Chapter 523: Kyle's Dark Past
Chapter 523: Kyle's Dark Past
The next day, a Saturday morning, Kyle sat at the table with a serious expression, eating breakfast.
"What's wrong?" Cedric asked curiously. "You look like you're about to participate in the second task of the tournament."
"To be honest, I wish the second task would start today," Kyle sighed. "By the way, can you dance?"
"Yeah, I can," Cedric replied casually. "My dad took me to a few balls, and I learned specifically for that... What about you? Don't you know how to dance?"
"Why do you all assume I should know how to dance?"
Kyle took a bite of his bread, looking annoyed. "If I knew how, I wouldn't be in this predicament."
"Pfft..." Cedric's facial muscles tensed as he tried hard to hold back his laughter.
This was the first time he had seen Kyle looking so troubled, and it was hilarious.
"It's...not that difficult," Cedric attempted to sound normal. "Just follow the music... I just saw the latest notice in the entrance hall. Professor McGonagall will be holding a dance club at 10 a.m. You can go check it out."
"You mean that one? I was actually the first to sign up," Kyle said.
Cedric laughed even harder, covering his mouth with his hand to suppress the laughter.
He didn't mean to react this way, but for some reason, all he could think about was Kyle stomping on his dance partner's feet during the ball, and he couldn't hold it in anymore.
Cedric had no choice but to make an excuse and quickly left the table, heading towards the Ravenclaw table.
Kyle, who had been thinking about the upcoming club, didn't notice anything amiss and assumed Cedric was going to invite Cho to the ball.
The news of the Christmas Ball had spread, and everyone was discussing it. The number of students staying at Hogwarts for the holidays was unprecedented, as if everyone except the first-years had chosen to remain at the school.
Girls gathered in small groups, excitedly exchanging opinions and discussing what to wear for the Christmas Ball.
The boys also seemed to be taking it seriously. Ryan had even pinned a brooch to his clothes, something Kyle had never seen him wear before.
Soon after, a girl with curly hair approached.
"Kyle, will you go to the ball with me?"
"Oh... sorry," Kyle snapped out of his thoughts and replied. "I already have a dance partner."
"Is that so?" The girl left, looking disappointed.
She wasn't the only one; in the next ten minutes, several other girls from different houses approached him, but they all received the same answer.
Kyle had intended to wait in the Great Hall until the club started, but given the situation, he abandoned that idea and headed back to the common room.
...
When it was 10 o'clock, Kyle arrived at the Great Hall on time, and Cona and Cedric had also arrived.
"You said you could dance, so why did you come along?" Kyle asked Cedric in confusion.
"Cough, it's nothing," Cedric feigned nonchalance. "It's been a long time since I last danced, and I want to get familiar with it again to avoid embarrassing myself later."
Kyle nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed open the doors of the Great Hall.
Professor McGonagall had rearranged the hall, moving the long tables to the side and leaving only rows of chairs. Many people were already seated.
As Kyle walked in, his steps felt unusually heavy, as if he were under a Leg-Locking Curse.
Unbeknownst to him, Cedric and Charlie Weasley were trying hard to hold back their laughter, their faces filled with anticipation.
Once they arrived, Professor McGonagall closed the doors with her wand and said, "Dancing is simple... Be graceful, for every girl has a swan in her heart, and every boy has a lion eager to try."
It was no exaggeration to say that these were the most difficult two hours of Kyle's life.
Dancing wasn't particularly difficult, at least compared to the complicated moves Newt had taught him. However, the problem arose when he was summoned by Professor McGonagall to demonstrate before he mastered the dance... and accidentally stepped on her foot three times.
Kyle could clearly see Professor McGonagall's face darkening, and Fred and George's unrestrained laughter beside them.
Needless to say, for a long time to come, they wouldn't let him live this down.
Indeed, in the following days, Fred's favorite pastime during meals was to imitate Kyle's clumsy moves and step on George's foot.
Kyle could only pretend not to notice, primarily because he had no other choice. After all, these were the friends he had.
It was worth mentioning that the professors of Hogwarts seemed determined to showcase the castle's best side to the visitors from the other two schools.
A few days before Christmas, the castle's stair railings were adorned with icicles that would never melt.
The twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall were also decorated with various trinkets, ranging from sparkling holly berries to golden owls that never ceased their hooting.
Read the flawless version at 69shu.com! 6=9+shu_bar, the first to publish this novel.
However, to Kyle's disappointment, it seemed that the professors were not planning to use ghosts as Christmas tree decorations this time... He had always found that to be the most interesting part.
A Christmas tree adorned with ghosts would undoubtedly leave a deep impression on the visitors who had come from afar.
As Christmas drew nearer, the castle became livelier. The girls always moved in groups, and whenever one of them received an invitation, the others would burst into laughter.
After a Potions class, Kyle bumped into Harry in the corridor, but he wasn't there to see him.
"Um... Autumn Zhang, can I talk to you for a moment?" Harry said, nervously clutching the hem of his robe.
"Of course, what's the matter?" Autumn replied.
"Er... could you, that is... go to the ball with me...?" Harry asked hesitantly, his voice so soft that Autumn almost didn't catch what he said.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Autumn shook his head, "I've already promised Cedric..."
Kyle was surprised to see Harry's face turning red at an unbelievable speed, as if someone were brushing red paint onto his face.
"Oh, well, it's okay," Harry said, pretending to be casual, and then quickly turned and left.
"I'm really sorry," Autumn said again.
But Harry didn't hear him, and in the blink of an eye, he had disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
Kyle clicked his tongue, acknowledging that Harry was indeed Hogwarts' most talented Seeker, with his incredible speed.
"It's always like this lately, I wish Christmas would come sooner," Autumn said to Kyle as they walked towards the Great Hall, "It's strange, I haven't seen anyone invite you."
"There just aren't any now," Kyle replied.
There had been quite a few people who invited him in the past few days. After Professor McGonagall's club, several senior girls even offered to teach him how to dance... but Kyle declined them all.
Compared to their limited skills, Professor McGonagall's expertise was unparalleled. Every evening after dinner, he had to undergo three hours of private training with Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. Sometimes, Nearly Headless Nick would also be there to offer guidance.
This ghost, who liked to swing his head like a fan, surprisingly had a knack for dancing... although it could be slightly unsettling when he performed head-swinging moves.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
