Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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With Kyle's help, Hagrid finally managed to deliver all the Christmas trees to the Great Hall before the banquet.
When they arrived, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were already waiting in the Great Hall.
"Hagrid, you're finally here. These are the last two… Oh, a wonderful levitation charm, Mr. Chopper, 5 points to Hufflepuff ."
Professor Flitwick had been wondering why Hagrid could carry two Christmas trees so easily, but upon closer inspection, he saw Kyle holding a wand beside him.
"If the final exam were a levitation charm… I could give you an 'O' right now."
Professor Flitwick winked at Kyle, then used the levitation charm to take the two fir trees and place them in their proper positions.
Professor McGonagall then wove the mistletoe into cascading ribbons, filling the last gap in the wall.
A few minutes later, a large number of students began to pour into the Great Hall, and the banquet officially began.
At the dinner table, Cedric looked at Kyle in surprise and said, "What? You're saying you're not going home for Christmas?"
"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "I can't help it. Nobody's home, and there's no point in going back. I'd rather stay at Hogwarts."
Chris was responsible for returning the magical creatures they had captured to their original habitats, and he'd been traveling the world with Newt recently.
The Department of Mysteries seemed to be out on assignment too. Diana had sent him a letter a few days ago saying she might not be able to come back for Christmas, but the gifts would definitely arrive on time.
With Chris and Diana not home, there was no point in Kyle going back. He'd rather stay at Hogwarts; at least he'd have something to do there.
Like bonding with Fluffy, or watering his two ornamental plants.
"Why don't you come to my house?" Cedric thought for a moment and said, "My dad would really welcome you."
"Next time," Kyle shook his head. "I just told Hagrid I'd help him take care of his animals during the holidays."
Cedric looked a little disappointed.
Kyle, on the contrary, frankly didn't want to face Mr. Diggory, that son-obsessed maniac, let alone spend two weeks with him.
Just thinking about it gave Kyle a headache; Chris alone could handle that kind of treatment.
To distract Cedric and make him forget about the topic, Kyle turned to Conna beside him and asked, "What about you? Going home for the holidays?"
Kanna didn't answer, just gently shook her head.
Seeing this, Kyle didn't ask any further.
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After the dinner, the semester ended.
The next day, the young wizards took the train back to King's Cross Station.
Mikel and Ryan also went home, leaving Kyle alone in the dormitory. Even the once lively common room was much quieter now.
This feeling wasn't bad.
Kyle sat on a sofa near the fireplace, roasting a potato with the skin on, with some flatbread, mushrooms, and thinly sliced beef beside him.
Although the house-elves offered to bake the potatoes for Kyle when he went to the kitchen to get them, he refused.
He only wanted the process; the food was secondary.
Kyle held the roasting fork and waited until the potatoes turned black before taking them out.
After cooling, he peeled off the skin, and one bite revealed a sweet, soft, and delicious flavor.
It was just that he might not have controlled the heat perfectly; the inside was still raw.
Kyle scooped out the raw potato with a spoon and tossed it to a mouse not far away.
"Kyle..." Kanna glared at him fiercely, "Don't give Pochi those weird things!"
"It's just a potato, what's weird about it?" Kyle waved his hand dismissively, "Besides, what field mouse doesn't eat potatoes!"
As if deliberately trying to spite him, the mouse named Pochi glanced at the undercooked potato, then turned and went elsewhere, showing no intention of trying it.
"Goodness, even a mouse is picky about food." Kyle, feeling a little embarrassed, said seriously to Kanna, "I think you should let it go hungry for a few meals."
Kanna ignored him and took Pochi out of the common room.
It was the Christmas holidays, and the caretaker's cat wouldn't be wandering the castle corridors all the time, so she planned to take this opportunity to walk her pet and let it explore Hogwarts.
It'd been here so long; she couldn't keep it locked up in its dormitory forever.
After Kanna left, Kyle was left alone in the common room. Feeling a bit bored, he finished his food and didn't linger, instead heading to the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor.
After three months of Kyle's efforts, besides biting cabbage, the room now boasted white sage, rue, belladonna, mistletoe, styrax… and a beautiful golden hydrangea.
The first three were nothing special; they were common magical plants, their seeds readily available in Hogsmeade, and Kyle had someone bring back a large bagful.
As for the last one… it came from the Hufflepuff common room.
One evening, Kyle couldn't resist and cut a small branch with a bud from the lush golden hydrangea…
it was really small, only about an inch long, and wouldn't harm it at all.
He'd only planted it there as a trial, but it had actually succeeded.
Although it looked small now, Kyle was already satisfied; as long as it survived, it would grow bigger eventually.
Kyle went straight to the center.
The biting cabbages were thriving; in just three months, they had grown from seeds to the size of bludgers. Their gaping mouths, with their rows of sharp teeth, looked incredibly powerful—a bite would definitely be satisfying.
Kyle loosened the soil around them and shooed away the Billywig bug that had been hovering above his head.
"I'm busy right now, go play over there."
A few days ago, he had rescued the Billywig bug from Mrs. Norris' mouth, almost making it lunch.
The little guy had a long gash on its body, probably from being scratched by Mrs. Norris… Kyle simply brought it here and treated it.
And then… it wouldn't leave.
Fortunately, the little guy was quite obedient; after Kyle spoke, it obediently flew to the side.
This place was large, with many magical plants, and most importantly, that high-jumping cat wasn't there—it liked that…
After loosening the soil around the biting cabbages, Kyle took a stroll around the room.
He still felt the space was a bit empty. Although he had quite a few seeds of white sage and rue, it felt like a waste to plant only ordinary magical plants in such a good spot.
Kyle stroked his chin, thoughtfully looking at the large empty space he had deliberately left on the left side of the room.
If he remembered correctly, he should be learning Devil's Snare in Herbology class soon.
[End of the chapter]