Charlie decided to head back to the dormitory.
He slipped into the underground Hufflepuff common room and deftly climbed into his Undetectable Extension Chest.
Inside, the familiar hills and caverns of the magically expanded space stretched out before him.
In a cave nestled among the hills, Rudy was stealthily creeping toward Norbert.
While Norbert was fast asleep atop his pile of gold, Rudy sneakily tugged out two pieces from under the dragon's belly and stuffed them into his oversized cheek pouch.
Eyes squinting in delight, he was clearly pleased with his loot, until he looked up and locked eyes with Norbert, who was now very much awake and staring at him with amused menace.
Rudy froze. Then bolted.
But how could his stubby little legs outrun a dragon? Norbert caught him in a flash, picked him up by his hind legs, and gave him a firm shake.
The treasures Rudy had painstakingly hoarded were unceremoniously dumped out.
Once Norbert realized there was nothing left to shake loose, he casually tossed Rudy out of the cave.
With a thud, Rudy landed face-first at the entrance, then turned around and launched into a string of high-pitched, furious shrieking.
"Chik-chik-chik!"
Filthy little insults, if the tone was anything to go by.
That's when Charlie entered the chest. Seeing him, Rudy abandoned his tirade and sprinted straight toward his "savior."
Norbert, still enjoying Rudy's angry ranting, tilted his head from the cave to see what silenced him, and spotted Charlie. With a happy rumble, the dragon bounded forward.
Rudy reached Charlie first, chirping and squealing in a dramatic retelling of his grievance. But before Charlie could make any sense of it, Norbert rudely barged in and shoved Rudy aside with a well-placed dragon butt.
Watching the two beasts act so close and familiar, Charlie nodded in satisfaction.
"Norbert, Rudy, go play over there," he said, pointing to the far end of the chest.
Norbert gave an oddly humanlike nod of understanding.
Rudy tried to say something more, but Norbert clamped a paw over his mouth and dragged him off.
With peace restored, Charlie turned his attention to the large pile of Whomping Willow branches he'd collected the day before.
The twigs and limbs varied in size, from as thick as his arm to as slim as his thumb.
Charlie picked a medium-sized branch and found a good spot near the chest's entrance.
"This'll do."
He pressed the branch into the soil, then crouched down and placed a palm gently on the wood.
Taking a deep breath, he began channeling magic into the branch.
His magic flowed smoothly, seeping along the natural grain of the wood without resistance.
Charlie blinked, surprised.
"Wait, I thought Whomping Willows were supposed to resist external magic. Why is this going in so easily?"
[All lands fall beneath the Crown's reach. All who dwell beneath the sky are bound in service. Even the Whomping Willow must yield to Your Majesty.]
The system's voice dripped with sycophantic flattery.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Speak plainly. Enough with the bootlicking."
[Understood! Your Majesty's magic, refined through the system, is the purest and most harmonious in the world. It bears the mark of a true sovereign. Even the Whomping Willow cannot reject it.]
Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "A tyrant is still a king, after all."
As he continued infusing the branch, he could feel something shift inside it.
What was once dry and lifeless began to stir with energy. The inner magical pathways slowly reactivated.
Several minutes later, a tiny green bud peeked from the tip of the branch.
Charlie's eyes lit up. Though the sprout was only the size of a grain of rice, it was alive, and that was enough.
Of course, the growth was slow. It was nothing like Professor Sprout, who could summon thick vines with a flick of her wand.
Charlie rubbed his chin and began analyzing.
He guessed it had something to do with Sprout's magic being regularly channeled into her venomous tentacula, allowing her to understand their structure down to the last root. She was probably already imprinted in those plants' magical signatures.
He, on the other hand, was trying this for the first time. And while his Herbology talent was at level 7, a slow start made perfect sense.
Once he figured that out, Charlie wasn't in a rush anymore.
Time was on his side.
He grabbed another branch, planted it nearby, and began the process again.
Minutes ticked by. Charlie became completely absorbed in his task.
Watching the dead wood slowly come back to life under his magic filled him with indescribable satisfaction.
He was so into it that he didn't even go to the Great Hall for lunch. Instead, he asked Billy to deliver a sandwich.
Sandwiches were quick, you could eat one in a minute and get right back to planting.
Charlie could feel the farming instincts buried deep in his genes awakening.
Norbert lay on the ground watching Charlie work, his dragon eyes full of curiosity.
Rudy, perched on Norbert's head, had resigned himself to being used as a living massage chair. Every now and then, he'd scratch at Norbert's scales with his claws, a final act of petty vengeance.
And so, the boy and his two beasts passed the entire afternoon.
When it was nearly time for class, Charlie looked over his work.
A neat row of bright green buds now lined the soil near the chest's entrance, glowing with life under the magical lighting.
He'd only managed to plant half of the branches, there were still plenty left to go.
"Looks like I'll be pulling an all-nighter."
Charlie stretched, brushing dirt from his hands. Then he turned to his two companions.
"You two, listen up. Stay away from this area."
He pointed at the row of budding Whomping Willows.
"They're still fragile. If either of you crushes them, I'll confiscate every last bit of gold."
Norbert nodded solemnly, taking the threat seriously.
Rudy, meanwhile, didn't move. Ha! Like I ever had any gold to begin with, his expression seemed to say.
Charlie climbed out of the chest and dusted himself off.
Perfect timing, it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
He straightened his robes and made his way to the classroom.
Frankly, the fact that Lockhart was incompetent worked in Charlie's favor.
He wasn't planning to pay attention anyway. The more useless the teacher, the easier it was to slack off.
By the time he arrived, most students were already seated. Hufflepuff and Slytherin were sharing this period.
Charlie entered and immediately spotted Lockhart on the podium.
The man was wrapped in bandages, his left arm in a sling, but his energy seemed undiminished.
Wizards really were built differently. After taking a brutal beating from the Whomping Willow that morning, he was already back to teaching.
Lockhart's smile faltered for a moment when he saw Charlie walk in.
After all, Charlie had witnessed his earlier humiliation from start to finish, even Lockhart's thick skin couldn't completely ignore that.
"Ahem." Lockhart cleared his throat and adjusted his posture, trying to recover his elegant image.
Charlie scanned the classroom and headed to the back row, sitting between Ernie and Justin.
These two had long since followed Charlie's example and abandoned the front row.
Suddenly, Malfoy stood up from the Slytherin side and strode over.
"Charlie, mind if I sit here?"
He pointed at the empty seat next to Charlie, flashing a smile that was all too eager to please.
The girl who had originally sat next to Malfoy, a curly-haired student who looked vaguely like a poodle, stared at Charlie with open confusion and hostility.
Charlie gave a casual nod, and Malfoy quickly took the seat.
Now sitting stiffly upright, Malfoy looked like a student ready to devote himself to learning.
Charlie found it oddly suspicious.
Since when was Malfoy this serious?
He looked almost like he'd been possessed by Hermione.
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