"This is absolutely incredible."
During lunch in the Great Hall, Cedric had already heard from Kanna about what happened in Potions class.
He smacked his lips and asked curiously, "I thought the Draught of Living Death was sixth-year material. How did you manage to...wait, don't tell me you've already finished all the Potions textbooks!"
Kyle, who was cutting his sausage, looked up at him and smiled, "What if I have?"
Cedric paused briefly, then said half-jokingly, "Then I'd have to give up Quidditch and spend more time studying... after all, being friends with a future Potions master puts a lot of pressure on me."
"Looks like I just saved my life from Harris." Kyle patted his chest with relief, "If you quit the team for that reason, he'd definitely kill me!"
Under everyone's gaze, he explained the situation.
"Alright, I admit I was just joking earlier. I got lucky. I found a copy of 'Advanced Potion-Making' a few days ago and flipped through it to pass time. I happened to come across the brewing process for the Draught of Living Death."
He really was lucky — if he hadn't learned Occlumency during summer break, he wouldn't have dared to show off in front of Snape like that.
Although this behavior was somewhat reckless, it felt really good. Especially seeing that emo-man's expression when he wanted to deduct points but couldn't. Snape looked completely dumbfounded — Kyle almost couldn't hold back his laughter.
It was a shame he couldn't take a photo of Snape's face at that moment. Otherwise, he would definitely have used the best developing potion to turn it into an animated meme and posted it in every corner of Hogwarts.
He wondered if he'd have such an opportunity again. If so, perhaps he could consult with Peeves...
"Even so, that's still impressive." Michael, sitting on Kyle's other side, sighed, "Professor Snape wrote out the entire process, but I just couldn't get it right."
Michael was the unfortunate one whose cauldron had exploded. After finishing his stirring, the potion began to evaporate rapidly before the cauldron suddenly burst, splattering a black, gel-like substance everywhere.
In some ways, that concoction's sleep-inducing effect might have been even more powerful than the proper Draught of Living Death, but nobody was brave enough to test it.
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
After finishing their meal, they returned to the common room and claimed seats near the fireplace.
The roaring fire quickly chased away the cold they'd brought in from outside. They leaned back comfortably on the sofas, their eyes half-closed in contentment.
With Christmas break approaching, excitement filled the common room as almost everyone discussed their holiday plans.
After listening to these conversations, Cedric turned and asked, "By the way, Kyle, are you really not going home for Christmas?"
"Yeah." Kyle nodded.
His mom hadn't been home lately, and his father had gone to Albania with Newt, leaving no one at his house this Christmas.
Last week, when Professor Sprout came around to register students staying at school for the holidays, Kyle immediately signed his name.
Kanna had done the same. According to her, Snape wanted to give her extra lessons during the Christmas break, so she had to stay at school.
This made Kyle rather envious. Though he wanted to shamelessly attend those lessons too, he knew that man would never agree.
Fred and George were also planning to stay this year, as Arthur and Molly were going to Romania to visit Charlie and hadn't included them in the trip.
"Why is everyone staying at school for Christmas this year..." Cedric scratched his head in frustration, "It's no fun if I'm the only one going home."
In fact, he had wanted to stay at school too and had even written a letter home specifically about it, but his father firmly refused. Unable to go against his wishes, Cedric had to abandon the idea.
Fortunately, Cho had also chosen to go home, which meant he wouldn't feel completely out of place.
The group lounged by the fireplace until the afternoon, when they reluctantly rose and left the common room.
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
Cedric headed off to his final Charms class before the break.
Kyle and Kanna had Herbology.
Following the armored pumpkins from Halloween, Professor Sprout introduced another festive magical plant in the final class before Christmas break.
Snow-capped mushrooms.
These fungi stood over half a meter tall, with white ring patterns on their caps resembling Christmas trees dusted with snow.
Unsurprisingly, Kyle once again earned Hufflepuff twenty points.
Whether out of holiday spirit or consideration for others' feelings, Professor Sprout gave each student a pot of snow-capped mushrooms as a gift at the end of class.
Kyle wasn't particularly excited about it, though. The snow-capped mushroom was merely a non-toxic ornamental plant that typically grew on perpetually snow-covered mountaintops — something few young wizards had ever seen.
In reality, you could buy a pot for just three Sickles in Diagon Alley, or even cheaper if you wanted seeds — twenty Knuts for a small spoonful.
Planting them in a garden would only serve to improve the diet of Moon Calves.
✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✭
After leaving the greenhouse following their final Herbology class, Kyle, Kanna, and the others couldn't contain their excitement.
The long-awaited holiday would begin tomorrow. Had it not been for tonight's feast, they would have boarded the train home immediately.
At the back of the crowd, Kanna quietly asked, "Kyle, what are you planning to do during the break?"
"Probably nothing." Kyle replied after a moment's thought, "I've been too busy lately, so this break is a perfect chance to rest properly. I might explore Hogwarts thoroughly, or try those secret passages the Weasley twins recommended."
Hearing this, Kanna couldn't help but look envious.
She only had three days to complete all her assignments this holiday, with the rest of her time dedicated to extra lessons.
As Professor Snape had put it, "Your foundation is too weak; you're wasting such good talent. Extra lessons, you must have extra lessons!"
Originally, she'd had a week to finish her assignments, which would have left her a few days of free time if she worked efficiently.
But on her way to class earlier, she'd unexpectedly received a note from Professor Snape stating that the tutoring would start four days earlier than planned, requiring her to complete her assignments quickly.
Now she had no alternative. Three days would barely suffice to finish her assignments, leaving no time for anything else.
✭✭✭
T/N: Hey! Liked what you read? Support your friendly neighborhood translator on Patreon! Think of it as buying me a coffee... or ten!
For just $1.50 (that's less than your daily meme budget), get extra chapters! Want more? $2 gets you bonus content, $5 unlocks premium stories, and $10 makes you my hero (and gets you everything I have, including earlier acess to new books)! You can have access to almost 15 books!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1305453