Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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The story of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class spread like wildfire, but no one was particularly interested.
A first-year accidentally injuring a professor might have caused quite a stir in other classes.
For example, Charms class on the first day of school is still talked about with gusto.
But when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts… it wasn't quite as exciting.
Their predecessor was a well-hidden Dark wizard, discovered by someone unknown and taken away by Aurors during class.
The predecessor was a Potions enthusiast, fond of researching strange potion recipes. One day, in class, he presented his latest creation, the Omniscience Potion, claiming it was comparable to the Felix Felicis, saying a single sip would solve all problems.
And then… nothing happened.
To prove its effectiveness, he drank it right then and there, and now he's still lying in St. Mungo's.
In comparison, Professor Oren's story wasn't even worth talking about.
And so, the first weekend at Hogwarts quietly arrived.
Kyle slept until almost nine, and it was Cedric knocking on the door that finally woke him.
"What's up with you?"
Kyle finished washing up and flung himself onto the sofa in the common room, stretching comfortably.
"Still early? Lunch's almost here!" Cedric gave Kyle a rather speechless look and handed him a pie he'd just brought from the kitchen. It was filled with potatoes, beef, and onions, and it was quite delicious.
While Kyle was eating his pie, Cedric continued, "Quidditch tryouts start today. I'm going to try out soon. How about you? Between the two of us, we can definitely win the Quidditch Cup this year."
"Forget it," Kyle shook his head. "First-year wizards aren't allowed on the school team. That's the rule."
Ever since flying class yesterday, Kyle had given up on joining the Quidditch team.
Diana had strictly forbidden him from buying a broom in his first year, so if he joined now, he'd have to use the... antique ones provided by the school, which was a bit too much for Kyle to accept.
Those brooms were so old they lacked many essential features. For example, the crucial "lifting charm" engraved on the broom handles.
This feature only existed after 1930, because the Quidditch World Cup final that year lasted seven days. Afterward, eleven players from both teams retired for the same reason.
Therefore, the "lifting charm" has become a must-have feature on brooms ever since.
The brooms at school clearly existed before 1930.
Those antiques were fine for occasional fun, but prolonged use could be detrimental to the mental and physical well-being of young wizards.
Kyle couldn't accept that, anyway. As for Cedric...
Kyle patted him on the shoulder and said seriously, "If you're selected, I suggest you save up and buy a new broom."
Cedric nodded. "Indeed, the school broom is too slow, but if I do make the cut, my dad will probably give me a Sweeping Seven."
"That's fine," Kyle nodded.
Although the Sweep Seven Stars was a model from ten years ago, it had all the necessary features and was more than enough for the school team.
"Oh, one more thing," Cedric said, pulling out two maps. "I've already finished the maps for Gryffindor and Slytherin. What should we do next? Should we promote it ourselves? Or should we continue to look for partners?"
"Let's find a partner," Kyle said after a moment of thought. "Promoting it ourselves would be a waste of time and inefficient. It wouldn't be appropriate."
"Yeah, I thought so too." Cedric nodded. "For Gryffindor, we can ask the Weasley brothers. They should agree to help. But what about Slytherin? Do you know anyone?"
Kyle shook his head.
As it happened, of the four Hogwarts houses, Slytherin was the one he was least familiar with, primarily because they had no real connection.
"That's a problem," Cedric sighed. "I don't know them either."
Having made his first fortune, Cedric was in high spirits and clearly didn't want to give up on Slytherin, his biggest market.
To that end, he'd even slightly modified the Slytherin maps, using the finest parchment and adding a gold border.
The design perfectly suited their taste.
Of course, the price would have to be slightly increased. You get what you pay for, that's only natural.
The only problem now was how to sell the maps. If they relied solely on the two Hufflepuffs, Slytherin wouldn't likely be interested.
Furthermore, if Snape found out, it would be a real problem. Given his personality, he'd probably confiscate the maps and deduct twenty points from Hufflepuff's score.
After much deliberation, they decided they had to find a middleman.
The two discussed the matter for a while, but still couldn't find a good solution.
Cedric wanted to ask the Weasley brothers if they knew anyone from Slytherin.
Although Kyle felt that the possibility was not very high, there was no better way now, so he could only give it a try.
When it was almost ten o'clock, the two left the Hufflepuff common room together.
Cedric was going to the Quidditch field to participate in the school team selection, while Kyle was going to the library to return a book.
He had finished reading the book "The Bard in the Wind" last night, and he was going to borrow another one.
Since they were not going the same way, the two separated near the hall.
Kyle smiled and said, "I wish you success in being selected for the Quidditch team."
"Don't worry!" Cedric confidently raised a thumbs up: "It will be no problem."
Then the two separated.
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In the library, Madam Pince took the book Kyle handed her and checked it out. After confirming it was in good condition, she handed him the other book he wanted to borrow.
"The old rules, you know."
"Of course, you're not allowed to damage the books," Kyle smiled. "I know."
"That's good."
After getting the book he wanted, Kyle didn't go back to his dorm directly, but instead found a place in the library to read.
"A Detailed Explanation of Magical Plants of Asia" was a book about herbal medicine. Kyle flipped through it quickly, flipping through it page by page, and soon found what he needed.
"Chinese Chomping Cabbage, an extremely dangerous and aggressive plant, first discovered in..."
Kyle took out the parchment he had prepared in advance, used the Copying Charm to copy all the information, and then left the library.
However, he didn't return the book immediately. Instead, he planned to take it back to read it. Who knows what new species Professor Sprout will introduce next time.
He would have to borrow it again then, which would be a hassle.
[End of the chapter]