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Chapter 399: Snape's Gift
Chapter 399: Snape's Gift
It was already afternoon when Kyle finally returned to Hogwarts.
Instead of returning to where it had departed, Night Kirin's carriage landed near Hagrid's hut.
"I was just thinking about when you'd be back," Hagrid said as he patted Night Kirin's wing. "How was it?"
"It's a great alternative to the train for traveling to and from Hogwarts," Kyle laughed.
"The school governors won't approve," Hagrid said regretfully. "Taking care of Night Kirins is much more expensive than running the train."
"That's true," Kyle nodded.
While the Hogwarts Express might not be as fast or comfortable as Night Kirin's carriage, it was much more economical and convenient for transporting all the students at once when needed.
There was no way the school governors would switch, and Kyle had only been joking.
Before heading back to the castle, he gave Hagrid a small vial of dragon blood as payment for the ride.
Although the vial was sealed, the Night Kirins' keen sense of smell detected the dragon blood, and they immediately became restless.
Hagrid tried to calm them, but to no avail. Soon, he was surrounded by all three Night Kirins.
However, by that time, Kyle had already returned to the castle.
The only person in the Hufflepuff common room was busy frantically catching up on homework.
"Long time no see, Winsty," Kyle greeted.
Hearing the noise, Winsty looked up in surprise. "Is the train here already?"
"No, I didn't take the train," Kyle explained. "Where are Connor and Cedric?"
"Connor is in the library," she said. "I don't know about Cedric. He left early in the morning and might be with some Gryffindors."
"Thanks, that helps," said Kyle.
"You're welcome," Winsty mumbled, lowering her head back to her work.
The price of having fun during the holidays was that she now had assignments for five classes to complete, and she wasn't sure if she could finish them all today.
Kyle gave her a sympathetic look before turning and heading into the dormitory.
The small room was piled high with gifts, and Kyle began to open the ones that interested him the most.
This year, both Professor Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley had sent him sweaters.
Mrs. Weasley's gift was a reddish-brown sweater, while Dumbledore's was a light yellow one with brown stripes and a more modern style, indicating that he had put some thought into it.
It seemed like he really wanted to open a shop in Hogsmeade.
The other gifts were mostly books and candies.
As Kyle was halfway through unwrapping his presents, he heard a knock on the door.
Connor pushed open the door and walked in.
"I heard from Winsty that you're back," she said.
"Yeah," Kyle replied. "I didn't take the train, so I got back earlier."
"Do you need any help?" Connor asked, looking at the mountain of gifts surrounding him.
"Of course. You're just in time," Kyle made some space for her.
"Where did you go during the holidays?"
Connor found a spot to sit and started unwrapping the gifts as she asked curiously, "Cedric said that the letters we sent you ended up in your dormitory, but you weren't even there?"
"I was at Nicolas Flamel's place," Kyle explained. "The owls couldn't find my location."
"You were in Paris?" Connor asked.
She remembered that Kyle had visited the city during the previous holidays and stayed for a month.
With Connor's help, they quickly made their way through the mountain of gifts.
Connor picked up the last box, which had no sender's name, but she instantly recognized the handwriting as Snape's.
Intrigued, she opened the box and found a lone, old, and bare feather quill. Alongside it was a small vial.
Glancing up, Connor surreptitiously tossed the shabby quill under the bed, unnoticed by Kyle.
"Kyle, Professor Snape sent you a bottle of Cheering Charm Potion," she said.
"What?" Kyle exclaimed, looking up in surprise.
He couldn't believe that Snape would send him a potion; it was quite unexpected.
He had even joked earlier that Snape would probably gift him a broken quill to match last year's moldy parchment.
"Take a look," Connor said, handing him the potion bottle.
It was a small bottle, containing a beautiful peacock-blue potion. Tiny bubbles floated within, shimmering in the sunlight.
"Is it really Cheering Charm Potion?" Kyle asked softly.
It certainly seemed to match the description, but he still found it hard to believe.
This didn't make sense; had Snape perhaps drunk the potion brewed by Mikel?
"Of course, it's the real deal," Connor said happily. "When I gave Professor Snape his Christmas gift, he mentioned that he had a surprise for you."
"Christmas gift?" Kyle asked. "What did you give him?"
"A set of potion-grinding tools," Connor replied. "And some really sweet coffee from Madam Puddifoot's tea shop."
Kyle's heart tightened at the mention of the coffee.
"So, that coffee you bought last time wasn't meant for Professor Dumbledore?"
"Nope," Connor said matter-of-factly. "You mentioned before that the Headmaster and Professor Snape recommended that very sweet pudding, so I thought he might also have a sweet tooth."
"And did he like it?" Kyle asked.
"I think so," Connor replied after a moment's thought. "He came to ask me where I bought it the next day."
"And what did you tell him?"
"I told him we had it at Madam Puddifoot's tea shop in Hogsmeade," Connor said.
...
Kyle took a deep breath and quietly put away the "Cheering Charm Potion."
There was no need to think further; he was absolutely certain that this potion was fake, and he wasn't going to risk drinking it.
Kyle wanted to live to see his graduation day.
Moreover, he decided that he'd better stay out of Snape's way for a while and stock up on some bezoars for detoxification.
He could buy them in Hogsmeade at a reasonable price, and Kyle planned to hoard a hundred of them, just in case.
Better safe than sorry.
Not long after they finished unwrapping the gifts, night fell.
The other students returned, brimming with excitement from their holidays, and they all headed into the common room, chatting and laughing.
The start-of-term feast was as sumptuous as always.
Dumbledore, clad in a purple robe, strode into the Great Hall with a light step.
"Kyle, don't you think the Headmaster looks especially happy today?" Cedric asked softly, holding a roasted potato.
It wasn't just him; almost everyone noticed that the Headmaster seemed much more cheerful than usual.
"Maybe he received some good news," Kyle suggested, glancing up.
Dumbledore appeared to be sharing a witty remark with Professor McGonagall, causing her to laugh uncontrollably.
...
(End of Chapter)
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