"No wonder—this spell, born from combining Fiendfyre with the malevolent aura of the Galarian Moltres, truly possesses terrifying power."
Charles lowered his Destruction Wand and gazed at the charred black wasteland beneath his feet.The Infernal Abyss spell was destructive beyond measure—dangerous, unstable, and imbued with Moltres's corrupting energy. Even the universal counter-curse Finite Incantatem could barely weaken it. For most wizards, even working together, it was impossible to dispel.
And the curse didn't just annihilate the body—it consumed the soul as well, leaving not even ashes behind.Compared to Avada Kedavra, this was far more efficient.
In mere moments, under Charles's indulgence, the inferno devoured a forest the size of two football fields.The flames finally ceased only because the wizards had been burned completely to nothing. Had he not lifted the spell himself, the fire might have spread across Siberia, swallowing every living soul in its path.
Killing more than fifty wizards in one stroke didn't trouble Charles's conscience in the slightest.Moral dichotomies aside, it was self-defense. They had come to kill him—if they died instead, that was their own weakness to blame.
"I should leave quickly. If the Soviet Ministry of Magic discovers this, it'll just complicate things."
Without hesitation, he Apparated away.
In truth, Charles was worrying too much.The Soviet Ministry already had a mountain of chaos to deal with; they had no time to care about some remote backwater.By the time anyone noticed traces of the wildfire, the Ministry itself would have long ceased to exist.
December at Lake Baikal.The vast lake was sealed under a thick layer of ice, a scene of cold, desolate beauty.
Charles appreciated the view but found no sign of Uxie. He hadn't expected much—after all, Baikal wasn't connected to the so-called Lake of Wisdom as the myths claimed.
If anything, it might have been Lake Verity instead.
Still, the idea gave him inspiration. Near the frozen lakeshore, he constructed a small house and hid it under a Fidelius Charm.
Casting that charm required a Secret-Keeper. Rather than asking Dumbledore, Charles chose Mr. Mime.
It had merely been an experiment—he hadn't expected that a humanoid Pokémon could indeed serve as a functional Secret-Keeper.
"Now, no one will ever find this house," Charles said with satisfaction.
Yet as he thought about the Fidelius Charm, another question bothered him.If the spell only required a single Secret-Keeper, why hadn't James and Lily simply done it themselves?They could have kept their secret without involving anyone else.
Even if they needed supplies or wanted contact with the outside world, James could have left the house periodically.
Charles didn't dwell on it too long. Whatever the reason, it was already history—and none of his concern.
Since there was no trace of Uxie, he didn't linger in Siberia. His next destination: Japan.
The main goal of this trip was to discuss the Pokémon manga adaptation.In this era, the manga market was thriving—and thanks to his use of magic to speed up production, and his previous-world memories of storylines, Charles's series was already taking off.
From the start, he'd planned to merge the Special Edition manga and the TV anime into a single unified world—keeping Ash's fiery, youthful personality intact while also exploring his gradual growth.
And in this black-and-white manga era, Charles's magical advantage was overwhelming—he drew everything in vivid color.The adorable, diverse Pokémon burst to life in each frame, naturally attracting massive attention and love.
His battle scenes, rendered through magical artistry, were breathtaking.
This time, Charles came to Japan to discuss the anime adaptation, and also took the opportunity to visit Mahōtokoro—Japan's wizarding school.
After the Christmas holidays, Charles returned to Hogwarts—where he ran into Harry, who had come looking for him specifically.
"Good afternoon, Professor!"Harry's cheeks were flushed, his face bright with happiness.
During the holidays, while sneaking around under his Invisibility Cloak, he had discovered a mysterious mirror—one that revealed his deepest desires.Both Ron and Hermione had worried he might get lost in the illusion, and even Dumbledore had warned him earnestly.
But now, Harry no longer cared for phantoms—he had found something real. A true family.
"Hello, Harry. How was your break?"
"It was amazing! Ron and I battled Pokémon every day, and I even earned the Hufflepuff Badge of Loyalty! I'm planning to challenge Professor Quirrell next!" Harry said eagerly. "Oh—and—"
"Sirius's case has been overturned! And he said… he'd love for me to live with him!"
His face radiated pure joy. Until now, he had never imagined having a real home or family.
If there was one disappointment, it was that Dumbledore insisted he still spend one month each summer at Privet Drive.To Harry, that was a terrible idea—neither he nor the Dursleys would ever be happy about it.
"Congratulations," Charles said, patting his head lightly.
"It's all thanks to you, Professor!"
"Sirius also wanted to thank you personally—he asked if, when you have time, you might meet him face to face."
"I'll make time," Charles replied with a faint smile. He didn't mind meeting Sirius Black at all.
Sirius was a wanderer—and a notorious spendthrift—but as the last male heir of the Black family, he was immensely wealthy.Even with the family's decline, their status among the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood houses still carried weight.There was no harm in befriending him.
But what interested Charles more wasn't Sirius himself—it was his brother, Regulus Black, who had stolen Slytherin's Locket from Voldemort.A Horcrux.
To Charles, a Horcrux meant more than dark magic—it meant a direct power-up: two levels gained, a new Ability, and often a lead connected to a Legendary Pokémon.
He intended to seize and destroy the locket personally.In the original timeline, Harry and his friends had stolen it from Umbridge, after she bought it from Mundungus —but there were too many uncertainties in that version.What if someone else bought it first?What if, even if Umbridge did get it, she somehow released Voldemort?
Charles intended to leave a few Horcruxes as "training trials" for Harry—but only the ones within his control.He couldn't stand the idea of events spiraling beyond his grasp.
Besides, he needed to grow stronger himself—fast.Once the Pokémon anime began airing globally, even the wizarding world would inevitably take notice.When that happened, the International Confederation of Wizards would certainly come knocking.
(End of Chapter)