Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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"I can't believe it, Kyle."
Late at night, beside the barrel outside the Hufflepuff common room, Cedric said with a troubled expression, "You actually agreed to go for a night out with the Weasleys!"
"I've thought about it, and they're right."
Kyle was looking down, rummaging through his shapeshifting lizard skin pouch. "I do need to do something fun to cheer myself up."
"But you can't go for a night out..." Cedric said with heartache, "That's against school rules! If you get caught, you'll not only lose points, but you'll also be put in detention! You're only a first year, you absolutely can't go down the path of breaking school rules."
When he said these words, Cedric's attitude was very sincere, as if he really didn't want to see Kyle being led astray by the Weasleys.
"Don't worry, with the Marauder's Map, no one can catch us."
At this moment, Kyle also found what he wanted, looked up at him and said, "Also, before you say those things, do you want to look at your position? This is the castle corridor, not the common room. You're also a member of the night patrol, okay?"
"I, I don't want to go on a night patrol." Cedric said stubbornly, "I just want to keep an eye on you to prevent you from breaking more school rules."
"Tch~" Kyle chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "Then we'll listen to you. We'll go back now and not go to the Forbidden Forest to watch the Moonbeasts dance."
"Uh, that…" Cedric's eyes suddenly became a little unfocused, and he said vaguely, "No, I… that's not what I meant. I just wanted to…"
"Want to go to the Forbidden Forest, huh?" Kyle interrupted him without any politeness, pointed to the silent Kanna beside him and said, "Learn from her. If you want to go, just wait patiently. If you say another word, I won't take you."
Cedric chuckled twice and immediately fell silent.
Earlier in the Great Hall, although Kyle and the Weasley twins tried to keep their voices down, the dining table was only so big, and Cedric and Kanna, sitting next to them, inevitably overheard some of their conversation.
When Kyle sneaked out of his dormitory that night, he turned around and saw two heads staring intently at him in the moonlight.
The sight sent chills down Kyle's spine; his last bit of sleepiness vanished instantly, replaced by a cold sweat.
These two were Cedric and Kanna, and their purpose was simple: they wanted to go to the Forbidden Forest with Kyle.
And then the scene just now unfolded.
After Cedric calmed down, Kyle took a long, thin bundle from his shapeshifting lizard skin pouch and handed it to him, saying, "Choose one."
Cedric looked at the bundle in Kyle's hand, feeling it looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a scarf from one of the other three houses:
Gryffindor's gold and red, Slytherin's silver and green, and Ravenclaw's grey and blue—it had them all.
There were about a dozen scarves, tightly bound together; at first glance, they looked like wooden stakes.
Cedric was a little dazed and subconsciously asked, "Kyle, why are you giving me this? I already have my own scarves."
"This isn't for keeping you warm, just in case," Kyle said without turning his head. "If you get caught, just throw it on the ground when you run away."
"..."
Cedric and Kanna exchanged glances, unsure whether to take them.
Seeing their hesitation, Kyle simply pulled out two silver-green scarves and hung them around their necks.
He used one himself.
After putting on their gear, the three left the kitchen corridor and arrived at their agreed-upon spot—the entrance to a small hut next to the Great Hall, the place where First Years would wait before the Sorting.
Aside from the Sorting, almost no one paid attention to this place; even Filch rarely patrolled it.
When they arrived, Fred and George were already waiting there.
"Wow~ Look who's here!" George's eyes lit up. "First place: Cedric, and Kanna, the hero who defeated Snape!"
Fred exclaimed excitedly. "I never imagined our night stroll would be so luxurious! This is truly amazing... Wait a minute!"
He suddenly noticed something and ask Kyle, "Why are you all wearing Slytherin uniforms?"
Kyle sighed and could only explain again.
"What a brilliant idea..."
Fred and George were utterly astonished and eagerly asked, "Are there any more? Give us one too!"
Kyle shrugged and gave them two silver-green ones as well.
Don't ask why they're all Slytherin's; it was just something I grabbed, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Snape targeting him.
The twins took the scarves and immediately put them on.
Fred admired his new look and asked curiously, "Kyle, I don't think you've ever left Hogwarts, where did you get these?"
"My mother sent them to me,"
Kyle explained. "Along with the scarves came a master key and an invisibility cloak with an Illusion Charm.
I don't know why she sent me these things, but they come in handy now."
Kyle spoke casually, but he didn't notice that the twins' eyes were red.
"The Master Key…"
"The Invisibility Cloak…"
Fred swallowed hard, then said sincerely, "Mrs. Chopper is simply the greatest mother in the world."
"That's right." George wholeheartedly agreed, "Her deeds and thoughts should be written into a book and placed in the most prominent position in Flourish and Blotts and the school library."
"If that day ever comes, I promise I will buy it."
"Even if it means going bankrupt."
"Put it in the kitchen…"
"Or in Mom's room!"
"If that day ever comes…" Kyle grinned, "You'll most likely get a beating from Mrs. Weasley."
"No." Fred said seriously, "Mom never beat us up."
"She only twists our ears." George laughed, "I guess she wants to twist our ears off so she won't call us by the wrong names anymore."
"Although she never does."
Watching Kyle and the twins chatting and laughing, Cedric and Kanna were too scared to move, afraid that Filch would suddenly jump out from some corner and drag them to the professor's office.
"Don't worry, we've been watching the Marauder's Map." Fred, noticing their odd behavior, unfolded the parchment in his hand. "Filch and Mrs. Norris are on the fifth floor. He won't find us unless we shout… Oh, damn it, the cat's coming down!"
On the map, Mrs. Norris's name was rapidly moving in their direction.
Seeing this, George quickly took out his wand and pointed it at a nearby tapestry.
"Revelio!"
The tapestry split open, revealing a deep passage.
"Hurry up!" Fred urged. "We have to get out of here before the cat gets here!"
Without delay, the group quickly slipped into the secret passage.
After George, who was last in line, went in, the tapestry immediately returned to its original state. The next second, Mrs. Norris arrived.
Looking at the empty corridor, she lingered nearby for a moment, somewhat puzzled, before leaving.
[End of the chapter]