Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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This secret passage seemed to be specifically designed for nighttime visitors. Its exit wasn't far from the castle, just behind some bushes near the Quidditch pitch.
Once everyone had emerged, Fred and George quickly walked to the front, opening their arms and saying, "Welcome to Hogwarts at night!"
"This feels completely different from the daytime. Enjoy it!"
Cedric and Kanna were both quite excited.
For them, a nighttime visit was an experience they had never had before, and they felt a sense of novelty mixed with an indescribable thrill.
Kyle didn't feel anything particularly special, but it was also his first time seeing Hogwarts at night, so he couldn't help but look around curiously.
Hogwarts at night was exceptionally tranquil. The stars in the night sky emitted soft, twinkling lights, like little nightlights hanging on the castle. It was beautiful, dreamlike, yet peaceful and serene.
The group stood there for a moment until Fred reminded them, then they remembered they still had important business to attend to and headed towards the Forbidden Forest.
On the way, they made a sharp turn, deliberately avoiding Hagrid's cabin.
Although Fang was a bit timid, he was still a proper hunting dog, with keen hearing and a sharp sense of smell; if they got too close, he might detect them.
It was just a little time, much better than being dragged back to the castle by Hagrid.
After rounding the cabin, they came to a wide expanse of woodland. The Moonbeast's lair wasn't hard to find; led by Kyle, they quickly spotted the lush patch of Guardian Trees.
Just then, the Moonbeasts emerged from their lair.
They craned their long necks to look at the sky, their large heads and slender legs creating a striking contrast. They looked like miniature alpacas.
Quite cute.
In the moonlight, they slowly raised their front legs, while their two slightly thicker hind legs began to swing erratically.
"The Moonbeast dance…this is the Moonfox dance!" Cedric exclaimed excitedly. "I've only ever seen it in books before, it's nowhere near as good as the live version!"
"Don't get too excited, we won't be able to see it if they find out," Kyle whispered a reminder.
Moonbeasts are very shy magical creatures; if they notice other people around, they will shyly retreat into their burrows.
But Cedric was right.
The live dance was indeed much better than the photos in the book.
But that's normal; Newt is just a socially awkward person who studies magical zoology. What does he know about taking pictures? Just make do with what he has to say.
After dancing for a while, the Moonbeasts seemed to warm up, and their dance steps became more complex and captivating.
And with each step they took, tiny silver-white specks of light gradually appeared on the ground behind them.
These specks of light multiplied, spreading out like a stage beneath the Moonbeasts' feet.
The silver-white "stage" and the moonlight in the sky complemented each other, elevating their dance to another level.
"So beautiful…" Kanna's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the scene, completely mesmerized.
"Ahem…"
Though it was a bit of a mood killer, Kyle thought for a moment and then whispered in her ear, "That silvery thing is their droppings."
"…"
The stars in Kanna's eyes vanished visibly. She turned her head and looked at Kyle incredulously.
"It's true," Kyle said calmly. "If you don't believe me, you can read 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.' It's written there."
Kanna: "…"
After learning that the Moonbeast danced on her own excrement, she could never go back.
The beautiful and complex dance before her eyes seemed utterly tasteless.
Kanna felt a surge of frustration.
She couldn't understand why Kyle had to tell her all this now; couldn't he have waited until she finished watching?!
Growing angrier, she turned around again and punched Kyle in the arm.
Fred and George, standing nearby, did the same, giving Kyle a punch in return and telling him to shut up when he should.
Only Cedric was somewhat better off, because he already knew all this.
Seeing that he had angered everyone, Kyle quickly raised his hands in surrender, decisively admitting defeat, "I was wrong!"
But it was no use; everyone continued to stare at him, even Cedric.
There was no way around it; not staring meant he wouldn't fit in.
"Okay, let's put it another way," Kyle continued. "Those things are silver, and Sickles are silver too. You know what that means?
Let's put it this way, if you're diligent, you can probably get about five a night."
Fred and George gasped, forgetting their reprimands of Kyle, and huddled together to do the math.
Five Galleons a night, thirty-five a week, and that's…
The twins' heads were spinning; they couldn't quite calculate it, but they were certain it was a huge sum.
And they still had six years left at Hogwarts.
With this windfall, even if they split it with Kyle and the others, they could open their own joke shop by graduation.
Their dream had come true?
The brothers hugged each other, tears of joy streaming down their faces, almost jumping for joy.
After that, they didn't care about anything else, just staring intently at the Moonbeasts. When the silver specks stopped increasing, they rushed out.
The Moonbeasts were terrified and ran back to their burrows, where Fred and George collected their droppings.
Presumably finding the process too slow, Fred even called Kyle and the others to come along.
However, neither Kyle nor Cedric moved, while Kanna hesitated, but Kyle pulled her back.
"Um, aren't you going to tell them the truth?" the honest Cedric asked, somewhat conflicted.
Moonbeast droppings were indeed valuable, but they had to be fresh, and unlike Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, they weren't something that could be sold easily; they needed a stable sales channel and customers.
Fred and George couldn't even leave Hogwarts, let alone anything else, and Cedric couldn't imagine who they could sell the collected Moonbeast droppings to.
Besides, there was something even more important… this was Hogwarts.
Whether it was Hagrid's pumpkin patch or Professor Sprout's greenhouse, both required a lot of fertilizer.
This fertilizer certainly wasn't bought from outside, was it?
"What truth? I don't understand what you mean," Kyle said innocently. "I was just telling the truth; that thing really is expensive."
Cedric pursed his lips, giving the twins a pitying look.
After a while, Kyle suddenly felt sleepy. He went over and called to the twins, who were still happily shoveling poop. Ignoring their vehement objections, he and Cedric forcibly dragged them out of the Forbidden Forest.
[End of the chapter]