Chapter 298: The Sneaky Trio
Chapter 298: The Sneaky Trio
Upon returning to the castle, Kyle and his friends made their way through the crowded corridors, heading to their next class in Transfiguration.
Over the past two days, students had been inquiring about the Chamber of Secrets in almost every class.
However, unlike Professor Sprout, the other professors were not as amenable to discussing the topic.
During the Transfiguration class, a Gryffindor student, Katie Bell, raised her hand during Professor McGonagall's lecture. But before she could even finish uttering the words "Chamber of Secrets," she was ruthlessly interrupted.
"Ten points from Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said, her lips thin with displeasure. "Miss Bell, I expect you to pay more attention to your studies instead of indulging in such fantastical tales. If I recall correctly, you still haven't mastered transfiguring buttons into beetles...and that was the content of our very first lesson. It's well past Halloween now. At this rate, you may not even achieve an 'Acceptable' on your exams."
Katie Bell's face turned scarlet, and she lowered her head as she sat down.
Learning from her example, the other students naturally refrained from bringing up the topic again.
Of course, this was only the case for the Gryffindors...The Hufflepuffs were a different story.
Having just learned the truth from Professor Sprout, they had no need to ask Professor McGonagall.
Looking at their clueless peers, the little badgers felt a surge of superiority.
So this was the extent of the Gryffindors' intelligence...
As the class ended, Kyle prepared to head directly to the Great Hall on the ground floor for lunch. However, as soon as he reached the first floor, he heard rapid, crisp "pops" coming from above.
Kyle was all too familiar with these sounds—they were the explosions set off by the contraptions in the Myrtle's bathroom.
Without hesitation, Kyle turned and sprinted back upstairs, quickly drawing out his wand and the box.
"I hope it's the person with the diary and not...the Serpent," Kyle thought anxiously.
If it was a person, it could still be manageable, but if it was the Serpent...he wasn't sure if it would listen to him anymore.
And if it didn't...could Norberta, the Norwegian Ridgeback, handle it?
With these mixed emotions, Kyle rushed to the corridor where Myrtle's bathroom was located.
But when he arrived, he suddenly froze. The people gathered in front of the bathroom were all familiar faces.
"Harry, Hermione, and Ron?" Kyle asked, surprised. "What are you guys doing here?"
The trio seemed startled by the series of explosions and only snapped out of their daze when they heard Kyle's voice.
Harry turned around, stammering, "We...we were just passing by...yeah, passing by!"
As he spoke, Kyle noticed that Hermione was holding a large, moldy-looking book.
Noticing Kyle's gaze, she quickly hid the book behind her back, her guilty expression clearly written on her face.
Although she moved swiftly, Kyle caught sight of the words "Potions" on the cover. If he guessed correctly, it was probably the Advanced Potion-Making textbook.
It was a high-level potion book, and he had a handwritten copy of the same book in his box.
Kyle didn't pay it any mind, though. Looking at the trio's soot-covered faces, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At least it wasn't the Serpent.
"Regardless of whether you were passing by or not, I think you should get out of here quickly," Kyle said. "We just finished our Transfiguration class, and Professor McGonagall might still be nearby."
"Professor McGonagall?!"
The trio jumped as if they had been stepped on a cat's tail, startled enough to nearly jump out of their skins.
"If she finds out we blew up the bathroom..." Ron trailed off.
"We didn't blow up the bathroom, Ron!" Hermione corrected. "We just opened the door; we didn't even go inside."
"I know, but Professor McGonagall doesn't know that!"
"Never mind, let's just get out of here!"
Having learned their lesson during the last Halloween, the trio didn't hesitate to take off running.
As they passed Kyle, they didn't forget to thank him.
The trio rushed towards the stairs as fast as they could, making their way back towards the Gryffindor tower.
Just as they turned the corner, a tortoiseshell cat gracefully leaped onto the nearby banister. Her amber eyes scanned the surroundings and quickly landed on Kyle and the mess that was left of the bathroom.
The cat then leaped down from the railing and, in mid-air, transformed into Professor McGonagall.
"So it was here..." she muttered.
Hurrying towards the bathroom, she exclaimed, "Merlin's beard! What in the name of heaven happened here? Was someone practicing blasting curses?"
Kyle also stepped forward, curious to see the aftermath.
It had to be said that Professor McGonagall's description was a bit exaggerated.
Inside the bathroom, aside from the walls, ceiling, and corridor entrance being singed black, there was no other damage to be seen.
The "Exploding Textbooks" were, after all, a joke product from Zonko's, and aside from the loud bangs they produced, their destructive power could be said to be almost non-existent.
Otherwise, Kyle wouldn't have dared to set them up in the school.
Professor McGonagall soon noticed this as well, but she was still quite irritated.
"Professor McGonagall, I came here as soon as I heard the commotion," Kyle quickly explained.
Professor McGonagall gave him a sidelong glance and nodded.
"Were there any other students here when you arrived?" she asked.
"There were three," Kyle said, pointing towards the stairs. "They had just run off down the stairs when I got here."
"And who were they?" Professor McGonagall inquired, her lips pressed into a thin line.
Kyle pointed at the blackened wall. "Their faces were as black as this wall; I couldn't make out their features at all."
Professor McGonagall looked at the bathroom walls and then at the three distinct human silhouettes on the corridor floor. A hint of a smile appeared on her stern face as she seemed to realize something.
"Another one of Zonko's products, I presume..." she muttered.
She didn't bother pursuing Harry and the others any further. Instead, she waved her wand, restoring the bathroom to its original state, and then shooed away the curious onlookers who had gathered.
The ruckus had attracted quite a crowd, and some students even thought that someone else had been attacked, just like Filch.
Throughout this process, Peeves remained unusually quiet, as if he didn't exist. It wasn't until Professor McGonagall left that he cautiously poked his head out.
"Those three nasty humans have been chased away... I didn't think those things you put there would actually work," he said.
"What else would they be?" Kyle, who had doubled back, replied in a low voice.
"Your unwanted old books..." Peeves said. "Are you going to put more new ones there?"
"Of course," Kyle confirmed.
The last time he had visited Hogsmeade, Kyle had purchased quite a few items from Zonko's, including the "Exploding Textbooks."
Although he only had two copies, judging by the noise they had made, they seemed to be more than enough.
...
By the time Kyle returned to the Great Hall, lunch had already started. Professor McGonagall was seated at the staff table, deep in conversation with Professor Flitwick.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived even later, heads bowed, halfway through the meal.
They had changed their soot-covered clothes and were still straightening their fluffy, disheveled hair as they walked.
Professor McGonagall gave them a thoughtful glance from the staff table.
...
"The Quidditch match is tomorrow," Harris said to Cedric, who was sitting next to him. "We'll get to see the power of those new brooms from Gryffindor and Slytherin, as well as their new Seekers."
Harris was referring to Draco Malfoy, the only newcomer among the Seekers.
Cedric nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
"I hope he made the team because of those brooms and not because he's another talent like Potter," Harris said hopefully.
Seven brand-new Nimbus 2001 brooms were already a force to be reckoned with, but if they also had an excellent Seeker... the other three teams wouldn't stand a chance.
...
(End of Chapter)
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