Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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The last exam was on the history of magic, which was destined to be the most tedious hour.
Kyle finished writing the werewolf code of conduct from 1637 and the biography of the eccentric Ulric in just twenty minutes.
When Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, all the students couldn't help but cheer.
The exam was over, which meant they could relax and play for a whole week until the results were announced.
"Much easier than I thought."
As they joined the crowd outside into the sunny field, Mikel said confidently, "I just saw Ulric the other day; he graduated from Gryffindor, I can't be wrong."
"Gryffindor…" Ryan hesitated, blurting out, "Isn't it Slytherin?"
"What a pity." Mikel said regretfully, "I'm not mistaken, it's Gryffindor."
"Merlin's beard…" Ryan said painfully, scratching his head, "If I had known, I wouldn't have remembered those wizards who invented the automatic cauldron."
Mikel patted him on the shoulder, comforting him, "It's okay, it's just one house wrong, it won't cost you many points."
The two's affectionate manner deeply moved Kyle; this pure friendship among classmates could be considered one of the most precious treasures in a person's life.
To further their bond, Kyle quietly walked over and whispered in their ears, "Actually… Ulric graduated from Ravenclaw."
Mikel looked up, completely bewildered.
"It's true." Kyle smiled. "It's written very clearly in the third line of the second chapter, or you can ask the people in Ravenclaw; they shouldn't be mistaken."
Mikel turned stiffly and found a group of Ravenclaw students in the crowd… He actually went to ask.
A minute later, Mikel squatted down next to Ryan, also scratching his head.
"It's okay," Kyle patted his shoulder, "It's just a wrong house name, it won't cost you many points."
After saying goodbye to his two withdrawn roommates, Kyle slowly walked down the slope to the lake.
There, a large squid lay sunbathing in the warm, shallow water, while Fred and George gently touched its tentacles.
Kyle couldn't help but swallow hard. If such a large squid tentacles were grilled on a hot plate and sprinkled with cumin and chili powder… it would be absolutely delicious.
"Gulp…"
No, he couldn't look anymore.
Kyle shook his head and shifted his gaze to the side.
Not far away, Kanna was sitting under a tree, hugging her knees, staring blankly at Pochi, who was sunbathing on the grass. But she didn't seem very interested, and there was no joy on her face as if the exam was over.
"What's wrong? Did you not do well on the exam?" Kyle asked as he walked over.
Kanna was startled, then shook her head and said, "No, I was just thinking about something else."
She stroked Pochi's tail with her finger and asked softly, "After the exams, will this term be over?"
"Seven more days,"
Kyle said, sitting down beside her. "We can only have a break after the exam results come out. In September, we'll be second year."
Kanna murmured to herself, "Seven days..."
"What are you two talking about?"
The Weasley brothers walked over at this moment. Fred looked at the sullen Conna and said with a smile, "Cheer up! We'll find out how badly we did in a week. There's no need to worry about it now."
"That's right," George said. "This is the happiest time of the year. No exams, no nagging, no homework. What could be better than this?"
"You're right," Kanna stood up and gave a big smile.
Afterward, Fred and George wanted to go to Hogsmeade through the secret passage.
Since they had that extra hundred gallons, they had so many things they wanted to buy… Honeydukes' new candies, Three Broomsticks' butterbeer—they wanted to try them all.
And of course, most importantly… the charming joke props at Zonko's Joke Shop.
"We've decided to go through the secret passage behind the mirror on the fourth floor,"
Fred said mysteriously. "I guarantee Filch has no idea where it is."
"What about you guys, want to come along?" George asked.
Kyle nodded, and just as he was about to agree, an owl suddenly flew over from afar, handing him a note.
Kyle took the note and glanced at it.
"Dear Kyle:
I know you've finished your exams. Do you have time to come over? Fluffy seems to be sick lately.
—Hagrid."
Fluffy is sick?
Kyle frowned, looked up, and said, "Sorry, I have to go to Hagrid's place now. He needs to see me."
"Alright," Fred said. "Do you need us to bring you back some things?"
"Honeydukes candies, how about that?" Kyle said. "Just pick the expensive ones."
"Ha, good idea."
The Weasley brothers chuckled and left.
"Aren't you coming with me?" Kyle asked, looking at Kanna beside him.
Kanna shook her head. "No, I don't really want to buy anything. It's nice to stay here with Pochi and soak up the sun."
"Sunbathing is so boring. How about... you come with me to Hagrid's place?"
Kyle glanced at the mouse named Poch on the grass and suddenly said, "Remember Fluffy? It's sick. We can go see it."
"Can I come too?" Conna was tempted.
"Of course."
Kanna had seen Fluffy before, so taking her there was no problem.
Seeing that Kyle had already walked down the grassy slope, Kanna quickly put Pochi in her pocket and hurried after him.
When the two crossed the area and arrived at Hagrid's cabin, they were surprised to find others there.
"Professor Oren?" Kyle looked at Oren standing in front of Hagrid's door and asked doubtfully, "Are you here to see Hagrid too?"
"More or less, but to be precise, I'm waiting for you…" Professor Oren explained, "Hagrid just wrote to me saying that Fluffy is sick and asked if I knew how to cure magical creatures, so I came over."
"You know about Fluffy too?" Kyle asked.
"Yes, I know him, Cerberus…" Professor Oren said with a smile, "Hagrid told me that when we were drinking the other day. It scared me to death! I never thought he'd keep such a dangerous magical creature by his side."
Drinking… Well, Hagrid certainly couldn't keep any secrets after drinking.
"Where's Hagrid? Is he in his room?"
Kyle looked into the cabin; it was empty, and didn't seem to be occupied.
"Oh, I almost forgot about the important matter." Professor Oren slapped his forehead. "I saw Hagrid was quite anxious, so I sent him to the Forbidden Forest to check on Lucas. I'll stay here and wait for you."
"Come on, children, I'll take you there now."
[End of the chapter]