Chapter 90: Kyle, Do You Have Rat Remedy?
Chapter 90: Kyle, Do You Have Rat Remedy?
Over the next few weeks, Kyle visited the Room of Requirement almost every day. Aside from tending to the Devil's Snare, he also had to keep a close eye on the Spikeweed.
After entering the mature stage, the Spikeweed could briefly free themselves from the soil and wander around, supported by the large outer layer of leaves.
However, Kyle wasn't too concerned about this. After all, as long as they weren't provoked, the Spikeweed wouldn't easily leave the comfort of the soil.
What worried Kyle was their random seed-spitting.
Mature Spikeweed could spit their seeds at any time, and the distance they traveled depended entirely on their mood, sometimes reaching several hundred meters away.
If these seeds happened to take root near the Mooncrazed Beast or the Devil's Snare in the Room of Requirement, it would be troublesome.
Spikeweed was a plant that was difficult to transplant, especially in the early stages of germination. The slightest change in the surrounding environment could cause them to wither on the spot.
Only a master botanist like Professor Sprout could possibly handle such a task that tested both skill and experience.
Kyle was still a novice in this regard, so he could only use the simplest method: collect the seeds before they germinated and plant them in a suitable location.
After more than a month of hard work, just before the Easter break, there were already five Spikeweed plants in the Room of Requirement.
Two were mature, and three had just sprouted.
After confirming that there were no missed seeds, Kyle finally relaxed a bit. At least he didn't have to rush to the Room of Requirement every day.
However, Cedric became busier, and so did the other Hufflepuff Quidditch players.
Harris was stricter with them than ever before, and even during the continuous rainy days after the snow, his enthusiasm for training didn't cool down in the slightest.
But no one complained.
If they won the next match against Slytherin, their total score would surpass Gryffindor, making Hufflepuff the top-scoring House.
After that, as long as they won the final match or weren't overtaken by other Houses, they would become the champions and bring the Quidditch Cup to Hufflepuff.
To achieve this final victory, all the team members became training fanatics, wishing they could eat and sleep in the Quidditch pitch.
Of course, Gryffindor was in a similar situation.
However, Slytherin seemed to be throwing in the towel. They trained as usual and disbanded right on time, not staying a second longer.
This wasn't surprising because they could only win the championship if they beat Hufflepuff by 300 points in the next match, which was obviously unrealistic.
If it were Ravenclaw's pushover team, there might be a slight chance.
During the morning Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Kyle eagerly anticipated the next day's match while jotting down various methods to treat werewolf bites.
"Remember, the mixture of borage and silver powder can only seal the wound; it can't stop the werewolf transformation," Professor Aurene said sternly from the podium. "If you don't have a surefire way to defeat werewolves, the best thing to do when encountering them is to run. Run as fast as you can, and choose spells that create obstacles to buy yourself time to escape, rather than trying to counterattack them.
Sometimes, it's a good habit to keep a flying broomstick with you; it can save your life in critical moments."
After taking these notes, Professor Aurene used a Transfiguration Charm to turn the podium into a werewolf and then allowed the young wizards to practice in a real-life scenario.
While they were lining up, Conna whispered to Kyle, "Do you have any Rat Remedy?"
"Rat Remedy?"
Kyle blinked. "What? Has Pochy fallen out of favor?"
"Even if it has, you don't need to kill it. Just give it to Percy; he's looking for a wife for his pet."
"I'm not giving Pochy away."
Conna pushed Kyle, and said impatiently, "I meant the potion to treat rats. Pochy has been sick lately and has no energy at all."
Kyle frowned. "Have you been giving it Rat Tonic on time?"
Conna nodded. "Of course. I've been feeding it regularly, never missed a month."
"That shouldn't be the case." Kyle scratched his head in confusion. "Did I buy fake ingredients?"
The Rat Tonic he sold to Conna was not the kind of sugary water sold in Diagon Alley shops, but a special tonic that Newt had developed specifically for Mottled Rats.
For ordinary rats, this tonic was akin to the Fountain of Youth. As long as they drank a small bottle each month, they would live healthily until their natural deaths.
"Are you sure it's sick?" Kyle asked again.
"Yes, it was sneezing last night." Conna thought for a moment. "I suspect it's related to the heavy rain during our Flying class a few days ago. Everyone in our dormitory caught a cold."
"Maybe..."
Kyle looked at the dwindling number of young wizards ahead and voluntarily pulled Conna to the back of the line.
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"I do know a rat remedy formula, but I'm missing some potion ingredients."
Kyle rubbed his fingers and, after thinking for a while, said, "Let's do this. Tonight, give Pochy a bottle of Rat Tonic and see.
If it's still not working, wait until after tomorrow's Quidditch match, and I'll send an owl to buy some in Hogsmeade."
Kyle paused for a moment and then suddenly asked, "By the way, have you lost any Galleons, Sickles, or Knuts recently?"
"Not since you gave me the handbag." Conna looked puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing." Kyle smiled. "I just wanted to confirm if you could afford it."
"Er... Is it expensive?" Conna took out the pink bag, feeling a bit nervous. "I only have a dozen or so Galleons left now."
"That's enough." Kyle said, "They're all common ingredients, just a few Sickles."
Conna patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew~ That's good."
As the two were talking, the number of young wizards ahead of them decreased, and soon it was their turn to undergo practical combat training. The main reason was that the young wizards knew too few spells, and when facing the "werewolf" controlled by Professor Aurene, they had almost no resistance at all. Within a few seconds, they were all caught.
Could this speed be any faster?
Conna lasted for a minute before also falling to the "wolf's kiss."
Kyle was the last one.
However, instead of running away like the others, he quickly took out his wand and pointed it towards the door of the classroom.
"Flying broomstick, fly here."
After a few seconds, an old Comet broke through the classroom door, carrying Kyle, who was running around the room, into the air.
"The correct answer... If you had been a little more careful, you would have noticed that I had already placed the broomstick at the door. Even if you didn't know the Flying Charm, you could have opened the door and fetched it in time."
Professor Aurene looked a little disappointed. He removed the Transfiguration from the podium and shouted, "Hufflepuff gets ten points!"
(End of Chapter)
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