didn't react, rubbed his fluffy cheek against Charlie's leg in a show of affection.
To be fair, it did feel kinda nice.
Charlie gave him a pat on the head.
"Go get some rest. Don't let yourself get ambushed again."
Nolan's eyes flickered with shame. He limped back to his grassy bed.
Time passed quickly.
With Quirrell gone, Defense Against the Dark Arts was now taught entirely by Snape.
Honestly? Not much of an upgrade.
At least Quirrell never called Charlie up to demonstrate spells mid-lecture, only to give him no points afterward and instead find excuses to deduct some.
"Mr. White, your wand movement was too casual."
"Hufflepuff, minus one point."
Sure, Charlie's wand work was casual, but that was only because he'd mastered the spells to the point he didn't need rigid technique anymore.
Any other professor would've rewarded him, not punished him.
Charlie didn't get mad. He quietly sat back down...
And when Snape wasn't looking, conjured a floating pink bow above the man's greasy head.
The whole class burst into laughter.
Snape spun around, saw the bow, and turned purple with rage.
"Hufflepuff! Minus ten!"
[Your Majesty, mocking a professor and leading public ridicule. Tyrant Point +3]
Neville, ever since he'd landed that punch, was like a different person.
The timid stammering had faded, replaced by a newfound confidence, not overwhelming, but miles better than before.
And thanks to the study notebook Charlie gave him over Christmas, his grades had shot up noticeably.
Even Professor McGonagall praised his rapid improvement.
Now Gryffindor's "Twin Fools" were down to one, Seamus.
Meanwhile, Charlie's Elixir of Vital Restoration was finally complete.
The pale golden liquid gleamed inside a crystal vial, exuding a faint minty aroma.
Soon, Easter arrived.
With holidays approaching the end of term, coursework piled up fast.
Ernie and Hermione's quills were practically smoking, working double shifts and squeezing in revision.
Charlie, on the other hand, was lounging casually in the common room, one leg crossed over the other as he flipped through The Quibbler.
Its bizarre articles were perfect for some leisurely reading.
That afternoon, Neville approached him.
"Charlie, my gran wants to meet you," Neville said nervously, wringing his hands.
Charlie lowered his magazine.
"She wants to thank you in person," Neville explained.
"Because of your help, and that notebook, my grades have really improved. She said she has to express her gratitude face-to-face."
Charlie thought about it. He didn't have much planned during the holiday anyway. Meeting Neville's gran might be interesting.
"Sure. When?"
"Tomorrow... is that okay?" Neville asked, eyes full of hope.
"No problem," Charlie replied with a grin.
<><>---------------------------------------
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