Days wandering around Hogwarts

Chapter 364 I'll recommend a place to you

Charles did not wait for Catherine Clayt to come in the afternoon, but went to meet her at the Hog's Head.

It is one thing to take the initiative to find a friend when you know she is in trouble, but it is another thing to wait for her to come to you.

Catherine lives here now and today she sits at a table in the corner with a glass of pumpkin juice and two egg sandwiches on the table, which is the cheapest meal offered by the Pig's Head Bar to its residents.

The weather in Hogsmeade was very cold now, and she was wearing a somewhat old, thick dark green robe that didn't fit her well and looked like it was bought second-hand after she came here from Africa.

Charles had grown taller in the past two years, and Catherine didn't recognize him at first sight.

"Long time no see." Charles sat down and ordered a glass of juice.

Catherine forced a smile on her face and said nervously, "Hello, I didn't expect you to be so tall. I want to go to the Dancing Grass Restaurant to find you later."

Charles saw that she was a little embarrassed, so he asked straight to the point: "I heard that you haven't been doing well recently?"

Catherine's face sank, she bit her lips tightly, and finally sighed and nodded.

She was now desperate, and the only life-saving straw in front of her was what she saw. She slowly told him about her recent experiences.

Before Christmas last year, Catherine published her latest research results in Ouagadou, which caused some controversy. Before the New Year, she was suddenly fired without any warning.

Being expelled from Uagadou was equivalent to social death in the African wizarding society. The door of her home was no longer open to her, and other magic schools and wizards avoided her.

Catherine remembered that she had once helped Charles buy mandrake to save people, and planned to use this favor to seek help.

She had experienced the indifference of human nature in Africa, and what greeted her when she came to England was physical coldness. The second-hand robe she was wearing, which she bought at a junk shop in Diagon Alley, had almost cost her all her money.

Fortunately, Aberforth heard from Albus that there was a student named Catherine Clayt in Uganda who wrote to him from time to time to ask for advice, so he let her stay at the Hog's Head on credit.

Following Aberforth's instructions, Catherine went to Farbottom Castle to find someone to deliver a message to Charles, and happened to meet Grindelwald.

Charles asked her, "What are the results you published?"

Katherine answered, "It's a human transfiguration technique that can turn a person into an animal. It's very similar to Animagus. It doesn't require a long ritual, but it does require some preparation."

"This spell upset the professors who were proud of their Animagus beliefs, and they banded together to expel me."

Charles thought, so that's why. Animagus has always been regarded by wizards as one of the crown jewels of Transfiguration. It would be strange if they didn't get angry if someone developed a spell to bypass Animagus and transform into animals.

Catherine gritted her teeth and asked tentatively: "Do you want this spell? I can sell it to you for this money."

She held up five fingers, thinking that fifty Galleons would be enough, and she could try her luck in America.

When Charles saw the five fingers, he hesitated for a moment. He couldn't take out so much cash now, but he decided to help her anyway, as he still owed her the favor of helping him buy the mandrake.

Catherine noticed his hesitation and felt a pang in her heart.

Charles asked her, "What does this spell do? Can you tell me about it first?"

Catherine immediately said, "This spell is a little difficult, but not very difficult. The wizard can take the animal's hair and turn into that animal."

"My goal is to be able to transform into any animal at will, but I still have a long way to go."

A flash of inspiration came to Charles' mind. There was no need to explain how powerful this spell was. If you learned it, you could make a lot of money.

But he had limited cash to take out, so he could only hold up three fingers and ask, "I don't have that much cash right now, is this much okay?"

Catherine bit her lip and nodded. It was better than nothing. Charles immediately took out Phoenix Logistics' checkbook and embezzled public funds. After writing a check for three thousand Galleons, he began to help her write a letter of introduction.

As Charles wrote, he said, "I will write you a letter of introduction. You take this letter to the West Lake in Hangzhou, China, and find an old man named Xu who sells tea by the lake. Give him the letter, and he will take you to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where you will need this spell."

Catherine didn't know why that place needed this spell. She only knew that there were two more zeros on the check Charles gave her than she expected.

"This..." She hesitated a little, "It's too much."

Charles shook his head and said, "Not much, not much. If you feel it's enough and you settle down, you can return it to me."

Catherine hesitated for a moment but finally accepted the check and letter of introduction. She was now desperate and it would be better to have some extra money on her so she could pay it back later.

She handed Charles a roll of parchment, which recorded in detail the spell to transform into animals and explained some difficult points.

Charles had done a lot of research on Transfiguration and thought it was not very difficult. After reading it, he asked, "Can we use human hair?"

"No." Catherine shook her head. "Humans and animals are different in magic."

Charles nodded and didn't dwell on it, but he felt a little regretful that the spell was not very complete and could only be used on hair, not other parts of the body.

So, the spell cannot be used to conceal his Animagus form, and jellyfish don't have hair.

After getting the money, Catherine decided to leave immediately. The climate in Britain was a torture for a girl from Africa.

Before she left, she asked Charles uncertainly: "Will the Chengdu you mentioned really accept me?"

Charles said confidently: "Don't worry, I'm sure they need you."

Catherine thought about it and realized that she was like a dandelion blown by the wind, not knowing where to settle down. Since Charles said that place was okay, she might as well give it a try.

A month later, Charles received a letter from Catherine in Chengdu, saying that she was now a tour guide at the Giant Panda Museum in the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, with a staff position in a public institution. There was also a tuft of panda hair in the letter.

As for Charles, he is being laughed at by Ruby.

He quickly learned Catherine's animal transformation spell and transformed into Crookshanks without any pressure. Then he became proud and set his sights on the ruby.

It seems that it is difficult for a soul bound by gravity to learn to fly, especially in the form of a phoenix that is as fat as a ball.

In the mirror space of the Hogwarts Quidditch Field, Charles Phoenix Ball Smith fell to the ground again and bounced twice.

Ruby herself stood before him, chirping in delight and patting his head with her wings.

Charles turned back to his original form depressedly, rubbed Ruby's fat belly, took out Hedwig's feather, and turned into an owl.

He spread his wings and moved them a bit, feeling the movement of his muscles, then pushed his legs hard and flapped his wings with all his might.

Charles felt like he was flying, but the time he stayed in the air was very short, only 12 seconds, and he flew about 36.6 meters.

He recalled the flight process just now, experienced it carefully, and then started the second flight. This time he stayed in the air for about 11 seconds and flew about 60 meters.

Charles continued to summarize the flight just now, feeling the balance point between flying speed and gliding. During the third flight, he stayed in the air for 15 seconds and flew a distance of 61 meters.

After summarizing his three experiences, he took off again. This time he felt that flying was like riding a bicycle. Once he got it right, he would get it right. In the end, he stayed in the air for 59 seconds and flew a distance of 260 meters.

Charles was sure of one thing: the Phoenix's flight had nothing to do with its body structure, it must have been the use of magical abilities.

(End of this chapter)