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Chapter 20: A Prank Gone Wrong
Chapter 20: A Prank Gone Wrong
After sitting at the Hufflepuff table, Kyle felt a sense of relief.
Before the Sorting, he had felt uneasy, but now that everything was settled, he finally felt like a true member of Hogwarts.
It was an incredible feeling.
Kyle leaned against the table, propping his chin up with his left hand, casually observing the ongoing Sorting while waiting for the start of the feast.
Due to the lengthy Sorting process, many in the Great Hall were curiously eyeing Kyle.
Several female witches, seeing Kyle and Cedric sitting together, laughing and chatting, turned to look at their own classmates, almost grinding their teeth in frustration.
Damn it, why do all the handsome ones go to Hufflepuff? It's not fair!
...
At the Gryffindor table, Fred and George were also close to grinding their teeth in frustration.
"Why did Kyle go to Hufflepuff!" Fred lamented, pounding his thigh in annoyance. "Now, our carefully prepared welcome ceremony is useless!"
"Shut up, Fred," George said, scratching his head beside him. "Honestly, even if Kyle went to Slytherin, I could accept it, but Hufflepuff... How is that possible?"
"Yeah!" Fred nodded. "Is Kyle loyal? Kind? Is the Sorting Hat getting senile?"
Just as Fred and George fell silent, a newly Sorted Gryffindor first-year sat down at the empty seat next to them.
The next second...
"Ow!"
A scream echoed through the Great Hall, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
The Gryffindor first-year seemed like a startled Guarding Tree Frog, leaping over three feet high in place, and then started running around with his hands covering his buttocks.
While running, he wailed.
The crowd now saw that a round object was hanging behind him.
It was about the size of a Quaffle in Quidditch, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, firmly biting the first-year's buttocks.
"Wait a minute, that thing looks familiar," Fred, who was watching the scene, suddenly seemed to remember something, and turned to say, "George, didn't you put away the Snapping Ball?"
George was startled. "No, I thought you had already put it away."
The two looked at each other, then simultaneously looked at the empty seat on the left, where the first-year had just been sitting.
Undoubtedly, it was empty.
"Oh, damn it," Fred said, clutching his hair in distress. "That was all our savings."
The Snapping Ball was a new prop that Fred and George had purchased at a high price from Zonko's Joke Shop. It could disguise itself as an ordinary cushion and be placed anywhere. It was a bit expensive, requiring three Galleons, which was not a small sum for Fred and George.
But thinking that Kyle would be Sorted today, they gritted their teeth and spent all their savings to buy it, preparing an unforgettable surprise for their junior schoolmate.
To avoid any suspicion, they had deliberately set up the cushion on an empty seat next to them while Kyle was wearing the Sorting Hat.
This way, if Kyle was Sorted into Gryffindor, they could naturally lead him to the trap.
Even if he was Sorted into another House, it wouldn't matter; it was just a cushion, and they could easily retrieve it.
Everything was perfect.
Unfortunately, Kyle was Sorted into Hufflepuff, the least likely House in their eyes, and due to the shock, they didn't retrieve the "cushion" in time.
And so, the scene before them unfolded.
"Fred, do you think we can get that Snapping Ball back?" George gazed at the new student's retreating figure, his heart bleeding.
Three Galleons, that's enough to buy a whole box of dungbombs. It's a pity to lose it.
Fred watched as Professor McGonagall approached the new student. With a sigh, he said, "I guess it's gone for good."
The twins exhaled in unison.
On the other side, Professor McGonagall had already reached the new student's side. She casually removed the Snapping Ball and then checked on the young wizard.
He was unharmed, and there were no signs of damage to his robes—a standard magical trick.
Recognizing the familiar technique and the culprit's tool, Professor McGonagall immediately identified the perpetrator and shot a glare at the twins.
However, as the Sorting Ceremony was still ongoing, she couldn't say much. Leaving behind the words, "Gryffindor will lose twenty points," she returned to the staff table.
The new student was also startled by the incident. After being brought back by Percy, he carefully inspected himself three times to ensure everything was in order before returning to the table.
Not far away, Kyle watched Fred and George's gloomy faces with no attempt to hide his mockery. Slowly, he raised his middle finger at them.
Kyle could swear on Ron's honor that the biting ball from earlier was definitely set up by these two.
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Now that Professor McGonagall had discovered them, it was a case of poetic justice.
"No way, George, Kyle is too arrogant," Fred fumed, his face turning red.
Others might not understand the gesture, but he did.
For the past eleven years, whenever Kyle mocked them, he would raise his middle finger. So, Fred understood Kyle's intention perfectly.
"Don't worry, Fred, as long as Kyle is still at Hogwarts, we'll have our chance."
Like Fred, George was also infuriated, his ears turning red.
The problem was that they had no leverage over Kyle at the moment, and they dared not cause trouble under Professor McGonagall's deathly stare. They could only retaliate by giving Kyle the middle finger in return.
Out of sight, out of mind.
The twins momentarily suppressed their desire for revenge, turning their heads away, trying not to look at Kyle's infuriating face.
Kyle, however, paid no mind to their actions.
It was merely the last stand of two pathetic red-haired losers, and he wouldn't give it a second thought.
Kyle also knew that Fred and George would not let this go. Perhaps they were already plotting their comeback.
But so what?
In the past eleven years, the war between Kyle and the Weasley twins had almost always been in his favor.
The few times they had managed to get the upper hand were due to his younger age and Charlie's shameless bullying, taking advantage of his size.
Now, Charlie was swamped with graduation exams and Quidditch matters, leaving no time to bother with them.
Without Charlie, who could the twins turn to for support?
Ron?
If that were the case, dealing with them would be even easier.
Thus, with his impressive track record, Kyle had nothing to fear.
...
(End of Chapter)
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