Chapter 270: Howling Letter
Chapter 270: Howling Letter
It only took Kyle a little over an hour to hastily draw up the twenty-odd maps, and on the first day of school, he delivered them promptly to the young witches and wizards who had placed their deposits.
Yet another substantial sum of Galleons was made, and there was nothing more delightful than that.
During breakfast, the group gathered around the Gryffindor table to divide up their spoils...ahem, distribute the fruits of their labor.
Their wallets were once again plump with gold, and everyone was in high spirits.
As for why they chose the Gryffindor table...there was no particular reason other than the fact that it was the closest to the Great Hall doors.
"Oh, right, Kyle. This is for you."
Fred and George counted out seven Galleons, placed them in a small pouch, and handed it to Kyle.
"A bet is a bet..."
George said with a slight twinge of reluctance: "I swear, if we ever bet against you again, we might as well be Bowtruckles!"
"Yeah, me too," Fred nodded in agreement beside him.
"Oh, I almost forgot about this."
Kyle took the pouch, dumped the coins out onto the table with an air of extreme distrust, and proceeded to count them carefully.
Last year, Fred and George had organized a little game involving a guessing competition as to when Professor Quirrell would leave the school.
Unable to resist their enthusiastic invitation, Kyle reluctantly played along.
The outcome, of course, went without saying...
The twenty Galleons had doubled, not only earning him a tidy sum of pocket money but also emptying Fred and George's wallets in the process.
Not wanting to dip into their savings for their future shop, the twins had relied on their good relationship with Kyle and procrastinated in returning the forty Galleons until now.
"Not bad, exactly forty Galleons."
Amidst Fred and George's glaring eyes, Kyle calmly pocketed the pouch.
"You're not thinking of doing this again this year, are you? Professor Lockhart is a renowned wizard in the wizarding world, and I'm sure many people would participate if it involves him in any way."
"Hmph..." George snorted derisively.
"Unless you choose not to participate," Fred said.
"Alright then, I won't participate," Kyle said calmly.
He then turned to Connie beside him and said, "You prepare forty Galleons, and I'll count it as mine. If we win, we'll split it fifty-fifty."
"Deal!" Connie agreed without hesitation.
"You two are impossible!"
Watching the two conspiring loudly, Fred took an angry bite out of his toast, as if it were Kyle's head.
As mentioned earlier, if they ever bet against Kyle again, they might as well be Bowtruckles...the ugliest kind, at that!
"Wait a moment." At that moment, Cedric spoke up, "I remember, you two had promised to do something, hadn't you?
You said that if Kyle received the Order of Merlin, Second Class in his second year, you would do something, right?"
"Oh, I remember that,"
Fall held back his laughter and played along, "Balancing three trophies on your head while tap-dancing around the castle."
"And Butterbeer!" Connie added with a grin, "You're so lucky, Kyle. You won't have to pay for Butterbeer from now on."
Fred and George's faces turned even gloomier.
Balancing three trophies while tap-dancing...Merlin's beard, how on earth had they come up with such a challenging feat?
And to sponsor all of Kyle's Butterbeer in the future...that would cost them a fortune!
For a moment, the twins felt a chill in their hearts.
Fred even slapped himself in the face...
"Smack!"
"Why can't I keep my big mouth shut!"
The sharp sound drew the attention of those around them.
Fortunately, the post arrived just then.
Hundreds of owls flew in, crowding the Great Hall, swooping and dropping letters and parcels among the chattering students.
Kyle reached out and caught a copy of the Daily Prophet.
But before he could start reading, a commotion nearby caught his attention.
An owl had knocked over a pitcher of milk, splattering milk and feathers everywhere.
But that wasn't the main issue.
The real concern was the damp, red envelope clutched in the owl's beak.
"Oh no..." Ron exclaimed from a short distance away.
Many people noticed the red envelope and turned to look.
"That's... a Howler, right?" Connie asked in a low voice.
"Yes," Kyle nodded.
"You'd better open it, Ron." Neville said quietly from beside Kyle, "It's worse if you don't. My grandmother sent me one, and I ignored it, and..."
He took a breath, "It was terrible."
"What will happen?" Cedric asked curiously.
He had only heard about Howlers but had never seen one before.
"It'll explode." Kyle spread his hands helplessly, "And do you know what 360-degree surround sound is like?
The sound comes from all directions, wherever there are envelope fragments, and it can be heard even from across the Black Lake."
Ron's face paled as smoke began to rise from the corners of the envelope while they spoke.
"Hurry up and open it," Neville urged, "You only have a few minutes..."
Ron extended a trembling hand and carefully tore open the envelope.
"Run!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd of onlookers scattered instantly.
Those who couldn't run, like Neville and Cedric, covered their ears.
Harry and Hermione didn't know what was going on, but they followed suit and covered their ears as well.
And they soon found out why...
An explosion-like sound filled the Great Hall, shaking the dust from the ceiling.
"...You stole a car! If you get expelled, I won't be surprised. Just you wait until I get my hands on you. You probably didn't even think about how your father and I felt when we found out the car was gone..."
Mrs. Weasley's voice was a hundred times louder than usual, causing the tableware to rattle.
Now, not just the Gryffindors but the entire Great Hall turned to look, trying to locate the source of the voice.
Ron had hidden under the table, only his bright red forehead visible.
But it was to no avail, as the howler continued to shout...
"...I never thought you would do something like this, and you and Harry nearly lost your lives!
...This is infuriating! Your father will be investigated at work, and it's all your fault! If you don't start behaving, we'll bring you straight back home!"
The howler stopped, but the voice continued to echo, and the red envelope on the floor burned and curled into ashes.
Kyle realized that Mrs. Weasley was angrier about Ron and Harry almost being killed by the Whomping Willow than she was about Ron stealing the car.
If it hadn't been for that incident, Mrs. Weasley probably wouldn't have been angry enough to send a Howler.
...
(End of Chapter)
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