Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Nifflers, from birth, have a particular fondness for anything sparkly. They're always either treasure hunting or on their way to treasure hunting, rarely staying still.
This Niffler in front of them was less than a month old, tiny, only slightly larger than a Galleon. It probably sneaked away when Newt wasn't looking.
This wasn't the first time this had happened. Back in Dorset, Kyle had noticed Newt spending at least three hours a day searching for Nifflers that had disappeared.
Anyone else would probably have collapsed by now; Kyle knew he certainly would.
But if it was only one… well, it shouldn't be a problem.
To avoid worrying Newt, Kyle quickly wrote him a letter after leaving the trunk and gave it to Rodon to deliver.
Rodon picked up the envelope and flew out the open window.
"This is so inconvenient,"
Kyle mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he watched Rodon's retreating figure.
The wizarding world is great in every way, except for its incredibly primitive communication system. Even a round trip by owl takes at least half a day, nothing compared to the convenience and speed of a telephone.
Unfortunately, although Newt himself isn't averse to Muggle electronics, their place is far too remote, practically deep in the mountains, and surrounded by Muggle-repelling charms, making a telephone installation unlikely.
After seeing Rodon off, Kyle put Niffler back in it the trunk, then took a shower and changed into clean clothes.
It's worth mentioning that the change of clothes Chris sent to Dorset were all Kyle's from last year, as he'd grown quite a bit taller this year, making them very uncomfortable.
Tina finally helped him alter it, and it was barely wearable.
Not long after, the Weasley brothers arrived, barging in like thugs the moment Kyle opened the door.
"We just saw your owl, we knew it was you coming back,"
Fred said, arms crossed, blocking Kyle's way, his expression very serious.
"I can't believe you disappeared for half a month without a word!"
George blocked Kyle from the other side.
"And what's worse, we haven't received a single letter in half a month… Do you know how worried we were?"
Facing the aggressive Fred and George, Kyle remained unmoved.
Worried about him? That could only fool Ron.
"If I remember correctly, you haven't sent me any letters in the past two weeks either,"
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're worried about me?"
"Uh…"
Fred and George's previously serious faces immediately fell, exchanging a glance, communicating almost instantly.
"You didn't write to Kyle?"
"No, I thought you did."
"Coincidentally, that's what I thought too."
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In fact, the two of them learned of Kyle's arrival in Dorset from Chris the very day he left, so of course they weren't worried about him.
The reason they said this was because they had planned it beforehand—to find an excuse to mess with Kyle.
However, their meticulously planned scheme, devised in one night, was ruined before it even began.
Mainly, they were so focused on developing their quick-fix skipping-school-candy series that they hadn't even considered writing to Kyle.
"Ahem…of course we were worried about you,"
Fred said somewhat awkwardly. "But you know, Errol is getting old, and we really couldn't bear to let it fly so far to deliver messages."
"Fly so far?" Kyle squinted. "Judging from that, you seem to know where I went."
The twins' expressions became even more unnatural.
"…Just a guess, yes, a guess," Fred chuckled. "Now that we see you're alright, we're relieved."
"Is that so…" Kyle continued, drawing out his words. "Well, you guessed pretty accurately. I suggest you take Divination this semester. You'll definitely shine there."
His expression now resembled that of a Potions professor, only lacking a slicked-back hairstyle.
"Uh…we'll consider it." George turned away somewhat guiltily, awkwardly changing the subject. "By the way, I have some good news for you. In the past two weeks, we not only successfully completed the Fat Tongue Toffee, but we also developed a second quick-acting skip-class candy product."
As he spoke, he pulled a fruit gummy out of his pocket.
The orange gummy was translucent and looked a bit like a pea.
Fred seemed to have completely forgotten what had just happened, blinking and saying, "Want to guess what it does?"
Kyle took the gummy.
Having learned from their experience with the Ton Tongue Toffee, Fred and George handled it much better this time. There was no potion smell on it, so trying to figure it out from that angle was obviously impossible.
Kyle thought for a moment and made a random guess.
"Does it make people have nosebleeds?"
Hearing Kyle's words, the twins' eyes lit up simultaneously.
"Nosebleeds?!" Fred said excitedly, "Kyle, that's a brilliant idea!"
"Why didn't we think of that?" George slapped his forehead hard, as if he wanted to knock his brain out.
"What could be more suitable for skipping class than a nosebleed? Kyle, you're a genius!"
Kyle smiled and said, "Thank you, I must say, you have a really good eye."
Although the nosebleed idea was originally theirs, it didn't stop Kyle from accepting this very apt compliment.
"It's a pity school starts soon," Fred suddenly sighed. "Otherwise, we could try to research it now."
"We'll have to wait until next year," George said regretfully. "Or maybe during the Christmas holidays."
Seeing the two of them looking like they'd lost a hundred gallons, Kyle chuckled and held up the gummy candy in his hand. "So, what does this do?"
"It's Puking Pastille," George shrugged. "It makes you vomit uncontrollably."
"But what you see now is only a semi-finished product," Fred continued. "After all, constant vomiting isn't good, so we're still researching the antidote."
"Do you need any help?" Kyle asked.
"Not this time,"
Fred shook his head. "The main ingredient in vomit candy is diluted styrax juice. Rue and daisy root are all you need for a perfect solution. We're almost done."
Kyle suddenly understood.
Styrax and rue were indeed a perfect match here.
[End of the chapter]