Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Professor Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts was as terrible as ever, especially after his arm injury, leaving the young wizards to take care of the "assistant teacher."
A Gryffindor student near the podium was lucky enough to receive this task.
Kyle noticed that when he took the large lizard, his face turned pale, and he stood there stiffly, afraid to move. It was as if he was holding not a harmless little animal, but Professor Snape's Animagus.
"I've had enough..."
After class, as Kyle left the classroom, he overheard him complaining to his friend.
"That lizard smelled exactly like Professor Quirrell. Does it eat garlic every day...? And now that smell must have gotten on me too!
Ugh, disgusting... I hope the cleansing charm works, otherwise I'll have to buy a new school uniform."
Kyle subconsciously sniffed himself; he did indeed smell of garlic, just not as strong as Quirrell's. Since they had just come from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, not many people noticed them.
It's no wonder he wanted a new school uniform, given the smell.
The group quickly walked past him, and when they reached the second floor, Kyle suddenly stopped.
He turned to the group beside him and asked, "I'm going to the library, do you want to come?"
"No, no," Mikel and Ryan shook their heads repeatedly.
Kyle wasn't surprised; they usually only went to the library when doing homework, otherwise they avoided that place.
"I'm not going either," Kanna thought for a moment and shook her head, "I'm currently looking at Professor Snape's notes, which will be checked at Christmas, so I don't have time to read anything else."
"Snape's notes?"
Kyle's eyes lit up. "Can I borrow them... Don't worry, I'll make a copy, it won't take up much of your time."
He had received Professor Flitwick's Charms class notes last year. The notes contained not only Professor Flitwick's unique understanding of Charms but also many practical application tips.
This knowledge, not found in textbooks, had benefited him greatly; it was the kind of thing you couldn't buy even with Galleons.
"Well, of course you can see them if you want," Kanna said without hesitation. "Go to the library first, I'll make a copy for you when I get back.
But... be careful when you look at them, don't let Professor Snape find out, he forbids me from sharing them."
Kanna's expression was a little strange as she spoke.
In fact, when Snape gave her these notes, besides instructing her not to share them, he specifically mentioned someone's name.
She just hadn't dared to say it in front of the person in question.
"Don't worry, Professor Snape definitely won't find out," Kyle patted his chest and assured him, "I'm the most discreet person at Hogwarts."
"Also…"
Kanna continued, "My copying charm isn't as good as yours, so it probably only lasts about a week. You'd better hurry."
Kyle didn't care about this either.
He had a shorthand quill, so he could just copy it over later. It would only take half a day, let alone a week.
After making their decision, Conna and the other two returned to the common room, while Kyle turned a corner and headed straight for the library.
There were quite a few young wizards at Hogwarts who loved reading, and even though it was only after class, the library was almost full.
Kyle also saw the Gryffindor trio, sitting at a table near the door, with a tall stack of books next to them.
Kyle glanced at them subconsciously.
It wasn't surprising that Hermione was here; she practically treated the library like her dormitory, coming almost every day.
But Harry and Ron were different.
Their situation was similar to his two roommates; they were the type who avoided the library and rarely showed up here.
What surprised Kyle even more was that there were no parchment or quills on their desks, clearly they weren't doing homework.
Were they really here to read? That was unusual.
However, Kyle didn't say much, simply greeting the three of them before heading towards Mrs. Pince.
"Harry..."
Ron suddenly whispered, watching Kyle's retreating figure, "What do you think about us asking Kyle? If it's him, he might know who Nicolas Flamel is."
"No!"
Hermione refused before Harry could even speak. "It's too dangerous. Don't forget, Snape tried to kill Harry last time. We can't let Kyle get involved."
"Yeah... Hermione's right." Harry hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
He also felt it was better not to tell Kyle, and Ron's words were just a guess.
Even if Kyle was intelligent, it didn't mean he necessarily knew who Nicolas Flamel was.
Hermione was a prime example.
"Well, I was just saying," Ron shrugged. "If you disagree, that's fine too."
While they were discussing, Kyle borrowed the book he wanted and prepared to leave the library.
Passing the trio, Kyle suddenly noticed their gazes towards him were strange.
Their smiles were fake, and tinged with embarrassment.
Awkward when they saw him?
Were they crazy, or were they experiencing some kind of mental breakdown?
Confused, Kyle frowned and quickly left the library.
Although he didn't know what was going on, it was best to stay away from them for safety's sake.
Hermione was a prime example; such a nice girl, but ever since she got close to them, she'd started acting strangely.
Terrifying!
Back in the common room, Kyle first found Kanna and retrieved Snape's notes.
They weren't thick, about the same thickness as the ones Professor Flitwick had given him, and it didn't seem to be all of them.
"Don't let Professor Snape find out," Kanna reminded him again. "Otherwise, I'll get yelled at."
"Don't worry," Kyle took the notebook and found a quiet spot to sit down.
However, he didn't look at the notes first; instead, he opened the book he'd borrowed from the library. The first page of *Legendary Alchemical Items* featured an automatic stirring cauldron.
This item had been mentioned in last year's magical history; its appearance greatly increased the success rate of potions and reduced potential accidents.
It was quite significant.
Behind the automatic stirring cauldron were a flying broom, a spyglass, a time-twister…
but Kyle wasn't interested in any of these. He quickly flipped through the book and soon found what he needed:
the Philosopher's Stone!
[End of the chapter]