https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-389-Harry-s-Blushing-and-Flustered/12538674/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-391-Mrs-Padfoot-the-Confectionery-Expert/12538677/
Chapter 390: Fred and George's Childhood
Chapter 390: Fred and George's Childhood
By December, with just two weeks left before the holidays, the skies finally cleared, transforming into a bright and dazzling eggshell hue.
This period could be considered one of the calmest at Hogwarts. Without Sirius Black, the presence of Dementors on campus had almost vanished... Dumbledore's wrath had confined them to the outskirts of the school grounds.
It had been about a week since the last Quidditch match, and during this time, Kyle made an interesting discovery.
Lately, he had been meeting Harry a lot more often than usual.
This was a bit unusual.
While they were good friends, their daily routines differed greatly.
Aside from mandatory classes and meals, Kyle spent most of his free time in the library or at the Room of Requirement.
Harry, on the other hand, preferred to spend time with Hagrid and play wizard chess with Ron in the cozy common room. He only ventured to the library occasionally when he had to catch up on assignments.
Thus, ordinarily, the two would only see each other during mealtimes in the Great Hall...
But recently, they seemed to be running into each other in various places.
Just like now, as Kyle exited the Charms classroom, he saw Harry running towards him from the other end of the corridor.
"What a coincidence, Kyle. Are you heading to class too?" Harry greeted him casually.
Kyle moved his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
What kind of question was that? Of course, he was going to class; what else would he be doing, having tea with Professor Flitwick? Though he wouldn't mind that, he doubted Professor Flitwick would approve.
"Yeah, I'm heading to class," Kyle replied after a moment's thought. "Er... what are you doing here?"
"I just finished my class and happened to be passing by," Harry said, his eyes darting back and forth to the crowd behind Kyle as he tried to feign nonchalance. "Which house are you having class with?"
"Slytherin," Kyle answered.
Hearing the name, Harry's gaze snapped back to him, and he strode past them as if nothing had happened.
"I need to find Ron. See you later, Kyle."
"Bye."
As Harry hurried away and disappeared around the corner, Connor looked at him in confusion. "Where is he going...
And there are only Charms classes on this floor today. How did he just happen to be passing by?"
"Maybe he went out of his way," Kyle said with a smile.
He had been puzzled by this before, but after several such encounters, Kyle could more or less guess Harry's intention.
The day before, they had also run into Harry while having class with Ravenclaw.
Back then, Harry had followed them all the way to the Great Hall, constantly trying to strike up conversations, and he hadn't seemed concerned about Ron at all.
But today, with Slytherin, he suddenly remembered that he had a friend? What was Harry up to? It was obvious... he was trying to get close to Autumn.
"This is getting interesting," Kyle chuckled as he walked down the stairs, ignoring Connor's puzzled gaze.
"Do you know something I don't?" she asked, hurrying to catch up with him.
"You want to know?" Kyle teased.
"Yes, yes!" Connor nodded eagerly.
"Well, I'm not telling," he said with a mischievous grin.
"......" Connor chased after Kyle all the way to the entrance hall.
A crowd had gathered around the notice board next to the Great Hall.
Cedric and Autumn were there too, squeezing their way out of the throng as Kyle approached.
Seeing them, Kyle couldn't help but laugh again.
"What's so funny?" Cedric frowned. "Why are you laughing for no reason? Did you drink the wrong potion?"
"Nothing," Kyle replied, shaking his head. "Just something that amused me. So, what's on the notice?"
"Oh, it's about Professor Lupin's Patronus Charm Club," Cedric said, no longer concerned about Kyle's laughter. "The Headmaster has given his approval, and it will start at six o'clock on the evening of the first day back after the holidays."
Connor had thought it would be the same this time, but it turned out to be a false hope.
"I think it's probably because of the task Professor Lupin assigned us."
Autumn walked over and said, "The notice mentions that everyone who wants to join the club must come up with something that makes them particularly happy during this time. The Professor didn't specify the reason, but he said that the more pleasant the memory, the easier it will be to learn the Patronus Charm. This month is meant for us to prepare."
"Happy things..." Connor murmured.
At that moment, Ron and Hermione squeezed their way out from in front of the notice board.
"Why do we have to think of happy things... what does that have to do with learning spells?" Ron asked, perplexed.
"It's definitely related, at least for the Patronus Charm. It's the most crucial step," Hermione explained. "According to the books, the Patronus Charm brings happy memories to life, making them a tangible reality."
"Oh, that sounds troublesome..." Ron frowned, starting to have second thoughts.
To be honest, he hadn't seen a Dementor at school in a long while, and learning the Patronus Charm didn't seem as important anymore.
Hermione continued to elaborate on how challenging the charm was and what to watch out for...
Ron pouted and remained silent, seemingly uninterested in discussing the matter further. He glanced around and soon spotted Kyle and his friends.
"Hey, Kyle, have you seen Harry?" Ron waved.
"He's upstairs looking for someone." Kyle struggled to suppress his laughter and maintained a calm expression. "Didn't you guys have class together?"
"Yeah, but Harry rushed off right after class without telling me where he was going," Ron mumbled. "I feel like he's been acting a bit strange these past few days..."
Soon after, the group made their way to the Great Hall for lunch.
Along the way, Connor kept her head down, deep in thought about Professor Lupin's requirement.
She considered various options but wasn't sure if they would work. Finally, during lunch, she suddenly looked up and asked, "Kyle, what did you think of when you were learning the Patronus Charm?"
The others also turned to look at him, evidently curious about the same question.
"When I received my acceptance letter to Hogwarts," Kyle replied with a smile, picking up a roasted potato.
Cedric nodded in agreement; the memory of receiving their owl-delivered acceptance letters was indeed a joyful one.
He had used that memory when practicing the Patronus Charm before, but perhaps due to a lack of strong emotion, the result hadn't been very noticeable.
"Do you have any others?" he asked.
"Yes," Kyle nodded. "Also, the first time Fred and George got walloped.
"They made a grave mistake and Mr. Weasley hung them from a tree and gave them a thorough beating. It was so pitiful, almost the entire village of St. Capone could hear their screams.
"Even though it happened almost a decade ago, I still laugh out loud whenever I think about it... It's a shame we didn't have cameras back then. It would've been great to capture their expressions."
"Um..." Cedric let out an awkward chuckle.
He wasn't sure if it was because his home was a bit far from the Dursleys' or if he had been too young then, but he had no recollection of that event.
Cedric turned to glance in the direction of the Gryffindor table.
He wondered if Fred and George knew that Kyle was using their experience to learn the Patronus Charm...
Most likely not, or else they would have sought Kyle out for revenge.
...
(End of Chapter)
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