Chapter 47: The Mental and Physical Well-being of Young Wizards
Chapter 47: The Mental and Physical Well-being of Young Wizards
The incident during the Defense Against the Dark Arts class spread quickly, but surprisingly, it didn't garner much interest among the students.
An incident like a student accidentally injuring a professor might have caused quite a stir if it had happened in another class.
For instance, the incident on the first day of Spellcraft class was still a hot topic of conversation.
But when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts... it was a different story.
To put it simply, their previous professor was a deeply hidden Dark Wizard who was exposed and taken away by the Aurors while teaching a class.
The professor before that was a Potion enthusiast who enjoyed researching strange Potion recipes. One day in class, he presented his latest creation to the students—the Omniscient Potion, claiming it to be on par with Felix Felicis, and that a single sip could solve all their troubles.
And then... there was no 'then.'
To prove the effectiveness of the Potion, he drank a mouthful right there and then, and now he's still lying in St. Mungo's.
In comparison, Professor Orion's situation was hardly worth mentioning.
And so, the first weekend at Hogwarts quietly arrived.
Kyle slept until almost nine o'clock, and it was only when Cedric knocked on his door that he finally woke up.
"What's the rush so early in the morning?" Kyle asked.
After freshening up, Kyle sprawled on the sofa in the Common Room and stretched comfortably.
"Early? It's almost lunchtime!" Cedric gave Kyle a speechless look and handed him a pie he had just fetched from the kitchen.
It was a potato and beef pie with onions, and it tasted pretty good.
As Kyle ate the pie, Cedric continued, "The Quidditch tryouts start today. I'm going to give it a shot later. What about you? Do you want to come along? Together, we can definitely win the Quidditch Cup this year."
"I'll pass," Kyle shook his head. "First-year young wizards aren't allowed to join the school team, it's a rule."
Ever since yesterday's Flying class, Kyle had given up on the idea of joining the Quidditch team.
Diana had strictly forbidden him from buying a broomstick in his first year, so if he joined the team now, he'd have to use the school's brooms... those antiques, which Kyle couldn't accept.
Those brooms were too old, lacking even the most essential features. For instance, the most important feature, the Levitation Charm engraved on the broomstick, was introduced after 1930. That year, the Quidditch final lasted for seven days, and a total of eleven players from the two participating teams retired for the same reason.
Since then, the Levitation Charm has become a standard feature for brooms.
Clearly, the school's brooms had already existed before 1930.
Those antiques might be fun to ride occasionally, but using them for an extended period might have an impact on the mental and physical well-being of young wizards.
At least, that's what Kyle couldn't accept, as for Cedric...
Kyle patted his shoulder and said seriously, "If you make the team, I suggest you buy a new broomstick."
Cedric nodded, "The school brooms are indeed too old. But if I do make the team, my dad should get me a Swift Seven."
"Then there's no problem," Kyle agreed.
Although the Swift Seven was a ten-year-old model, it had all the necessary features and was good enough for the school team.
"Oh, and one more thing," Cedric said, taking out two maps. "I've already gotten the Gryffindor and Slytherin maps. What's next? Should we go promote it ourselves?"
"Let's find someone to partner with." Kyle suggested after some thought. "It's too time-consuming and inefficient for us to promote it ourselves."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same," Cedric nodded in agreement. "We can ask the Weasley brothers for help with Gryffindor. But what about Slytherin? Do you know anyone from there?"
Kyle shook his head.
As it turned out, Slytherin was the house he was least familiar with at Hogwarts, mainly because they had little interaction.
"That's a problem," Cedric sighed. "I don't know anyone either."
Having just earned his first bucket of gold, Cedric was at the peak of his enthusiasm and didn't want to give up on Slytherin, the biggest market.
To that end, he had modified the Slytherin map, using the finest parchment and adding a golden border.
The design perfectly suited their taste.
Of course, the price would also be adjusted accordingly—you get what you pay for, after all.
The only issue now was how to sell these maps. With just the two of them from Hufflepuff, it was unlikely that many Slytherins would be interested.
Furthermore, if Snape found out about this, it could be troublesome. Given his character, he would likely confiscate the maps and deduct twenty points from Hufflepuff.
After much deliberation, they concluded that finding a middleman was the best course of action.
They discussed further but couldn't come up with a better solution.
Cedric considered asking the Weasley brothers if they knew anyone from Slytherin.
Read the original version at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+Book_Bar
Although Kyle didn't think this was very likely, it was the best option they had for now.
As it approached ten o'clock, the two left the Hufflepuff Common Room.
Cedric was heading to the Quidditch Pitch for the school team tryouts, while Kyle was going to the library to return a book.
He had finished reading "Odes in the Wind" the night before and wanted to borrow another book.
Since they were not going in the same direction, they parted ways near the Great Hall.
"Good luck with the Quidditch team selection," Kyle said with a smile.
"Don't worry!" Cedric confidently gave him a thumbs-up. "I'll definitely make it."
And with that, they went their separate ways.
...
In the library, Mrs. Pins took the book from Kyle, inspected it, and only after confirming it was in good condition, handed him the other book he wanted to borrow.
"You know the rules," she said.
"Of course, no damaging the books," Kyle laughed. "I know."
"Good."
After getting the book he wanted, Kyle didn't return to the dormitory right away. Instead, he found a spot in the library and started reading.
Detailed Guide to Asian Magical Plants
This book was about herbology, and Kyle quickly skimmed through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
"ZG Biting Kale, an extremely dangerous and aggressive plant, first discovered in..."
Kyle took out a piece of parchment he had prepared earlier and used the Copying Charm to transfer the content onto it. Then he left the library.
However, he didn't return the book immediately. Instead, he planned to take it back to his room to finish reading, as Professor Sprout might introduce new plant species next time.
It would be a hassle to borrow it again.
(End of Chapter)
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