Christian could sense the stares and whispers as he returned to school. It's only been a few days, and many people already know about the comics. He had no idea how quickly the news would spread after a week.
As he headed to the common room, he accidentally encountered Professor McGonagall.
"Good day to you, professor," said Christian. "I hope you had a wonderful Christmas."
"Good day to you, too, Mr. Malik, and I did, mostly thanks to you."
"I assume you enjoyed my present."
"Very much so," replied McGonagall, showing a rare smile. She spent too much time looking at that album to the point of embarrassment. But she could not help it; she loved cats, and all those pictures were the cutest.
"I also enjoyed your comic. The art is new and unique; the world and story are refreshing, but are you sure you want to tackle these sensitive subjects?"
"I'm just a child writing a comic," said Christian with innocent eyes.
"Yes, you are," chuckled Professor McGonagall. "Well, I won't hold you for long."
After this conversation, Christian thought about seeing Professor Flitwick to ask about the progress of that spell. By now, he had no problem navigating most of the castle as he remembered everything. Even the moving steps and changing rooms posed no problem to him because of his Arithmancy Class.
He created a chart that predicts how these stairs and rooms will change with an 80% accuracy. However, it is not a hundred percent accurate. Christian was more than satisfied. Arithmancy can be separated into two skills: understanding and interpreting magical numbers (which came naturally to him), and performing numerous calculations and mathematical operations, which require considerable effort from Christian since math is not his strongest suit. He's good at it, but it does not come to him naturally. As such, Arithmancy is probably his most difficult class, but he enjoyed the challenge.
"Professor, you're here."
"Christian, my boy, how are you doing?"
"I'm well rested, so I'm doing great."
"Well rested? I thought you were busy all vacation."
"It only appears as such," said Christian, standing before Flitwick's desk. "So, what do you think about the comic?"
"I did, but I also have some concerns."
"Oh, I'm all ears." He considered Flitwick a mentor, so he wouldn't mind listening to his suggestions.
"In the first volume, you alluded to the existence of other intelligent creatures. I'm just worried…"
"Oh, don't worry, I won't portray them in a negative light," replied Christian. "On the contrary, they are integral to Mukasa winning the final battle."
"That's good." As a half-goblin, Flitwick never enjoyed much wizard literature because it either does not contain any of his kind or portrays them as evil and greedy. He felt he might enjoy this comic after hearing Christian's reassurance.
"About the spell I mentioned," asked Christian.
"Oh, yes. Years ago, I had a student whose uncle was born with a magical blindness. But the man was gifted, so he created a spell to scan and recognize items for him. I sent him a letter, and he replied he would ask his uncle, but they haven't spoken in years, so it might take some time."
"That's good news," replied Christian; this spell might be the perfect thing he needed. Then, the two had a brief ten-minute chat. Christian showed him the prototype of the Duel Monster Disk, and they finished talking about how fencing footwork might be applied to evading in a magical duel or fight.
Christian reached Gryffindor's common room and asked the Fat Lady for the new password. As he entered, he immediately sensed countless eyes on him but ignored them. He went to a table in the corner where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting.
"Good. Settle a debate for us," said Ron. "Who is the best duelist? The Guardian Queen or the Pharaoh? Hermione insists that the queen allowed the Pharaoh to win."
In the story, Mukasa did not immediately enter the Dueling Realm but had to face the Guardian Queen after the Millennium Puzzle teleported him. However, he knew nothing about the game, so the Pharaoh inside the puzzle helped him defeat the Guardian Queen.
"I won't give you spoilers because you're my friends," said Christian, sitting with them.
"Spoiler? What does that mean?" asked Ron.
"It means I won't tell you what will happen."
"Why not?"
"Cause it's unfair, and what if you reveal what I said?"
"Come on, it's just one question."
"Wait until volume 4, and you'll find the answer."
"The fourth volume? How long will that take?"
Christian shrugged, "So, how was your break?"
"Fine, nothing interesting happened," said Hermione.
"Did you continue meditating?"
"I did, and I think I'm starting to see the benefits you mentioned."
Christian nodded; it's been over two months, so it's expected to start showing some effect. "What about you guys? Anything interesting?"
"No, but I got an invisible cloak," said Harry.
"Really? Let me see."
"I left it in our room. You can see it later."
"Use the Summoning Charm."
"Oh, right." Harry took out his wand to summon the cloak and hand it over. Christian held one of the legendary Deathly Hallows in his hand with a frown. He thought for a moment that he saw or sensed an unknown power in this cloak before it disappeared. But no matter how he looked, it seemed an ordinary cloak bewitched with the Disillusionment Charm. Perhaps the material is unique, which is why it lasted so long.
He put it over his body, and it disappeared, even better than when he used the Disillusionment Charm.
"It's interesting," said Christian before returning it. They started talking about everything, including Christmas presents, the comic, and Ron bothering Christian about who Nicolas Flamel was. Midway through their discussion, Neville toppled into the common room with his legs locked. People started laughing, except Hermione, who rushed to remove the Leg-Locker Curse.
"What's so funny?" asked Christian with a furrowed brow, and the room immediately became eerily quiet. He approached Neville to hear him explain how he met Draco in the library and how he suffered because of it.
"Follow me," said Christian.
"W-where–"
"Just follow me," said Christian, helping him to stand and leading them to the library. He saw Draco, accompanied by his two goons, reading a book. So, he used the Whisper Jinx, which made the tiniest of sounds extremely loud. Draco yelled, and Madam Pince kicked him out. And as soon as he left, he saw Christian and Neville, followed by the trio.
"Why do you think it's okay to bully Neville?" asked Christian.
"What's it to you?" said Goyle, and Christian gazed at him. He waved his hand and uttered an incantation, and before anyone could react, Goyle had turned into a rat. His eyes shifted to Crabbe, "Do you also want to share his fate?" Crabbe stepped back; he wanted to run away, but did not dare with Draco present.
Christian then looked at Draco.
"There is no point in talking to someone like you, but I want you to know that what is about to happen to you will be your fate whenever I catch you bullying Neville."
Draco's body shivered, but he still tried to reach for his wand, but it was too late. Christian cast a wandless Freezing Charm (Petrificus Totalus), turning him into a stone-like state before doing the same to Crabbe. He then took out his wand to revert Goyle to normal before freezing them.
Finally, he moved their bodies to a corner in the hallway with Mobilicorpus before placing a Disillusionment Charm on them.
"A few hours of suffering should be enough to remember this lesson," uttered Christian. "Neville, let's go."
"Oh, okay."
"I want you to remember something," said Christian while walking away. "No one, not the Sorting Hat, not Draco, and not even your gran, can determine whether you're a Gryffindor — only you can determine whether you're brave or not."
…
"Have you guys noticed that Christian can be scary once he's angry?" said Harry, too shocked to move.
"I do. Once he gets like that in potions, I always find it difficult to breathe, and my head hurts like I was hit with a large hammer," said Ron.
"Really? I thought I was the only one."
"Hermione?"
"Oh, you're right," she nodded; her only thought was about the wandless casting she witnessed.
"We should follow them."
"Oh, right."