Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twenty Galleons…
Fred and George looked up simultaneously, hesitatingly glancing at Kyle.
To accept or not to accept… that was the question.
If they accepted, and Kyle guessed correctly, not only would they lose all the Galleons they had earned, but a significant portion of them would be lost.
But… with twenty glittering Galleons before them, they couldn't bring themselves to refuse.
George licked his dry lips and asked, "Twenty Galleons… are you sure?"
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Let's take a gamble and sweep away any confusion, and I can tell you my guess right now."
He leaned close to their ears and whispered a few words.
"Quirrwll will stay until after the final exams, and the ending…"
The twins gasped after hearing Kyle's words.
Then they exchanged a glance.
"You're not going to tell our mother about this, are you…" Fred asked suspiciously.
Kyle's words sounded like he was giving them Galleons for free; this kind of windfall seemed unreal to him.
"Of course not, I promise," Kyle affirmed.
George took a deep breath. "Alright, we'll take it!"
"A wise choice," Kyle said, giving them a meaningful look before taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.
Cedric and Kanna, standing nearby, stared in disbelief, only now realizing what was happening.
Twenty Galleons was no small sum; it was more than many people's allowance for a whole school year.
Just as Cedric was about to try and dissuade Kyle from his impulsive act, Fred and George quickly gathered the Galleons from the table and dashed back to their Gryffindor desks.
Seemingly afraid that Kyle would change his mind, Cedric said,
"Kyle, you're too impulsive..."
But before he could finish speaking, a strange voice came from the side.
"What you're doing is wrong!"
A little girl with brown hair was standing not far away watching them.
Cedric vaguely remembered her and, after thinking for a moment, asked, "Are you... a new student in Gryffindor?"
"Yes, my name is Hermione Granger."
"Cedric Diggory, hello!"
Hermione nodded to him, then looked at Kyle and said seriously, "What you just did was wrong. Gambling is forbidden at Hogwarts."
"I know..." Kyle said nonchalantly, "So I'm going to help them break this bad habit."
"What?"
Hermione was stunned, clearly not understanding what Kyle meant.
"But you just now clearly…"
"Don't worry about the details. It's hard to explain in a few words. Just know that I was helping them."
Kyle interrupted her, then changed the subject, "What brings you here?"
"I've been thinking about it for days, and I still feel I should come and thank you."
Hermione, as expected, didn't dwell on Fred and George anymore. She looked at Kyle and said seriously, "Thank you for saving my life that day."
"It's not that serious. I just… well, if you insist, I accept." Kyle said somewhat helplessly.
He had been trying to avoid Hermione lately, but he hadn't expected her to remember this after so long.
"Is there anything else?"
"Yes!" Hermione didn't stand on ceremony at all. She took out a copy of *The Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration* and opened it…
Kyle noticed that her book was filled with notes, every blank space on each page was covered.
Hermione pointed to several specially marked places in the book and asked, "Can I ask you some questions?"
Kyle nodded and answered each of Hermione's questions in detail. During this time, Cedric, who was standing nearby, also offered his insights.
Hermione listened very attentively.
These were all things she hadn't quite understood in class, and she had originally intended to ask Professor McGonagall about them, but somehow, she had asked them on a whim.
However, the result was the same.
Kyle and Cedric solved all her problems in just a few words.
Only after the last question was resolved did Hermione reluctantly close the book.
At this moment, her previous doubts about Kyle had completely vanished.
As expected of the top student in the year, he solved the problems that had troubled her for so long so easily; he was really amazing.
And that third-year student named Cedric was the same.
For a fleeting moment, Hermione regretted being sorted into Gryffindor for the first time. Hufflepuff was a true paradise for learning.
Look at their setup, almost like one-on-one tutoring from a professor! And then she thought about her own…
"Hermione, can I copy your homework?"
"What was the Charms homework again…"
Two voices suddenly popped into Hermione's head, making her involuntarily shudder.
Never mind.
After thanking him again, Hermione hurriedly left with her books.
Watching her retreating figure, Cedric asked curiously, "Why did she say you saved her life?"
"A long time ago," Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "Besides, I didn't do anything, just helped out a little. She's making a big deal out of it."
Cedric nodded, seemingly understanding. He noticed Kyle didn't seem keen on the topic, so he didn't press further.
"By the way, Harris told us to meet at the Quidditch pitch today, you know?"
"Yes, he told me last night."
Kyle became interested in this as well.
After Halloween, the Quidditch season begins, which also means their holidays are over and they must resume practice matches.
Fortunately, their first opponent is Ravenclaw, and neither Harris nor the others seem overly nervous.
This was evident in today's practice match. With the season fast approaching, the other houses are trying every means to extend their use of the Quidditch pitch.
Slytherin's Marcus Flint even approached Snape, shamelessly booking the pitch for the entire day so they could practice to their heart's content over the weekend.
Wood had also wanted to do the same, but Professor McGonagall hadn't agreed.
Of the four teams, only Hufflepuff was an exception; Harris still scheduled their regular two-hour practice session.
While this might not be very friendly to Cho, it's the truth.
Quidditch is a team game that requires cooperation between players to win, and Ravenclaw, who have been a pushover for so long, won't suddenly transform just because they have an extra Seeker.
Ravenclaw's chances of winning are slim unless Cho catches the Golden Snitch within five minutes.
Of course, if that were the case, then no matter how much they trained, it would be useless.
After leaving the Great Hall, the two went back to their dormitory to get their flying brooms and headed towards the Quidditch pitch.
(End of Chapter)