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Chapter 747: Lucky Gryffindor
Chapter 747: Lucky Gryffindor
By the time Kyle exited Dumbledore's office, it was already afternoon. The sky remained gloomy, and the relentless rain showed no signs of letting up.
Kyle stood in the corridor on the eighth floor, gazing transfixed at the curtain-like downpour outside.
He was curious about the disagreement between Dumbledore and Snape. Could it be related to Draco Malfoy's recent actions?
Or was it about Connor? Or perhaps... Snape was tired of his double agent role between Hogwarts and the Death Eaters and longed for a return to a normal life?
All these possibilities existed.
However, whatever the reason, it was clear that Snape hadn't received Dumbledore's support, or they wouldn't have been so angry with each other.
Kyle suspected it was most likely about Malfoy, considering how exuberant he had been lately...
As for Connor, to be honest, unless Dumbledore wanted her to join the Order of the Phoenix and Snape adamantly disagreed, she was free to make her own decisions on other matters.
Moreover, Kyle didn't think Dumbledore would insist on a newly graduated witch joining the Order, nor was it necessary.
As for returning to the life of an ordinary wizard... before completely eliminating the threat of Voldemort, that would probably remain just a sweet dream for Snape, a fantasy to ponder.
"Draco Malfoy..." Kyle murmured to himself.
At that moment, a group of first-year little witches and wizards came running up the stairs, their boisterous play snapping Kyle back to the present.
Perhaps they hadn't expected to see a seventh-year student standing there, as they came to an abrupt halt, startled.
In his fright, one boy dropped the Quidditch player model he had been holding.
"Don't be afraid," Kyle said, pointing at the broken model. "I'm not Filch, and I won't deduct points for you talking loudly in the corridor."
"Reparo."
"Th-thank you!" The boy's face turned red with excitement, as if he had just witnessed an incredible feat of magic.
To be fair, for first-year students, especially Muggle-born ones, repairing an object without using a wand was indeed impressive magic.
Their commotion distracted Kyle from his thoughts, and after leaving the eighth floor, he headed straight back to the Hufflepuff common room.
Although Kyle felt like there was something else he needed to discuss with Dumbledore, he only paused briefly before continuing downstairs.
Ah well, it's probably not important.
...
Due to the limited number of people who knew about it, the news of Slughorn and Ron being hit by Amorentia didn't spread, and everything remained as it was before.
Dumbledore had left the school again, and with the Death Eaters becoming increasingly active, he had been busier lately.
However, these matters didn't seem to concern Hogwarts. Thanks to the efforts of the professors, there wasn't a hint of danger within the school, and everyone's attention was focused on the upcoming Quidditch match the next day.
It was a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, longtime rivals.
Although Harry had the Firebolt, Gryffindor was missing one of their key players, and the performance of the two Beaters in the previous game had been dismal. As a result, their odds weren't as high as expected.
Most people favored Slytherin, even though their new players in the last two years hadn't been of the best quality. They had the advantage of stable performance, and their three Chasers were all veterans of three or more years, working together seamlessly.
More importantly, they were all well-built, resembling a group of wrestlers, and sometimes, physical strength could be an advantage.
On the morning of the match, Kyle and Connor headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.
As soon as they entered, they spotted two opposing groups... not Harry and Malfoy this time, but Ron and Slytherin's Chaser, Vaisey.
"What's going on?" Kyle asked quietly.
"Oh, it's about that Slytherin song about the Weasley family," Ryan, who had arrived early, explained. "Harper was organizing a choir to sing it, and they were caught in the act."
The 'Weasley Song', a song mocking Ron to mess with his state of mind, with lyrics that changed monthly but always pertained to Ron.
Since last year, Slytherin had made it a tradition to sing this song whenever Gryffindor had a match, and it had proven to be very effective.
Whenever Ron got nervous, he would become like a big sieve, constantly losing the Quaffle.
This time, Slytherin was likely aiming to weaken Gryffindor's strength using the same tactic.
However... today's situation was a little different from what they had envisioned.
Just as Ryan finished speaking, Kyle saw Crabbe's body sway as if he had stepped on something and slipped, crashing into the person in front of him.
Then that person knocked over another.
Before Kyle's eyes, the situation rapidly spiraled in a direction he couldn't comprehend.
Although only one person had slipped, the Slytherins standing together were affected one after another.
In the blink of an eye, they were all lying on the ground, entangled with each other, letting out painful howls.
Vaisey, who was at the bottom of the pile, had turned a shade of purple, frantically waving his arms in an attempt to push the others off.
"Oh, have they made up so soon?" Neville wondered aloud as he approached from behind, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"What do you mean?" Kyle inquired.
"You don't know?" Neville replied. "Just now, Ron and Lavender had a huge argument in the common room, apparently about the Love Potion. Lavender was furious, and Ron kept insisting it was a misunderstanding, refusing to explain further."
"I thought they would keep quarreling, but who would've thought they'd make up in less than twenty minutes? It's... magical!"
Neville shook his head, at a loss for words to describe the situation.
Kyle also found it quite astonishing but didn't pay it much mind. Perhaps Ron had simply told the truth.
Anyone who had frequently taken the Love Potion would know that the feelings it induced were beyond one's control, and whatever actions resulted from it shouldn't be considered strange.
The two of them made their way to the Hufflepuff table and took their seats.
"Who do you think will win the match today?" Connor asked.
"Probably Gryffindor," Kyle replied. "That is, if Harry performs as expected."
Vaisey had been pulled out of the pile-up, but it seemed like he had a broken arm and definitely wouldn't be able to play.
With both Slytherin and Gryffindor missing one of their key players, the situation had reverted to how it was at the start.
As the two chatted, they enjoyed their breakfast.
Soon, the post arrived.
A large group of owls flew into the Great Hall one after another, delivering letters and packages to each person.
The most eye-catching of all were three owls flying in formation, each clutching a rope in their talons, with a large package hanging below, heading straight for the Hufflepuff table.
With a loud thud, the round package landed on the table, rolling forward a couple of times and knocking over several plates and a jug of pumpkin juice as it came to a stop.
"Oh, these owls definitely don't belong to the post office, they're too rude!" Mickel, now covered in pumpkin juice, exclaimed as he wiped his face, his curiosity getting the better of him as he stared at the package.
"Who's it for?"
"There's a letter too, let's see who it's addressed to," Ryan leaned in, "Hogwarts Great Hall, Miss Connor Prince of the Hufflepuff table..."
"Connor, what did you buy?"
"Huh?" Hearing Ryan's words, Connor, who had also been curious about the package, suddenly paused, "For me?"
"Of course, your name's on the letter," Ryan handed the letter over, "Didn't you know?"
"No, and I didn't buy anything either," Connor replied, puzzled as she took the letter.
A quick glance was all it took for her to understand the situation.
"It's from the Extraordinary Potioneers Association," she exclaimed.
Connor's eyes lit up with excitement as she grabbed Kyle's arm, "They said I passed... I'm now an official member of the Extraordinary Potioneers Association!"
A collective gasp filled the air as everyone's attention turned towards them.
While some of the younger students didn't know what the Extraordinary Potioneers Association was, the astonished expressions on the faces of the older students made it clear that it was an impressive organization.
"Congratulations," Kyle said with a smile, "But didn't you already know? Slughorn hinted as much during our first Potions class."
"That's different," Connor said earnestly, "Until the actual results are out, everything else is just speculation."
Connor read through the letter again and emptied the contents of the envelope.
Within it was a delicate blue badge featuring a smoking cauldron, the very symbol of the Extraordinary Potioneers Association and proof of membership.
Slughorn wore an identical badge on his robe, which he proudly displayed at every feast.
"That's amazing," Ryan exclaimed, "You must be the youngest member, according to Professor Slughorn."
"For now, I suppose," Connor nodded. "Kyle, you seem a little disappointed."
"I am, a bit," Kyle admitted, "I thought they would be more formal, perhaps a proper ceremony. I didn't expect it to be delivered by owls."
"Do you want a Merlin Medal or something?" Connor retorted in a playful tone.
Kyle shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.
Regardless, Connor had achieved something remarkable, and even without a formal ceremony, Slughorn could have presented the badge to her amidst some fanfare, perhaps earning an extra hundred points for Hufflepuff in the process.
"Wait, aren't you forgetting about that package?" Justin suddenly interjected.
With his reminder, Connor remembered that there was indeed a package that had arrived along with the letter.
The commotion had also piqued the curiosity of those around them.
"What's this?" Autumn asked as she approached.
"I don't know, the letter doesn't mention it," Connor shook her head.
"Can we open it?" Mickel asked eagerly.
"Of course, go ahead," Connor replied, her own curiosity getting the better of her, "I'm wondering what's inside too."
"How stingy," Mickel grumbled. "Connor, you're probably going to be let down. They only sent you an old crucible."
"Tsk, if they can't even afford a new crucible, that's just pathetic."
Unlikely... Kyle thought to himself, raising an eyebrow.
The package was only half-unwrapped, with just a portion of its contents visible.
It was indeed a crucible, but it was red and covered in scratches as if it had been scraped by a knife. At first glance, it appeared old and worn.
But appearances could be deceiving.
"This isn't an old crucible..." Kyle reached out and touched the surface of the crucible, feeling a warm sensation on his fingertips, as if he were touching the wall next to a fireplace.
Mickel also gave it a tentative touch.
"How odd, could this crucible have been used recently? That's even more outrageous."
"No," Kyle explained, "it's made from Fire Crab shell. This material has excellent heat conduction, allowing it to absorb the flame's temperature in the shortest time possible and distribute it evenly throughout. It's considered the best crucible in the wizarding world, crafted from Fire Crab shells."
With Kyle's explanation, everyone finally understood.
"So, they're not being stingy after all?"
Kyle arched an eyebrow, "On the contrary. These crucibles aren't cheap."
"How much do they cost?" someone asked.
"I don't know," Kyle shook his head. "I've never bought one, and most people don't need something like this. A regular crucible is more than sufficient for their needs."
Hearing Kyle's explanation, the others didn't think much of it. In their opinion, it was just a crucible, and even if it wasn't made of gold, how expensive could it be?
"Never mind what I said earlier..."
Kyle turned to Connor and smiled, "They really don't care about formalities, sending such a valuable item by owl.
"You can use this to brew potions from now on, and it'll be much more effective than a regular crucible."
"I think I'll pass." Connor shook her head. "I'm afraid that if I get used to it, I won't be able to use regular crucibles anymore.
"Besides, even Professor Snape and Professor Slughorn, who are also members of the Extraordinary Potioneers Association, use regular crucibles, don't they?"
"It's different," Kyle disagreed, lowering his voice. "I can't speak for others, but I'm certain that when Professor Snape brews the Phoenix potion, he uses a Fire Crab crucible. You'll definitely need one too, so you might as well get used to it now."
"Actually, I was thinking of getting you a Fire Crab crucible for your birthday, but now it looks like I'll have to think of something else."
...
Thanks to the gossip among the Hufflepuffs, the news of Connor becoming an official member of the Extraordinary Potioneers Association quickly became the hottest topic in the Great Hall, even overshadowing the upcoming Quidditch match for a while.
However, due to the small number of people who knew about the association, the topic soon blew over like a gust of wind, and the focus returned to the Quidditch match.
"You go ahead, I need to share this good news with Professor Snape. He'll be delighted to hear it."
As everyone prepared to head to the Quidditch pitch, Connor suddenly spoke up.
"Ah, alright..." Kyle replied with a slight pout, pretending to be indifferent.
He couldn't help feeling annoyed at the thought of Snape being happy, even though they all had the same intention.
Snape probably felt the same way about it.
But since Connor insisted on going, Kyle could only accompany Ryan and Mickel to the pitch, reserving a spot in the front row for Connor.
"Look!"
As the players from both teams entered the pitch, Mickel suddenly pointed to the stands and said, "The Slytherin Seeker isn't here either."
Kyle noticed it too.
Malfoy was not among the team; instead, there was a stranger in his place, seemingly young and a new recruit.
Malfoy wasn't participating in the match? Kyle instinctively pulled out the Marauder's Map.
With most people at the pitch, the situation in the castle was laid bare.
Seeing Malfoy's name in the library, surrounded by several others, Kyle breathed a sigh of relief.
At least Malfoy wasn't up to anything suspicious. Choosing the library, a crowded place, didn't make sense if he had malicious intentions. Moreover, it would be difficult to escape the watchful eye of Mrs. Pince, who always noticed everyone's slightest movements.
But what was Malfoy doing in the library? Was he searching for something?
Kyle hesitated for a moment before deciding to close the map and continue watching the match.
With Dumbledore and Snape keeping an eye on things, he didn't need to get involved. It was better to mind his own business.
At that moment, the captains of both teams were shaking hands on the pitch.
"Both key players are absent, including the most important Seeker..."
Ryan, sitting next to Kyle, grumbled sourly, "Gryffindor sure has good luck."
(End of Chapter)
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