Chapter 279: My Thanks to You
Chapter 279: My Thanks to You
"Was that on purpose...?" When Kyle returned to his seat, Connor whispered.
Kyle shrugged.
Of course, it was intentional. He would have to be insane to agree to act in a play with Lockhart, let alone as a supporting character.
However, looking at the little wizard on the podium, who was excitedly jumping up and down after being chosen to play the vampire, Kyle thought he seemed pretty happy.
Perhaps this wasn't so bad after all.
As the bell rang, Lockhart stood up.
"Homework assignment: write a poem praising my deed of redeeming the vampire! The best one will receive a few autographed copies of my book, 'Magical Me'!"
"I'd rather write a three-foot-long essay," Kyle muttered as he packed up and left the classroom.
Connor nodded in agreement.
Ever since she had seen Cedric, her impression of Professor Lockhart had taken a turn for the worse.
Add to that the roll call and the clumsy way Lockhart handled the photographs during the first thirty minutes of class...
It was safe to say that their future Defense Against the Dark Arts classes wouldn't hold many surprises.
"I kind of miss Professor Aurien..." Connor whispered as they made their way to the Great Hall.
"Aurien?" Kyle was surprised.
"Maybe you should go to the hospital wing and get checked out." Kyle felt Connor's forehead. "He almost killed you in the Forbidden Forest, and you miss him?"
"I've come to terms with it," Connor said, brushing Kyle's hand away and smiling. "Aurien was after you. I just happened to be unlucky enough to be there, too. If he comes back, I'll just stay far away from you, and I'll be fine."
"You're so smart," Kyle said sarcastically. "But have you ever thought about what I'd do if he came back for me?"
"I'm sure you'll figure something out." Connor said matter-of-factly. "After all, you're the smartest person I know."
"Thanks a lot," Kyle said with a twist of his lips. "But forget it. I've suddenly realized Lockhart isn't so bad. At least the plays are entertaining."
The two continued chatting and laughing as they made their way to the Great Hall.
After a while, Cedric joined them, having changed into a new robe and washed the dirt from his hair.
"So, how was Lockhart?" Cedric asked. "We're having Defense Against the Dark Arts class with him tomorrow morning."
"Be prepared," Connor said, shaking her head. "It's pretty much the same as last year."
Cedric understood as soon as she said that.
Great, another reading class.
But Cedric couldn't understand why they didn't just let the Fat Friar take over as professor... at least then they could save some money on books.
Or the Almost-Headless Nick could do it... under the influence of the Dark Arts curse, his head might finally come off completely.
That would fulfill his long-held wish.
"By the way, this is for you." Kyle handed Cedric a piece of parchment.
"What is it?"
Cedric looked at the content on the parchment and was completely baffled...
Why did he need to know Lockhart's favorite color?
"It's a class quiz," Kyle explained. "I assume each year has one during their first class. Take a look, and if you get them all right, it'll earn points for the house."
"How many points...?"
"Ten." Kyle said, "But you'll be called out for it."
"That's a fair amount of points... acceptable..."
"You might also get pulled into performing in the plays."
"But we Gryffindors don't need those few points!"
...
Kyle wondered if his performance in Defense Against the Dark Arts class was the reason he hadn't seen Professor Lockhart at all in the following days.
However, compared to Kyle, Harry was treated quite differently.
Lockhart seemed to focus all his attention on him, and they had bumped into each other several times in the corridors over the past few days.
Harry had to constantly be on guard, quickly dodging out of sight whenever he spotted Lockhart approaching from the other end of the hallway.
And it wasn't just Lockhart; Harry also had to avoid Colin Creevey, the first-year student who seemed to have memorized Harry's entire schedule. Whether it was during class or on his way to the Great Hall, he always seemed to run into him.
At least six or seven times a day, he would hear, "Hello, Harry. Are you okay?"
...and then reply the same number of times with, "Hello, Colin."
And so, the weekend arrived.
During breakfast that day, Kyle suddenly asked, "Does the Quidditch team need to recruit new members this year?"
"No, but we do need to find a few substitutes to prepare for next year," Cedric replied. "Including Harris, there are three people in their seventh year.
You're on the team too, aren't you? Why aren't you more concerned about it?"
"If I wasn't concerned, I wouldn't have asked," Kyle said.
He took a sip of milk and continued, "But I have twelve classes to attend, not to mention all the homework... I hardly have time to think about anything else."
"That's true," Cedric shrugged.
He had already seen Kyle's packed schedule.
Although Kyle didn't have to attend the conflicting classes, self-study also took up time, and his homework load was noticeably heavier than that of his peers.
"But now that you mention it..." Kyle frowned, "Are there really three seventh-year students on our team?"
"Yes, two Chasers and the Keeper. They're all in the same year and will graduate next year," Cedric explained.
"But there's some good news. Harris seems to have received an invitation from the Fula Chase Hawks to potentially become a professional Quidditch player."
"Really?" Kyle was surprised. "Did Harris tell you that? I haven't heard anything about it."
"No, not from him," Cedric shook his head. "Remember the Quidditch match I watched during the holidays?"
"The Fula Chase Hawks versus the Chadeli Cannons?"
"Exactly," Cedric smiled. "My father is good friends with one of the players on the Hawks, and they mentioned it in passing while chatting.
When they found out I was a Hufflepuff, they even asked me if I knew Harris."
"That's really great news," Kyle exclaimed. "Harris didn't give us any hint at all."
"I think he's probably worried about not making it through the final assessment," Cedric said.
"Maybe we can win the Quidditch Cup again this year," Kyle suggested.
"Being a three-time consecutive champion captain should look good on his resume, don't you think?"
"I agree, but Harris himself doesn't seem to care much about it," Cedric sighed with a hint of helplessness. "The Gryffindors started training early this morning, but he went off to Hogsmeade with the others instead."
"Well... that's very Harris-like," Kyle chuckled. "But with his skills, joining a professional team shouldn't be too difficult."
(End of Chapter)
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