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Chapter 11: I Don't Have the Weasley Surname, So How Could I Break the Rules?
Chapter 11: I Don't Have the Weasley Surname, So How Could I Break the Rules?
With his worries gone, Cedric became noticeably more cheerful. He closed his book and took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Kyle: "Hello, may I call you Kyle?"
"Of course," Kyle nodded. "In fact, my father also works at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, he's a colleague of your father."
"Your father?" Cedric was taken aback for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Mr. Chris Joppa?"
"Yes," confirmed Kyle.
Cedric exclaimed, "Your last name is Joppa, and you know the Weasley brothers... Oh, I should've guessed! We're even neighbors!"
With this connection established, the two of them quickly became more comfortable with each other, and their interactions felt like those of old friends, despite this being their first encounter.
"By the way, Kyle," Cedric said, as if remembering something. He asked curiously, "I recall looking for you before, but you weren't home. At the time, my father mentioned that since you were very young, you had been studying with Mr. Scamander, and you would surely accomplish great things in the future. Is that true? Were you really studying with Mr. Scamander?"
Cedric was brimming with curiosity, as Newt Scamander was no ordinary wizard.
There were many famous figures in the British magical community, but most of them were only well-known within their own countries.
For instance, some textbook authors or novelists who had received the Order of Merlin, Third Class, might be somewhat popular at Hogwarts, but their fame didn't extend much beyond that. If you went to places like Durmstrang or Beauxbatons, they might not be recognized at all.
Only a select few wizards had achieved true fame throughout the entire wizarding world, their faces appearing on Chocolate Frog Cards even during their lifetimes.
Newt Scamander was one of those rare few.
Cedric's curiosity was piqued by being so close to a legendary figure.
...
On the other hand, Kyle was looking at Cedric with a bewildered expression.
He had also looked for him, and it happened that Kyle wasn't home either? What a coincidence.
As for Mr. Diggory, didn't he share an office with Chris? Where had he heard such gossip, and how could he possibly know about Kyle's visits to Newt?
Kyle rubbed his temples in exasperation and explained, "First of all, it's definitely true that I'll accomplish great things in the future. But it was my father who was Newt Scamander's student. I merely went to his place to play."
Newt was not like Dumbledore; he suffered from severe social anxiety. When he was younger, he could still manage to socialize a bit, though he preferred not to speak much. He could make a few friends, fight some Dark wizards, or take on a student or two to teach them about magical creatures.
However, after Gellert Grindelwald was imprisoned in Nurmengard, Newt retreated further from social activities and dedicated himself entirely to his work with magical creatures.
In the last three decades, he had barely spoken to strangers, and his social anxiety had worsened.
It was unrealistic to expect Newt to behave like a Hogwarts professor, teaching a young wizard daily, checking their homework, and providing extra guidance.
Moreover, Newt was well aware that his personality wasn't suited for teaching. In his opinion, a teacher or professor should be more like Dumbledore.
So, Chris was technically his last nominal student.
In the following decades, although many people had similar aspirations and some even enlisted Dumbledore as an intermediary, Newt rejected them all without exception.
While helping Chris, Tina could also keep herself occupied.
It made sense; tending to a husband who was reticent and obsessed with magical creatures was already challenging, and Tina needed to find ways to stay sane.
Moreover, Kyle had just turned six at the time, an age Tina considered to be trying, and she thought it might help cure Newt's social phobia.
Their grandson had driven them crazy at that age, and Newt had spoken more in a day than he had in the past month.
And Kyle didn't disappoint Tina in this regard.
While he wasn't a troublemaker, his curiosity was piqued, especially since it was his first time encountering so many magical creatures, so he couldn't help but ask numerous questions.
Perhaps because these questions pertained to magical creatures, Newt, despite rarely speaking on his own accord, would always give serious responses to Kyle's inquiries.
As a result, Newt ended up speaking more, and he did so willingly.
In any case, all three of them were content with the arrangement.
And for this reason, even after Chris and Diana became less busy, Kyle still visited them every year.
...
Of course, Kyle didn't plan on sharing these details with Cedric; after all, he wanted to maintain Newt's image.
A reclusive, legendary master of magical creatures sounded much better than a socially anxious old man.
So, after providing a simple explanation, Kyle didn't intend to dwell on the topic further; the more he said, the more likely he was to slip up, and things were fine as they were.
"By the way, Cedric, what do you think of the professors at Hogwarts? Are they easy to get along with?" Kyle glanced at Cedric's copy of 'Dark Forces: A Self-Defense Guide' and asked, "As you know, I'm attending school for the first time, and I don't know much about these things. What if I accidentally anger one of the professors? Could I get expelled?"
"You don't have to worry about that at all."
Cedric reassured him with a smile, "The professors are all great... well, at least most of them are. And even the strictest professor wouldn't expel a student lightly."
As he said the last sentence, Cedric's expression turned serious, and he opened his mouth slightly as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to phrase it.
Kyle understood what he was hinting at and waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry, I don't have the Weasley surname, so how could I break the rules?"
Hearing this, Cedric breathed a sigh of relief, "Sorry... that's not what I meant."
Kyle shook his head, "It's fine, I know."
Since they were already on the topic of Hogwarts, Cedric became more enthusiastic, sharing more detailed information with Kyle in the following time.
For instance, the annually changing Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was not worth worrying about, the Transfiguration professor who was obsessed with turning into a cat was the most dignified... and most importantly, the Potions professor who never washed his hair loved to deduct points.
Basically, everything Kyle learned aligned with what he already knew, and there weren't any surprising revelations.
(End of Chapter)
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