Chapter 26: Rattata
Chapter 26: Rattata
The next morning, Kyle found himself forced to crawl out of bed earlier than he would have liked.
Due to his negligence in drawing the curtains the night before, the sunlight streaming through the round window of the dormitory shone directly on his face like a spotlight, making it impossible to fall back asleep.
With a reluctant sigh, he got dressed and stretched before making his way to the window.
Although this part of the Hogwarts castle was considered underground, the location of the castle itself ensured that the area received ample sunlight. Through the round window, one could even catch a glimpse of the swaying grass and dandelions outside.
With an expressionless face, Kyle fully opened the window, casting a glance at his two roommates who were still fast asleep.
They had five more years until their O.W.L.s exams, yet they were already stressing about it to the point of affecting their sleep.
It was already half-past seven, which could be rounded up to eight-fifty, leaving only a few minutes before their first class of the day at nine o'clock.
As this was their very first class since arriving at Hogwarts, it was important to make a good impression on the professors. Being late was out of the question.
And the morning breeze, carrying a hint of mist, served as the perfect alarm.
"I'm just too thoughtful," Kyle nodded in satisfaction.
He did this for the sake of his roommates, of course, and not because he wanted them to keep him company in the early morning. That would be unlike him, a true Hufflepuff.
After a quick wash, Kyle made his way out of the dormitory, passing through the common room.
It was common knowledge that the staircases at Hogwarts had a mind of their own. They seemed to take pleasure in changing directions or extending to higher floors just as the young witches and wizards were in a hurry, silently reveling in the desperate cries of the unfortunate students.
Kyle had braced himself for a lengthy detour, but whether it was because he had ample time or because the staircases were not yet 'at work', he made his way from the common room to the Great Hall without a single change in direction. The staircases remained eerily quiet throughout his journey.
This left Kyle somewhat disappointed. To be honest, he had been rather curious to experience the notorious behavior of the staircases firsthand.
Although it was not yet eight o'clock, the Great Hall was already bustling with students. The Ravenclaw table was almost full, and a few older students from other houses were scattered across the hall.
However, at the Hufflepuff table… there was only Kyle.
As he sat down, a hot breakfast appeared on the plate in front of him—a cup of milk, two sausages, and a slice of bread.
It wasn't a lavish spread, but it was more than sufficient, and he could always ask for more if he was still hungry.
Kyle leisurely enjoyed his breakfast, and before long, two familiar figures entered the Great Hall, one after the other.
"Hey, Kyle, why are you up so early?" Mikel and Ryan quickened their steps as they approached.
"I didn't want to be up either," Kyle replied nonchalantly as he cut a piece of sausage and popped it into his mouth. "I had planned to sleep in, but the window was open in our dorm, and the draft was too cold to fall back asleep." He continued without a change in expression, "Why are you two up so early as well?"
"Same here," Mikel said with a bitter smile. "I thought maybe you were the one who left the window open."
"The window was already open when I left," Kyle emphasized the last four words.
"Oh, I see. Then it must have been the wind," Mikel took a big bite of his bread. "But this worked out well. I only fell asleep past midnight, and if the window hadn't been open, I doubt I would've woken up before nine. If I had been late for the first class… I shudder to think of the consequences. I'd probably be expelled."
Beside him, Ryan nodded in agreement.
Although he woke up past eight at home, it was only because his mother dragged him out of bed.
If left to his own devices, he doubted he would make it to the first class on time.
Kyle chuckled and said, "Then you two should really thank the kind person who opened the window."
"Yeah," they replied in unison.
Still half-asleep, the pair focused on their breakfast, neither of them noticing the subtle hint of mischief in Kyle's words.
"Okay," the two replied in unison.
...
After bidding farewell to his roommates who were engrossed in their breakfast, Kyle headed straight for the castle's main entrance.
It was just past eight o'clock, and he had plenty of time before classes started. Kyle decided to use this opportunity to address the pet situation.
There was already a cat and a toad in the dormitory, and he didn't want to be left out.
Exiting the castle, Kyle raised his arm, and in an instant, seven or eight owls came flocking from all directions, neatly alighting on the stone steps before him.
"This time, it's not about delivering a message," Kyle said to them. "I'll be staying at Hogwarts for a long time, and during my stay, I'd like to hire one of you as my exclusive messenger.
In return... I'll provide full board. You'll get at least one pack of owl nuts per day, three packs of Rattata jerky per week, and one bottle of owl tonic per month... That's the initial offer, and we can add more if needed.
Also, even after I graduate, these conditions will remain in effect until you're no longer able to fly.
So, who's interested? Fly to my shoulder if you are."
This had nothing to do with Kyle's family talent.
As the dedicated messengers of the wizarding world, owls had an innate affinity for magic and could understand wizards' speech with minimal training.
And the owls of Hogwarts were the cream of the crop in this regard.
Although Kyle's words were a bit complex for them, with some accompanying gestures, they could understand about seventy to eighty percent of what he said.
In less than a second, the owls were eagerly vying for a spot on Kyle's shoulder.
Some of the slower ones even launched attacks on their competitors ahead of them.
Feathers flew everywhere as chaos briefly ensued.
Kyle scratched his head, amused and slightly exasperated, as he realized it was too late to stop them; this situation had escalated beyond a simple verbal intervention.
Fortunately, the chaos didn't last long.
A large brown fishing owl, taking advantage of its sizable stature, easily defeated the other contenders and stood proudly on Kyle's shoulder, claiming victory.
Kyle recognized this owl.
It was about three years ago when Chris had found it, badly injured and on the brink of death, lying just outside the Ministry of Magic's receiving platform with a tightly clutched, undelivered letter in its claw.
Thanks to Chris's timely discovery, he was able to administer treatment and bring the owl home, where he cared for it diligently for over half a month until it made a full recovery.
However, the owl was left with a long, narrow scar on its face.
Such scars were caused by dark magic and were difficult to eradicate, even beyond the abilities of Chris and Newt. The feathers couldn't conceal it either.
Compared to other owls, this scar made it look exceptionally... ugly.
But Kyle didn't mind. He scratched the brown fishing owl's neck feathers and smiled. "Hello there, Ratton."
The owl tilted its head and gently rubbed its beak against Kyle's finger.
Ratton was the nickname Kyle had given it initially because he didn't know its name. He had only intended to use it as a convenient way to call the owl for feedings.
Unexpectedly, the owl had come to recognize and respond to the name.
When Hagrid had come to take the owl back, he had spent over half an hour calling out, "Seban, Seban," in the nearby forest, to no avail. It was only when Kyle softly called out "Ratton" that the owl lazily flew out.
Hagrid had been dumbfounded, taking a long moment to process what had happened. He felt as if Kyle had swooped in and stolen away the owl he had painstakingly nursed back to health.
It was a disheartening moment for Hagrid.
...
(End of Chapter)
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