That morning, Kyle went to the Hospital Wing.
Malfoy had been sent there by his teammates after the Quidditch match because he had been beaten so badly. When Kyle arrived, Malfoy was leaning against the bed, eating sweets he'd bought from Honeydukes. His face had returned to normal, looking no different than before, but the moment Fred and George walked in, he quickly tossed aside the Pepper Imp he was holding, put on an uncomfortable expression, and lay back, grunting.
"What are you doing here?" he snapped.
Beside him, Pansy Parkinson sprang to her feet and shrieked, "Get out! If you're here to beg for forgiveness, forget it!"
"Oh, Fred..." George raised an eyebrow. "Did you hear something? It's really unpleasant."
"I think it must be a pair of Tebo warthogs," Fred replied. "That's what they sound like—disgusting."
Pansy's face twisted with fury at their banter, her expression turning even meaner. But before she could retaliate, Fred shouted, "Madam Pomfrey! Lee Jordan has been vomiting, and we don't know what's wrong!"
At once, Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office, moving briskly. "What's happened? Has he got a bad stomach?"
"We're not sure," George said, shaking his head. "He refuses to come to the Hospital Wing. Could you check on him?"
"Not come to the Hospital Wing? Ridiculous!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed angrily. "He hasn't been drinking anything from The Hog's Head, has he? I've always said that place shouldn't be anywhere near a school! And neither should you lot!"
Despite her grumbling, she grabbed two bottles of potion from a nearby shelf and hurried out.
Fred followed close behind. "He's in the Gryffindor common room. I'll take you there, Madam Pomfrey."
George lingered, casting a glance back at Kyle. His expression hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but Kyle gave a slight shake of his head.
George sighed, then turned and jogged after Fred.
Once they were gone, only three people remained in the Hospital Wing: Kyle, Pansy, and Malfoy, who lay stiffly in his bed. Malfoy seemed uneasy, watching Kyle with a look that mirrored the way Harry sometimes looked at Snape.
"Why are you still here?" Pansy snapped, striding over to Kyle. "Go tell your nasty friends that they—"
Plop.
Before she could finish, she suddenly slumped forward, falling asleep against the table.
"Looks like she really has been taking care of you with all her heart," Kyle said lightly, a smile tugging at his lips. "She must be exhausted."
Malfoy's eyes widened in horror. He was certain Kyle had caused Pansy's sudden state, but he didn't dare voice his accusation. As Kyle began to approach, Malfoy's fear spiked. He recalled his father's warnings during the holidays, and his anxiety reached its peak.
"What... what do you want?" Malfoy stammered, his voice trembling. "This is Hogwarts... Dumbledore is here... If you dare do anything to me... you won't get away with it!"
"Oh, you know Professor Dumbledore now? I thought you only knew Umbridge," Kyle said, his tone casual as he walked over to where Pansy had been sitting. He picked up a box of Chocolate Frogs from the nearby pile of sweets and helped himself.
"You know what?" Kyle said as he slowly unwrapped the chocolate. "Your father caused me quite a bit of trouble over the holidays. And yet, I forgave him magnanimously. Since the term started, have I caused you any trouble?"
"I—I had nothing to do with it," Malfoy stammered, his voice unsteady. "It was Professor Umbridge... Really... She wanted to teach the Weasley brothers and Potter a lesson... because they wouldn't listen to her..."
"But you were more than happy to cooperate, weren't you?"
"I—I can forgive them." Malfoy blurted. "I'll plead with Professor Umbridge..."
"Forgive who?"
"The Weasley brothers," Malfoy said quickly. "They... they can continue playing Quidditch..."
"See? I told them you were reasonable," Kyle said with a smile, holding out the Chocolate Frog he'd just unwrapped.
Malfoy hesitated at first, but when Kyle frowned, he hastily grabbed the treat with trembling hands.
If his father hadn't lied to him, then Kyle really had killed a Death Eater. That knowledge alone made Malfoy desperate to avoid him. His father had warned him repeatedly before the term began: Stay away from Kyle. As far away as possible.
"I won't pursue this any further," Malfoy muttered, his voice trembling.
"On behalf of Fred, George, and Harry, I thank you for your generosity," Kyle replied with a faint smile.
Malfoy exhaled a small sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.
The next moment, Kyle added, "Unfortunately, you don't have the final say. Professor Umbridge requires Mr. Lucius Malfoy not to pursue this matter either."
"I—I can convince my father." Malfoy stammered.
"Ah, no doubt about that," Kyle said lightly. "But there's no need to go to all that trouble."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pre-written letter, holding it out for Malfoy to see. "Just sign this. I'm sure Mr. Lucius will recognize your handwriting."
Malfoy hesitated before glancing at the parchment.
The letter read:
'Dear Mr. Malfoy,
Since we last met at the Ministry of Magic, I've been meaning to express my gratitude to you, but my studies have kept me too busy to find the time.
The reason for this letter is a minor altercation during the Quidditch match involving your son, Draco, and my friends, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, and Harry Potter.
Here's what happened...'
Below, the letter recounted the events of the Quidditch match in full detail, describing the incident exactly as it had occurred. Malfoy scanned the parchment, noting that everything written was accurate—nothing had been altered.
'In conclusion, I would like to note that both parties share responsibility for the incident, and I believe the punishment of banning the Weasley brothers and Harry from playing Quidditch is overly harsh.
(P.S. Draco has already generously forgiven them.)'
The tone was polite and sincere, resembling a perfectly normal letter.
Kyle handed Malfoy a quill, pointing to the blank space below the last sentence. "Just sign here."
Trembling slightly, Malfoy did as he was told, scrawling his name in a crooked script.
When he finished, Kyle took the parchment and the quill back, eyeing him pointedly. "So, is there anything wrong with this?"
"No, no," Malfoy said quickly, shaking his head. "It's all true, what's written here."
"Then why are you shaking?" Kyle asked with a chuckle. "If someone saw this, they'd think I was some kind of evil dark wizard. But I'm only here to reason with you."
"Yes, yes," Malfoy nodded vigorously, his voice unsteady. "I was just...a little cold."
"Ah, I see." Kyle flicked his wand at the fireplace in the corner, and the flames inside roared to life, warming the room considerably. "You're welcome. It's nothing."
He stood, as if preparing to leave, but suddenly stopped.
"Oh, I almost forgot," he exclaimed. "Kaka!"
In an instant, a House-elf appeared in the Hospital Wing, holding a large camera. Before Malfoy could react, the elf snapped a photo of the two of them.
"What are you doing?!" Malfoy shouted, alarmed.
"Relax. It's just a photo to prove I came to visit you," Kyle said nonchalantly. He turned to the House-elf. "Thank you for helping, Kaka."
The House-elf beamed with joy at Kyle's words, its ears turning red. "It is Kaka's honor, sir!"
"Don't mention it." Kyle waved dismissively and grabbed a handful of sweets from behind him, thrusting them into Kaka's hands. "Take these as a thank-you."
Kaka hesitated, but Kyle ignored his reluctance, stuffing the treats into the elf's tea towel. This made Kaka even more elated, and he hopped in place with excitement.
"You can go back now," Kyle said. "But stay ready—I may need your help again."
"Kaka is always ready to help, sir!" the House-elf cried before vanishing with a pop.
Kyle turned to leave, but as he reached the door, he paused again.
"Oh, one more thing," he said over his shoulder. "Remind your friend that Madam Pomfrey doesn't allow students to sleep on the floor."
This time, Malfoy clearly saw Kyle's fingers twitch. Almost immediately, Pansy stirred, groaning as she slowly got to her feet.
"What happened to me?" she asked groggily, glancing at Malfoy and then at Kyle's retreating figure. "What did that guy just say?"
Malfoy, finally exhaling a sigh of relief, didn't even look at her. "Oh, he said no sleeping on the floor."