After finishing lunch, Kyle suddenly realized that Dumbledore hadn't assigned him a dormitory.
He glanced at the pile of luggage stacked on the floor beside the table and asked, "Professor, where's my dormitory?"
"Your dormitory has already been arranged. You'll be staying with the Gryffindor students," Dumbledore replied.
"Your name is written on the doorplate. This evening, just follow the Gryffindor students, and they'll lead you to the common room."
Following Kyle's gaze, Dumbledore noticed the pile of luggage. "As for your belongings, I'll have a house-elf take them to your dormitory later."
"Thank you, Professor," Kyle said, pulling two textbooks from the pile. "I'll head to class now."
When the two left the kitchen, there were only about ten minutes left before the first afternoon class.
Dumbledore kindly asked Kyle if he needed someone to show him the way.
But Kyle felt confident he could manage on his own and politely declined Dumbledore's offer.
However, the moment he stepped out of the kitchen and faced the labyrinthine structure of Hogwarts Castle, Kyle immediately regretted his decision.
Hogwarts had a staggering one hundred and forty-two staircases.
Some were wide and grand; others were narrow, cramped, and rickety.
Some led to different destinations every Friday.
On certain staircases, a step might vanish halfway up, forcing you to remember where to jump.
Worse still, the staircases constantly shifted positions.
You might intend to head to the right corridor, only for the staircase to deposit you on the left.
Then there were the doors. Some wouldn't open unless you asked politely or poked them in exactly the right spot.
Others weren't doors at all—just solid walls disguised as entrances.
Without a guide, Kyle doubted he could make it from here to the Charms classroom on the fourth floor in just ten minutes.
Dumbledore stood nearby, smiling serenely, clearly waiting for Kyle to ask for help.
But Kyle had already bragged about handling it himself—how could he back down now?
So, Kyle abandoned the idea of taking the conventional route.
Two minutes later, he stood on the lawn outside the castle, eyeing the outer walls as if searching for something.
Dumbledore, arms crossed, watched from a distance, curious to see what outrageous stunt Kyle would pull.
In the next moment, Dumbledore's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Kyle sprinted toward the castle wall, and just before impact, he kicked off the ground, leaping high. His feet hit the wall, and he began running up it.
The vertical surface was no obstacle for Kyle—he moved as if it were flat ground.
Dumbledore: ???
What kind of magic was this?
If Kyle could hear Dumbledore's thoughts, he'd probably say, Basic stuff, don't get too excited.
By channeling chakra—or rather, magic—to the soles of his feet, he could adhere to surfaces, allowing him to climb vertical trees or cliffs.
In Konohagakure, this was a skill every ninja mastered.
Climbing walls? Child's play. He could even walk on water.
Ever since he'd imagined his magic as chakra, the first training Kyle had undertaken was tree-climbing and water-walking.
To him, this was nothing worth bragging about.
Soon, Kyle reached the fourth floor.
Clinging to the outer wall, he peered through a few windows until he spotted Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher Dumbledore had mentioned.
Filius Flitwick was unmistakable. Strictly speaking, he wasn't a pure human wizard.
His part-goblin ancestry explained his… notably short stature.
Climbing through the window into the classroom didn't seem like the best idea. Kyle didn't want his first day at Hogwarts to make him the center of attention, so he scrapped that plan.
After scaling a bit farther along the wall, he hopped into an empty corridor and quickly located the Charms classroom door.
Just then, the crisp sound of the class bell rang out. Kyle hurried into the classroom and slid into an empty seat in the back row.
Professor Flitwick stood atop a stack of books—otherwise, the lectern would have obscured him entirely. Clearing his throat, he smiled at the young witches and wizards. "This lesson, we'll be learning the Cutting Charm."
Flitwick had noticed Kyle dash into the classroom but didn't alter his lesson plan for the son of Grindelwald. He proceeded with teaching the Cutting Charm as scheduled.
Kyle quickly flipped his newly purchased Standard Spells, Grade 1 to the relevant page.
With a wave of Flitwick's wand, a pile of small wooden sticks on the lectern floated up, drifting precisely to each student's desk—including Kyle's.
"I'll demonstrate once. Pay close attention to the incantation and wand movement," Flitwick said.
He recited the Cutting Charm's incantation, gave a gentle flick of his wrist, and the stick in front of him snapped cleanly in two.
After explaining some precautions and common mistakes for beginners, Flitwick announced, "Now, practice on your own."
Kyle: …
That's it?
What about the spell's casting principles?
How does the magic function during the cutting process?
How do you control where the cut lands?
He just… moved on?
Skeptical but determined, Kyle mimicked Flitwick's movements, reciting the incantation precisely and waving his wand.
The stick in front of him? Completely unaffected.
After several futile attempts, Kyle felt like a baboon waving a stick.
Just then, the dark-haired girl beside him turned her head. "Hi, I'm Cho Chang."
Kyle paused, taking in her appearance. She was likely of Asian descent, probably Chinese.
Suddenly, a bold idea struck him.
"Chinese?" he asked.
Cho nodded. "Well, Chinese descent, to be precise."
"Do you know Chinese martial arts? Like Bruce Lee?" Kyle threw a few punches into the air.
He could barely contain his laughter.
A few black lines seemed to form on Cho's forehead. She looked mildly offended.
After firmly denying any knowledge of martial arts, she finally asked the question she'd been holding back: "What's your relationship with Professor Dumbledore? This morning in the Great Hall, you two seemed pretty close."
Uh… that question…
Kyle himself wasn't entirely sure what his relationship with Dumbledore was.
By family ties, should he call Dumbledore "uncle" or "great-uncle"?
Did that mean most of the Hogwarts professors were technically his juniors?
Better to let her figure it out herself.
Kyle extended his hand to Cho. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kyle Dumbledore."
Cho let out an incredulous gasp. "Dumbledore!"
From Cho's other side, a girl with reddish-blonde hair turned around. "The Dumbledore? As in Professor Dumbledore's Dumbledore?!"
Well, he should've expected this reaction.
"Hi, I'm Marietta Edgecombe, from Ravenclaw," the girl said, confidently offering her hand.
As Kyle reached to shake it, a cough sounded beside their table.
————
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