Chapter 77: A Sour Note
Chapter 77: A Sour Note
The vial was only the size of his thumb, containing a golden potion that shimmered like molten gold, dazzling and captivating.
After careful observation, Kyle was certain that the vial contained the elusive Felix Felicis.
Also known as Liquid Luck, Felix Felicis was arguably the most complex potion in the wizarding world.
The rare ingredients aside, the most crucial aspect was the six-month brewing process, during which the slightest mistake would require starting over.
Each tiny vial commanded a astronomical price.
"Where did you get this?" Kyle asked, turning to her.
"It's a Christmas gift from Professor Snape," Conner said, confusion creeping into her voice. "Don't you have one?"
At her question, Kyle's heart sank.
Not only had he not received any Felix Felicis, but Snape hadn't even given him an empty vial.
"Um..." Kyle forced down the bitter feeling in his stomach and asked with a complicated expression, "Did you know Professor Snape before coming to Hogwarts?"
Conner shook her head and then nodded. "I've heard Mom mention the name, but I'd never met him before coming here."
Kyle gave her a thoughtful glance.
A Prince, perhaps?
When Snape had first given Conner extra points, Kyle had found it odd, but at the time, he'd assumed they were merely acquaintances, so he hadn't thought much of it.
Now, however, it seemed he'd been mistaken.
If they were merely acquaintances, even close friends, it was unlikely that Snape would gift her Felix Felicis.
Draco Malfoy had certainly never received such treatment.
Clearly, there was a significant connection between him and the name 'Prince'.
Kyle pondered this for a moment, and as he did, he suddenly felt that he had heard the name somewhere before. It was familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it.
The only thing he could think of was Princeton University.
But that had nothing to do with the wizarding world.
Kyle thought long and hard but eventually gave up. Holding the glass vial, he asked, "Do you know what this is?"
"A cold remedy potion?" Conner guessed, uncertain.
Kyle shook his head, not bothering to keep her in suspense. "No, it's Felix Felicis."
"Pfft... Kyle, you must still be asleep," Conner chuckled. "This potion may look like Felix Felicis, but I don't know Professor Snape, so why would he give me something so precious? It's impossible."
"Why not?" Kyle gently swirled the potion in the vial. "Could this liquid gold be anything other than Felix Felicis?"
Conner shook her head again. "Professor Snape is a master potion maker. Changing the color of a potion wouldn't be difficult for him. Maybe this is just a Christmas surprise for all of us, and it actually contains a cold remedy."
Kyle offered a few more explanations, but Conner always found a reason to counter him, leaving him feeling less confident in his assertion.
Kyle could understand Conner's reaction.
If he had found such a vial in his own gift, he wouldn't have believed it to be Felix Felicis either.
He would have thought it was some special poison brewed by Snape, disguised as Felix Felicis to trick him into drinking it.
In that case, perhaps it would have been Conner insisting that it was Felix Felicis, while he kept coming up with reasons to argue otherwise.
In fact, it would be simple to confirm, or to convince Conner that the vial truly contained Felix Felicis; they just needed to clarify the relationship between the surnames Snape and Prince.
But before that, it would be better to keep the vial in his possession.
Conner often lost things, and who knew when this vial might meet the same fate.
If the contents truly were Felix Felicis, he would regret it terribly if something happened to it.
He glanced at Conner and said, "Can I hold onto this vial for now?"
Conner waved her hand nonchalantly. "You can have it if you want."
Kyle quickly refused. "No, thanks. I don't want you wailing and sobbing later because you regret it."
He was joking, of course. He wasn't the type to take advantage of others, even if he had slightly less scruples than most people.
"I wouldn't cry..." Conner seemed very displeased with Kyle's choice of words, scrunching up her nose as she said firmly, "If I say I want to give it to you, then I definitely won't regret it. Even if you try to give it back, I won't take it."
Kyle shrugged noncommittally.
If only he had something to record her words; he would have loved to play them back in the common room sometime.
After leaving the common room, Kyle headed to the library and stayed there until noon.
The Christmas feast was sumptuous, with a hundred plump roast turkeys, mountains of roast meats and potatoes, plates of small sausages and peas with butter, and for some reason, Kyle even spotted some pies.
As he walked along the tables, he also spotted piles of Wizard Cracker Bombs, which were as essential to Christmas as the Christmas tree itself.
Kyle picked up one of the colorful cracker bombs and pulled the string.
With a loud bang, a lace-trimmed, tasseled hat slowly descended in front of him.
Kyle looked around surreptitiously before tucking the hat into his Chameleonic Lizard Skin Pouch.
A perfect gift for Professor Snape next Christmas.
Kyle proceeded to pull a few more cracker bombs.
The loud bangs were like firecrackers, and the best part was that he didn't have to worry about hurting himself. It was incredibly addictive.
By the time the feast began, the items beside Kyle had piled up into a small mountain.
There were six hats of various shapes, two sets of Wizard Chess, three rubber wands, several strange little props... and a Cockroach Cluster (?)
.
To be honest, Kyle wasn't sure if this last item was real, so he kept it inside a transparent box, far away from himself.
The house-elves' craftsmanship was as reliable as ever. Kyle carved some meat from the massive turkey, added some roast meat pie and sausage, and made himself a pizza.
After the turkey came the flaming Christmas pudding, which also held little surprises. Wrapped inside Conner's pudding was a Sickle.
Kyle cut into his own pudding with some anticipation. A hint of yellow peeked out...
Then he put down his knife.
He couldn't cut any further; he'd expose the mango sauce.
(End of Chapter)
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