Chapter 302: A Small Profit
Chapter 302: A Small Profit
By Monday morning, the news of Professor Caridy Burbage's attack and her hospitalization had spread throughout the castle.
The school had temporarily halted Muggle Studies classes due to the lack of a suitable substitute teacher.
Furthermore, Marcus Flint, who had been discharged from the hospital, claimed that he had personally witnessed the professor being taken to the hospital on Saturday night.
Everyone who heard this news was shocked... It was the professor!
Suddenly, rumors were flying around the school, and everyone became suspicious and uneasy. Almost everyone started to gather in groups of three or five, fearing that they would be attacked if they were alone.
"He's lying!"
At the Gryffindor table, Harry spoke indignantly, "He was completely unconscious on Saturday night, and he slept like a log."
"But people are willing to believe him," Ron said without looking up, "Forget about it."
He placed a backpack on the table and rummaged through a pile of books and notes, finding a piece of parchment and measuring it with a ruler.
"Damn, it's three inches short again... Harry, have you finished your History of Magic homework?"
"What? There's homework for History of Magic?" Harry was stunned.
"Of course there is. It's about the International Wizarding Conference of 1289," Ron glanced at him, "The Bludger must have hit your head too."
"No... But I think it might be related to the fall I took." Harry said, "I don't remember anything about it at all."
"Then you're in trouble. Our first class is History of Magic." Ron said sympathetically.
He then turned to Hermione, "Your..."
"No way!" Hermione glared at him, "You should do your own homework."
"I know." Ron said, "But I was in that room on the eighth floor all yesterday, and I didn't have time to go to the library."
"Who told you to play with the flying brooms all the time!"
...
With two people attacked, including a professor, everyone was feeling anxious and uneasy. The castle also became gloomy and lifeless.
Fred and George couldn't stand the oppressive atmosphere any longer. One morning, they appeared at the entrance of the Great Hall with their flying brooms in a high-profile manner.
Each of them had three golden trophies on their heads, like a uniquely shaped hat.
The brooms they were holding were also special, with an extra piece of wood in the middle, secured with magical tape.
When enough people had gathered, they flew out of the castle in front of the curious crowd, slowly circling the castle while their brooms danced a tap dance.
The crowd immediately became lively, and everyone was amused, laughing heartily.
Professor McGonagall was also in the crowd, but she didn't stop Fred and George or disperse the crowd. Instead, she waited until they completed their circle around the castle and returned to the ground before stepping out with a stern expression.
"Professor McGonagall..."
"Why are you here?"
Fred and George quickly closed their mouths, feeling guilty and not daring to look at her.
"Gryffindor loses one point."
Professor McGonagall said, "Flying brooms are not to be used like this. Don't do such dangerous things again."
"And..." She glanced at the trophies on their heads, "Remember to clean the trophies and put them back in the trophy display room, or you'll be confined to the dungeons."
"I promise to clean them spotlessly."
"Like new."
Hearing that they were only deducted one point and not confined to the dungeons, Fred and George almost laughed out loud... In fact, they had already prepared themselves for the confinement.
Professor McGonagall said nothing and turned to leave.
The crowd became lively again.
Fred and George were like triumphant warriors, surrounded by the crowd as they returned to the castle.
They found Kyle and asked with a smile, "How was it?"
"It was a wonderful performance." Kyle said sincerely.
Cedric also gave them a thumbs up, "But how did you manage to secure the trophies?"
"With magical tape." Fred separated the trophies that were stuck together, "We originally wanted to find someone to use the Levitation Charm next to us, but in the end, we decided to use this."
"At least it's safe." George said, "We tried to find Ron before, but he couldn't control the Levitation Charm well. The feather we used for the experiment was lost, and we still haven't found it."
"After that, we gave up on the idea of finding help."
After returning to the castle, Fred and George decided to put the trophies back before class.
"Is this okay?" Conna looked at the trophies in their hands, which still had tape marks that hadn't been completely removed.
"It's enough for us."
"Don't worry, Kyle's not in this..." George winked, "We specifically looked for these trophies, and they all come from Slytherin."
After saying that, the two of them hurriedly ran up the stairs.
Thanks to them, Hogwarts, which had been silent for a long time, finally had some vitality today.
In Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Lo Hart even mentioned that he would write them into his new book.
However, Kyle felt that if Fred and George knew this, they probably wouldn't be happy.
When the class was over, Kyle met Neville in the corridor. He seemed to have been waiting there. As soon as he saw Kyle, he immediately walked over.
"I'm sorry, I think I messed up."
Neville's voice was tinged with a hint of crying as he took out a flower pot from behind his back.
Inside was a slender plant with green stems, but the leaves were withered and yellow, looking like it could wilt at any moment.
"They've been like this since yesterday. I don't know why." Neville bit his lip and said, "I'm sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing?"
Kyle reached out to touch the leaves and smiled. "Cloak Grass will wither and then grow new buds. After that, its leaves will become larger... This is normal. You've taken good care of it."
"Really?" Neville seemed unsure. "I didn't mess up this time?"
"Of course." Kyle said, "You can check 'A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi,' Chapter Twelve, for a description of Cloak Grass."
"Thank goodness... I thought it was because of me that they became like this."
Neville's mood improved significantly. "By the way, Kyle, do you have any amulets for sale?"
"Amulets?" Kyle was puzzled. "The exams are still six months away. Why are you buying them so early?"
"It's not for the exams..." Neville quickly shook his head, "I mean the kind that drives away dark creatures and protects oneself, like this one..."
He then took out a pungent-smelly onion.
Kyle pinched his nose and took a step back.
The smell of this thing was almost as bad as a herring can, and it was even continuous... Neville actually dared to put it in his pocket!
Truly a Gryffindor, brave to the extreme.
But it had to be admitted that this thing could indeed serve a protective role, or rather, any normal creature wouldn't want to get close to him.
Of course, except for Fluffy, it would probably love this thing.
"What about it, do you have any?" Neville's expression was very calm, and he even took a deep breath, as if doing so would make him feel safer.
"No." Kyle shook his head.
Recently, such items had become popular in the school, and Fred and George had even talked to him about it.
However, Kyle never took it seriously from the start.
There were simply too many similar things, and with the lack of the Slytherin market, they wouldn't make much Galleon.
Working hard to earn just enough for candy money wasn't worth it.
"That's too bad..." Neville looked a bit disappointed.
He really wanted to buy something. After all, everyone at Hogwarts knew that the items Kyle's group... team sold were much more reliable than others.
Seeing Neville's disappointed look, Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Alright, just wait a moment, I'll look for something."
He opened his Shape-Shifting Lizard Hide Bag and pulled out a sharp piece of amethyst.
This was a gift from the owner of Davies-Banks Shop when he last went to Hogsmeade. A decorative piece of amethyst used for decoration.
Buying it separately wasn't expensive; one Galleon could buy a fist-sized piece.
Neville took the amethyst with some excitement. "Can it protect me from harm?"
"No." Kyle said, "But if you use it to check the road ahead when passing a corner, it might save your life at certain times."
Neville looked at the amethyst... It clearly reflected his image.
"I see, it must be something like a Demon Gaze Mirror, which can find hidden creatures." Neville murmured, feeling like he had discovered its use.
"How much?"
"Normally, ten Sickles." Kyle said, "But I'll give this to you..."
But before he finished speaking, he saw Neville take out five Galleons.
"Alright... I'll buy ten!"
(End of Chapter)
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