Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

Eric was confused and waited for Dumbledore to continue.

Dumbledore didn't explain further, took out his wand, and cast a Patronus Charm as well.

A pure white phoenix, almost identical to Fox, appeared before the two.

"Compared to the average student, your Patronus Charm is already quite good, Eric, but while it's fierce, it's still lacking in other aspects. That's why Fox showed hostility towards your Patronus."

Dumbledore continued, but his mouth did not move at all; instead, it was his Patronus who opened his mouth and uttered Dumbledore's voice.

As if performing a double act, Dumbledore showed off his skills by having his Patronus speak for him: "For example, you can't do what I do and have your Patronus convey the message you want to say."

Eric nodded. His Guardian Charm had only been learned for less than two months, and his proficiency was at the intermediate level. In terms of pure skill, it was indeed just average.

At least in front of a wizard like Dumbledore, they are definitely not enough.

It was only because Eric's magic was so immense that his guardian spirit appeared so awe-inspiring.

Do you want to know how to take it to the next level?

"Of course, but why, Professor?"

Eric replied with a smile.

The "why" here doesn't refer to why we should go further, but rather to why Dumbledore brought it up at this strange time.

Although Eric really wanted to make his Patronus Charm stronger, the atmosphere just didn't seem right.

Shouldn't he and Dumbledore exchange their needs and interests, then part ways without interfering with each other?

How did it suddenly turn into a class?

Dumbledore chuckled: "I'm always happy to mentor talented students. Consider this my apology for offending you earlier."

"You are already able to maintain the presence of the Guardian Angel very well. There is no problem with your use of magic. You can use a standard Guardian Angel spell."

"However, you cannot treat your guardian spirit as another part of yourself and let it act according to your will."

"I think the reason for this is largely because you have never imagined what your guardian angel would be like."

"Let me guess, did you completely ignore thinking about this problem from the beginning, and instead focused all your energy on how to summon the guardian deity itself?"

Dumbledore said with a chuckle.

Chapter 52 Hesitation

Eric understood halfway through Dumbledore's sentence.

Many things are actually quite simple, but sometimes we get stuck in a mental rut and can't go back and rethink some basic techniques.

For example, Eric's Patronus Charm.

Eric's Patronus Charm was indeed as Dumbledore had said; he had never actively imagined what his Patronus would look like.

In fact, Eric should have thought of this much earlier.

It was no secret to Eric that the guardian spirit could change according to the wizard's personality and subjective will.

On the train, he had also seen Lupin's guardian spirit, which had appeared after Lupin had made his own adjustments.

Even Lupin could adjust his patron saint's image, so there's no reason why Eric couldn't.

However, Eric never had the opportunity to proactively adjust his Guardian Charm.

Because his wand had been resisting his use until he defeated the Dementors with his Patronus.

Especially magic that involves the soul.

He needs to maintain the state of divided magic to use the acacia wand to release the Guardian Charm.

Otherwise, the release will fail.

This left him no time to attend to anything else.

Logically speaking, given Eric's usage style, his proficiency with the Patronus Charm should have been upgraded long ago.

But it didn't; instead, it remained at an ordinary level.

Even the image of the giant eagle was presented naturally.

It did not stem from Eric's strong desire.

Eric simply used the Patronus Charm and then waited for his Patronus to appear.

Indeed, I haven't carefully considered what animal the guardian spirit should become.

He thought that as long as he used it day by day, his proficiency would naturally increase, and his mastery of the spell would become more profound.

But that's not the case, and it's no wonder that his Patronus Charm seemed very naive to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore's demonstration directly unveiled this veil that had been covering Eric's eyes.

[Ding, spell proficiency increased.]

[Guardian Spell: Advanced.]

The system's voice sounded at the right time. As Eric's understanding of the Guardian Charm deepened, he could improve his proficiency even without using the magic himself.

"...Thank you, Professor."

Eric bowed deeply to Dumbledore in gratitude.

Despite their differing stances and mutual wariness, Dumbledore was indeed a good teacher.

He wasn't exaggerating; in just a few words, he really helped Eric take things a step further.

Seeing Eric's sudden realization, Dumbledore smiled and said, "I can tell you've learned a lot."

"Indeed, Professor."

"That concludes today's lesson," Dumbledore said, glancing at an antique clock on the wall. "It's time for you to attend the Sorting Ceremony. I've already kept you waiting for a long time. Go ahead, I'll be there shortly."

"Huh?" Eric asked, puzzled. "That's it?"

“Otherwise?” Dumbledore said matter-of-factly. “I can’t sort you into a house here, can I?”

Dumbledore was also feeling frustrated.

He tried to force Eric to stay, but it was no use.

He initially only wanted to use Legilimency to find out the truth behind Eric's powerful spell abilities.

Dumbledore's Legilimency is different from others; he has mastered it to the extreme. He can't accurately locate Eric's memories, but he can still get a general understanding of them.

Who would have thought that Legilimency would fail, and instead, this seemingly insignificant test has made Eric extremely wary of him.

Now, it's impossible for Eric to trust him like he did with Harry.

Put yourself in Eric's shoes; even if it were him, he wouldn't easily trust someone who could manipulate his mind.

Even if the other party is the headmaster of Hogwarts.

Who would have a good impression of someone trying to invade their brain?

Eric thought for a moment, then said nothing more, politely nodded to Dumbledore, and got up to walk towards the headmaster's office door.

He can't exactly say that he expected a fierce battle, can he?

It's certainly a good thing that Dumbledore is letting him leave so early.

"Oh, right, Eric!" Dumbledore called Eric back just as he reached the door. "You fought off the Dementors in the carriage and successfully protected your classmates from harm. I was planning to reward you for that. But since you don't have a house yet, I'd like to announce it after you've officially been sorted."

Eric stopped, thought for a moment, and then decisively refused: "Thank you, Professor, but I don't need it."

Given Dumbledore's personality, it would probably be something like house points or school honors.

What does he need this for?

It can't eat, it can't wear, and it can't make you stronger.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't mind taking some Gallon, but that was impossible.

"Really? You're choosing to give up? That's a perfect score!" Sure enough, Dumbledore added with a mischievous grin, "That's such a shame. I really wanted you to join Gryffindor so I could add points to Gryffindor's score."

"I do not want."

Eric knew this guy was up to no good, so he ignored him and turned to leave.

Behind his crescent-shaped glasses, Dumbledore's smile vanished, his sharp gaze following Eric's back until he reached the bottom of the stairs and disappeared completely.

After Eric had walked away, a portrait hanging on the wall said, "His talent is even more terrifying than yours was back then. Given time, he may become another Riddle."

He was a stern-looking wizard. Those whose portraits were hung on the wall of the headmaster's office were all Dumbledore's predecessors, the past headmasters of Hogwarts.

Below the portrait are his birth and death dates and his name—Phoenix Black.

Dumbledore sighed and said, "Let's see...let's see."

Chapter 53 Sorting Schools and Reputation

When Eric returned to the Great Hall, he arrived just in time for the final part of the Sorting Hall.

The long tables in the auditorium were packed with people, divided into four groups based on their colleges.

Each college has its own representative color.

Gryffindor is gilded red, Ravenclaw is sky blue and bright yellow, Hufflepuff represents calm brown and orange, and Slytherin is eternally pale green.

Each time a student is assigned to a college, the college erupts in enthusiastic applause to welcome the new member.

At the long table in Gryffindor, Eric also saw Harry, Harry, and his trio waving frantically at him.

Eric arrived last, and as Dumbledore had instructed him beforehand, he was the last in line.

As soon as Eric put on the Sorting Hat, he heard it whispering: "The last student of the year, ah, excellent. You have ambition, and..."

"Stop." Eric, too lazy to listen to this hat's nonsense, interrupted, "I'm hungry, please assign me any college."

"..."

The Sorting Hat had probably never encountered anything so blunt before, and was completely stunned.

It had prepared a whole set of arguments, describing Eric's qualities and trying to prove that Eric would be suitable for any college, and finally let Eric choose for himself.

Of course, it says this to almost every student.