Chapter 247: The Return and Unexpected Gifts
Chapter 247: The Return and Unexpected Gifts
By the time Kyle returned to the village of St. Kachipur, evening had already fallen.
As he concluded his journey through the portal key and dropped down from mid-air, he was greeted by a large group of people waiting for him.
Chris seemed to have known about his return in advance and was already waiting at the door.
"Dumbledore wrote that you'd be back today," Chris said with a smile. "But I didn't expect it to be so late."
"The plan was for the afternoon, but some things came up," Kyle explained.
"No problem. Just in time for dinner," Chris said as he opened the door.
The moment Kyle stepped inside, before he could even take a sip of water, Chris eagerly asked, "Now, tell me about Mr. Nicollash. I imagine he's a strict and disciplined scholar, isn't he?"
"Er... something like that," Kyle replied, his expression turning a bit odd.
Strict was not exactly the word...
During this period, every time he had seen Nicollash, the man had been wearing frog-shaped glasses, lying in a chair listening to opera, dressed in a floral shirt and shorts.
In a way, it was a form of self-discipline.
"Dad, hadn't you met Nicollash before?" Kyle asked.
"No," Chris shook his head, jesting, "After all, I didn't receive the Order of Merlin at the age of twelve like you."
He then inquired about other matters.
To maintain Nicollash's image, Kyle gave vague responses and quickly ended the topic, rushing upstairs with his luggage.
His room was already piled high with beautifully wrapped gifts that had been sent a few days earlier for his birthday.
Kyle had been with Nicollash at the time, so the owl couldn't find him, and they had been delivered here instead.
But now was not the time to open presents...
As Raton flapped his wings and flew in through the open window, Fred and George's voices drifted in from outside.
"Kyle, are you back?"
"Come out, we've brought someone with us!"
Kyle poked his head out the window and immediately spotted the slender figure standing behind them.
"Potter?"
"Yes indeed," Fred laughed. "We rescued him from that cage."
"Using your dad's flying car," George added.
"It was brilliant, a shame you weren't there," Fred continued.
Behind the twins, Harry waved happily at Kyle.
Ron had been right; their homes were indeed very close to each other.
However, compared to the Dursleys' humble dwelling, Kyle's home appeared much more ordinary, at least from the outside.
At Kyle's invitation, Harry followed Fred and George into the house.
The room they entered was a spacious living room, even larger than the Dursleys', but before Harry could examine it closely, he noticed the twins rushing upstairs.
With no other choice, he followed suit.
As soon as they reached the upper floor, the twins pushed open Kyle's bedroom door and began their interrogation.
"Kyle, you said you'd only be gone a few days..."
"...But now it's been a whole month..."
"Do you know what we've been through this month?!"
"Playing Quidditch on the pitch, causing trouble for Percy, pranking Ron..." Kyle said calmly. "...Or perhaps working on your Skiving Snackboxes in your room?"
"I think Mrs. Weasley still doesn't know you've hidden things under your beds," Kyle added.
Fred and George exchanged a glance and immediately broke into smiles.
"Haha, Kyle, you've guessed wrong..."
"In fact, we hid them under Ron's bed."
No wonder Fred and George had been sneaking into his room lately and even lent him a broomstick to play with. Ron had thought they were being nice.
"Don't be mad, little Ron. We're just temporarily borrowing your bed," Fred said with a laugh.
Ron frowned and said angrily, "No, take them away now! What if Mom finds out?"
"Since you put it that way... I guess we have no choice." George sighed dramatically. "It's so sad that you, our little brother, aren't even willing to help us out with this small favor."
Fred also shook his head. "We were thinking of giving you a gift when school starts, but I guess we'll forget about that now."
"Don't worry, we'll take them away right now, and your mom definitely won't find out," Fred added.
Ron's face turned even redder. He mumbled something incoherently, seemingly wanting to take back his previous words, but Fred and George didn't give him the chance.
The twins left the room, heading back to their own room to pack up their things.
As they spoke, Harry curiously examined the pile of gifts in the room. He noticed that many of the presents had "Happy Birthday" written on them.
Harry paused, turned to Ron, and whispered, "You should have told me earlier that today is Kyle's birthday. I didn't even get a chance to prepare a gift."
"What... oh, no. It's not that," Ron finally came back to his senses and shook his head. "Actually, Kyle's birthday was on July 31st. It's been quite a few days already."
"July 31st? That's not..."
"Yes, Harry. Kyle and your birthday are on the same day," Ron frowned, puzzled. "Didn't I mention it before?"
"Never..." Harry murmured.
Although he said so, Harry felt like he had heard this information somewhere before.
"Oh, I remember now. It was Hagrid..."
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "He mentioned it the first time he took me to Diagon Alley last year. He said that Kyle and I share the same birthday."
"What are you two whispering about?" Kyle asked, having noticed their quiet conversation.
"It's nothing..." Harry quickly shook his head. "But Kyle, why are your gifts here when you weren't home? Were they also intercepted by a house-elf?"
"A house-elf? Of course not," Kyle shook his head. "It's just that the place I went to was a bit special, so the owl couldn't find me."
"Speaking of gifts... Here, these are for you guys. I made them myself," Kyle said as he took out two small boxes from his pocket and tossed them to Harry and Ron.
The two of them caught the boxes.
Inside Harry's box was a badge.
"That's a waterproof and moisture-proof badge," Kyle explained. "Even if you play Quidditch in the rain while wearing it, it won't be affected at all."
This was originally meant for Fred and George, but it was no trouble to give it to Harry instead. He could always make another one later.
"Thanks, this is awesome!" Harry immediately put on the badge, secretly deciding to get a birthday gift for Kyle the next time he went to Diagon Alley.
As for Ron's gift, Kyle had made him a self-inking quill.
It would greatly increase his efficiency when doing homework, leaving more time for fun.
However, for some reason, Ron didn't seem as happy as Harry.
(End of Chapter)
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