Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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On Saturday, Kyle arrived at the Great Hall early.
He hadn't gone for his night out; after dinner, he went straight to bed and didn't get up until dawn, feeling perfectly refreshed.
Breakfast consisted of sausages, corn chowder, and a large plate of baked potatoes.
The others arrived when Kyle was halfway through his meal.
"Looks like you slept well last night," Cedric asked, sitting opposite him. "Didn't have those strange dreams again?"
Kyle smiled and said, "No, I slept soundly until dawn."
"That's good."
Cedric picked up a baked potato and began peeling it. "By the way, I told Professor Clytie about your situation yesterday. Do you want to know her opinion?"
Kyle shook his head without hesitation. "I'd rather not. I've heard her prophecies never end well."
"Uh…you're right," Cedric nodded.
According to Professor Trelawney, Kyle would have seven days of recurring dreams, then suffer a mental breakdown and be hospitalized in the school hospital. After being discharged, he would encounter a troll and be sent back to his doom.
In short, he'd be incredibly unlucky.
However, it now seems Professor Trelawney was wrong from the very first sentence, and the rest was even more absurd.
Encountering a troll in the castle… that's simply impossible!
If a troll could actually break into Hogwarts, he'd eat this whole plate of baked potatoes in front of everyone.
Cedric rubbed his forehead in annoyance.
Just as everyone else said, Professor Trelawney was a complete fraud. He shouldn't have listened to the Weasley brothers and chosen Divination.
Wouldn't numerology have been better?
It was too late to say anything now; even if he wanted to change courses, he could only wait until next semester.
Cedric sighed.
Just then, Fred and George arrived.
However, they weren't in good spirits; both looked like they hadn't slept well.
Although they had experienced sleep deprivation before due to their long nights outings, today was different.
Professor McGonagall refused their request to change courses, only agreeing to add an Ancient Runes course.
Three electives made their days very fulfilling.
Yesterday, they stayed up until dawn to finish their Ancient Runes assignment.
"Merlin, you guys actually started your assignments early?!"
Cedric's hand trembled in surprise, and the potato he had just peeled fell to the ground, rolling under the table.
"Are you guys faking it? Who drank Polyjuice Potion?" Kyle looked at Fred and George suspiciously and asked, "What do you think of Percy?"
George frowned, somewhat annoyed, and said, "Hey, of course we're real."
"By the way, Percy's a big tattletale," Fred said.
"Uh…it's true."
Kyle was even more confused now, asking in bewilderment, "Then why did you guys do your homework early?"
"For our ideals!"
Fred said seriously, "You're right, ancient runes are indeed very helpful for researching magical items. We already came up with two great ideas during class."
"It's just…it's too difficult." George said with a bitter face, "Those characters have so many variations, and different combinations represent different meanings. No wonder Percy spent the whole summer studying them."
Cedric wholeheartedly agreed, because he had also chosen ancient runes. Fred and George weren't joking; it really was difficult.
"Alright, let's talk about something else."
Fred yawned and said, "Kyle, you've decided to join the Quidditch team, haven't you?"
"Yes," Kyle said. "I already spoke with Harris a few days ago; we'll go straight to the final assessment next week.
What about you guys? Have you decided on the new captain and Seeker?"
"The captain is Oliver Wood; he's the most suitable."
"But we don't have a Seeker yet."
Kyle noticed that Fred and George's expressions had become even more grim.
Finding a good Seeker was no less difficult than mastering Ancient Runes.
Many had signed up, but not a single qualified candidate; many couldn't even see the Snitch right under their noses.
If they were to play, Gryffindor would only be able to compete with Ravenclaw for third place.
These past few days, Wood had been losing clumps of hair from worry; his hairline was already receding at such a young age.
Fred and George, still anxious, quickly finished their breakfast and dragged their tired bodies towards the Quidditch pitch.
They had to continue interviewing Seekers today; they didn't expect to be as good as Cedric, just qualified in all aspects.
Professor McGonagall would also be there; she was equally concerned about this.
At Professor McGonagall's suggestion, Lee Jordan temporarily withdrew his application to be a commentator.
If a suitable candidate couldn't be found in the end, he would have to take the job himself.
Lee Jordan could tell which was more important, a Seeker or a commentator.
After they left, Cedric suddenly raised an eyebrow at Kyle and whispered, "Looks like there's a good chance Hufflepuff will win back-to-back titles this year."
"Not necessarily," Kyle thought for a moment and said, "Maybe they'll have a Seeker in a few days."
"It's okay," Cedric said confidently, "Whoever it is, even if they bring Charlie back, I'm confident I'll be the first to catch the Golden Snitch."
Kyle smiled.
In other respects, Cedric was always very humble, but when it came to Quidditch, he was like a different person, defiant of everyone.
Of course, this was a good thing.
On the first weekend of the new school year, Kyle and his friends decided to visit Hagrid's hut.
Kanna originally wanted to go with them, but Snape, who appeared out of nowhere, took her away.
As for Cedric, like the Weasley brothers, he was going to the Quidditch pitch.
All four house teams would be holding preliminary rosters in the next couple of days, and he planned to gather intelligence to see if there were any promising newcomers this year.
For example… Cho, this girl had also signed up for a Quidditch team this year, and even chose the Seeker position.
Cedric didn't know how good she was, but he was quite looking forward to it.
Last year's Ravenclaw team was absolutely terrible, a complete pushover; anyone could easily beat them. Playing against them was basically just going through the motions, lacking any passion.
If Ravenclaw had a reliable Seeker this year, the games would be much more interesting.
As for whether he would lose to them… Cedric had never even considered that possibility.
Last year, Hufflepuff were champions; with Kyle joining them this year, they would only be stronger.
[End of the chapter]