Tom's expression slowly froze over before twisting into a sneer.
"You really think you're in charge now, huh?"
He hugged the wad of cash tighter to his chest, eyes full of contempt.
"You don't survive in this world with brains, kid. You survive with your fists."
Lisa's pitiful act vanished in a flash. She laughed coldly, eyes sharp and mocking.
"You think you're somebody? We took orders from a brat like you out of pity."
The other guy didn't bother with words. He just spat on the ground beside Charlie's feet.
"A baby-faced punk trying to play gang leader? I've wanted to beat your smug face in for a while."
Charlie stared at them silently, feeling a pang of helplessness in his chest.
He was just a minor. An orphan. Making it in this rotten part of town was always going to be tough.
But what choice did he have?
The orphanage couldn't afford to send him to school. No education, no connections, no family. Even if he wanted to cheat the stock market with future knowledge, he had no seed capital.
So this was all he had left, off-the-books side hustles.
He'd worked hard to rally this group. Made them swear blood oaths like in a gangster movies. Loyalty above all, or so he thought.
He wanted to build a real crew. A brotherhood.
But clearly, he'd been naive.
At 11 years old, he was just the smart kid with ideas, useful until he wasn't.
Tom mistook Charlie's silence for fear and got even bolder.
"Didn't you ask us once, which we'd choose, brothers or gold?"
He jiggled the wad of pounds in his hand and grinned wickedly.
"Turns out, we love our golden brothers the most!"
The others burst into laughter, the sound echoing mockingly through the narrow alley.
Charlie's temples throbbed.
He clenched his fists. A bitter fury boiled in his chest.
He tried to suppress it, but the familiar pressure was already churning deep within.
Tom noticed and smirked.
"What's wrong, not happy?"
He rolled up his sleeves, revealing thick forearms.
"Come on then, let Big Bro teach you how the real world works."
He threw a punch straight at Charlie's face.
And then,
A burst of invisible energy exploded from Charlie's body.
It was like a sudden gale, or a shockwave from an earthquake.
Tom's punch froze midair.
The next instant, his entire body was slammed against the wall by an unseen force.
Lisa and the other thug weren't spared either. They were pinned to the walls like insects, unable to move an inch.
Their mouths opened in silent screams. But not a sound escaped their throats.
Their eyes widened in horror and confusion.
What was this?
This wasn't natural. This wasn't even possible!
Charlie slowly straightened up, his gaze cold and distant.
He had discovered this strange power not long after arriving in this world.
It always surfaced when he got emotional.
He couldn't control it. Didn't know where it came from. But it always protected him.
That was why, even as a kid, he dared to play with fire.
Charlie walked toward Tom, each step echoing in the eerie silence of the alley.
Tom tried to struggle, but his limbs wouldn't move. All he could do was stare in terror as Charlie approached.
He felt his bladder twitching.
Charlie reached out and calmly pulled the cash from their clenched fists.
"You couldn't just let me take my fair share, huh? Had to force your money on me."
He carefully folded the notes and slipped them into his pocket.
Then he looked up, eyes sharp as glass.
"What was it you said again?"
"You survive by your fists?"
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Well go ahead, tough guy. Try swinging now."
Tom's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. All he could do was groan pathetically.
Then,
Lisa's pants darkened.
A warm stream ran down her leg, pooling on the alley floor.
The acrid smell of urine filled the air.
Charlie wrinkled his nose and took a step back.
"Disgusting."
He turned to leave. These three were useless now. He'd have to find new muscle.
No way his career as a crime boss was ending here.
But just then, a calm, authoritative voice spoke from the alley entrance:
"Mr. White, would you mind putting the Muggles down first?"
Charlie's eyes narrowed. He turned sharply.
At the mouth of the alley stood a woman in a pointed hat and a flowing green robe. She wore square-rimmed glasses and had a lined but dignified face. Stern, but not hostile.
Professor McGonagall blinked, surprised.
Merlin's musty stockings, she thought. This boy's magical outburst is... intense.
Typically, the stronger the accidental magic, the greater the wizard's potential.
But she couldn't let him spiral out of control.
Charlie eyed her warily.
He'd just used his strange power, and suddenly, this mysterious stranger showed up?
Way too suspicious.
Was she a government agent?
Come to abduct freaks like him for dissection?
His brain raced. He decided to test the waters first.
"Muggles?" Charlie narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
McGonagall gently waved her wand.
The three pinned teens slumped to the ground like puppets with cut strings.
Their eyes went blank, dazed and empty.
Charlie inhaled sharply.
"I simply made them forget what they just saw," she said, tucking away her wand.
"You don't need to worry. I'm not here to hurt you."
Charlie wasn't convinced.
Whatever her intentions were, he clearly wasn't in a position to resist.
Her little stunt had proven that much.
McGonagall adjusted her robe.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Charlie's heart skipped a beat.
He'd never actually read Harry Potter.
But in his past life, names like these were everywhere.
Voldemort. Dumbledore. Hogwarts...
The internet had bombarded him with those terms.
Was this really the world of Harry Potter?
McGonagall noted his stunned expression and smiled faintly.
She loved this part, when young witches and wizards realized magic was real. It was always delightful.
That's why she personally requested to handle the Muggle-born invitations every year.
Charlie asked, "You mentioned magic just now?"
McGonagall nodded.
"Yes. Magic. The power you just displayed, that was raw magical energy."
Her voice grew softer, more encouraging.
"Mr. White, you're a wizard."
Charlie's chest swelled with irrepressible excitement.
In his past life, he'd begged the heavens for just one superpower. Anything, 12 talismans, a Devil Fruit, System cheat, chakra... anything!
He didn't even want to be rich. He just wanted to be extraordinary.
But the heavens ignored him. Kicked him while he was down.
And now?
He'd transmigrated, and the chance had dropped right into his lap.
That power inside him... it was magic?
McGonagall smiled and pulled out a thick parchment envelope from her robes.
Emerald ink spelled out:
To Mr. Charlie White
Third Room from the Left, Second Floor
Bethnal Green Orphanage, East London
"This is your letter of acceptance to Hogwarts," she said, handing it over.
"You're eleven. That's the age when magical education begins."
Charlie took the envelope, marveling at the thick parchment texture, so old-fashioned and heavy in his hands.
He opened it, and his eyes widened.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
Dear Mr. White,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…
Below that was a long list of required supplies: wands, cauldrons, owls, and more.
Looking at the bizarre but familiar terms, Charlie's last doubts vanished.
This really was the Harry Potter world.
"So?" McGonagall asked gently. "Would you like to come with me to Hogwarts?"
Charlie didn't even hesitate.
"Of course I do!"
Magic, man. Who wouldn't want to learn magic?
Gang boss?
Never heard of him.
Why run scams on the street when you could cast spells?
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters