Chapter 555: How About Going to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?
Chapter 555: How About Going to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?
Harry decided to wait for Lupin and Sirius in the shack, while Kyle put away his trunk and left the Shrieking Shack.
He found Connor and the others enjoying butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.
"Kyle, your classes ended early today?"
"No, Professor Dumbledore isn't in the castle today. I came along with Sirius," Kyle explained.
"Oh." Connor nodded, "Would you like something to drink? How about some chilled butterbeer?"
"Hmm...I think the pumpkin juice at school is pretty good too." Kyle glanced at the price and sighed. "A cup of butterbeer costs several Sickles. It's too expensive."
Having just lent out 2500 Galleons, he felt a little less confident about his financial situation.
"Huh?" Fred, who was about to pick up his cup, paused and blinked. He looked at Kyle with a bewildered expression and said, "Ron, where did you get the Polyjuice Potion and Kyle's hair from?"
George, sitting beside him, added, "I suggest you'd better change back quickly or find a place where no one can see you for a couple of hours. If Kyle finds out, you're done for."
"If you don't want to end up as dragon dung..."
"...or fertilizer for biting nettles..."
"...you two really know your little brother well, but I don't think Ron would be happy to hear that..."
Kyle glanced at them and said, "And with all this talk of dragon dung and fertilizer, do I look like some heartless Dark Wizard to you?"
"I have to say, Ron, your acting skills are quite impressive. You're really selling it," Fred commented, firmly convinced that the Kyle before him was actually Ron in disguise.
"Too bad you got the wrong person," George said. "Kyle drinks butterbeer by the cupful, so do your research next time, Ron."
Kyle rolled his eyes at the two of them bickering in unison and said, "You two are the fake ones. When have I ever spilled butterbeer?"
"Still not giving up, huh?" Fred said. "Then let me ask you, what's growing in the pot in Kyle's trunk?"
"Mandrake."
"......"
"You really are Kyle?" George asked cautiously.
"Of course," Kyle replied.
Fred scratched his head. "This doesn't make sense..."
The fact that Kyle found butterbeer expensive was as surprising as Ron casually buying a crossbow bolt.
Connor watched as Kyle bantered with the Weasley brothers and laughed, "Don't worry about it, I'll treat you to a drink."
She went to the counter and soon returned with a chilled glass of butterbeer.
"Thanks..." Kyle said, glancing at Fred and George, "Unlike some people who promised to treat me to butterbeer after losing a bet, only to forget all about it after a few years."
"Don't mind them, I can buy you butterbeer too. Drink as much as you like..." Connor said, smiling broadly as she rested her chin on her hand.
"Alright then," Kyle said, looking at her, "I'll hold you to that."
"Sure."
"You two, don't go too far..." Fred set his cup down irritably.
He felt like he had bought a counterfeit drink at the Three Broomsticks; it had a sour, pungent taste.
"I'll buy you ten cups...no, twenty cups of butterbeer," George added, unable to take another sip, "and then you can go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. That's where you belong."
"If you go now, you might even catch Cedric and Cho there."
"No way," Kyle immediately refused without a second thought, "That place is cramped and the coffee is sweet as syrup. It's not my cup of tea."
"Yeah," Connor nodded in agreement.
"Tch..." George slapped his forehead in exasperation. All he wanted was a glass of pumpkin juice, but it seemed like it wasn't going to be that simple.
"2,500 Galleons, no wonder you're suddenly strapped for cash?" Connor remarked.
"Actually, there's a bit more," Kyle said. "It's just a bit overly secure where it's stored, and it's a hassle to get it out."
"Gringotts?"
"No, in Scabbers' pocket," Kyle said with a wry smile. "He runs away from me like he's hiding from his mortal enemy now."
Connor found that amusing. How could Scabbers not run when they were trying to take gold coins out of his pouch?
"Do you want me to lend you some?" she offered.
"No need, it's just for a short while." Kyle shook his head. "Once the Triwizard Tournament is over, it'll be fine. The champion's prize money is 1,000 Galleons, after all."
"So you're that confident you'll win? What if you end up losing to Fleur or Krum in the end?"
"That's impossible..." Kyle said, "Even if it's just for the 1,000 Galleon prize money, I won't lose."
"Everyone else is after the honor, and you're the only one after the money."
"It's all the same, it's all the same..." Kyle waved his hand dismissively.
As they walked through the school gates and back towards the castle, they spotted a figure rushing towards them like a whirlwind from a distance.
"You really did it, Kyle!" Sirius exclaimed, elated and dancing with joy.
"It took you guys several months and you still couldn't get Moony to stay, but you managed to convince him in just half an hour... I really should have brought you along sooner."
"Did you guys discuss this beforehand?" Kyle asked.
"Discuss? Of course, I agreed immediately!" Sirius said. "The reason I bought this place was because of Moony. He once said that the happiest day of his life was when we first successfully transformed into our Animagus forms and appeared in the Shrieking Shack.
Since werewolves have a hard time finding work, James and I talked about it when we graduated. We decided that once we had the money, we'd buy this place, set up a shop, and then ask Moony to help out. That way, he'd have a decent job and a place to stay."
At this point, Sirius paused, his expression turning complex as he continued, "You probably know what happened after that... I won't go into it, but suffice to say, our plan didn't come to fruition. However, it's not too late now.
"I'll go to Gringotts right away and get the money to pay you back those Galleons."
As he spoke, Sirius hurried towards the exit, but Kyle grabbed his arm to stop him.
"If you want Lupin to continue staying here, don't do that," Kyle said, letting go of his hand and shaking his head. "Lupin understands your good intentions, but he won't accept your gift. It's his bottom line... You can understand it as his desire to maintain his last shred of dignity in front of his friends.
"So he can accept me lending him Galleons, but he'll never accept yours."
"But, there's no need for that," Sirius said, not understanding. "Moony knows I don't care about that."
"But he does," Kyle shrugged. "I can guarantee that if he finds out you helped pay off the debt, he'll leave without looking back."
"Then..." Sirius frowned.
"Just leave this matter be," Kyle continued. "You can't possibly think Lupin is incapable, can you?"
"Impossible," Sirius said firmly. "Moony is the smartest among us, he'll definitely be fine."
"Then there you go," Kyle smiled. "What you should be thinking about now is how you can help Lupin. The Shrieking Shack has been abandoned for so long, it won't be easy to renovate it."
...
(End of Chapter)
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