Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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In the afternoon, Kyle went to Hagrid's cabin.
"Kyle, what brings you here?"
Inside the cabin, Hagrid warmly handed him a plate of rock cakes, saying, "Thank you for the gift, I love it."
The dragon models were placed on the only table in the cabin; Hagrid, seemingly worried they might fall, had even installed a small fence around the table. He was quite attentive.
Kyle didn't take the plate of rock bread, shaking his head. "Hagrid, I can't eat anything right now."
"That's true, your stomach should be full of turkey and sausage by now," Hagrid said, unconcerned. He picked up a piece of rock bread, took a bite, and said, "What do you want?
Let me make it clear, I'm not taking you to the Forbidden Forest."
"I'm not going to the Forbidden Forest," Kyle said. "I came to ask if you know a wizard named Prince."
"Prince? I think that surname is..."
Hagrid paused, then patted his head. "Sorry, Kyle, I think I've had a cold these past few days. My head feels foggy, and I can't remember many things.
Oh, right... Poppy asked me to go see her after the banquet."
Hagrid suddenly stood up, saying hurriedly, "Sorry, Kyle, I have to go to the school hospital now.
I'll write to you if I remember."
"Alright." Kyle sighed in disappointment and followed Hagrid out of the cabin.
It seemed he could only wait until Chris was finished and then write to ask if he knew anything.
Besides Hagrid, Kyle didn't plan to ask any other professors about this.
Professor McGonagall and the others were too tight-lipped; if that "Prince" really was related to Snape, they would never say a word even if they knew.
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Back at the castle from the cabin, with nothing else to do, Kyle went back to the library and continued flipping through the hardcover book he had borrowed that morning.
It was a biography, telling the legendary life of a dueling master.
The master was truly a master; according to the book, he had never lost a duel since his first encounter with duels, and even set a record of two hundred consecutive wins and eleven consecutive dueling championships.
This record remains unbroken to this day; even Professor Flitwick in his youth only managed a maximum of one hundred and fifteen consecutive wins.
However, the master's biography writing was rather poor; the profound and complex magical theories that required step-by-step analysis and understanding were glossed over in a very short sentence.
Just like solving a math problem, usually after writing down a "solution," you need at least three or five formulas to derive the answer.
But this master is different; he doesn't even write down the solution, he just throws out the answer directly.
It can only be said to be useful, but not much.
Furthermore… although he mentioned many tips on casting spells in a teaching tone, his expression was very vague.
"When facing a moving enemy, your wrist should be slightly rotated at the appropriate moment when casting a spell."
"To make the spell's attack range farther, the wand should be slightly raised, but not too high, otherwise it will miss; just go with your gut feeling."
"If you feel lost during a duel, ask your wand; it will tell you what to do next."
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When is the appropriate moment…
and what does "going with your gut feeling" mean…
These words gave Kyle a headache, but he didn't want to give up on this content, so he could only try his best to understand what the other person was trying to express, and then go to the Room of Requirement to practice again and again.
This was also the most time-consuming part. Sometimes, because of a single ambiguous statement, Kyle would have to spend an entire day, or even longer, trying to understand something in the Room of Requirement.
He didn't finish reading a book that wasn't particularly thick until near the end of the holidays.
The day before school started, Kyle went to the library to return the book.
Mrs. Pince took the book, checked it as usual, and put it away after confirming it was okay.
Just as Kyle was about to go to the shelf next to him to find another book, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.
"I suggest you stop borrowing these kinds of biographies."
"What?" Kyle turned around in confusion.
Mrs. Pince sat in her chair, expressionlessly flipping through the hardcover book. "The content of this book isn't complicated, but you've spent two whole weeks reading it. Obviously, it's not suitable for you."
Kyle was somewhat surprised. This was the first time he had seen Mrs. Pince speak to a young wizard, and on a topic outside her professional scope.
Coming to his senses, Kyle quickly asked, "Do you mean my foundation is too weak?"
"No, your basic magical knowledge is very good. Judging from the borrowing list, you've even surpassed many third-year students,"
Mrs. Pince said, raising her eyes. "But to understand the biographies of legendary wizards, you need experience and knowledge."
Kyle clicked his tongue; he couldn't refute that.
He was only a first-year student, and aside from magical creatures, his experience in other areas was truly limited.
"If you really want to learn something, don't waste time on these biographies,"
Mrs. Pince said, pointing to a bookshelf not far away. "I suggest you take a look over there."
Kyle barely hesitated; as soon as Mrs. Pince finished speaking, he walked towards the bookshelf.
Mrs. Pince had put it that way; he had to take a look first.
Besides, he hadn't even decided what books he wanted to borrow this time; what if there was something interesting among them?
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As it turns out, listening to advice is always beneficial.
Five minutes later, Kyle returned carrying a thick book. Mrs. Pince's expression changed slightly as she looked at
*The Variations of Charms: The Origins* , but quickly returned to normal.
After getting the borrowing slip, Kyle didn't stay in the library but instead put the book back in his dorm, planning to read it later.
Today was the last day of his vacation, and he had some things to do.
Kyle first went to the Room of Requirement. As soon as he entered, a group of furry little creatures surrounded him.
Five Moonbeasts stared at Kyle with their big, round eyes.
Kyle patted each of their heads and asked, "It's daytime, why aren't you sleeping?"
One of the Moonbeast tilted its head and cooed twice.
"Afraid someone will come, so you're afraid to sleep?" Kyle said with a smile, "Don't worry, no one else will come here except me."
Hearing Kyle say this, the Moonbeats returned to the burrow the Room of Requirement had built for them.
[End of the chapter]