Chapter 765: Six-Time Champions
Chapter 765: Six-Time Champions
"Have you heard the news? The Malfoys have taken Draco away!"
In the Gryffindor common room, Harry burst through the door, his face lit up with excitement as he spotted Ron and Hermione working on their homework.
"What did you say?" they asked in unison, looking up.
"Draco Malfoy has been taken out of school by his parents. He's leaving Hogwarts," Harry repeated. "I just saw the Slytherin team; they're choosing a new Seeker."
"That's impossible," Hermione said, lowering her head back to her book, 'Advanced Transfiguration Guide,' and flipping through the pages. "There's no reason for Draco to leave."
"Do you have to ask? It's obvious his involvement with the Death Eaters has been discovered," Ron replied, his excitement matching Harry's. "I suspected as much before. How else could the Death Eaters have entered the school so stealthily? Draco must have been their inside man!"
Harry silently applauded Ron's deduction in his mind. He had promised Dumbledore not to tell anyone about what happened in the tower, but he never expected Ron to figure it out on his own.
"That's exactly what I think," Harry agreed emphatically. "Now that the school is taking action, he has no choice but to run. I should have told the professors sooner so they could keep an eye on him."
"It's alright," Ron said cheerfully. "At least we won't have to deal with him anymore. I can't even imagine how amazing Hogwarts will be without Draco Malfoy."
"Is that so?" Hermione still seemed skeptical, but seeing the look of premature Christmas celebration on Harry and Ron's faces, she let it go.
Whether or not Draco was responsible for the Death Eaters' intrusion was not for them to worry about.
Within the school, Draco Malfoy's departure did not attract as much attention as one might expect, as he was not the only one making such a decision.
Ever since the news of the Death Eaters' intrusion spread, many parents had come to take their children home from Hogwarts.
Even Hufflepuff had one such student—Zacharias Smith, the Quidditch commentator, who left the castle with his haughty father during breakfast one morning.
The professors did not stand in their way.
They had their hands full lately, fortifying the castle's defenses, patrolling Hogsmeade, preparing for the upcoming exams, and more; they hadn't had a moment's rest since the incident.
So, when faced with parents who lacked faith in the school's ability to protect their children, they could only respect their decision to leave.
Of course, there were also students with stronger convictions who managed to convince their parents to let them stay.
"Only a fool would leave Hogwarts at a time like this," declared McMillan as he spotted Zacharias and his father striding through the entrance hall during lunch. "Those arrogant idiots! They can't possibly think there's a safer place than Hogwarts out there!"
Zacharias Smith was the only Hufflepuff student to leave.
Just half an hour earlier, McMillan had been chatting with Gryffindor's Simon, confidently asserting that not a single Hufflepuff would depart.
Now, he was proven wrong, and in a rather resounding manner, which naturally did not sit well with him.
However, the father and son duo outside seemed not to have heard, continuing on their way without a word.
Unlike the seething McMillan, Harry and Ron were almost jumping for joy.
First Draco, and now their most despised Quidditch commentator, Zacharias, was also gone. It felt like a double celebration.
Harry even found himself silently thanking the Death Eaters. After this incident, it seemed like all the negative elements in the school had vanished.
The only unfortunate part was that it was also the end of the term.
"I wish it could stay like this next semester," Harry secretly hoped.
...
As if in harmony with his mood, the June weather was gloriously sunny and pleasant, with a gentle breeze carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.
Harry and Ron often found themselves lounging by the window, enjoying the breeze while casually flipping through their books in preparation for the upcoming exams.
That is, until Hermione informed them that the scent was the result of fermented manure from the school's mooncalves, causing them to shut the window with grimaces on their faces.
"Hermione, you should've told us earlier!" Ron grumbled.
"If you two had paid attention in Herbology class, I wouldn't have needed to remind you," Hermione retorted without looking up from her book.
Harry's good mood lasted until the first weekend of June.
It was the day of the Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, which also happened to be the Quidditch final.
Two weeks prior, they had played their last match against Ravenclaw as well. Despite Harry's absence as the Seeker, Ginny's stellar performance had led them to victory, placing them in the lead with a total of 660 points.
Hufflepuff, in second place, had 500 points.
In other words, if Hufflepuff failed to score at least 160 points in this match, Gryffindor would take home the Quidditch Cup for the sixth year in a row.
Of course, it was also possible that Professor McGonagall had simply been too busy to attend the matches previously.
Harry and his friends took their seats in the stands, waiting for the game to begin.
"Hermione, can't you put that book down?" Ron asked, exasperated. "How can you focus on reading in a situation like this?"
"Why not?" Hermione calmly turned a page.
"This match decides whether or not we win the Quidditch Cup!" Ron exclaimed. "We haven't won it in over a decade."
"Compared to the Quidditch Cup, I think you should be more concerned about the final exams coming up in a week."
"I know, but they're separate matters..."
Before Ron could finish his sentence, a deafening cheer interrupted him.
He turned instinctively and saw that everyone in the Hufflepuff stands had stood up in excitement.
Then he realized the reason for their enthusiasm.
Kyle had appeared among the starting players, and from his position, it seemed he had returned to his old role as a Chaser.
"Oh no!" Ron exclaimed, covering his forehead with his hand. "Isn't Kyle supposed to be on leave? Why is he playing in the match?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Hermione glanced up at him. "Ever since the Death Eater attack, Kyle has been back in class."
At that moment, Madam Hooch blew her whistle, signaling the start of the game.
"It's fine," Harry said beside them, though it was unclear if he was trying to reassure Ron or himself.
"Quidditch isn't a one-man game, and Kyle can't guarantee a win over Ravenclaw..."
"Goal!"
The new commentator's scream drowned out Harry's voice.
"Kyle scored right at the start of the game, and the Ravenclaw Keeper didn't even react!
10-0, Hufflepuff is in the lead!"
The stands erupted in another deafening cheer, and several Hufflepuff fans even started dancing in the stands.
It had been over a year since they had witnessed such a dominating performance.
"It's fine..." Harry's voice was dry. "It's just one goal. We still have a lead of 150 points."
Five minutes later...
"It's okay, it's only three goals."
...
"We still have a 100-point lead."
...
"Don't worry, Gryffindor still has a 50-point advantage."
Twenty minutes later...
"It's alright, it's just a tie now. Maybe Cho will catch the Golden Snitch soon."
Harry's voice grew softer, and his expression became more and more dazed.
When Kyle made another long shot, throwing the Quaffle into the goal post, Harry's heart sank.
The entire Gryffindor stand fell silent.
"It's fine..." Harry said with difficulty. "We'll have another chance next year, I mean, Kyle will be graduating by then, won't he?"
Ron didn't respond. He looked like he'd had all his energy drained, and he sat there with his head bowed.
Hermione shook her head and continued reading her book.
From the moment she had seen Kyle among the players, she had expected this outcome.
As it turned out, she was right, and only Ron and Harry refused to accept it.
Half an hour later, the game ended.
Cho, with her wealth of experience, managed to catch the Golden Snitch just two inches ahead of her opponent, but Kyle had scored too many times—twenty-eight goals in total, almost one per minute, setting a new school record.
Incidentally, the previous record holder was also Kyle.
So, even with the additional 150 points, Ravenclaw still fell far short of the winning score.
As the spectators were leaving, Harry couldn't bring himself to meet Professor McGonagall's eyes, keeping his head down.
"Don't dwell on it," Hermione said, setting her book aside to pat him on the shoulder comfortingly. "Just like you said, there's always next year, and by then, Kyle will have graduated."
For some reason, even though Hermione was right, and Harry knew it, he still felt worse.
"You can look at it from a different perspective," Hermione continued.
"A different perspective?" Harry looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"The exams are coming up soon," Hermione whispered. "I heard from Professor McGonagall that most students' O.W.L. grades are consistent with the certificates they receive upon graduation. If you fail a subject, you're unlikely to get that certificate.
"With less than a week until the exams, are you ready?"
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said with a bitter smile.
Well, compared to the upcoming exams, missing out on the Quidditch Cup didn't seem so bad.
After all, his dream was to become an Auror after graduation, and it was common knowledge that Aurors had extremely strict academic requirements, needing to pass several key exams.
"Don't mention it," Hermione replied. "It's my duty as a friend.
Of course, they would also count the seven consecutive House Cups, especially since the Quidditch championship added a significant number of points. With Kyle's additional one hundred points, they now led Ravenclaw, who was in second place, by over two hundred points.
At this moment, not even Voldemort could dampen their joyous mood.
The revelry continued late into the night. Kyle finally managed to extricate himself from the crowd and sat down in a corner on an armchair.
Konnor handed him a bottle of butterbeer.
"Thanks." Kyle took a sip. "They're crazy. They've been partying for three hours straight."
"It's understandable," Konnor said with a smile. "After all, Hufflepuff rarely gets the spotlight, and everyone has been feeling oppressed lately. It's nice to have something to celebrate."
Kyle nodded and took another sip of butterbeer.
"What are your plans now?"
"Waiting for the exams, I guess." Kyle replied.
"I meant your plans after graduation. What kind of work do you intend to do?"
"I don't know." Kyle shrugged. "For now, I plan to go to Diagon Alley first. Remember the shop Professor Lupin gave me? It doesn't feel right to leave it empty."
"You want to open a shop?"
"It's just an idea for now." Kyle said, "But I can't say for sure what I'll do yet, especially with Death Eaters and Voldemort still out there. We need to deal with that problem first."
"So, will you be joining the... Order of the Phoenix, is that what it's called?"
Kyle didn't answer immediately.
"To be honest, I'm not sure." He thought for a moment. "There's something I've been wondering about. Professor Dumbledore hasn't sent me a formal invitation to join, and I don't know what he's thinking."
"But didn't you take me to their headquarters before?"
"That's different." Kyle shook his head. "Fred and George told me that before they graduated, they signed a very official magical contract, which also served as proof of their membership in the Order of the Phoenix.
"According to them, the contract creates a sort of connection between members, allowing them to vaguely sense each other's locations. It's supposed to be useful for providing backup when needed."
"Is that true?" Konnor asked, surprised, as she had always assumed Kyle was already a member.
"I'm not sure. It could be one of Fred and George's pranks." Kyle said, "But Professor Dumbledore has never mentioned anything like that to me."
"By the way, why did you suddenly ask about this?"
"Oh, no reason." Konnor said, "I was just curious, that's all."
"So, what about you? What are your plans after graduation?"
"Professor Snape bought a potion shop in Paris." Konnor said softly, "He wants me to go there and get the shop running."
"That sounds good." Kyle said thoughtfully: "Potion shops can be quite profitable, and I know quite a few people in Paris. Even if you encounter any problems, you'll be able to get help."
Kyle was referring to Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons. She held considerable influence in France.
If they ever needed assistance, she would surely be willing to help.
"Is that what you think?" Konnor looked at Kyle and asked.
Kyle met her gaze and nodded.
On this matter, he and Professor Snape were surprisingly in agreement.
Despite Konnor's impressive abilities, and the fact that she was one of the top students in Hufflepuff, second only to Kyle and Cedric, with eight O.W.L.s the previous year, all of which were 'Outstanding', she was still only seventeen. In the face of Voldemort, no one knew what would happen on the day of the final battle, and staying away from the battlefield was the safest option.
France was a good choice. It was neither too close nor too far, and Kyle knew many people there. Even if the Death Eaters' influence spread there one day, they would still have connections to rely on.
"Alright."
Without any anger or resentment, Konnor agreed.
This was something Kyle hadn't expected. Normally, wouldn't Konnor be upset about being overlooked?
Why was she so calm? This calmness was a bit unsettling.
"You... you're not angry?" Kyle asked tentatively.
"Why would I be angry?" Konnor smiled at Kyle. "Or do you want me to stomp off or insist on staying here... If that's what you want, I can certainly put on a show for you."
As she spoke, Konnor cleared her throat and raised her hand as if to slam it on the table.
"No, this is fine, really." Kyle quickly stopped her.
Regardless, it was good that Konnor wasn't angry. If she had made a scene, that would have been a real problem.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
