"Relax, Ginny. The N.E.W.T.s really aren't as terrifying as you think."
In the corridor between the staircase and the Great Hall, Kyle looked at Ginny, whose face had gone pale with nerves.
"Just treat it like any other exam," he said. "You'll feel a lot better."
"But we don't usually take exams in the Great Hall," Ginny muttered, rubbing her face. "And there aren't usually people from the Wizarding Examinations Authority watching our every move."
She hadn't been afraid of the N.E.W.T.s before. In fact, she'd never understood how Hermione could get so anxious she couldn't sleep before exams.
But now she understood.
Ever since the examiners from the Authority had shown up on schedule in the Great Hall the night before, her heart had been racing nonstop.
The last time she'd felt like this was during the Quidditch final—when she scored a crucial goal just before the Slytherin Seeker caught the Snitch, winning the match by the slimmest margin.
Her heart had been pounding then, too.
"They're not that scary," Kyle said. "Professor Marchbanks just looks intimidating."
"I honestly don't get it..." Ginny took a few deep breaths. "Ron wasn't nervous at all this time last year. I even heard him and Harry chatting about what to eat for lunch right before going in..."
"Probably just natural talent," Kyle said with a smile. "You and Hermione may never master their level of relaxation."
"You've got that right." Ginny took another deep breath and glanced around.
"Where's Kanna?"
"Still in the Potions classroom," Kyle replied. "She hasn't left in nearly a week."
"You're not worried?" Ginny asked. "I heard the more complex the potion, the more dangerous it is if you mess up the order. If I'm not mistaken, if a cauldron explodes while brewing Felix Felicis, it's more powerful than a Blasting Curse."
"If it's potion-related, I'm not worried," Kyle said without hesitation.
"You two really do trust each other," Ginny said.
Kyle raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
After all, Potions wasn't his strength. It only made sense to trust someone more skilled.
Besides, Professor Sykes was there. He had no reason to worry.
"By the way... when are you two getting married?"
Ginny couldn't help asking. The nervous tension on her face had somehow morphed into pure curiosity.
Kyle glanced at her but didn't answer. Instead, he shot back, "What about you and Harry?"
Ginny's face instantly turned as red as her hair. She dropped the topic and bolted into the Great Hall.
Much quieter now.
Kyle turned and headed upstairs—he had another exam to take elsewhere.
...
During exam week, Hogwarts became unusually quiet. Even Peeves stopped lobbing balloons into the corridors.
But once the exams were over, the school once again ushered in the long-awaited summer holiday.
When the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station and students began filing off the platform, Mrs. Weasley, who had been waiting for quite some time, rushed forward eagerly.
Her face was lit with uncontainable joy.
"I'm so proud of you, Ginny..."
Ginny was the youngest of the Weasley children—and now even she had graduated. For a moment, Mrs. Weasley wasn't sure whether she should feel proud or heartbroken.
She was certainly proud—but also crying her eyes out.
"Sorry about that, Kyle..." Mrs. Weasley said, wiping her face with her hand.
"But I'm surprised you came back on the train. I thought you didn't like riding the Hogwarts Express."
"I don't, really," Kyle admitted. "That's why I Apparated. I was still at school a minute ago."
"Well, all right then," said Mrs. Weasley, peering behind him. "Where's Kanna? Didn't she come with you?"
"She had something else to take care of," Kyle sighed.
Kanna had been holed up in the Potions classroom for days. Kyle had gotten bored and decided to ride the train back himself.
"No matter, that just gives us more time to plan your wedding," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly.
And as she said it, her eyes sparkled. Whatever melancholy she'd felt over Ginny's graduation vanished instantly.
She didn't even wait for Kyle's opinion.
"I think we should rent a larger wedding tent."
On the way back to the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley was like someone who'd downed an entire barrel of Baruffio's Brain Elixir—she was bursting with ideas.
"The tent we used for Bill's wedding was big, sure, but it's far too outdated. We have to check if there are any newer styles available."
"Oh, and the invitations... Kyle, don't worry about that. Sirius said he'll handle it all. He's been muttering about needing to withdraw a vault's worth of gold."
All the way to the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley never stopped talking. Mr. Weasley, who was driving, and Ginny, sitting beside them, didn't try to stop her. In fact, they enthusiastically chimed in with suggestions, filling in any details she missed.
It was clear they had no intention of asking for Kyle's input. Every time he tried to speak up, he was unceremoniously cut off.
And honestly, some of the things Mrs. Weasley said were downright terrifying.
For instance, there was Sirius, who had taken it upon himself to design the invitations.
Kyle had only just proposed—wasn't it a little early for all this? And what exactly did Sirius mean by "withdrawing a sum of gold"?
Given what Kyle knew of Sirius's rather unique sense of value... it wouldn't be surprising if he actually intended to include real gold in the invitations.
What a complete waste.
Not that Kyle couldn't afford it—he wasn't the one footing the bill anyway—but still, think of the people he knew:
Cedric, Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Justin, Harry... Were they really the type to warrant receiving solid gold invitations?
Even gold-plated would be overkill.
But it seemed neither Mrs. Weasley nor Sirius had any intention of consulting Kyle.
The moment Kyle stepped into the Burrow, he was greeted by the sight of a glittering mound of gold in the middle of the living room.
"Molly, perfect timing—come take a look. Do you think this is enough gold?"
This was probably the first time so much gold had ever been gathered inside the Burrow.
"That's way too much, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said sharply. "For heaven's sake, they're just invitations!"
Thank Merlin. At least someone was being reasonable.
It was exactly what Kyle had been thinking.
"All right..." Sirius looked a little deflated, but he put half of the gold back. "I'll save the rest for when Harry gets married."
As he said that, Sirius shot a not-so-subtle glance at Ginny.
At this point, her relationship with Harry wasn't exactly a secret. And with three notoriously loud siblings in the Burrow, practically everything was common knowledge—whether it should be or not.
Not to mention, Sirius had always been wildly popular back at school. He could read Harry like a book with a single glance.
What he was wondering now was when Harry would follow Kyle's example and officially announce it.
Now it wasn't just Kyle looking awkward—Ginny's face had turned scarlet too.
Thankfully, everyone else was focused on the shiny pile of gold, and the lighting in the Burrow was dim enough that Mrs. Weasley didn't notice Ginny's reaction.
If there was anyone in the house who didn't know about Ginny and Harry, it was probably her.
By unspoken agreement, everyone—Fred and George included—had been keeping it from her.
...
"You haven't told your mum yet?" Kyle walked over and asked quietly.
Ginny shook her head.
She'd planned to tell Mrs. Weasley after graduation, but when the moment came, she just couldn't get the words out.
"Suit yourselves," Kyle said. "Handle it how you want."
"Can you do me a favor?" Ginny suddenly asked.
"What kind of favor? Coming clean to your mum?" Kyle turned toward her.
"I really don't think you need to worry so much. Given how much Mrs. Weasley adores Harry, she'd never object."
"No—Sirius!" Ginny said quickly. "The gold invitations are just... way too over the top."
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Could you talk to him? Try to talk him out of it? Or at least convince him not to do that for... well, my and Harry's wedding?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to do," Kyle said, completely on board.
So once the wildfire of enthusiasm had cooled slightly, Kyle sought Sirius out.
"What? Change the invitations?" Sirius gave Kyle a look, then said loudly, "Absolutely not. I've already found the goblin who's going to make them. There's no changing it now!"
He was adamant.
"Don't worry, I'll pay for it."
Sirius thought Kyle was just hesitant about the cost. Well, no problem—he'd cover it himself.
"That's not the point, Sirius—Sirius, listen—"
Kyle didn't even get to finish his sentence. With a loud crack, Sirius Disapparated right out of the Weasleys' front garden, leaving Kyle standing there, frozen.
...
"I really hope we get those invitations soon."
Fred and George had appeared out of nowhere, flanking Kyle on either side.
"Gold invitations, you know..."
"Those have got to be worth something..."
"But seriously," Fred said, eyeing Kyle curiously, "when did all this happen? You never told us."
"Yeah," George added, trying to keep a straight face. "I thought we were good friends, but you didn't even tell us something as huge as getting married?"
"We had to hear it from Mum."
"Actually..." Kyle cut them off. "I didn't find out any sooner than you did. Until recently, I didn't even realize we were supposed to be preparing invitations."
"Wait," George blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what it sounds like," Kyle said with a shrug. "Kanna and I haven't even talked about it yet."
"That can't be right," Fred said, clearly unconvinced. "You proposed back at Christmas—and Hogwarts is already on break!"
"I know," Kyle said, "but I had classes, and Kanna's been busy with something important. So we just haven't had the conversation."
"Huh... well, okay then." Fred nodded, not looking too surprised.
After all, Kyle and Kanna were obviously going to end up together. There wasn't really any rush.
"Ah, that explains it," George said, scratching his head. "No wonder your dad hasn't seemed stressed about anything lately."
"But that's weird," Fred frowned. "If you two haven't talked about it, then why is Mum already prepping the wedding venue?"
"And why has Sirius been so busy lately?"
"Is someone else getting married?"
"Beats me," Kyle said. "Maybe they're just... a little overenthusiastic."
"Eh, whatever," Fred said. "We'll just wait and see."
"Gold invitations, though..." George looked off dreamily.
Kyle didn't quite understand why the twins—who already had their own shop in Hogsmeade—were so obsessed with the idea of gold invitations.
Noticing Kyle's confusion, Fred didn't explain. He just gave a knowing look and said, "You wouldn't get it."
And Kyle really didn't know what they were thinking.
As for the overly enthusiastic Weasley family, Kyle had no great solution—but thankfully, after a few days, he started to get used to it.
Then, some time later, a letter arrived for him.
A letter from Hogwarts.
Hagrid wrote to tell him that Kanna had finally left that battered old Potions classroom.
As soon as he finished reading, Kyle Apparated straight to Hogsmeade and made his way back to the castle.
When he found Kanna, she was carefully holding a tiny bottle, barely larger than a thumb, containing a single drop of potion—its color impossible to pin down.
Yes, just one drop.
It looked pink at first, but tilt it one way and it turned blue, then red from another angle.
"This is... um, the so-called love potion?"
"To be precise, its actual name is Magia Vitalis," Kanna replied.
"...You're serious?"
Kyle clicked his tongue. "I don't know why, but that name makes it sound way less impressive."
"Can't be helped," came Professor Sykes's voice as she emerged from the back room. "The wizard who invented it was a bit too practical—and he had full naming rights... Anyway, want a closer look?"
"Can I?"
"Of course."
With Sykes's reassurance, Kyle took the bottle Kanna handed him.
He didn't notice that, as he reached out, Sykes's expression suddenly tensed. Behind her back, she gripped her wand tightly.
But nothing happened.
Kyle stared at the tiny bottle as the single droplet inside bounced lightly—it looked almost like it was dancing.
It was dancing.
It was... mesmerizing.
This was the first time Kyle had ever seen a potion so active outside the cauldron. Even Felix Felicis only shimmered and bubbled in the crucible when freshly brewed.
Still, he wasn't too surprised. A potion that took this long to complete was bound to be extraordinary.
He eventually handed the bottle back to Kanna.
At some point—maybe while he and Kanna were chatting—Professor Sykes had quietly slipped away. He hadn't even noticed.
Kyle and Kanna strolled together through the empty castle, Kanna sharing little anecdotes from her brewing process while Kyle caught her up on everything she'd missed.
Naturally, that included the wildly overzealous Sirius and Mrs. Weasley.
As expected, Kanna was just as taken aback by Sirius's absurd sense of extravagance and blurted out,
"Fred and George... actually deserve gold-plated invitations?"
"They're pretty excited about it," Kyle said with a laugh.