Charlie returned to the Hufflepuff dormitory, where the Young Wizards were laughing and chatting in the common room.
They had no idea what was happening in the Castle.
In their view, since the school allowed the feast to continue, it meant nothing serious was happening, and the Professors would handle it.
When Ernie saw Charlie return, he happily took out the food he had saved for him, knowing that Charlie had been in detention with Snape that day.
"Charlie, look at this! It's pumpkin roast, a special Halloween treat, and it's delicious."
"You didn't run into anything on your way back, did you?"
"Nothing, just a Troll."
"Oh, a Troll… A Troll!"
Ernie shrieked in surprise, but the surrounding noise meant it didn't attract much attention.
"Then you must have been rescued by a Professor, right? Thank goodness, I'm glad you're alright."
In his opinion, although Charlie was capable, he was only a first-year Wizard, and Trolls were 4X-rated dangerous creatures.
Charlie smiled without a word, offering no further explanation.
After the feast, back in his dorm, Charlie opened his system panel to check.
"Your Majesty: Charlie White"
"Age: 11"
"magic Talent Rating: (Max Level 10)"
"Transfiguration: 10"
"Charms: 8"
"Potions: 6"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts: 7"
"Herbology: 4"
"Astronomy: 4"
"History of Magic: 5"
"tyrant points: 968"
"Spells Mastered: Transfiguration (Level 2: 280/500), Incendio (Level 3: 60/1000), Stupefy (Level 3: 100/1000), Expelliarmus (Level 2: 210/500), Protego (Level 2: 380/500)..."
During this period of drawing lots, he hadn't drawn anything good, nor any talent points.
However, he had managed to raise most of his Spells to Level 2.
"little system, start the lottery!"
"Each draw consumes 10 tyrant points. You can currently draw 96 times. Do you wish to draw all of them?"
"Draw!"
A dazzling array of lottery screens flashed by, and a flood of information instantly poured into Charlie's mind.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have gained: Stupefy proficiency 50"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have gained: Expelliarmus proficiency 30"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have gained: Impedimenta proficiency 40"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have gained: Incendio proficiency 60"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have gained: Talent Points x 2"
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have gained: Expecto Patronum (Level 1)"
... A dense string of rewards appeared, making Charlie dizzy.
What excited him most were the two talent points and Expecto Patronum.
"little system, put all talent points into Charms."
"Charms Talent: 8 → 10"
Instantly, Charlie felt his senses sharpen.
All those vague magical theories that had eluded him before now made perfect sense.
Even the Spell proficiency on the system panel increased a notch.
This feeling was like his brain suddenly opening up.
And knowledge related to Expecto Patronum also flooded his mind.
This was an extremely profound Spell, capable of summoning a Patronus, specifically for dealing with Dark creatures.
However, Charlie was only at Level 1 now, only able to emit a silver light from his wand tip; he was still far from being able to summon a corporeal Patronus.
"I wonder what my Patronus will be," Charlie mused, stroking his chin.
According to theory, the form of a Patronus reflects the caster's inner self and personality.
At this moment, Charlie's system panel had changed to:
"Your Majesty: Charlie White"
"Age: 11"
"magic Talent Rating: (Max Level 10)"
"Transfiguration: 10"
"Charms: 10"
"Potions: 6"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts: 7"
"Herbology: 4"
"Astronomy: 4"
"History of Magic: 5"
"tyrant points: 8"
"Spells Mastered: (Omitted)"
He now mastered three Level 3 Spells: Incendio, Stupefy, and Protego.
The experience bars for Incendio and Stupefy had even passed more than half.
Charlie closed the system panel, lay on his bed, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, when Charlie emerged from his dorm, he sensed something was off about the atmosphere.
Students in the corridor immediately stopped talking when they saw him, then began to whisper to each other.
Charlie didn't think much of it; he just wanted to get to class and catch up on some sleep.
Although he hadn't been out at night, the feast had gone on very late, and he felt very sleepy that morning.
After the morning classes, Ernie pulled Charlie to the Great Hall for lunch.
Soon after they sat down, The Twins burst over in a flurry.
"Charlie!" Fred plopped down opposite him.
"Ron said you defeated a Troll!" George followed, sitting down.
"Is that true?"
Charlie finally understood why everyone around them kept looking at him.
He nodded.
"Yes, I defeated it."
Ernie's fork clattered onto his plate.
"What?!" Ernie's eyes widened.
"You really defeated a Troll? Didn't you say last night that a Professor saved you?"
"I didn't say that; you did," Charlie calmly cut his steak.
"..."
Ernie thought back and realized it was true, but who would have thought a first-year Young Wizard could defeat a Troll?
He truly couldn't be blamed for his preconceived notions.
The Twins exchanged glances, both seeing excitement in the other's eyes.
"Quick, tell us the details!" Fred urged.
"The rumors outside are getting more and more ridiculous."
George picked up the conversation.
"Some people say Charlie is actually a Troll prince, and that Troll was his attendant, specifically sent to bring him back to his kingdom to inherit the throne, but Charlie didn't want to go back, so he gave it a good beating."
Charlie nearly choked on his steak: "What in the world?"
"But it's alright, most people don't really believe those rumors," George shrugged.
"Especially the older girls, they all cursed the person who started it as an idiot when they heard it."
Fred and George winked at each other.
"Charlie is very popular with the older girls."
Charlie didn't bother with the gossip from these two pranksters anymore, instead pondering the issue of processing the troll hide.
"Ernie, do you know anyone who can make armor?" Charlie suddenly asked.
Ernie was drinking pumpkin juice and paused, surprised by the question.
"Armor? You want to make armor?"
"Last night Dumbledore promised me some troll hide, and I want to use it to make a set of protective gear."
Although Ernie was annoyed that Charlie hadn't told him yesterday, he still seriously answered Charlie's question.
"When it comes to making armor, Goblins are the best. The weapons and armor they forge are of very high quality."
"However, fewer Wizards use these now, as magic is more practical than cold weapons," Ernie continued.
"This has also led to fewer Goblins in that line of work, so I don't know who specifically would do it."
Charlie pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of someone who might know which Goblin could make armor.