Chapter 154: Hogwarts Roommates
Chapter 154: Hogwarts Roommates
Kyle stayed with Hagrid until noon before returning to the castle.
It was almost lunchtime, and he had to head back.
Hagrid had wanted him to stay for a meal, but Kyle quickly declined after a moment's hesitation. He had just witnessed Hagrid taking two long, unidentified creatures from the shelf, slicing them briefly before tossing them into a nearby bowl, and then smearing a layer of yellow-green, sticky substance on top.
If he didn't leave, his first weekend of the new school year would likely be spent in the hospital wing.
Kyle left decisively, ignoring Hagrid's attempts to keep him, and quickly made his way back to the safety of the castle.
At this time, the Great Hall on the first floor was already bustling with people, and the atmosphere was noticeably livelier than usual due to the Quidditch tryouts.
"I wish I had flown a bit lower," a Gryffindor student lamented at the entrance. "You won't believe it, the Golden Snitch flew right beneath me, and I didn't even see it!"
"What a pity..." his companion said regretfully. "So, do you still have a chance to make the team?"
"It should be fine," the student replied. "Most of the other seekers weren't impressive, and many even fell off their brooms. Compared to them, I did quite well."
"That's great!"
...
As Kyle walked by, he overheard similar conversations everywhere.
Interestingly, at the Gryffindor table, every student who had participated in the tryouts seemed confident, even those who had fallen from their brooms and were bruised and purple.
As Kyle approached the Hufflepuff table, Cedric happened to walk by.
"How was the tryout?" Kyle asked.
Cedric shook his head, took a gulp of pumpkin juice from the table, and said, "There were many participants, but most weren't qualified. Some couldn't even pass the aerial turning test.
Oh, and I saw your two roommates."
"Mikael and Ryan?"
"Yes."
Kyle asked curiously, "How did they do?"
"Um..."
Cedric's expression suddenly became odd, as if he was choosing his words carefully. After a moment of silence, he continued, "I think... they might not be suitable for Quidditch."
"Really?" Kyle was surprised.
Given Cedric's usually kind nature, for him to say they weren't suitable for Quidditch meant that Mikael and Ryan's performance must have been truly terrible.
But Kyle remembered that they did well in Flying class, not exceptionally, but they flew steadily.
"Maybe they were too nervous and didn't fly well?"
"It's not that."
Cedric sighed and explained, "The problem is they have no idea about Quidditch rules. Ryan, in particular, was all over the place, not paying attention to others' positions. He even passed the ball to the opponents twice without looking.
The other one was even more outrageous!
...You won't believe it. He mistook the Bludger for the Snitch and charged towards the goalposts, hugging it."
"Oh..." Kyle was speechless.
But since they were his roommates, he clicked his tongue and said, "At least he was energetic, that's a plus."
"If only that were the case," Cedric sighed again. "In fact, shortly after he took off, he lost control of the Bludger. If the others weren't quick to react, he would have been sent to the hospital wing by now.
This time, Kyle genuinely couldn't find any excuses, and he felt—though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination—that Cedric's gaze upon him had suddenly turned somewhat peculiar, as if filled with pity.
"It was just an accident," Kyle explained dryly, "Besides Quidditch, they're pretty normal most of the time."
"If I recall correctly," Cedric said thoughtfully, "One of them was the one who blew up the Potions classroom with a Lighting Charm last year, wasn't it?"
"That was due to Mikael's condition," Kyle said seriously, "He can't control his magic output; it's an act of God!"
"Alright," Cedric continued after a moment's thought, "And what about when they copied their homework and included your name..."
"Um..."
Before Kyle could respond, Cedric went on:
"During the Potions exam, when Professor Snape added water to the cauldron..."
"..."
"And dyed himself blue..."
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"..."
"Wait..." Kyle's expression froze, and he asked, "How did you know about that?"
He remembered that when he brought Mikael back, it was right during class time, so no one should have seen it.
"The History of Magic classroom is right next to the Clock Tower Courtyard," Cedric said softly, "You can see the entrance of the Hospital Wing through the window."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Kyle spoke with gravity, "Cedric, you're going too far. Gossiping behind people's backs isn't the Hufflepuff way."
Cedric looked at Kyle with a strange expression, saying nothing.
"Alright, let's leave it at that, and not repeat it again."
Kyle calmly picked up a piece of toasted bread and said, "Let's talk about the other teams. Have they made any changes this year?"
Although Cedric felt that Kyle's topic change was a bit abrupt, he went along with it, saying, "Slytherin cleared the field when selecting players, and I only know their new captain is Marcus Flint.
Gryffindor still has last year's team, with no standout newcomers. Oliver Wood was pulling his hair out on the pitch all morning.
But Ravenclaw has an excellent new Seeker; guess who it is..."
"It's Autumn, isn't it?" Kyle said, "She mentioned wanting to become a Seeker last year."
"That's right, it's Autumn," Cedric smiled, "She was the fastest to catch the Golden Snitch among all the Chasers in the selection.
The Ravenclaw captain was overjoyed. If it weren't for the early hour, he might have agreed to let Autumn become the new Seeker right then and there."
"You don't know, but Wood's eyes were red with envy."
Cedric picked up a cup of pumpkin juice and smiled, "He immediately ran to ask Professor McGonagall if first-years could join the tryouts, but he got a stern lecture instead."
"Hey, I think I just heard someone mention our beloved captain."
"Is Wood that popular now?"
At that moment, Fred and George approached from a short distance away, sitting down on either side of Kyle and asking, "What were you two talking about?"
"About the Quidditch player selection," Cedric didn't hide it, smiling as he asked, "What's this? Did Professor McGonagall agree to let you choose from the first-years?"
(End of Chapter)
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