Fudge stood rooted to the spot, his expression a little awkward; he hadn't expected Charlie to refuse so bluntly.
"Lord Charlie, you might not understand the significance of this position." Fudge took a deep breath, trying to salvage the situation.
"Ministerial Assistant isn't just any ordinary position; it represents..."
"Say no more." Charlie cut him off.
"I'm not interested in the Ministry of Magic."
Fudge opened his mouth, then finally closed it.
He knew that pressing the matter further would only be counterproductive.
"Alright then." Fudge forced a smile.
"If you change your mind, you can always come find me."
With that, he turned and left the Orphanage.
Mrs. Augusta breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lord Charlie, you made a wise decision." Her tone carried approval.
The dinner was sumptuous.
Grandma White had prepared roasted lamb chops, mashed potatoes, various meats, and a large pot of cream of mushroom soup.
After dinner, the Longbottom Family said their goodbyes and left.
Before leaving, Mrs. Augusta reiterated that the Longbottom Family would always be Charlie's staunchest ally... To ensure safety, Hermione forcibly gave the firebolt to Charlie for safekeeping; she was worried that Harry and Ron might secretly ride it.
Harry declared that this was pure slander! He would ride it openly and never sneakily.
Ultimately, the firebolt was still put into Charlie's trunk. It didn't see the light of day again until the eve of the new school term.
In fact, Charlie could tell at a glance that there was no curse on this broom; it was just a very ordinary broom, except for its not-so-ordinary price.
But Charlie still planned to hand the broom over to the Professor when school started.
Let Harry know what malice from a despicable outsider felt like.
The holiday passed quickly.
Although there was no more special training from Charlie, Ron and Hermione still successfully made their Patronus Charm condense into a corporeal form.
Ron's Patronus was a small Jack Russell Terrier.
Hermione's Patronus was an otter, which looked very cute.
Of course, Charlie's practical training session was indispensable.
With the Christmas holiday over, everyone returned to school on the Hogwarts Express.
The train traveled on the tracks, the scenery outside the window changing from snow-covered countryside to familiar mountains and lakes.
Harry sat in the compartment, his gaze occasionally darting towards Charlie's luggage rack. The firebolt was there, tightly wrapped.
Ron leaned against the window, muttering, "I don't understand why it has to be given to a Professor for inspection. It's a firebolt!"
Hermione flipped through the book in her hand, not even looking up: "Safety first."
"But—"
"No 'buts'."
Ron had a belly full of words but could only sigh in the end.
As dusk fell, the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station.
The students disembarked, got into carriages, and bumped their way back to the Castle.
The Great Hall was brightly lit. Snowflakes drifted outside the transparent ceiling, creating a spectacular view beneath the snowy scene.
Dumbledore stood at the faculty table, a smile on his face.
He turned and walked next to Snape, picking up a silver cracker from the table.
"Severus, try this." Dumbledore handed one end of the cracker to Snape.
Snape stared at the cracker, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Principal, I don't think this is necessary."
"Don't be so serious." Dumbledore winked.
"Pull it."
Snape's mouth twitched, but he finally reached out and grabbed the other end of the cracker. Both of them pulled at the same time.
Bang!
The cracker burst open, and colorful confetti flew out.
A Witch's hat fell out of it, landing right in Snape's hand.
It was a hat with a vulture specimen, identical to Mrs. Augusta's.
Snape's face darkened.
Dumbledore, however, laughed even harder.
He took the hat from Snape's hand and placed it directly on his own head, the vulture specimen swaying on his head.
Surprisingly, a lady's Wizard hat didn't look out of place on Dumbledore's head, perhaps because Dumbledore's robes were always colorful.
Dumbledore nodded contentedly, then shouted.
"Let the feast begin!"
The students cheered and began to take food.
Charlie sat at the Hufflepuff long table, and just as he picked up a piece of roast chicken, he felt someone staring at him.
He looked up, meeting Snape's gaze, which was devoid of emotion.
After a moment of eye contact, Snape averted his gaze.
But whether it was Charlie's imagination or not, he kept feeling Snape staring at him afterwards.
Alas, being too handsome is also a kind of trouble.
For this reason, Charlie also kept looking towards the Professor's table, only to find Professor Lupin absent.
Recalling that he seemed to have seen a full moon outside the Castle earlier, Professor Lupin had probably transformed again.
After the dinner, the students left the Great Hall in succession, led by the Prefects.
But Hermione secretly led Harry and Ron to find Charlie at the long table.
"Charlie, let's hand the broom over to the Professors tonight."
Charlie waved his hand.
"No rush, we can give it to them anytime."
Unexpectedly, Harry, who had been very resistant before, spoke with great determination.
"No, with that thing with you, you're also in danger. The sooner we hand it over to a Professor, the better."
Ron was stunned; he turned to stare at Harry and reached out to touch Harry's forehead.
"You don't have a fever, do you? Did Hermione curse you?"
Harry slapped Ron's hand away, ignored him, and continued speaking to Hermione:
"Since we're giving it to a Professor for inspection, we must find a Professor who understands Dark Arts."
Hermione nodded in agreement.
"I was thinking the same thing. The Professors who know more about Dark Arts should be Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Lupin."
The first two were the Principal and Vice Principal respectively, highly knowledgeable, and Professor Lupin was the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, naturally one of the best in his understanding of Dark Arts.
Harry was somewhat pleased to see that everything was going as he expected.
"However, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall are too busy. Let's not bother them with a small matter. Let's find Professor Lupin; he should have more time."
Charlie instantly understood.
This kid, seeing that he couldn't win against himself and Hermione, was starting to take a roundabout approach.
The Principal was busy with a myriad of affairs, so asking him to help with the inspection was not very realistic.
Professor McGonagall was too strict, and Harry wasn't sure how long Professor McGonagall would take to inspect it.
Professor Lupin, on the other hand, had a good relationship with Harry, so he would just do a quick check, and if no problems were found, the broom could be retrieved.
He's got a good plan, but what Charlie is best at is thwarting people's desires!
Charlie smiled.
"But Professor Lupin's health isn't very good; he didn't even attend the dinner today."
Harry's expression stiffened for a moment but quickly recovered.
"I'm sure he'll get better."
"It's best not to add to Professor Lupin's burden." Charlie shook his head, his tone very serious.
"Actually, besides Professor Lupin, there's another Professor who has a deep understanding of Dark Arts."
Harry's heart sank; he had a bad feeling.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"