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Chapter 168: A Thousand Parchments
Chapter 168: A Thousand Parchments
Ever since joining the Quidditch team, Kyle had been busier than ever.
Between classes during the day and his nightly excursions to the Restricted Section of the library to copy books, he barely had any free time. And what little time he could squeeze out was spent on homework.
The workload for second-year students was considerably heavier than the previous year. It seemed that the professors had conspired, as starting from last week, the required length for their assignments had gone from inches to feet.
On top of that, Quidditch practice three evenings a week consumed a significant chunk of his time as well.
Harris was very strict in this regard, with each training session lasting at least three hours, only ending just before curfew.
However, after several consecutive training sessions, the team's coordination, especially between Kyle and Harris, had improved significantly.
Today, they had mastered the intricate art of the two-way offensive tactic.
This was a classic Quidditch strategy invented by the Wimbourne Wasps, a variation of the eagle-head offensive formation.
It involved both Chasers flying towards the central goal post and making frequent passes. Once in the scoring area, they would quickly split apart, confusing the Keeper and disrupting their judgment.
By the end of the practice match, Kyle and Harris had scored a whopping sixty goals, leaving Hufflepuff's Keeper feeling utterly demoralized. His teammates had to practically carry him back to the dormitory, his eyes vacant and unfocused.
"Cheer up, Frollo," Harris encouraged, lifting Frollo's right leg. "You're already one of the best Keepers in the school. Just think, if you can't catch the balls we throw at you, no one else will be able to either!"
Harris' face was flushed with excitement as he continued, "This year's Quidditch Cup will bear our names once more—I guarantee it!"
"Ha ha... It's not even November yet, and I can hardly wait for the games to begin," one of the team members added, their voices echoing in the corridor as they made their way back to the castle. Kyle followed along, carrying his broomstick.
As they passed by the entrance to the Great Hall, they happened to cross paths with Fred and George, who were descending the stairs. The twins' pockets were bulging, seemingly stuffed with all sorts of items.
After Harris and the others had walked away, Cedric raised an eyebrow and whispered, "You're going out for a night tour so close to curfew?"
"No, we just got back from Hogsmeade," George replied, patting his stuffed pockets. "Zonko's latest products, bought just before they closed."
"You know, for our dear little brother," Fred added with a wink, handing a leather bag to Kyle. "Here, this is for you."
"Thanks," Kyle said, reaching out to take it.
Fred gave him a knowing look. "So, do you have some new money-making idea you'd like to share with us?"
"Huh?" Kyle was a bit puzzled by Fred's question.
He'd been so busy with Quidditch practice that he hadn't even had time to visit the greenhouses. How could he possibly have come up with a new money-making scheme?
"Don't play dumb with us," George said irritably. "If you didn't have a new idea, why would you buy so much parchment?"
"And don't tell us it's for making maps," Fred cut in. "The time for selling maps passed nearly a month ago."
Fred draped an arm around Kyle's shoulder, a smug look on his face. "Come on, don't try to fool me. If you didn't have a new idea, why would you buy a thousand parchments?"
"A thousand?" Kyle echoed. "That almost cleaned out Scrivenshaft's stock."
"Not enough stock?"
"You were close to not having enough," Fred laughed. "There are one thousand and sixty-three sheets here, with the extras as a bonus."
"That's all we could get. We helped close up the Scribbler's Nook early today," George added.
"All right, you've told me enough. Now it's time to share your plan with us," Fred said, curiosity evident in his voice.
Fred stroked his chin, guessing, "With this much parchment, you must be planning to make maps of secret passages... or perhaps you intend to provide paid answers to homework assignments?"
"Neither!" Kyle shook his head. "This is truly just for my own use."
"Don't joke around," Fred scoffed. "This is a thousand sheets of parchment. There's no way you'd need that much just for writing assignments. Cedric, do you use a thousand sheets of parchment in a term?"
Cedric immediately shook his head. In truth, a thousand sheets would probably last him seven years.
"I know it's hard to believe, but that's the truth," Kyle said thoughtfully. "I've been copying some things lately, and I need a large quantity of parchment for that."
Seeing Kyle's serious expression, Fred and George finally dropped their initial suspicions.
"Are you sure?" Fred asked, still a little hesitant.
"Of course," Kyle shrugged. "And I can assure you, if I'm lying, Cedric will start losing his hair from this year onward."
"Hey, don't drag me into this!" Cedric protested, giving Kyle a displeased look.
"Don't be so stingy," Kyle said nonchalantly. "Don't you trust me?"
"That's not the point!" Cedric sighed in exasperation. His father, Mr. Diggory, had hair-related troubles, and he certainly didn't want to end up like that anytime soon.
With Kyle's assurance, Fred and George finally dismissed the last of their doubts. After all, Kyle had no reason to deceive them.
The twins looked a little disappointed as they turned and began walking toward the Gryffindor Tower. Along the way, they enthusiastically speculated about Kyle's new plan, even gearing themselves up for some grand endeavor.
However, they eventually realized that there was no grand plan at all, and they had simply been imagining things. The letdown left them feeling a bit deflated.
"You're going the wrong way," Cedric pointed out. "If you want to go to the kitchen, you need to head downstairs."
"Thanks, but we suddenly don't feel that hungry anymore," Fred replied.
"And we don't feel like eating anything at all," George added.
...
After the twins had left, Cedric scratched his head, puzzled. "What's gotten into them?"
Kyle shook his head. "Who knows? Maybe they're going through puberty."
"What kind of phase?" Cedric asked, confused.
"Never mind, it's almost curfew. We should head back too," Kyle suggested.
"Okay," Cedric agreed.
Late into the night, after his roommates had fallen asleep, Kyle quietly got out of bed and sneaked out of the dormitory, making his way to the library as he often did.
He walked straight to the third bookshelf in the Restricted Section, opened his pouch, and skillfully took out a quick-quote quill and a stack of parchment, placing them on the nearest table.
"Lumos!"
Kyle illuminated his wand and sat down with a carefully selected book, beginning to read and copy from it.
(End of Chapter)
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