Chapter 26: Laton
Chapter 26: Laton
Early the next morning, Kyle was forced to get up early from his warm bed.
Because the curtains weren't drawn last night, the sunlight shone through the dormitory's round window, hitting his face like a spotlight.
Who could sleep through that?
Reluctantly, Kyle got dressed and stretched lazily before heading to the window.
Although the location of Hogwarts Castle wasn't flat, this area, despite being underground, was well-lit. Through the round window, he could see swaying grass and dandelions outside.
Kyle glanced at his two roommates, who were sleeping soundly, and expressionlessly opened the window wide.
In five years, they would be taking the O.W.L.s exams, and at their age, how could they sleep?
Moreover, it was already 7:30, and rounding up, it was almost 8:50, just a few minutes before the 9 o'clock class.
After all, this was their first class after entering Hogwarts, and they had to leave a good impression on the professors. It wouldn't be good to be late.
The morning breeze, carrying a hint of mist, was undoubtedly the best alarm clock.
"I'm so considerate," Kyle nodded in satisfaction.
He was doing this for the sake of his roommates, not because he wanted them to wake up early with him; a Hufflepuff wouldn't do such a thing.
After a quick wash, Kyle left the dormitory through the common room passage.
It was well-known that the Hogwarts staircases were very conscious, as if they had their own minds. They would always change direction or extend to higher floors when young wizards were in a hurry, then silently admire the desperate wails of the unlucky ones.
Kyle was prepared to take a few extra turns, but whether it was because he had enough time now or because it wasn't the staircases' working hours, he didn't know.
He walked from the common room to the Great Hall, and the staircases didn't change once, remaining quiet throughout the journey.
This left Kyle a little disappointed; to be honest, he was quite curious to experience it.
Although it wasn't yet 8 o'clock, the Great Hall was already filled with quite a few people, especially the Ravenclaw table, which was almost full, and a few senior students from other Houses were also scattered around.
Only Hufflepuff... just Kyle.
As soon as he sat down, a hot breakfast appeared on the plate in front of him.
A cup of milk, two sausages, and a piece of bread.
It wasn't a lavish spread, but it was pretty good, and he could always ask for more if it wasn't enough.
Kyle leisurely ate his breakfast, and before long, two familiar figures entered the Great Hall, one after the other.
"Hey, Kyle, why are you up so early?" Michael and Ryan walked over quickly.
"I didn't want to either. I was planning to sleep in, but the window in the dormitory was open, and the wind blowing in was too cold. I couldn't sleep," Kyle said nonchalantly as he cut a piece of sausage and put it in his mouth. "You guys are up early, too."
"So was I," Michael said with a bitter expression. "I thought it was you who opened the window?"
"The window was open when I left."
Kyle emphasized the words "when I left."
"Oh, I see. It must have been the wind, then." Michael took a bite of the bread. "But this is good. I only fell asleep past midnight last night. If the window hadn't been open, I definitely wouldn't have woken up by 9 o'clock.
If I were late for the first class... I can't even imagine the consequences. I'd probably be expelled, right?"
Beside him, Ryan nodded in strong agreement.
Although he woke up around 8 at home, it was always because his family forcibly pulled him out of bed.
If he were allowed to wake up naturally, it would be difficult to make it to the first class.
Kyle smiled and said, "Then we should really thank the kind person who opened the window for us."
"Yeah."
The two sleepyheads focused on their breakfast, and no one noticed anything odd about Kyle's last statement.
Michael even chimed in, "You're really helping us out."
At this moment, Kyle finished the last sip of his milk, stood up, and said, "You guys continue eating, I'm going to explore other places."
"Okay," the two replied in unison.
...
After bidding farewell to his food-obsessed roommates, Kyle headed straight for the castle's main gate.
It was barely past eight o'clock, and there was still plenty of time before classes started. Kyle decided to take the opportunity to resolve the pet issue first.
There was already a cat and a toad in the dormitory, and he couldn't afford to be the odd one out.
Stepping out of the castle's main gate, Kyle skillfully raised his arm.
In an instant, seven or eight owls flocked from all directions, landing neatly on the stone steps in front of him.
"This time, it's not about delivering letters." Kyle looked at them and said, "I'm going to be staying at Hogwarts for a long time, and during this period, I hope to hire one of you to be my exclusive messenger.
In return... full board, at least one pack of owl nuts per day, at least three packs of Mottra mouse jerky per week, and a bottle of owl elixir per month... that's it for now, and if there's anything else needed, we can add more.
Additionally, these conditions will remain valid even after I graduate, until it can no longer lift its wings.
So, who's willing? Fly to my shoulder."
This had nothing to do with Kyle's family talent.
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As the wizarding world's dedicated messengers, owls have an innate affinity for magic. With a little training, they can understand the words of wizards.
The owls at Hogwarts are even more exceptional in this regard, leading the industry.
Although Kyle's previous words were a bit complex for them, with some accompanying gestures, they could understand about seventy to eighty percent.
In less than a second, these owls eagerly flew towards Kyle's shoulder, competing with each other.
Some even attacked the owl in front of them for flying too slowly.
For a moment, the area was in chaos, with feathers scattered everywhere.
Kyle scratched his head helplessly, wanting to stop them, but it was too late. The situation had escalated beyond what he could easily resolve with a few words.
Fortunately, this situation didn't last long.
A barn owl, taking advantage of its large size, easily defeated the other competitors and stood proudly on Kyle's shoulder.
Kyle recognized this owl.
It was probably three years ago when Chris found it, covered in wounds and barely conscious, lying at the entrance of the Ministry's receiving platform, with a letter it was holding onto tightly in its claws.
Chris immediately treated it and took it home, caring for it for over half a month until it finally recovered.
Despite this, a long, narrow scar remained on its face.
This type of scar was caused by dark magic and was difficult to remove. Chris and Newt had no solution, and even feathers couldn't cover it.
Compared to other owls, this made it look exceptionally... ugly.
But Kyle didn't mind. He scratched the feathers on the barn owl's neck and smiled, "Hello, Laton."
The owl tilted its head and gently rubbed its beak against Kyle's hand.
Laton was the nickname Kyle had given it.
Initially, not knowing its name, Kyle called it this way just to make feeding it more convenient.
Unexpectedly, it eventually recognized the name.
When Hagrid received the news and came to take it back, he shouted "Cyprus, Cyprus" in the nearby forest for over half an hour, but the owl didn't react at all.
It was only when Kyle softly called out "Laton" that it slowly flew out.
Hagrid was so shocked that he couldn't recover for a long time. It felt like his beloved daughter had been taken away by Kyle.
It was a very depressing situation.
...
(End of Chapter)
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