The end of the second afternoon class signaled the start of dinner time at Hogwarts Castle.
Kyle and the two girls made their way to the first floor of the castle, chatting and laughing all the while.
For now, Kyle was just an auditor—he hadn't officially enrolled and didn't yet belong to any house.
So when they entered the Great Hall, Cho Chang and Marietta invited him to join them at the Ravenclaw table for the meal.
But Kyle politely declined.
Maybe it was because in his previous life he'd been a lifelong singleton; eating with two girls would make him feel just a little awkward.
And if he did, he wouldn't feel comfortable letting loose and stuffing his face.
So, eating at the Ravenclaw table was out of the question. Kyle figured it would be much more relaxing to dine with Professor Snape.
As Kyle passed the Gryffindor long table, two red-haired students blocked his path.
"Hey, new guy!"
"You're the kid who caused a ruckus in Professor McGonagall's class, right?"
Their tone was unfriendly, like they were looking for trouble.
Great.
Beating up classmates on his first day of school—he'd probably be the first in Hogwarts history.
Noticing the commotion, people from the nearby tables turned to watch, eager for a spectacle.
Kyle's hand, tucked in his pocket, clenched around a kunai before relaxing.
It was just ordinary schoolyard bullying; using a kunai might turn it into a criminal case.
"Yeah, that's me," Kyle replied, his voice laced with hostility. "What do you want?"
The redhead on the left leaned in. "I'll tell you what I want."
"We want to invite you to join us tomorrow for Professor Snape's class." The boy on the right suddenly switched from a scowl to a grin.
The tense atmosphere vanished in an instant, replaced by a lighthearted one.
The two, instantly familiar, slung their arms around Kyle's shoulders from either side.
"I'm George Weasley."
As soon as the left one spoke, the right one punched him. "Get lost—I'm George. He's Fred Weasley."
They looked completely identical; it was obvious they were twins.
Pulled to sit at the Gryffindor long table, Kyle nodded at them. "I'm Kyle Dumbledore."
Gasps erupted around them—he'd heard that reaction several times during his two afternoon classes.
George: "Professor Dumbledore's relative?!"
Fred: "No wonder you were eating at the staff table this morning!"
Across the table, two more boys with fiery red hair reached out their hands.
"Hi, I'm Percy Weasley," said the one wearing glasses.
"Charlie Weasley," said the other, whose face was covered in freckles, keeping it short.
Percy pointed at George and Fred. "I'm their older brother."
From the hair color alone, it was clear they were all family.
With Percy and Charlie leading the way, the surrounding Gryffindor students eagerly extended hands of friendship.
Kyle had underestimated the weight the Dumbledore name carried among Hogwarts students—especially in Gryffindor.
After all, Albus Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard in the magical world today, had been a Gryffindor.
What should have been a pleasant dinner turned into a full-blown fan meet-and-greet.
The neighboring Ravenclaw table noticed the commotion too. Beside Cho, a beautiful witch with long, curly brown hair asked, "Who's that boy?"
Cho pointed at Kyle, surrounded by the crowd. "Him? His name's Kyle Dumbledore."
Dumbledore!
It was actually a Dumbledore?
Penelope Clearwater silently committed the name to memory.
Once the crowd finally dispersed, Kyle felt his face stiff from smiling.
"Want to come to class with us tomorrow? We've got Potions with Professor Snape!"
"We've been fed up with that old bat for ages—he's always picking on Gryffindors!"
The twins extended another invitation, clearly impressed by Kyle's guts in McGonagall's class.
Across the table, Percy: "........."
Could you two watch what you say with people around?
A thick darkness silently approached.
Ahem! Unable to stand it, Percy coughed violently, frantically winking at his younger brothers.
"Percy, you okay?"
"Something in your eye?"
The twins took turns asking, completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
Kyle sensed something and turned to look behind him. A black wall blocked his view.
He looked up—and a gloomy face continuously radiating dark energy came into sight.
Holy crap! Speak of Snape and Snape appears!
The sudden bat-like figure startled Kyle so much he nearly jumped, but he quickly composed himself. It wasn't him badmouthing the professor—what did he have to be scared of?
George and Fred finally caught on. They swallowed hard in terror, necks stiffly twisting.
When their eyes met Snape's icy, deathly glare, the two thudded straight down beneath their seats.
"Disrespecting a professor—ten points from each of you."
With that cold remark, Snape flicked his robes and turned on his heel.
Only after Snape left did a weak voice emerge from under the table: "Kyle, give me a hand—my legs are jelly."
Though a minor mishap occurred before the meal, it did nothing to dampen their spirits while eating.
The dinner table is a great place to bond quickly, and soon Kyle was laughing and chatting with the twins.
At the staff table nearby, Dumbledore gazed toward the Gryffindor table, a pleased smile on his face.
It seemed there was no need to worry about Kyle making friends at Hogwarts.
After dinner, Kyle blended into the Gryffindor crowd, following George, Fred, and the others toward the Gryffindor common room.
"Are you staying with us, Kyle?" George asked curiously, seeing him tag along.
"Yeah, Professor Dumbledore arranged a room for me."
Kyle followed the twins through the noisy throng, climbing the marble staircase.
Finally, they stopped at the end of the eighth-floor corridor in front of a portrait of a very plump woman in a pink dress.
"Password?" she asked.
"Nirvana," Percy said.
The portrait swung forward with a wobble, revealing a round hole in the wall.
They all climbed through.
And just like that, they were in the Gryffindor common room.
It was a cozy, circular room filled with squashy armchairs.
There was a notice board plastered with school announcements, various ads, and posters.
Through the windows, the school grounds were visible outside.
A large fireplace dominated one wall, decorated with scarlet tapestries depicting wizards, witches, and all sorts of animals.
Back in the common room, George and Fred immediately claimed a table, expertly pulling a box from underneath it.
"Want to play Wizard's Chess?" they invited Kyle.
But Kyle hadn't even seen what his room looked like yet—how could he be in the mood for chess?
"No thanks," Kyle shook his head. "I want to check out my room first."
"Can we come see it too?"
They lived in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory and knew every inch of the place by heart.
But would the room Dumbledore arranged for Kyle be different from theirs—maybe more luxurious? They were genuinely curious.
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