On the other side, because it was already after class by the time Kael left the Hospital Wing, he didn't go to the Charm Class classroom but headed straight to the library.
Just now, Dumbledore had recommended two books to him, saying they would be very helpful for performing basic charms and were quite suitable for young wizards who had just entered the school, so Kael planned to borrow them to take a look.
The library is located on the second floor, and its location is easy to find—just go up one flight of stairs.
"Two books? No way!" Madam Pince, the librarian, sized up Kael with an examining look as she held a feather duster and said: "Unless you have a professor's note, you can only borrow one book at a time."
"If it's just one, then I'll borrow 'Gadding with Ghouls'." Kael didn't hesitate much and quickly named the book title.
But what Kael didn't expect was that upon hearing the words "Gadding with Ghouls," Madam Pince immediately wore an exceedingly disgusted expression, as if she had heard some vile profanities.
"Another book by Lockhart," Madam Pince muttered under her breath.
She didn't like the author Gilderoy Lockhart, or rather, she didn't like that extremely self-absorbed writing style, which she saw as grandstanding.
If it were just that, it wouldn't be much of a problem; after all, quite a few biographical accounts are this way, and one can still bear it.
But for some reason, when she read Lockhart's books, she always felt like there was something missing in the content, making many parts incoherent.
Although this issue wasn't significant and didn't affect reading, Madam Pince just felt uncomfortable, and every time she thought about it, she felt uneasy all over.
Thus, her impression of Kael plummeted considerably, and after a silent pause, she said with a stern face: "'Gadding with Ghouls' has been borrowed. If you register now, you'll probably get it in about two years."
"Two years... never mind then." Kael shook his head and said, "How about 'Wandering Minstrel in Wind'?"
"We have that one." Madam Pince's expression relaxed quite a bit, and she told Kael to wait here while she walked straight to a nearby row of bookshelves.
In the meantime, Kael curiously assessed this renowned librarian from the side.
Madam Pince was a frail, aged woman who looked like a malnourished bald eagle. Wherever she walked, the young wizards reading there dared not even breathe heavily.
One young wizard was seemingly overly nervous and couldn't help but sneeze, resulting in being chased out of the library.
Kael smacked his lips; no wonder she was rumored to be Filch's old companion, as they indeed looked quite compatible—both rigidly orthodox and equally detesting students.
Soon, Madam Pince returned, handed Kael a thick hardcover book and a slip of paper.
"You must return it within a week. If you exceed the time limit or the book gets damaged, don't expect to easily borrow any book from here again."
"I'll remember."
...
Since the freshmen only had one class this morning, Kael returned straight to the common room after leaving the library, planning to find a cozy spot to see what was written in the book.
But as he passed through the wooden barrel entrance, he was immediately surrounded.
Almost all the Hufflepuff freshmen were gathered in the common room, just waiting for Kael to return.
"How is it, Kael?" Ryan was the first to rush over, anxiously asking, "Is Mikel okay? We wanted to visit him at the Hospital Wing, but as soon as we got in, Madam Pomfrey chased us out."
The other young wizards nodded in agreement. Although they suffered quite a bit from a mishap in Charm Class, they still cared greatly about Mikel's condition.
This is probably what Hufflepuff is about.
"Don't worry." Kael patted Ryan's shoulder and said with a smile, "Professor Dumbledore has already checked, and he said that after taking the medicine tomorrow, he'll be able to get discharged."
"That's good, that's good." Ryan obviously breathed a sigh of relief, thought for a moment, and asked, "Has Mikel woken up? Did he mention if he wants to eat anything? Although we can't send it over now, we can prepare it in advance and give it to him when he gets out; he'll definitely be happy."
Ryan's suggestion was also agreed upon by the other young wizards, who generously offered their treasures.
"I have raspberry preserves here!"
"I have soft caramel fudge."
"How about some cookies? My mom made them herself, and they're delicious."
"I think he might want licorice candy..."
...
Even Kael was moved by this overwhelming camaraderie; amidst the expectant gazes of everyone, he said in a serious tone: "Mikel didn't mention anything he wants to eat, but I believe what he wants most now isn't these snacks, but not to fall behind academically!"
"Not to fall behind academically?" Ryan scratched his head, not understanding what Kael meant.
"Yes." Kael said earnestly, "You should have noticed, Mikel was so anxious because he couldn't complete the charm properly, and that's why the accident happened; isn't that right?"
"That's right." Ryan nodded.
Although his attention at the time was on his wand, so he wasn't sure how the blinding 'Lumos Grenade' appeared, as far as he knew, everyone was practicing charms, and Mikel was certainly no exception, so what Kael said made sense.
"That's it." Kael said seriously, "He's a very strong-willed person; he surely wouldn't want to attend fewer classes than others."
So what we need to do now is to listen carefully during the afternoon Transfiguration Class and tomorrow morning's Magic History class, note down everything the professors teach, and organize it into notes to give to Mikel. I'm sure he'll be moved to tears."
The vast Hufflepuff common room fell silent; the young badgers looked at each other, none of them spoke.
They found it hard to believe that there would be someone who didn't like snacks, preferring to study instead. But after carefully recalling Kael's words… they couldn't find any flaws.
Clear and logical, it all sounded perfectly reasonable.
Maybe... Mikel truly has a great love for magic.
The young badgers thought so, and they quickly convinced themselves.
Then, some of them stepped forward to volunteer; some took on the task of taking notes, while others were responsible for the final organization...
The few young wizards who didn't manage to get a task but still wanted to help gathered together to discuss for a while and soon discovered a task that Kael had overlooked.
Homework!
At Hogwarts, regardless of the subject, homework is indispensable, and its importance goes without saying.
So they decided to convey every class's homework to Mikel. Not only that, but they also planned to tell the professors in class about Mikel as an excellent Hufflepuff, who, even while staying in the Hospital Wing, has his heart set on his studies and won't be slacking off from writing homework.
...