Chapter 4: Harry Just Got Scared, and Charlie Transformed Again

James was making bread when he heard the shouting from upstairs.

At first, he didn't pay much attention to it, thinking Sirius was just playing around with his two kids.

But then he noticed the urgency in Sirius' voice growing stronger.

Something was wrong.

James immediately put down what he was doing and rushed upstairs.

But he was already too late.

A large hole had been blasted into the once-pristine white wall.

And the culprit seemed to be his eldest son.

"Oh, my dear brother, don't tell me Charlie did this."

James' lips trembled slightly as he glanced at the still-shaken Sirius.

Sirius was still in his Animagus wolfdog form, letting out a low growl.

But his face couldn't hide the lingering fear.

Moments later, Sirius returned to his human form.

Without a word, he grabbed a set of clothes.

Muttering to himself,

"This is insane... Charlie is a monster..."

As for Charlie himself,

He was just sitting on the floor, staring at the hole in the wall.

Deep in thought.

Sure enough, he still hadn't fully controlled his strength.

He would need more practice.

But before he could think any further,

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught his father looking at him with a strange expression.

Uh-oh.

Maybe he went a little too far this time.

Charlie immediately tossed the wand aside,

Then put on his brightest, most innocent smile,

As if everything had just been an accident.

"My dear boy, you never stop surprising me,"

James said, both amused and exasperated.

Then he picked up the wand.

"Reparo!"

With a soft incantation and a flick of his wand,

The shattered fragments of the wall began floating back up,

Slowly piecing themselves together.

After some time, the wall was restored to its original state.

Charlie observed everything carefully.

[You have witnessed the Reparo spell and comprehended an advanced version of it.]

An advanced version?

Charlie pondered.

His father's Reparo spell had several flaws

The casting time was too long,

The repair process was slow,

If any fragments got stuck, additional guidance was needed to fully restore them,

And even now, faint traces of damage were still visible on the wall.

But his advanced Reparo spell seemed to have none of these issues.

Still, he needed some practice.

Of course,

Now was definitely not the time to practice.

Otherwise, he'd just end up breaking something again,

Only to fix it right after,

And probably scare his parents and Sirius half to death.

If they thought he was a freak and sent him away, that would be awkward.

"James, Charlie is... not ordinary,"

Sirius said as he finished changing his clothes.

Their expressions had calmed a little,

But when they looked at Charlie's innocent little face,

There was a deep sense of meaning in their gazes.

Just moments ago, Sirius had barely escaped from his dear nephew's magic attack.

And now, that same nephew, or rather, his good eldest son, was sitting there, smiling sweetly at him.

Wait a second.

That smile...

Why did it feel so fake?

"Dear, what are you all doing? When are we eating?"

A drowsy voice came from the hallway.

Lily walked over, rubbing her eyes, speaking softly.

She had been resting,

Only to be woken by the commotion.

Half-awake,

She vaguely heard them discussing her dear eldest son.

Lily absentmindedly picked up Harry,

Only to notice that Harry was staring at Charlie in a daze.

There was even a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Sweet Harry, what's wrong? Why are you staring at your brother like that?"

Lily playfully squeezed Harry's chubby little arm.

Harry immediately started crying.

He glanced at Charlie once more,

Then quickly buried his face in Lily's embrace.

This brother… was terrifying.

Charlie looked at his poor little brother,

And couldn't help but chuckle.

It seemed like his dear little brother was destined to be bullied by his cousins in the future.

"Alright, alright, my little Harry. Why do you always make this face when you see your brother?"

Lily was both amused and exasperated by Harry's reaction.

"Dear, you might not believe this, but just now, Charlie cast a spell and blew a hole in our wall."

James suddenly spoke, waving his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I go, wait, what did you just say?"

Lily froze.

It took a moment for the words to fully register.

She abruptly turned her head, staring at her husband in disbelief,

As if searching his face for any sign that he was joking.

James simply shrugged.

He wasn't joking.

Lily immediately shifted her gaze to Sirius.

"Don't look at me. I just finished changing clothes, all thanks to this little troublemaker."

Sirius let out a wry chuckle.

"Oh my… Charlie, just how terrifying is your talent?"

Once Lily got confirmation, she handed Harry off to Sirius without hesitation.

Then she strode over to Charlie,

Scooped him up in her arms,

Her face full of affection.

Harry watched as his mother walked away just like that.

And with a loud wail, he burst into tears again.

His sobs filled the air, calling out for his mother.

But at this moment,

Lily had no time to pay attention to Harry.

Her entire focus was on her amazing eldest son,

Who had just used magic at such a young age.

Charlie, however, wasn't feeling great.

He was suspended in mid-air,

Being carefully examined by Lily.

Ah...

My sweet but clueless mother, could you please put me down?

Just as Charlie was feeling helpless,

A sudden surge of magic pulsed through his body.

A bad feeling crept into his heart.

Something's not right…

Why does it feel like my bones are shifting?

The next second

Charlie saw the panic in his parents' eyes.

And the alertness in Sirius' expression.

He looked down at his own arm

Scales.

Black and red scales were slowly growing along his skin.

His limbs,

They were changing.

Growing stronger, sturdier.

Wait…

Am I transforming?!

Is this it?

The Innate Animagus ability he had grasped while still in the womb

Was this the moment of his first transformation?