Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Although Kyle repeatedly assured her that he was alright, Professor McGonagall insisted on taking him to the school hospital.
Although Madam Pomfrey couldn't find any injuries on Kyle, after hearing what had happened, she insisted that he stay there for the night. After
Professor McGonagall left, Madam Pomfrey took a bottle from the cupboard and poured Kyle a large glass of light blue medicine.
"Drink it!"
Lying on the hospital bed, Kyle said with a pained expression, "No, no need, Madam Pomfrey."
The medicine at the school hospital, well, it was very effective, but also extremely unpleasant to drink.
Cedric had drunk this potion once when he had a cold, and in his words, it was like dishwater that had been left to dry in the sun for three days; just swallowing it required immense willpower.
Kyle didn't want to drink dishwater.
Besides, his most serious injury was a bite mark on his arm; in that case, he didn't need medicine at all.
But Madam Pomfrey wouldn't listen. She stood there, her tone stern, and said, "This potion will quickly restore your energy and stamina. You must finish it, or you won't be leaving the hospital!"
Hearing that he couldn't leave, Kyle's face instantly fell.
The hospital was the most powerful place in Hogwarts; even Dumbledore would have to listen to Madam Pomfrey and wouldn't dare utter a single word of dissent.
If Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let Kyle leave, he really couldn't go, no matter who came.
Kyle picked up the cup and resignedly drank the potion.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."
The taste wasn't great, but it was better than a Pepperup potion—like dishwater left to dry all day.
After finishing the potion, Madam Pomfrey left.
Lying in bed, Kyle didn't know if it was exhaustion or the effects of the potion, but his eyelids felt unusually heavy, and he quickly fell asleep.
He didn't know how long he slept, but in his hazy state, Kyle heard a constant rustling sound near his ear.
It sounded like someone was eating.
Hmm, eating?
Thinking this, he suddenly felt hungry… and the feeling grew stronger.
Kyle struggled to open his eyelids; the sunlight was a bit blinding, and it took him a while to adjust.
Before him was the ceiling of the school hospital, and… Albus Dumbledore's smiling face.
"Good afternoon, Kyle," Dumbledore mumbled, seemingly chewing on something, with an open box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans beside him.
When Kyle fully woke up, he quickly realized the situation.
The greatest wizard before him, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, was actually stealing his snacks!
"There's simply no room on the table," Dumbledore said with a smile, as if he had guessed what Kyle was thinking. "And I suggest you don't eat this box. I ate three, and they were all awful. I think they probably packed the wrong ones."
"Headmaster, you could try the golden-brown one," Kyle said instinctively, then glanced at the table, which was piled high with various snacks, like a small mountain.
And it wasn't just one table; someone had somehow moved the table from the bedside table next to the hospital bed, which was also piled high with snacks.
"These are all gifts from your friends. I suspect they probably bought out all the Honeydukes," Dumbledore said with a grin, casually popping the bean Kyle had mentioned into his mouth.
"Oh, it's champagne…this flavor is quite rare."
"Headmaster, how long have I been asleep?"
"Three more hours and it'll be a whole day," Dumbledore said.
Kyle sat up in bed, stretching his stiff neck.
He hadn't expected to sleep so long; it was already the afternoon of the next day. No wonder he felt hungry…wait! The afternoon of the next day?
"Headmaster, the Quidditch match."
"I'm sorry you missed it," Dumbledore said. "But the Hufflepuffs won. They think a Quidditch trophy will help you recover faster, and they played with great intensity."
"Damn Oren!" Kyle pounded his pillow in frustration. He had been looking forward to this match the most.
"Speaking of Oren…Kyle, do you know why he's been bothering you?"
"He said it's because of my father," Kyle said.
"But as far as I know," Dumbledore's blue eyes flickered, "twelve years ago, if it weren't for Chris, Oren would have died at the hands of the Death Eaters. Your father saved his life."
"That's impossible. If my father saved Oren, why would he do this? An ingratitude?"
Kyle said firmly. "He really wanted to kill me. If the centaurs hadn't arrived in time, he might have even used the Killing Curse on me."
"That is indeed puzzling. Perhaps only Oren himself knows the reason," Dumbledore said softly. "But he's already escaped. Catching a bard isn't easy."
"A bard?"
"Yes," Dumbledore explained. "After that brush with death, he left for France and began traveling the world as a bard.
As for when he started smuggling magical creatures, I don't know."
"Then why did he come to Hogwarts?" Kyle asked, puzzled. "Was it just to kill me?"
"Of course not, child," Dumbledore shook his head. "I understand that the Ministry of Magic received an anonymous tip in mid-August, detailing the smugglers' routes.
Now that I think about it, the sender was probably Oren, which is why he applied to me for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship two months in advance.
But I also don't understand why he did that. Maybe he wanted to use Hogwarts to avoid something, or maybe he was short of money, or something else. Bards are always so unpredictable."
After hearing Dumbledore's words, Kyle realized he understood Oren less and less. All he could do was plant more Biting Cabbage and invite him for a plant bath the next time he saw Oren.
After all, it was a fact that he had almost been caught by Oren; it was the first time Oren had suffered such a loss.
Kyle had already decided that one hundred Biting Cabbage would be Oren's return gift.
"Now let's change the subject and talk about something happier,"
Dumbledore said in a light tone. "Because of your composure in the face of danger, your successful use of a flying broomstick to send Kanna Prince out of the Forbidden Forest at the most perilous moment, and your noble spirit in facing two dark wizards alone to buy her time, we have unanimously decided to award you the Special Contribution Award."
[End of the chapter]