Chapter 213: Words of Wisdom from the Weasley Family
Chapter 213: Words of Wisdom from the Weasley Family
Upon returning to the castle, Kyle tossed the collected Rowan tree branches into the common room and once again retreated into his trunk to work on his project.
In his rush to meet the deadline, Kyle completed all his homework in just two days and entrusted the task of processing the Rowan wood to Cedric and the others.
After all, they had done it before and were familiar with the process; they would undoubtedly manage it without a hitch.
After delegating everything, Kyle seemed to vanish. He even skipped meals in the Great Hall.
No one could find him, and no one knew where he was. He would only briefly appear in the common room just before curfew each night, disappearing again early the next morning.
This went on until the start of the new term.
During breakfast on that day, Cedric, curious about Kyle's whereabouts, asked, "Where have you been these past few days? I couldn't find you anywhere in the castle."
"The eighth floor..."
Yawning, Kyle replied, "There's a special room in the corridor there, right across from the tapestry of the giant. It can transform into any room you need, and you don't have to worry about being discovered by others."
"I've been there these past few days."
"There's such a magical place in the castle?" exclaimed Connor.
"This is Hogwarts..."
Cedric pondered for a moment before speaking. "I've heard about a mysterious room on the eighth floor. It's ever-changing. Some people see a luxurious bedroom, while others see a junk-filled storeroom... It's different for everyone.
And I recall Fred and George mentioning that they once hid from Filch on the eighth floor in a broom closet, but when they tried to find it again, the place was gone.
Could that broom closet be the room you're talking about?"
"That's right, the Room of Requirement," confirmed Kyle as he took a bite of a toasted crumpet. "When they wanted to hide, the room transformed into a broom closet, but if you want to practice magic, it becomes a spacious classroom."
"That's incredible..." Cedric's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can I go and see? Can it turn into a Quidditch practice pitch, the kind where I can practice catching the Golden Snitch?"
"I want to go, too!" Connor quickly added. "I've been wanting to find a place where I can practice potions without any distractions."
"You can have it all," Kyle assured them. "Just walk up and down the corridor three times, thinking about the room you want, and you'll see the door."
After a moment's thought, Kyle added a caveat. "But... if someone is already inside, you won't be able to use it unless you're entering the same room."
Cedric's eyes sparkled with increasing enthusiasm, and he finally abandoned his breakfast, jumping up to rush to the eighth floor.
"Aren't you going?" Kyle asked, looking at Connor, who was sipping her pumpkin juice.
"You said only one person can use it at a time, didn't you?" Connor shook her head. "Let him go first. I can use those empty classrooms, so it's not urgent for me."
"Oh, right..."
At that moment, Connor suddenly remembered something. "By the way, a Gryffindor first-year has been looking for you several times these past few days."
"Gryffindor?" Kyle frowned.
The first people that came to mind were the trio, as they were the only Gryffindor first-years he knew besides them.
"Yes, a girl named Hermione Granger," Connor said, lifting her head and speaking slowly. "And she looked quite angry... Did you tell her something about using the Killing Curse during the Sorting Ceremony as well?"
Before he could finish his sentence, a baked potato came flying at them.
Kyle casually caught the 'hidden weapon' that Connor had thrown, peeled off the skin, and took a bite.
"So, Hermione didn't mention why she was looking for me?"
"No," Connor glared at him and huffed, "But Fred and George said that she strongly opposed the cheat charms you created. She probably came to find you about that as well."
"Oh..." Kyle nodded in realization.
It was most likely Hagrid who let it slip, and given Hermione's current personality, it was understandable that she would object.
However, Kyle didn't pay it any mind. After all, he didn't have to deal with the Gryffindor students, so it was Fred and George's problem to handle.
After breakfast, the two of them headed to the Dark Magic Defense classroom together.
Now that the new term had started, Professor Quirrell's complexion looked even worse than before. His face was completely devoid of color, giving him a terrifyingly pale appearance.
Many students gradually came to believe that he truly was cursed by a zombie, and they stopped mocking his stuttering. In recent days, when they encountered Professor Quirrell in the corridors, they would offer him an encouraging smile.
Even Fred and George were no exception.
One day, during a gathering at the Room of Requirement, Fred sighed, "To take on the role of the Dark Magic Defense professor despite being cursed by a zombie, Quirrell truly embodies the spirit of Gryffindor."
"His courage is thicker than that ridiculous scarf he wears."
"And to bear the smell of garlic for an entire year..." Autumn shuddered. "If it were me, I would have gone crazy by now."
Cedric glanced at the twins and smiled. "I remember you two used to pelt him with snowballs."
"We deeply regret our actions..." George feigned solemnity. "If Professor Quirrell is still alive by the end of the year, we will apologize to him."
"Why wait until the end of the year...?" Autumn asked, confused. "Why not now?"
Fred waved his hand. "What if he has another identity? Remember, he's the Dark Magic Defense professor. Until the end of the year, we can't be sure that he's completely harmless."
"Just like last year's Professor..."
George glanced at Kyle and said wistfully, "He was such a great professor—humorous during class and amicable after. Who would have thought it was all an act?"
"We trusted him so much that we even turned against Ravenclaw to defend his reputation..."
"But it was all a lie. He broke our hearts..."
Fred and George grew increasingly emotional, on the verge of bursting into tears.
Kyle shook his head, smiling, thinking that they simply missed Professor Oren because he didn't assign any homework.
Despite Professor Quirrell's unsteady gait and frail appearance, he hadn't loosened his expectations for their homework assignments. In fact, he inspected them with even greater rigor.
Not an inch less than two feet was acceptable, and even writing the letters too large would result in a deduction.
...
(End of Chapter)
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