Chapter 73: Hogwarts' First Snowfall
Chapter 73: Hogwarts' First Snowfall
In the following days, Kyle became increasingly interested in the beneficial activity of night strolls, and in recent weeks, he had been sneaking out every night, even more frequently than Fred and George.
This might also have had something to do with the twins' recent mishap.
The pile of Mooncalf droppings they had painstakingly brought back ended up, unsurprisingly, useless.
None of the young witches and wizards wanted it.
The relevant shops in Diagon Alley wouldn't take it off their hands either.
But the twins were not ones to give up easily, and in a move that could only be described as ill-advised, they decided to try and sell their wares to Professor Sprout at a low price.
As expected, their nocturnal adventures were discovered, and the consequences were severe.
Just one glance was all it took for Professor Sprout to recognize the source of their goods.
The sheer quantity indicated that it could only have come from the Forbidden Forest, and the timing of the Mooncalf droppings collection was something she was well aware of.
Venturing into the Forbidden Forest was one thing, but to dare to flaunt their findings in front of a professor?
Even the mild-mannered Professor Sprout found this brazen act of provocation intolerable, and she marched them straight to Professor McGonagall's office.
The twins tried to explain that they had found it near Hagrid's pumpkin patch, but no one believed them.
Hagrid had been busy with other matters and had not tended to his pumpkin patch in a long while.
Professor McGonagall was both disappointed and angry, and she punished them with a week's worth of bathroom duty.
Filch wished he could move his office right next to the Gryffindor tower to keep a constant eye on them.
However, this turn of events worked out well for Kyle.
After Mike and Ryan fell asleep, Kyle quietly climbed out of bed and stealthily left the common room.
As usual, he donned the silver-green scarf, then took out his wand and gently tapped his forehead.
"Disillusionment Charm."
A cold sensation quickly spread from the top of his head, as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water.
Immediately, Kyle's body took on the same color and texture as the wall behind him.
The Disillusionment Charm.
Ever since their return from the Forbidden Forest, Kyle had been studying this spell.
While the Invisibility Cloak was convenient and useful, it had its drawbacks; one wrong move or a moment of haste could result in exposed feet.
The Disillusionment Charm, on the other hand, was more reliable.
The spell was a bit tricky, though; it had taken him three days just to get a grasp on it, and the transition of his body color to match his surroundings was not yet smooth.
Fortunately, Hogwarts Castle was pitch-black at night, so these minor flaws went unnoticed.
With everything prepared, Kyle made his way confidently to the library on the second floor.
This had been his nightly destination of choice lately.
He loved reading, but some books were best enjoyed in secret under the cover of darkness.
The library doors were locked tight, with a large brass padlock hanging between them.
Kyle took out the skeleton key and easily twisted it open, then carefully pushed the door ajar and squeezed inside.
The library at night was eerie and pitch-black.
"Lumos," he whispered, illuminating the tip of his wand as he walked past the rows of bookshelves to the back of the library, where he stopped in front of a sign.
The words "Restricted Section" held a certain allure.
Kyle carefully stepped over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the collection and used the light from his wand to read the titles.
He also skipped books with blank covers, overly thick or large volumes, and those with strange marks or signs of wear and tear.
Kyle wandered through the Restricted Section for a while, finally reaching the sixth bookshelf and extracting a thin book with gilded floral lettering on its black cover.
Much of the gilded floral lettering had peeled off, and Kyle could barely make out the last two characters, which meant "exploration" or "investigation."
This was the one.
After selecting his book, Kyle sat on the floor, just as he had on his previous visits, and began to read.
The content in the Restricted Section was generally more abstruse than that of the regular collection, and whenever Kyle encountered something unclear or incomprehensible, he would use the quick-note quill he carried to copy it down.
While this method was more cumbersome than simply using a copying spell, it was safer.
One could never be too careful with these books, and it was best not to cast spells on them without knowing if they were protected by strange enchantments.
...
By the time Kyle left the library, two hours had passed.
On his way back, he unexpectedly encountered a Poltergeist, but thanks to the Disillusionment Charm, it didn't seem to notice him.
The next morning, Kyle, who had planned to sleep until 8:50, was dragged out of bed by his roommates at 7:30.
"Wake up, Kyle! Wake up!"
Paying no heed to Kyle's reaction, they pulled him out of bed and dragged him by the arms to the window.
"Look, it's snowing!"
Without any warning, Mike flung open the window, and a gust of cold wind, laden with snowflakes, slapped Kyle's face.
"Brr..."
Kyle shivered, instantly alert.
He rubbed his face, feeling that the scene was somehow familiar, as if he had witnessed it before.
"Let's go outside and take a look!" Mike exclaimed excitedly. "It's Hogwarts' first snowfall."
Kyle shook his head in refusal.
What was so interesting about snow? He would rather catch some more sleep; he had stayed up late the previous night, and since it wasn't a weekend, he might end up dozing off in class if he didn't get enough rest.
However, Mike and Ryan wouldn't hear of it.
They persistently urged Kyle to get ready, clearly indicating that they wouldn't leave without him.
"This is the first snowfall we've experienced since coming to Hogwarts; it's a significant event!"
Mike reasoned, "It would be a waste of time to sleep now. There will be plenty of time to catch up on sleep during History of Magic class later."
"Yeah, our first class today is History of Magic," Ryan added.
Considering this, Kyle relented and got dressed to join them.
In just one night, the snow had accumulated to a depth of over a foot.
When they reached the open area outside Hogwarts Castle, they found that quite a few students had already gathered there.
Kyle spotted Fred and George, who were with a few Gryffindors, attempting to build a snow lion... or at least, that was the theory.
In practice, their creation resembled a yoga-practicing, fluffy caterpillar more than a lion.
(End of Chapter)
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