Chapter 186: Holiday Tutoring
Chapter 186: Holiday Tutoring
"This is simply unbelievable."
While having lunch in the Great Hall, Cedric had already heard from Connor about what had transpired during Potions class earlier.
He clicked his tongue and asked curiously, "I recall that the Draught of Living Death is something we learn in our sixth year. How did you manage to accomplish that... Wait, don't tell me you've already studied all the Potions textbooks?"
Kyle, who was slicing a sausage, glanced up and smiled, "What if I have?"
Cedric paused for a moment, then joked, "Then I'll have no choice but to give up Quidditch and spend more time studying... After all, being friends with a future Master Potioneer is a lot of pressure."
"It looks like I owe Harris my life." Kyle patted his chest and added with a hint of fear, "If you quit the team for this reason, he'd kill me for sure!"
"Alright, I admit I was joking."
Under everyone's gaze, Kyle continued, "I guess I got lucky. I found an Advanced Potion-Making book a few days ago and flipped through it to pass the time. I just so happened to come across the instructions for the Draught of Living Death."
It was indeed lucky; if he hadn't learned the Mind-Blocking Charm during the summer vacation, he wouldn't have dared to be so bold in front of Snape.
Although such behavior was a bit reckless, it felt incredibly satisfying, especially when he saw Snape's expression—the one where he wanted to deduct points but couldn't, and he looked like he was questioning his life choices. Kyle had to struggle to keep from laughing out loud.
It was a pity he hadn't captured that moment; otherwise, Kyle would have used the best Revealing Charm to turn it into a hilarious animated gif and posted it in every corner of Hogwarts.
He wondered if there would be another opportunity like that in the future. If so, perhaps he could discuss it with Peeves the Poltergeist...
"Even so, it's still impressive," Mick, who was sitting next to Kyle, sighed. "Professor Snape clearly wrote out the process, but I just can't seem to get it right."
Mick was the unlucky one whose cauldron had exploded.
After he had finished stirring, the potion began to evaporate rapidly, and finally, the cauldron exploded, leaving a puddle of black, gooey substance.
In a way, that goo might have put people to sleep even better than the actual Draught of Living Death, but no one dared to test it.
After finishing their meal, the group returned to the common room and settled into a spot near the fireplace.
The blazing fire quickly dispelled the chill they had brought in from outside, and they leaned back comfortably on the sofa, their eyes half-closed in relaxation.
With Christmas break approaching, the young wizards in the room were excitedly discussing their holiday plans.
Listening to their conversations, Cedric turned to Kyle and asked, "By the way, Kyle, are you really not going home for Christmas this year?"
"Mm-hmm," Kyle nodded.
With Diana away recently and Chris off to Albania with Newt, Kyle's home would be empty during the holidays.
The previous week, when Professor Sprout had come to register the students staying at Hogwarts over the break, Kyle had immediately signed his name, and so had Connor.
According to Connor, Snape seemed to want to tutor her during the Christmas break, so she had to stay at school.
Kyle couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He really wanted to tag along, but he knew that Snape would never agree to it.
In fact, he had wanted to stay as well and had even written a letter to his family about it, but Mr. Diggory firmly disagreed.
Cedric didn't want to go against his father's wishes, so he could only drop the idea.
Thankfully, Qiu was also going home, so he didn't seem too out of place.
The group lounged by the fireplace until the afternoon before reluctantly getting up to leave the common room.
Cedric had one last Charms class before the break.
Kyle and Connor, on the other hand, had Herbology.
Following the armored pumpkins from the last Halloween, Professor Sprout introduced another festive magical plant for the last class before Christmas break.
Snowcap mushrooms.
These mushrooms stood over half a meter tall, with white rings on their caps that made them resemble Christmas trees topped with snow.
Unsurprisingly, Kyle once again earned twenty points for Hufflepuff.
Whether it was to consider the feelings of the other students or due to the festive spirit, by the end of the class, Professor Sprout gifted each student a pot of snowcap mushrooms.
However, Kyle didn't seem too excited.
This was mainly because snowcap mushrooms were non-toxic and purely ornamental. They usually grew on mountain peaks perpetually covered in snow, so not many young witches and wizards had seen them before.
In fact, you could buy a pot of snowcap mushrooms in Diagon Alley for just three Sickles, or a spoonful of seeds for twenty Knuts.
Growing them in the flower beds would only serve to improve the diet of the mooncalves.
...
After Kyle, Connor, and the others finished their last Herbology class and stepped out of the greenhouse, everyone jumped for joy.
Tomorrow was the long-awaited start of the holidays, and if it weren't for the mandatory attendance at the evening banquet, they would have loved to board the train home right away.
Bringing up the rear of the group, Connor asked in a soft voice, "Kyle, what are your plans for the holidays?"
"Probably nothing much," Kyle replied after some thought. "I've been busy lately, so I'll take this opportunity to rest and explore Hogwarts properly. Maybe I'll even try out the secret passage that the Weasley brothers recommended."
Hearing this, Connor couldn't help but look at him with a hint of envy.
During this break, she only had three days to complete her homework for various subjects, and the rest of her time would be spent in remedial classes.
In Professor Snape's words: "Your foundation is too weak, wasting such good aptitude. Remedial classes are a must!"
Initially, she had a week to work on her assignments, and if she hurried, she could even free up a few days for herself.
But for some reason, just before class started, she received a note from Professor Snape informing her that the remedial classes had been moved forward by four days, and she needed to finish her homework as soon as possible.
Now, she could only manage to complete her assignments in three days, leaving no time for anything else.
(End of Chapter)
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