Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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In the infirmary wing, Cedric and Kyle stared at each other, the scene awkward for a moment.
More accurately, it was Cedric who was embarrassed. If he weren't lying on the infirmary bed, he would have probably dug out a second Hogwarts castle from the ground.
"That's good," Cedric said, turning his head to the side and feigning composure.
Kyle coughed dryly and said earnestly, "Cedric, why would you want to challenge them to a duel? Don't forget, we're Hufflepuffs, famously honest children and model students at Hogwarts. Such an idea is very dangerous.
Think about Professor Sprout; she'd be disappointed if she knew you'd become so impulsive, reckless, and unruly."
"No, I haven't thought about that," Cedric said angrily.
It was mainly because when he was brought here, he kept hearing people talking about challenging the Slytherins to a one-on-one duel, and there were quite a few of them.
But at the time, his legs and head were aching so much that his mind was a bit hazy. He wanted to talk them out of their impulsiveness, but the words were simply gone.
He'd just thought about it again, and subconsciously assumed Kyle felt the same way.
"Don't rush to explain, I understand,"
Kyle said, not even glancing at Cedric. "After all, with such a serious injury, it's normal to say a few angry words in the heat of the moment. Just remember to be more careful in the future. Here, have a Chocolate Frog."
Before leaving the school hospital, the Badgers had left behind some small gifts, simple snacks, presumably for them to enjoy while watching the game.
Kyle picked out a Chocolate Frog, unwrapped it, and handed it over.
"I told you, I didn't think about it that way. Wait a minute."
Cedric was about to explain when he suddenly noticed the Chocolate Frog card in Kyle's hand.
"What's that in your hand..."
Kyle shoved his hands into his pockets and said calmly, "It's just an ordinary card. Nicolas Flamel, I just don't have him."
"No," Cedric sat up. "I see. That's not Nicolas Flamel, it's Agrippa."
Though it was just a casual glance, Cedric saw that the card in Kyle's hand was gold.
This was a special alchemical process, specially applied by a master alchemist at the Chocolate Frog Company to prevent card counterfeiting.
This protection renders cloning spells and scatter spells useless, and the effect is far superior to those engraved on gold Galleons.
In the entire set of Chocolate Frog cards, only one card can use this process: the rarest Cornelius Agrippa.
Thinking of this, Cedric immediately held out his hand and said, "Give it back to me! That's a Chocolate Frog given to me, so the card inside is naturally mine too!"
Seeing he couldn't get away with it, Kyle simply gave up pretending and said confidently, "But I took it out. If it were you, the most you'd get would probably be a Dumbledore card."
"It doesn't matter who took it out. It's right there, and whoever takes it out will get an Agrippa!" Cedric said angrily, "Give it back to me now! I only need this one card to complete the set!"
"No," Kyle clutched his pocket tightly. "That's all I need!"
Just like on the train, the two glared at each other, the air thick with tension.
But this time, Kyle clearly had the upper hand. He gave Cedric a provocative look, then walked to the infirmary entrance, opened it, and walked out.
Then he came back in...
out, and back in again.
Cedric was stunned. He hadn't expected Kyle to be so unsportsmanlike as to deceive and mock him, a patient with a broken leg.
"Okay, enough kidding."
Seeing Cedric struggling to breathe, Kyle walked back to the bedside and pulled the Agrippa card from his pocket.
"I really can't give it to you. I need it," Kyle said seriously. "I have to say, Slytherin is really lucky. I was a little worried about what to do, and this card came just in time."
"Slytherin?"
Cedric calmly put down his shoes and asked, puzzled. "Is your plan related to this card?"
Kyle nodded.
"It's an Agrippa," Cedric muttered, his face full of heartache. "If I could get an Agrippa, I wouldn't mind falling a few more times."
"It's just a card, look at you, you're such a loser." Kyle gave him a disdainful look. "At the very least, this is just a way to vent your anger. At the most, it's a matter of whether Hufflepuff can win the Quidditch Cup.
Is an Agrippa more important than the Quidditch Cup?"
"Not really..." Cedric muttered.
"That's it."
"That's what I said." Cedric glanced at Kyle thoughtfully.
He felt something was wrong. Kyle's expression was so serious, which was itself unusual.
Cedric seriously suspected Kyle was trying to trick him, or that the Agrippa wasn't necessary in Kyle's original plan.
But he had no proof.
"Why don't you just give me Agrippa?" Cedric thought for a moment, then said, "Even if it's just for one night, I'll have her.
I'll give it to you tomorrow after you're discharged, or we can work on that plan together."
"No need, leave the dirty work to me." Kyle patted his chest and said righteously, "Your task now is to recover."
"..."
— Confirming that Kyle was just fooling him.
Cedric narrowed his eyes and reached out to pick up his shoes from the floor.
When he looked up again, Kyle had already run out of the infirmary wing. Meanwhile, Madam Pomfrey arrived with a tray.
"What are you doing with your shoes?" Madam Pomfrey frowned. "It takes time for bones to heal. You'll have to stay here overnight."
"Sorry, ma'am, I understand." Cedric forced a smile and put the shoes back in his hand.
"Really? Why are all these young wizards so troublesome these days?" Madam Pomfrey bandaged his right leg and then took out a Chocolate Frog card and placed it on the bed.
"I found this by your bed. Remember not to throw things around in the future."
Cedric's heart suddenly beat twice, and he looked over with surprise.
On the card, an old man with a white beard was looking at him kindly.
Cedric's originally hot heart instantly turned cold after seeing the old man.
"Nicolas Flamel, recognized as the most famous alchemist of our time, his well-known contributions include..."
"Kyle!!"
Cedric gritted his teeth and stared at the entrance of the school hospital, wishing he could rush out and beat someone up right now. But after seeing Madam Pomfrey not far away, this idea quickly extinguished.
Unwillingly, he opened the remaining two chocolate frogs and tried to find another Agrippa.
A minute later... Cedric sighed softly and stuffed the two Dumbledore cards in his hand under the pillow.
[End of the chapter]