Kael looked up in the direction Cedric was pointing, and only then did he notice that Conna was sitting directly across from him to the left, handling a steak.
However, with every cut she made, she looked up at Kael, as if the plate held not a steak but Kael himself.
The scene gave him a bit of a toothache.
"Wait a minute, why do I feel like her gaze isn't friendly? But on the train, she wasn't like this," Cedric curiously asked. "I remember the new students were all together before the sorting ceremony, right? Did something happen between you two during that time?"
"It's really my fault," Kael shrugged and briefly recounted what happened in the little hut.
After hearing it, Cedric was stunned.
Using the Death Curse for sorting? Could a normal person come up with this?
"She believed it?" Cedric asked cautiously.
"What else could she do?" Kael said with a pained expression. "If she didn't believe it, would she be looking at me like this?"
Uh...
Truly one dared to say it, and the other dared to believe it.
Cedric twitched his mouth and didn't know what to say for a moment, so he could only look at Conna speechlessly, then at Kael, and silently gave a thumbs up, saying:
"Seriously, Kael, you two are a match made in heaven."
"She's only eleven, okay? Are you in such a hurry to go to Azkaban?" Kael said irritably. "And I advise you not to say that again in the future. If Professor Snape hears it, you're dead."
"She knows Professor Snape?" Cedric asked in surprise.
Kael nodded, "Although it's not confirmed, I think she does."
"..."
Cedric's expression suddenly changed, glaring at Kael with a look of disdain. "You're too much. How could you play such a nasty joke on a freshman? If I were a Prefect, I'd definitely dock your points."
Kael looked at Cedric in disbelief, as if he was seeing him for the first time.
As soon as Conna was found to know Snape, Cedric immediately switched sides. The speed of this face change was astounding.
Was this really the Cedric he knew?
Yet, in the face of Kael's gaze, Cedric remained unfazed, even scooting slightly away as if to distance himself from Kael.
Kael could only silently raise a middle finger.
Poor choice of friends—how did Cedric become so shameless after just a little absence!
In the current situation, it's impossible to enjoy a meal peacefully.
Kael simply put down his knife and fork and also looked at Conna.
The little witch didn't flinch, locking eyes with Kael, her round cheeks puffing in and out, whether chewing steak or out of anger unclear.
Neither spoke a word; amidst the opening feast, they stared at each other as if competing to see who would yield first.
Neither Kael nor Conna wanted to admit defeat—initially, both were determined, as if they could keep up this standoff eternally.
However, Conna clearly overestimated herself.
Soon, her gaze wavered, and a hint of blush appeared on her once pale face.
A few seconds later, her eyes began to flicker, her breathing quickened, her face turning scarlet.
Finally, Conna couldn't hold on any longer, dropping her head swiftly, almost wanting to bury herself into the plate, leaving only her two red ears visible.
...
Conna's temperament hadn't changed; she was still as shy and socially awkward as ever. Her earlier demeanor was simply due to finding her naivety exposed—her embarrassment turned to anger.
It's like a typically serene girl getting tricked in her favorite game and suddenly banging on the keyboard and cursing.
The same principle.
Plus, Kael had been avoiding her, leaving her with pent-up frustration with no outlet, hence it lingered until now.
Once her anger dissipated, she naturally reverted to her shy, socially anxious self.
And making eye contact with Kael offered her a channel to vent—after all, eye contact is a form of expression, albeit a less efficient one.
Kael didn't expect her mood to settle so rapidly—in mere minutes, her anger faded, showing her nature was too forgiving.
Even among the people Kael knew, Ginny Weasley's temperament was considered good, yet if she was angered, she'd need at least a half-hour verbal scuffle with Kael.
By comparison, Conna was too soft—a nature ill-suited to the Magic Realm.
In Hogwarts, it wasn't too worrying. Hufflepuff was renowned for its honesty and friendliness—malevolent intents were rare.
But maintaining this beyond graduation would likely invite disaster.
Grogan Stump, a famous Ministry of Magic official, once said that Hogwarts is the Magic Realm's fairy tale, and beyond the castle lies a devouring abyss.
In the eyes of those dark wizards flirting with death, a bashful, introverted pure-blood family witch is no different than a walking pile of Galleons. They would flock like hyenas until nothing but bones remained.
This wasn't Kael being alarmist; history provided precedents. Consider those vanished pure-blood families.
When Voldemort fell, the Death Eaters, having lost their backing and hunted by the Aurors, became too preoccupied with self-preservation, scattering about in hiding.
Consequently, the pure-blood families across the British Magical Realm descended into chaos.
These lurking hyenas seized the opportunity, targeting the confused pure-blood families either through brazen plunder or by extracting crucial information with the Crucio Curse. Any solitary pure-blood wizard became their prey.
And they cared not for the family's size, strength, or potential vengeance.
As long as there was profit and no monster-like Dumbledore or Voldemort in the targeted household, they pounced to snatch a bite.
During those times, pure-blood wizards fell to them in increasing numbers, many families entering decline and eventually disappearing.
This lasted until the Death Eaters were nearly captured, and the Aurors and Beaters turned their focus to these hyenas, finally putting an end to it.
Such was it then, and now is no exception.
Kael glanced at Conna, pretending to be an ostrich. After a moment's silence, he calmly picked up the black pepper nearby, sprinkling it on the cut potatoes and eating them.
Forget it; they're just in their first year, far from graduation. No use in worrying about this now—better to fill his stomach first.