Chapter 768: The Peacock Flower and Cedric
Chapter 768: The Peacock Flower and Cedric
Before the departure of the Hogwarts Express, Cona and Fong had already left the school, riding on the Night Mare carriage.
As the carriage soared higher, Cona leaned out the window and waved at Kyle, and as they passed by a tower, she spotted Snape standing there.
But in the blink of an eye, the figure disappeared, as if it had never been there.
"What's wrong?" Fong asked, noticing that Cona had been staring at the castle the whole time.
Cona shook her head, wondering if she had imagined it.
The Night Mare flew swiftly, and within a minute, the carriage had turned into a tiny black dot and vanished from sight.
On the ground, Kyle lowered his hand and turned to ask, "How are you getting back? Are you taking the train? You should still be able to make it if you leave now."
"While it's nice to relive the school experience, I think I'll Apparate instead," Bill shrugged. "The train is just too slow. After graduating, I can't stand wasting half a day just to travel."
"I'll wait for you at Grimmauld Place," he said, patting Kyle on the back. "Mom has prepared a grand dinner to celebrate your graduation, and I'm getting hungry just thinking about it."
After saying this, he strode towards the school's main gate.
Kyle, on the other hand, was hesitant.
To be honest, he also wanted to Apparate directly, as it was more convenient and straightforward. But the thought that he wouldn't have to come to school next year made him feel that there was no need to rush...
Forget it, he decided to take it easy.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Kyle made his way to Hogsmeade Station and managed to board the train just before 8:59.
A minute later, all the carriage doors were closed, and with a loud whistle, the train slowly left the station.
As they had arrived late, most of the carriages were already full.
Autumn and a few Ravenclaw students sat together, exchanging various small items.
Kyle didn't disturb them and went straight to the Prefect carriage, finding a window seat and staring out at the passing scenery.
The journey was rather boring due to the absence of many familiar faces, and it wasn't until noon that Kyle heard a familiar commotion.
"Ron, you should know that the Prefect's duties include maintaining order in the carriage. But what are you doing, allowing those younger students to run around?"
"I'm not letting them; they're just chasing after the food trolley. You're being too strict."
The familiar trio entered the Prefect compartment, with Harry remaining silent as usual.
As a Quidditch captain, he enjoyed the Prefect privileges but lacked the authority. Even if he wanted to intervene, no one would listen to him.
But from another perspective, this was quite convenient, and he didn't have to waste time arguing with those stubborn students.
"Oh, Kyle, you're here too."
As soon as they entered, Harry noticed Kyle sitting by the window and naturally joined them.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. "A lot of people are looking for you outside."
"Looking for me?" Kyle was puzzled.
"Yeah, they're all seventh-year students. I guess they want to exchange some souvenirs with you."
"Good thing I didn't go out," Kyle joked. "I don't have that many things to give away."
Harry chuckled, guessing that Kyle was there to avoid the crowd.
Just like when he first entered school, he was also quite popular, but he didn't enjoy that feeling. Most of the time, he preferred being alone... or with Hermione and Ron.
"Where's Cona?" Hermione looked around.
"She had other things to do and didn't take this train," Kyle replied.
He didn't reveal Cona's trip to France, not because he didn't trust Hermione, but because he knew she would never side with Voldemort. Hermione, with her close relationship with Harry, was definitely one of those he could trust.
It wasn't necessary to disclose, and they weren't genuinely concerned about Cona's whereabouts. It was just a moment of curiosity that prompted the question.
Upon hearing Kyle's response, Hermione nodded and didn't inquire further.
The trio chatted for a while longer, with most of the time spent on Hermione scolding Ron for not fulfilling his Prefect duties and Harry acting as the invisible man.
Feeling a bit awkward, Harry left for a while and returned with a large pile of snacks.
Harry piled the snacks on the table.
"We just bought some Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Frogs. Have some too; this is all they have on the train."
Ron, already hungry, eagerly grabbed a Chocolate Frog and stuffed it into his mouth.
Hermione also took some Cauldron Cakes.
Seeing that Kyle hadn't moved, Hermione thought he was being polite and passed the cakes to him.
"Don't be shy; help yourself."
"No, you misunderstood," Kyle shook his head. "I actually brought my lunch."
"You brought lunch?" Harry and Ron stopped eating, thinking they had misheard.
If they remembered correctly, this train departed from Hogwarts, so how could Kyle have brought lunch...
But the next moment, they got their answer.
Kyle opened the box and skillfully took out several bulging parchment bags.
Opening the bags, Kyle revealed a whole roasted chicken, fried pork chops, fragrant scones, roasted potatoes, and even pepper and marmalade—a plethora of seasonings that filled half the table.
Harry's mouth suddenly lost interest in the chocolate he was eating.
"You got this...from the kitchen?"
"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "After all, you just said there's no decent lunch on the train, so I went to the kitchen before we left."
"You know, our Hufflepuff common room is close to the kitchen, so it wasn't difficult to get these."
"Yeah, yeah," Harry agreed.
He looked at the abundant lunch in front of Kyle and then at his own pile of snacks. His throat twitched involuntarily.
"Let's eat together," Kyle suggested. "The house-elves were too enthusiastic. I only asked for a single portion, but they sent all this. One person definitely can't finish it all."
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Of course."
Kyle waved his wand, and the food, which had cooled down, became hot and steaming again.
The Heating Charm, one of Kyle's everyday magic tricks, was particularly useful when going to bed in the winter.
"Thanks."
Harry decisively threw the chocolate he was holding back...who wants to eat chocolate when there's fried pork chops!
"Kyle, what do you plan to do after graduation?" Harry imitated Kyle's action, stuffing a piece of pork chop into a scone, sprinkling some pepper, and taking a big bite.
It wasn't an illusion; although they were the same things, eating them together made them exceptionally delicious, and the texture was unique. He couldn't resist and took another bite.
"Do I even need to say it? Kyle will definitely work at the Ministry of Magic." Hermione glanced at Harry, slightly disapproving of his crude eating manner. But seeing Kyle doing the same, she didn't say anything.
"Don't forget Kyle is a Senior Minister's Assistant. He'll definitely go back to the Ministry, right?"
"Hmm...not necessarily." Kyle thought for a moment. "By this time, the Ministry's decisions are basically linked to the Death Eaters—to capture them."
"So what the Ministry needs most now are Aurors and Hit Wizards, not an assistant who gives advice to the Minister."
"Then will you become an Auror?" Harry asked. "I also want to be an Auror. Maybe we'll be colleagues next year."
"I didn't expect that. We'll see when the time comes." Kyle shrugged. "Anyway, Fudge won't let me go to the Auror Office."
"If possible, I'd actually like to open a shop in Diagon Alley. At least there won't be as many troubles."
Harry and Hermione both looked at Kyle in disbelief, their expressions incredulous. Surprisingly, Ron didn't find it too shocking.
Kyle had always been close to Fred and George, selling things like maps. So, it wasn't strange for him to want to open a shop after graduation.
Moreover, they were just chatting on the train, and soon, others joined in on the topic.
Hermione said she wanted to work in the Ministry of Magic, preferably in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Harry wanted to be an Auror, just as he had mentioned during career guidance.
Ron was indecisive, sometimes wanting to go to the Ministry and other times wanting to become a professional Quidditch Keeper.
...
Although Kyle brought a lot of food, there were also many of them. They managed to eat half their fill, but with some snacks in between, it was enough.
After lunch, Hermione forcefully took Ron to patrol the corridors. After hesitating for a moment, Harry also followed them and left for the Muggle carriage.
The train continued its journey, and villages flew past the window, quickly retreating into the distance.
Finally, the train slowed down, turned a corner, and entered the familiar Platform 9 3/4.
The students exited the carriages one by one, walking through the wall to Platform 9 3/4.
"Here, Autumn, I'm here..."
On the platform, a nauseating idiot was jumping around, waving to attract someone's attention. From a distance, he looked like a peacock in heat.
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"Cedric!"
Autumn, who had just gotten off the train, naturally noticed the commotion on the platform. She dropped her luggage and ran over, throwing herself into the other's embrace.
The two stood on the platform, hugging each other as if no one else existed.
"Ugh...so shameless." Kyle couldn't help but feel disgusted as he was fed this excessive display of affection.
"Tsk tsk, isn't that expression of yours a bit too much?" A teasing voice came from behind.
"Shouldn't we offer our sincere blessings when long-lost friends reunite?"
Fred and George appeared on either side of Kyle.
"So, where are your blessings?" Kyle said without turning back.
"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Fred's voice rose slightly. "Our new product can even stick wands together."
"Just now, when Cedric was looking around, we smeared it on that peacock's clothes."
"George, they like hugs, right? They probably won't mind being hugged all the time," said George.
"What a terrible act," Kyle remarked with disdain, noticing Fred discreetly slipping a white bottle into his pocket.
Judging by his actions, he seemed to be planning to smear something on Kyle, but for some reason, he abandoned the idea.
"Each to their own," Fred said nonchalantly.
George raised an eyebrow, "Exactly, we're all the same."
The three of them shared a knowing smile.
"Congratulations," Fred patted Kyle's shoulder, "From today onwards, you're finally free from the cage. No more homework or exams to worry about."
"You can sleep in as late as you want..."
"...and drink as much as you like..."
"...and go to Hogsmeade every day..."
"...and do whatever you please!"
The two of them burst into laughter, painting a picture of a wonderful post-graduation life for Kyle.
However, Kyle took it as a joke, wondering how they could talk about such comfort when the dark circles under their eyes told a different story.
It was no secret that they hadn't had a good night's rest in a long time, probably due to their involvement with the Order of the Phoenix.
After chatting for a while, Cedric finally noticed something amiss. His clothes were stuck to Autumn's, and it was so secure that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.
"Damn it, Fred, George, what have you done?"
As long-time friends, Cedric didn't even need evidence, and he accurately called out the culprits' names.
"Just a little trick to enhance your relationship, that's all," Fred said with a big laugh.
George gave him a thumbs up, "That's what friends are for, no need to thank us."
Cedric was fuming, seeing more and more eyes on him, including Autumn's parents. He felt his face burning with embarrassment.
"Hurry up," Cedric gritted his teeth at the Weasley brothers, almost forcing the words through his teeth, "Get it off."
"Sorry." Fred blinked innocently, "It's a new product, it can only stick things together, not remove them!"
"Do you think I'll believe that?" Cedric wasn't buying it, "As far as I know, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes has never sold one-way half-finished products."
"Thank you for the compliment, sir!" George chuckled, "But this hasn't been officially sold yet, so it doesn't count...Ouch!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a big hand landed precisely on his ear.
Fred on the other side wasn't fast enough to escape either.
"Autumn is a girl, so hurry up and get it off her." Mrs. Weasley grabbed each of them by the ear, speaking sternly.
"Let go, Mom...please let go...we'll give it to him."
Fred jumped up and down, producing a blue bottle and throwing it over.
Cedric caught it and sprinkled the powder on the stuck part of his clothes, immediately freeing Autumn.
"Hurry up and apologize." Mrs. Weasley dragged Fred and George in front of Autumn's parents.
"I'm sorry!"
"I'm very sorry!"
"Oh, it's fine." Autumn's parents were very understanding and forgave them.
In fact, they had known about Cedric for a long time and were very pleased with him.
They had even planned to meet the Diggory family once the threat of Voldemort and the Death Eaters was gone.
"However..." Autumn's father turned to Fred, "Can I buy a bottle of that glue? Our windows have been rattling in the wind lately."
"Of course, no problem!" Fred quickly took out the bottle of Magical Adhesive from his pocket.
"It's on me, no charge."
"If you need anything else, head to Diagon Alley. Everything at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is half-price."
"That's a great discount," Autumn's mother smiled.
After that, they left with Autumn.
Mrs. Weasley continued to scold Fred and George.
At this moment, Hermione, Harry, and Ron also emerged from the wall.
She immediately let go of the twins and hugged each of them.
Kyle also noticed that when Harry appeared, the surrounding bystanders, who had been idle, suddenly became tense, unconsciously reaching into their pockets.
Seeing Mr. Weasley's calm demeanor, they must be from the Ministry of Magic.
"Alright, let's go." Mrs. Weasley led the group outside, "It's unsafe out there. We should head back."
"Where's Sirius?" Harry looked around, but he couldn't find the person he was looking for.
"He's waiting for you outside," Mr. Weasley explained, "Remember the Ministry's wanted poster for Sirius in the Muggle world? There are a lot of people here, so it's better for him to wait outside to avoid any trouble."
Hearing Mr. Weasley's explanation, Harry finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, it was just for this reason.
...
Everyone at the Railway Station kept a close eye on their luggage, and they had to wait six hours for those documents!!!
(End of Chapter)
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