Kyle stayed at Hagrid's until noon before returning to the castle.
It was almost lunchtime, and he had no choice but to go back.
Originally, Hagrid wanted to keep him for lunch, but Kyle hesitated only for a second before firmly refusing.
He had personally witnessed the half-giant take two long, unidentifiable creatures from the shelf outside, slice them up with a few quick cuts, and toss them into a nearby bowl, then smear a yellowish-green, sticky substance on top.
If he didn't leave now, he'd likely spend the first weekend of the new school year in the hospital wing.
Kyle departed decisively, ignoring Hagrid's pleas, and quickly crossed the grounds back to the safety of the castle.
By this time, the Great Hall on the first floor was already filled with people, and thanks to the Quidditch tryouts, the atmosphere was noticeably livelier than usual.
"If only I had flown lower." A Gryffindor student lamented at the entrance, "You wouldn't believe it, the Golden Snitch flew just a few feet below me, and I didn't even see it!"
"What a shame..." His companion asked sympathetically, "Will you still make the team?"
"Should be fine." The student replied, "Everyone else competing for Seeker wasn't that great either. Many of them even fell off their brooms. Compared to them, I did pretty well."
"That's great!"
Kyle walked past, hearing similar conversations everywhere.
Interestingly, at the Gryffindor table, every person who had participated in the tryouts was confident — even those who had fallen off their brooms and were covered in bruises still believed they would easily make the team.
When Kyle approached the Hufflepuff table, Cedric happened to walk over as well.
"How were the tryouts?" Kyle asked.
Cedric shook his head as he grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice from the table and took a couple of big gulps before saying, "Lots of people signed up, but most didn't qualify. Some couldn't even pass the aerial turning test. Oh, and I saw your two roommates too."
"Michael and Ryan?"
"Yes."
Kyle asked curiously, "How did they do?"
"Umm..." Cedric's expression suddenly became a bit strange, as if he was carefully choosing his words. After a long silence, he finally continued, "I think... they might not be very suited for Quidditch."
"Surely it can't be that bad..." Kyle was surprised.
Given Cedric's nice-guy personality, for him to say someone was "not suited for Quidditch" could only mean that Michael and Ryan's performance was truly terrible.
But Kyle remembered they had done decently in flying class. While not exceptional, they at least flew steadily.
"Maybe they were too nervous and didn't fly well?"
"It has nothing to do with that." Cedric sighed, "The main issue is they had absolutely no knowledge of Quidditch rules. That Ryan guy just charged straight in without any regard for other players' positions, and he didn't even look where he was passing — twice giving the ball to the opposing team.
The other one was even worse! You know what? He actually mistook a Bludger for the Quaffle, grabbed it, and rushed toward the goal post."
"Uh..." Kyle was speechless. But they were still his roommates, so he smacked his lips and said, "At least he's strong — that counts as a positive."
"If only that were true." Cedric sighed again, "In reality, he lost control of the Bludger almost immediately after taking off. If others hadn't reacted quickly, he'd be in the hospital wing by now."
This time, Kyle truly couldn't find any excuse. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he noticed Cedric looking at him strangely, with what seemed to be a hint of sympathy.
"It was just an isolated incident." He explained dryly, "Apart from Quidditch, they're pretty normal."
"If I remember correctly…" Cedric said thoughtfully, "Wasn't it one of them who blew up the Charms classroom last year with a simple lighting spell?"
"That's Michael's physical condition." Kyle said seriously, "He can't control his magical output. It's a force majeure!"
"Okay." Cedric thought for a moment, then continued, "What about when they copied your homework and included your name too..."
"Um..."
Before Kyle could respond, Cedric continued.
"And during the Potions exam, asking Professor Snape to add water to the cauldron..."
"..."
"Turning themselves completely blue..."
"...Wait—" Kyle's expression froze as he asked, "How did you know about that?"
He remembered that when he brought Michael back, it was during class time, so nobody should have seen them.
"The History of Magic classroom overlooks the Clock Tower Courtyard." Cedric said softly, "You can see the entrance to the hospital wing through the window."
"..." After a moment of silence, Kyle said earnestly, "Cedric, now you've gone too far. Gossiping about others behind their backs isn't the Hufflepuff way."
Cedric gave him a strange look but didn't say anything.
"Alright, I'll let it slide this time, but don't do it again." Kyle calmly picked up a piece of toast and said, "Tell me about the other teams. Have they made any changes this year?"
Although Cedric thought this change of subject was rather abrupt, he went along with it, "Slytherin cleared the field during their selection process. All I know is that their new captain is Marcus Flint.
Gryffindor still has last year's team with no standout newcomers. Oliver Wood was pulling his hair out all morning on the field.
However, Ravenclaw has found an excellent Seeker. Guess who..."
"It's Cho, right?" Kyle said, "She mentioned wanting to become a Seeker last year."
"Exactly, it's Cho." Cedric smiled, "Among all the Seeker tryouts, she was the fastest to catch the Golden Snitch. The Ravenclaw captain was thrilled. If it wasn't still too early in the selection process, he'd probably have immediately named Cho the new Seeker. You should have seen Wood's face — he was so envious his eyes turned red."
Cedric picked up a glass of pumpkin juice and laughed.
"He ran straight to Professor McGonagall asking if first-years could participate in tryouts, and got a severe scolding for it."
"Hey, I think I heard someone mentioning our beloved captain."
"Is Wood that popular now?"
At this moment, Fred and George walked over from nearby, sitting down on either side of Kyle.
"What were you talking about?"
"Quidditch team selections." Cedric didn't hide anything and asked with a smile, "What's up? Did Professor McGonagall agree to let you pick someone from the first years?"
✭✭✭
T/N: Hey! Liked what you read? Support your friendly neighborhood translator on Patreon! Think of it as buying me a coffee... or ten!
For just $1.50 (that's less than your daily meme budget), get extra chapters! Want more? $2 gets you bonus content, $5 unlocks premium stories, and $10 makes you my hero (and gets you everything I have, including earlier acess to new books)!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1305453