Twenty Galleons...
Fred and George simultaneously looked up, their eyes hesitantly meeting Kyle's.
To accept or not to accept... that was the question.
If they accepted and he guessed correctly, they'd lose not only everything they had earned so far, but quite a bit more.
But with twenty shining gold Galleons right in front of them, they couldn't bring themselves to refuse.
George licked his dry lips and asked, "Twenty Galleons... are you sure?"
Kyle raised an eyebrow, "Take a risk and a Cleansweep might become a Nimbus. Besides, I can tell you my guess right now."
He leaned closer to the twins and whispered, "Quirrell will stay until after the final exams, and the outcome..."
The twins gasped immediately upon hearing his words. They exchanged meaningful glances.
"You won't tell our mother about this, will you?" Fred asked suspiciously.
The offer seemed too good to be true — as if Kyle were simply giving away Galleons. It felt unreal.
Kyle assured them, "Of course not, I promise."
George took a deep breath, "Alright then, we accept!"
"A wise choice." Kyle gave them a meaningful look before taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
Beside them, Cedric and Kanna watched the whole scene in disbelief, only now realizing what was happening.
Twenty Galleons was no small amount — it was more than many students' allowance for an entire school year.
Just as Cedric was about to advise Kyle against such impulsiveness, Fred and George quickly scooped up the Galleons from the table and darted back to the Gryffindor table, as if afraid he might change his mind.
"Kyle, you're being too impulsive..."
But before he could finish, a clear voice interrupted from nearby.
"What you're doing is wrong!"
A small girl with brown hair stood watching them.
Cedric vaguely recognized her and thought for a moment before asking, "Are you... a Gryffindor first-year?"
"Yes, I'm Hermione Granger."
"Cedric Diggory, nice to meet you!"
Hermione acknowledged him with a nod, then turned to Kyle with a serious expression, "What you just did was wrong. Gambling is forbidden at Hogwarts."
"I know..." Kyle replied casually, "That's why I'm helping them break this bad habit."
"What?" Hermione was taken aback, clearly confused, "But you just..."
"Don't worry about the details — it's hard to explain briefly. Just know that I'm helping them." Kyle cut her off and changed the subject, "Did you come here for something?"
"I've been thinking for days, and I still feel I should thank you." Hermione dropped the subject of Fred and George, looking at him earnestly, "Thank you for saving my life that day."
"It wasn't that serious, I just... well, if you insist, I accept." Kyle replied with reluctance.
He had been avoiding her lately, not expecting her to remember after all this time.
"Anything else?"
"Yes!" Hermione didn't hesitate at all. She took out a copy of "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration" and opened it.
Kyle noticed her book was filled with notes, every margin completely covered with writing.
Hermione pointed to several specially marked sections, "Could I ask you some questions?"
Kyle nodded and answered each question in detail. Cedric also offered his own insights.
Hermione listened with great attention. These were concepts she hadn't fully grasped in class. She had originally planned to ask Professor McGonagall, but for some reason, she had approached them instead.
The result was just as good. Kyle and Cedric had solved all her problems with just a few explanations.
When the last question was resolved, Hermione reluctantly closed her book. Her earlier doubts about Kyle had completely vanished. No wonder he was top of his year — concepts that had troubled her for days were solved so effortlessly. It was truly impressive.
And that third-year Cedric was just as knowledgeable.
For the first time, Hermione found herself regretting being sorted into Gryffindor — Hufflepuff seemed like a learning paradise. Their setup was almost like one-on-one tutoring with a professor. Then she thought about her own house...
"Hermione, let me copy your homework!"
"What was the Charms assignment again...?"
These two voices suddenly echoed in her mind, making her shudder. Never mind, best not to think about it.
Hermione thanked them again, then hurriedly left with her book.
Watching her walk away, Cedric asked curiously, "Why did she say you saved her life?"
"That was a long time ago." Kyle waved his hand dismissively, "I didn't do much, just lent a small helping hand. She's exaggerating."
Cedric nodded with partial understanding. He noticed Kyle didn't seem eager to discuss this, so he didn't press further.
"By the way, Harris told us to meet at the Quidditch pitch today, did you know?"
"Yes, he told me last night." Kyle perked up at this topic.
After Halloween, the Quidditch season would begin, which meant their holidays were over and they needed to start practice matches again.
Fortunately, their first opponent was Ravenclaw, so neither Harris nor anyone else seemed particularly tense. This was evident in today's practice match.
With matches approaching, other houses were trying everything to extend their time on the Quidditch pitch.
Slytherin's Marcus Flint had even gone to Snape and shamelessly booked the pitch for an entire day, allowing them to practice freely over the weekend. Oliver Wood had wanted to do the same, but Professor McGonagall refused.
Among the four teams, only Hufflepuff was an exception — Harris still scheduled them for the regular two-hour training.
Though it might not be kind to Cho to say this, it was the truth.
Quidditch was a team sport, requiring coordination between players to win. Ravenclaw, having been a pushover for so long, couldn't be transformed just by adding one Seeker. They stood little chance of winning unless Cho could catch the Golden Snitch within five minutes.
Of course, if that were to happen, no amount of training would help them anyway.
After leaving the Great Hall, the two returned to their dormitory to get their broomsticks, then headed toward the Quidditch pitch.
✭✭✭
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