Chapter 168: A Thousand Parchments
Chapter 168: A Thousand Parchments
Ever since joining the Quidditch team, Kyle's life had become busier than ever.
During the day, he attended classes and spent time in the library studying, and at night, he sneaked into the Restricted Section to copy books, barely finding time for his assignments.
The workload for second-year students was significantly heavier than the previous year, as if the professors had coordinated their efforts. Starting last week, the length requirements for their assignments had increased from inches to feet.
Additionally, the three weekly Quidditch training sessions consumed a large portion of his time.
Harris was particularly strict in this regard, ensuring each training session lasted at least three hours, only returning to the castle just before curfew.
However, after several training sessions, Kyle and his teammates were becoming increasingly synchronized in their movements.
Today, Kyle and Harris had mastered the Dual Offense Tactic, a classic strategy invented by the Wembly Wasps Quidditch Team, an improved version of the Eagle Head Offense Formation.
Two Chasers would fly towards the central goalposts, passing the ball back and forth, and then quickly split to the sides upon reaching the scoring zone, effectively confusing the Keeper's judgment.
By the end of the practice match, Kyle and Harris had scored sixty goals, leaving the Hufflepuff Keeper in a state of disbelief, his eyes glazed over as he was carried back to the dormitory by his teammates.
"Cheer up, Ferro, you're already one of the best Keepers in the school," Harris said, lifting Ferro's right leg. "Think about it; if you can't catch the ball, no one else can!"
Harris's face turned red as he spoke. "I guarantee we'll have our names on the Quidditch Cup again this year!"
"Haha... I can't wait for November to arrive so we can start the matches," Harris added.
The group returned to the castle, with Kyle following behind, carrying his Flying Broomstick.
As they passed by the Great Hall, they encountered Fred and George descending the stairs.
The twins' pockets were bulging, seemingly filled with something.
Once Harris and the others were out of earshot, Cedric raised an eyebrow and whispered, "It's almost curfew, and you two are going on a night adventure?"
"No, we're coming from Hogsmeade, and we're heading to the kitchen for a late-night snack," George replied, patting his bulging pocket. "Zonko's latest products, bought just before they closed."
"You know, for our adorable little brother," Fred winked, handing a leather bag to Kyle.
"This is for you."
"Thanks," Kyle said, reaching out to take it.
Fred gave him a look, excitement in his eyes. "So, tell us, do you have a new money-making idea? Share it with us."
"What?" Kyle was a bit confused by Fred's question.
He had been so busy these days that he hadn't even had time to visit the garden, let alone research new money-making ideas.
"Don't play dumb with us," George said impatiently. "If you don't have a new idea, why would you buy so many parchments?"
"Don't say it's for making maps; the time for selling maps has long passed."
Fred put his arm around Kyle's shoulder, assuming a 'I'm smart, and you can't fool me' expression. "If you don't have a new idea, how could you possibly buy a thousand parchments?"
"A thousand? The Quill and Emporium's stock almost ran out."
"Out of stock?"
Kyle opened his Transfigured Lizard Leather Bag and saw stacks of parchments, but he wasn't sure how many there were.
"Forget it, I'm not in a rush. It's not a big deal if I have fewer."
"It's barely enough," Fred chuckled. "There are one thousand and sixty-three sheets in here, and the extras are a bonus."
"That's all we have. We helped Quill and Scroll Emporium close twenty minutes early today."
"Alright, enough chit-chat. It's about time you tell us what this plan of yours is."
Fred scratched his chin, guessing on his own, "If it's parchment, it can't be a map of secret passages... Or are you planning to sell homework answers?"
"None of the above!"
Kyle shook his head, "This is really just for my personal use."
"You're kidding, right? It's a thousand sheets of parchment. How could you possibly need that much just for homework?"
"Cedric, do you need a thousand sheets of parchment in one term?"
Cedric shook his head immediately.
To be honest, a thousand sheets of parchment were almost enough for his entire seven years at school.
"I know it's hard to believe, but that's the truth."
Kyle thought for a moment and said, "I've been transcribing something and need a large amount of parchment, that's all."
Seeing Kyle's serious expression, Fred and George stopped insisting as they had at the beginning.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course," Kyle shrugged. "And I can assure you that if I'm lying, Cedric will start losing hair from this year onwards."
"Hey, what does that have to do with me!" Cedric glared at Kyle.
"Don't be so stingy," Kyle said nonchalantly. "Don't you trust me?"
"It's not the same thing!" Cedric sighed helplessly.
His father, Mr. Diggory, had his own hair troubles, and he didn't want to end up like that.
With Kyle's assurance, Fred and George let go of their last shred of doubt.
Indeed, Kyle had no reason to deceive them.
The twins looked a little disappointed, hanging their heads low as they turned and walked towards the Gryffindor Tower.
Along the way, they excitedly guessed Kyle's new plan, even preparing themselves for a big undertaking.
But in the end, they realized there was no such plan, and it was all their own imagination.
The twins couldn't quite accept this sudden change.
"You're going the wrong way," Cedric pointed out. "The kitchen is downstairs."
"Thanks, but we suddenly don't feel that hungry anymore."
"And we don't feel like eating anything at all."
...
After the twins left, Cedric scratched his head and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with them?"
Kyle shook his head, "Who knows? Maybe it's just a phase."
"What phase?"
"Never mind, curfew is almost here. Let's head back too."
"Alright."
Late at night, after his roommates fell asleep, Kyle quietly got up and left the dormitory, heading to the library as usual.
Kyle went straight to the third bookshelf in the Restricted Section, taking out a quill and a stack of parchment and placing them on the nearest table.
"Lumos."
Kyle lit his wand and sat down, carefully flipping through a book he had chosen while holding the quill.
(End of Chapter)
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