Chapter 109: Special Contribution to Hogwarts Award
Chapter 109: Special Contribution to Hogwarts Award
Despite Kyle's repeated assurances that he was fine, Professor McGonagall insisted on sending him to the school hospital.
Although Madam Pomfrey didn't find any injuries or illnesses on Kyle, after hearing the whole story, she insisted that Kyle stay there for the night.
After Professor McGonagall left, Madam Pomfrey took out a bottle from the cabinet and poured a large cup of light blue potion for Kyle.
"Drink it!"
Lying on the hospital bed, Kyle made a bitter face and said, "No, thank you, Madam Pomfrey."
The potions in the school hospital were indeed very effective, but they also tasted terrible.
Cedric had once drunk a stimulant potion when he had a cold, and according to him, it tasted like soapy water left in the sun for three days, requiring immense willpower just to swallow it.
Kyle didn't want to drink soapy water.
Moreover, his most severe injury was just a tooth mark on his arm, a situation that didn't require any medication.
But Madam Pomfrey wouldn't listen to reason; it stood there, her tone stern as she said, "This potion will help you quickly regain your energy and strength. You must finish it, or you won't be allowed to leave the hospital!"
Upon hearing that he couldn't leave the hospital, Kyle's face instantly fell.
The school hospital was the place with the most say in Hogwarts; even Dumbledore had to listen to Madam Pomfrey and couldn't utter a word of dissent.
If Madam Pomfrey didn't allow Kyle to leave the hospital, he couldn't leave, no matter who came.
Kyle picked up the cup and resignedly finished the potion.
"Glug, glug, glug..."
The taste was indeed unpleasant, but it was slightly better than the stimulant potion, resembling soapy water left in the sun for a day.
After Kyle finished the potion, Madam Pomfrey left.
Lying on the bed, Kyle felt his eyelids were unusually heavy, either from extreme exhaustion or the effect of the potion, and he quickly fell asleep.
He didn't know how long he had slept, but in his daze, he kept hearing a rustling sound by his ear.
It was as if someone was eating something.
Hmm, eating? The thought made him suddenly feel hungry... and this feeling became increasingly apparent.
Kyle struggled to lift his heavy eyelids; the sunlight was a bit dazzling, and it took him a while to adjust.
Before him was the ceiling of the school hospital, and... Albus Dumbledore's smiling face.
"Good afternoon, Kyle," Dumbledore mumbled, as if he was chewing something, with an open box of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavored Beans beside him.
As Kyle became more alert, he quickly understood the situation before him.
The greatest white wizard and headmaster of Hogwarts was actually sneaking his snacks!
"The table was too full," Dumbledore seemed to guess what Kyle was thinking and smiled, "And I suspect they might have emptied Honeydukes. I ate three beans, and they were all bad flavors. I think they must have packed the wrong ones."
"Headmaster, you can try that golden-brown one," Kyle said subconsciously, then turned to look at the table, which was piled high with various snacks like a small mountain.
And it wasn't just one table; some genius had brought over the table from the adjacent bed, and it, too, was piled high with a mountain of snacks.
"These are all gifts from your friends. I suspect they might have emptied Honeydukes," Dumbledore said with a chuckle, casually popping the bean Kyle mentioned into his mouth.
"Oh, it's champagne... a rare taste indeed."
"Headmaster, how long have I been asleep?"
"Three more hours and it'll be a full day," Dumbledore said.
Kyle sat up in bed, stretching his stiff neck.
He couldn't believe he had slept for so long, and it was already the afternoon of the next day. No wonder he felt hungry... wait, the afternoon of the next day?
"Headmaster, the Quidditch match."
"I'm afraid you missed it," Dumbledore said, "but Hufflepuff won. They believe that a Quidditch Cup will help you recover faster, and they played with great spirit during the match."
"Damn it, Olren!" Kyle pounded the pillow in frustration. The match had been something he was most looking forward to.
"Speaking of Olren... Kyle, do you know why he's causing you trouble?"
"He said it's because of my father," Kyle replied.
"But as far as I know," Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled, "twelve years ago, if it weren't for Chris, Olren would have died at the hands of Death Eaters. It was your father who saved his life."
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"That's impossible. If my father saved Olren, why would he do this? It's like biting the hand that feeds you."
"It's certain that he really wanted to kill me," Kyle said firmly. "If it weren't for the Centaurs arriving in time, he would have even used the Killing Curse on me."
"That is indeed puzzling," Dumbledore said softly. "I'm afraid only Olren himself knows the reason. But he's already fled, and catching a wandering poet is no easy task."
"A wandering poet?"
"Yes," Dumbledore explained. "After that narrow escape, he left for France and began traveling the world as a wandering poet.
As for when he started smuggling magical creatures, I have no idea."
"Then why did he come to Hogwarts?" Kyle asked, puzzled. "Was it just to kill me?"
"Of course not, child," Dumbledore shook his head. "I've learned that the Ministry of Magic received an anonymous tip-off letter in mid-August, detailing the smugglers' routes.
Now that I think about it, the sender was probably Olren, which is why he applied for the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor position two months in advance.
But I also don't understand why he did this. Perhaps he wanted to use Hogwarts to hide from something, or maybe he was short on funds, or some other reason. Wandering poets are always so hard to fathom."
After listening to Dumbledore, Kyle found himself even more confused about Olren. All he could do was plant more snapdragons and invite Olren for a plant bath the next time they met.
Regardless, it was a fact that he almost died at Olren's hands, and it was the first time Olren had suffered such a huge loss.
Kyle had already made up his mind. A gift of one hundred snapdragons was what Olren would receive.
"Now, let's change the subject and talk about something more cheerful."
"Because of your calmness in the face of danger, your brave act of using a flying broomstick to rescue Connor Prince from the Forbidden Forest, and your noble spirit in facing two Dark Wizards alone to buy her time, we unanimously decided to award you the Special Contribution to Hogwarts Award."
...
(End of Chapter)
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