Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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It seemed like suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, and the sounds of young wizards playing in the dormitory were gone.
But unlike at the start of the term, there were now posters on the dormitory walls that hadn't been taken away. The Quidditch players in the pictures were, as usual, repeatedly making throwing motions, then cheering and celebrating, as if they knew their owners would soon return.
Notices were sent to each student, warning them not to use magic during the holiday.
Because Hagrid was still at St. Mungo's, Professor McGonagall temporarily led them onto the ferry to cross the lake.
On the Hogwarts Express, Kyle declined the Weasley brothers' invitation to join them in the box to discuss their future (how to earn Galleons next term) and the direction of the wizarding world (how to sell their products outside of Hogwarts).
The huge sum of one hundred Galleons had already driven the Weasley brothers a little mad; in the last few days of the term, they hadn't even bothered to look for clues to the Marauder's Map or the password, focusing instead on how to make even more money.
Hopefully, they'll come up with a good idea.
Kyle walked along the train, pushing open the door to a compartment at the very end.
There was only one person inside.
Kanna was curled up in her seat, staring blankly at the neat wheat fields outside the window.
Kyle sat down opposite her naturally. "Still upset about Pochi?"
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"Her name isn't Pochi."
After a long silence, Kanna finally spoke softly, "Her name is Ruth, kind of like my great-aunt."
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Kanna seemed to want to confide in someone; she talked a lot.
The countryside outside the window grew increasingly green and tidy. As the train passed through one Muggle town after another, Kyle gradually understood what had happened.
This is a rather cliché story.
Eleven years ago, Kanna's father, drunk, inadvertently uttered Voldemort's name and was killed by Death Eaters.
Fortunately, Kanna and her mother weren't home at the time, thus escaping death.
Then, shortly before the start of the school year last year, Kanna's mother also died in an accident. Since then, the Prince family has been reduced to just Kanna.
While the Prince surname isn't as famous as the Twenty-Eight Holy Families, it's still a long-established pure-blood family, and this recent upheaval naturally attracted a lot of attention.
It was around this time that Pochi… Ruth appeared.
But upon arriving, she discovered that Kanna's family's former assets had long been divided up by other pure-bloods.
So, she set her sights on Gringotts' vault, intending to use her Animagus status to steal the key.
Once she had the key, and after figuring out how to eliminate Kanna, she could use her distant Prince kinship to legitimately take what was inside.
Later, she actually found it, but pure-blood families always have some hidden treasures. The box containing the key to the Prince family vault was like that, requiring a direct bloodline to open.
The problem was, she didn't know the Imperius Curse, and she didn't dare ask anyone for help.
Just as she was worrying about what to do, the devastated Kanna unexpectedly fell in love with the mouse that had "always been with her at home" and brought it to Hogwarts as a pet.
The rest is history. She began trying every possible way to steal Kanna's money, hoping to get her out of Hogwarts as soon as possible and get the key to Gringotts Vault.
Her plan was initially very successful; Kanna was expected to return home for the Christmas holidays to collect the money. However, Kyle unexpectedly appeared and forcibly extended Kanna's life.
According to Kanna, after being given Veritaserum, Ruth kept cursing the "meddlesome boy."
Kyle stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "So, I saved your life?"
"Indeed," Kanna nodded.
After finally speaking out about what had been weighing on her mind, she felt much better.
"Shouldn't you thank me properly?"
Kyle said with a smile. "Besides, I lost a huge order for tonics after you got rid of the rats."
"Then I'll keep buying."
Kanna took out a beaded bag and placed it on the table. "Same as before, one bottle a month, until these are all used up."
The bag was full of Galleons.
Besides the original 100 Galleons, the ones that had been stolen before were also included, totaling about 150.
"What about your rat?"
"I can go to Diagon Alley and buy another one."
"Are you sure… you still want to keep a rat?" Kyle looked at her suspiciously.
"Mind your own business!" Kanna seemed to recall the scene in the Forbidden Forest, and her expression suddenly turned somewhat unpleasant. "Are you going to buy it or not? If you say so again, I won't buy it!"
"Yes, only a fool wouldn't take Galleons that are offered to him!"
Kyle quickly stuffed the bag on the table into his pocket.
"By the way, like Pochi… that rat, are there many people eyeing your vault?"
Kanna turned her head to the side and didn't speak.
Judging from her expression, Kyle knew the answer.
Come to think of it, the magical world is only so big, and every pure-blood family must have quite a few distant relatives.
Kanna's unhappiness after the exams was probably because she didn't want to go back and face these people.
"How about this, I won't give you the tonic," Kyle said thoughtfully, tapping his fingers on the table. "But if you're paying someone, you have to take care of them. How about I help you solve these problems?"
"What do you mean?" Kanna tilted her head, a little confused.
"It means leave this to me," Kyle said calmly. "I guarantee that no one will bother you during the summer vacation."
"Really..." Kanna looked at Kyle suspiciously, clearly unconvinced.
"Actually, you don't need to comfort me. I can handle them."
"Just wait and see, you definitely won't be disappointed."
Kyle didn't explain further, taking out a large pile of snacks and placing them on the table.
He was a little hungry.
There wasn't much else to eat on the train; if he hadn't brought food, he could only eat snacks to tide him over.
Just then, Cedric and Cho suddenly pushed open the compartment door.
"Kanna, I've been looking for you."
Cho sat down next to Kanna, asking with concern, "How are you? Feeling any better?"
"Much better," Kanna replied with a smile.
Actually, they had already come once before, but hadn't come in.
"Kyle, what are your plans for summer vacation?"
Cedric opened a bag of Chocolate Frogs and said, "My dad is taking me to France, we can go together."
France?
Kyle thought about it; it was a nice place, and he was quite curious about Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
It was just a bit too far.
After thinking it over carefully, Kyle shook his head: "Maybe next time, Cedric, I have other plans for summer vacation."
"That's a pity," Cedric said, somewhat disappointed. "I'll bring you a present."
[End of the chapter]