Since joining the Quidditch team, Kyle had become quite busy.
His days were filled with classes and library visits for reading, while his nights were spent sneaking into the Restricted Section to copy books. Any remaining time was consumed by homework.
Second-year assignments had already increased dramatically from the previous year. The professors seemed to have conspired together — just last week, they changed their assignment length requirements from inches to feet.
The three weekly Quidditch practice sessions devoured even more of his schedule. Harris ran strict training, with each session lasting at least three hours and ending just before curfew.
Despite the time constraints, Kyle and his teammates were developing better coordination after several training sessions. Today, he and Harris had successfully mastered the two-way offensive tactic.
This classic Quidditch strategy, invented by the Wimbourne Wasps, improved upon the Hawkshead Attacking Formation.
It involved two Chasers flying simultaneously toward the center goalpost, frequently passing the ball between them. Upon reaching the scoring area, they would quickly separate to opposite sides, confusing the Keeper's judgment.
By the end of practice, Kyle and Harris had scored sixty goals together. The Hufflepuff Keeper looked dazed as his teammates carried him back to the dormitory, clearly questioning his life choices.
"Cheer up, Fello, you're still one of the best Keepers in the school. Think about it — if you couldn't stop those shots, no one else could either!" Harris said with a flushed face as he carried the Keeper's right leg, "This year's Quidditch Cup will have our names engraved on it again, I guarantee it!"
"Haha... why isn't November here yet? I can't wait for the matches to begin."
The group made their way back to the castle in a grand procession, with Kyle following behind, carrying his broomstick.
As they passed the entrance to the Great Hall, they ran into Fred and George coming down from upstairs. The twins' pockets were bulging with what appeared to be various items.
After Harris and the others walked ahead, Cedric raised an eyebrow and asked quietly, "It's almost curfew. Are you two going out for a nighttime adventure?"
"No, we just got back from Hogsmeade and are heading to the kitchen for a late-night snack." George said, patting his bulging pockets with a smile, "Zonko's latest products — got them right before closing time."
"You know, for our dear brother." Fred winked, handing a pouch to Kyle, "This is what you asked for."
"Thanks." Kyle said, taking it from him.
Fred glanced at him excitedly and asked, "So, do you have some new money-making idea? Tell us all about it."
"What?" Kyle didn't understand what he meant.
He'd been so busy lately that he hadn't even visited the garden, let alone had time to research new ways to make money.
"Stop pretending, there's no need to keep secrets from us." George said with dissatisfaction, "If you don't have a new idea, why would you buy so much parchment?"
"Don't say it's for making maps — the map-selling season ended almost a month ago." Fred put his arm around Kyle's shoulders with an expression that said "I'm clever, don't try to fool me" as he spoke, "If you don't have a new idea, why would you buy a thousand sheets of parchment?"
"A thousand sheets — Scrivenshaft's nearly ran out of stock."
"Ran out of stock?"
Kyle opened his Chameleon Skin pouch and saw stacks of parchment inside, though he wasn't sure exactly how many sheets there were.
"Well, I'm not in a rush to use them, so it's fine if there's less."
"They almost ran out." Fred said with a smile, "There are one thousand and sixty-three sheets in there, with the extra ones thrown in for free."
"That's all they had — we helped Scrivenshaft's close twenty minutes early today."
"Anyway…" Fred stroked his chin thoughtfully, "After all this talk, you should tell us what your plan is. With that much parchment, could it be maps of secret passages? Or perhaps you're planning to provide homework answers for a fee?"
"Neither!" Kyle shook his head, "This is really just for my own use."
"Don't joke around — this is a thousand sheets of parchment. No one needs that much just for homework." Fred turned to his friend, "Cedric, do you need a thousand sheets of parchment for one semester?"
Cedric immediately shook his head. Honestly, a thousand sheets would be enough to last him all seven years at Hogwarts.
"I know it's hard to believe, but that's the truth." Kyle paused a moment, "I've been copying some materials lately and need a lot of parchment, that's all."
Seeing his serious expression, Fred and George became less insistent.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course." Kyle shrugged, "And I promise, if I'm lying to you, I'll make Cedric start losing his hair this year."
"Hey, what does this have to do with me?!" Cedric glared at him in disapproval.
"Don't be so stingy." Kyle said nonchalantly, "Don't you trust me?"
"That's not the point!" Cedric replied helplessly.
His father, Amos Diggory, already had hair problems, and Cedric certainly didn't want to face the same fate at his age.
With this declaration, Fred and George's last doubts vanished.
After all, Kyle had no reason to lie to them.
The twins looked disappointed as they turned and trudged toward Gryffindor Tower. Despite their dejection, they enthusiastically speculated about Kyle's potential plans along the way, mentally preparing for some grand scheme.
The realization that there was no plan — they had simply overthought everything — left them with a letdown they struggled to accept.
"You're going the wrong way." Cedric pointed out, "The kitchen is downstairs."
"Thanks, but we suddenly don't feel hungry anymore."
"Not hungry at all."
After the twins left, Cedric scratched his head and asked, "What's wrong with them?"
Kyle shook his head, "Who knows? Maybe they're going through puberty."
"What?"
"Nothing. It's almost curfew, we should head back too."
"Alright."
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
Later that night, after his roommates had fallen asleep, Kyle quietly slipped out of bed and made his way to the library as usual.
He walked directly to the third bookshelf in the Restricted Section, opened his pouch, and expertly arranged a Quick-Quotes Quill and a stack of parchment on the nearest table.
✭ Lumos ➜ Wand-Lighting Charm ✭
Then Kyle lit his wand, picked up a carefully selected book, and sat down to read it.
✭✭✭
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