As November arrived, Hogwarts became extremely cold.
The mountains surrounding the school turned a dull gray, covered in ice and snow.
The Black Lake outside the castle was frozen solid by the invading cold currents; the surface looked as cold and hard as tempered steel.
Every morning, Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows.
Wrapped from head to toe in a long moleskin coat, wearing rabbit-fur gloves and enormous beaver-skin boots, he was out on the Quidditch pitch defrosting the broomsticks.
With the first match of the Quidditch season approaching, Harry, the newly appointed Seeker for Gryffindor, grew increasingly anxious.
Because his Quidditch training had been conducted in secret, few people had actually seen him play.
For this reason, the little lions of Gryffindor had no idea what Harry's true skill level was.
Some told him he would be brilliant.
Others said they would run around underneath him holding a mattress, just to catch him if he fell.
Harry didn't know which sentiment was worse.
But in any case, the varying rumors within Gryffindor House put Harry under immense pressure.
In contrast, Kyle, also a rising Quidditch star, appeared much more relaxed.
The incident with the troll on Halloween had quickly subsided, causing only a few ripples in the tranquility of Hogwarts before vanishing completely.
This had absolutely no effect on Kyle, the person responsible for killing the troll.
That morning, while having breakfast in the Great Hall, Kyle received a gigantic package delivered by six owls working in tandem. He was currently busy unwrapping his delivery.
He had written to Old Alfred some time ago, commissioning him to purchase books related to science, specifically physics and chemistry.
It seemed that items linked to the word "nuclear" weren't so easy to acquire, which was why it had taken the old butler this long to procure enough books.
"Hey! Fred, come here! I've got something for you."
That's right—Kyle intended to give all these books to Fred.
George's mind was currently entirely focused on the Puppet Technique.
As long as he was provided with enough resources, given time, George could become the Sasori of the Red Sand of Hogwarts.
Since they already had a Sasori of the Red Sand, his partner, the explosion-obsessed Deidara, couldn't be left out.
And who was more suitable to be the explosion maniac of Hogwarts than George's twin brother, Fred?
Combining Muggle technology with Alchemy—Kyle was very curious to see what kind of marvelous chemical reaction the collision of these two fields would produce.
Such a large stack of thick tomes naturally attracted the interest of a certain diligent and studious little beaver; she smelled the scent of book ink and immediately leaned over.
When she leaned in and saw the titles, her face immediately contorted into an expression of utter bewilderment.
What on earth are these books?!
"Fundamentals of Physics"
"Fundamentals of Chemistry"
"Explosives Theory"
"Introduction to Astrophysics"
"Nuclear Reaction Theory"
Fred looked at the books Kyle was stuffing into his hands, his mind a bit dazed.
"Didn't you say that art should be a beauty that blooms in a single instant?"
Kyle pointed to the books on nuclear physics in Fred's hands. "You should take a look at the Muggle atomic bomb."
The little beaver, who had been eavesdropping, felt her heart skip a beat. Are these people planning to bring 'nuclear peace' to the magical world?
However, "peace bombs" weren't that easy to build. Hermione didn't believe this lot could actually figure out how to make one.
Fred looked down at one of the books introducing the atomic bomb; the cover featured a massive rising mushroom cloud.
"That is the ultimate art that Muggles can create. And above that, there is something called a hydrogen bomb."
Kyle pulled another nuclear physics book from the stack in Fred's hands.
Looking at the colossal artificial sun depicted on the cover, Fred's eyes almost went straight.
"Sure enough, art is an explosion!" he sighed with emotion.
"I'm giving them all to you." Kyle tidied up the table and pushed the books in his hands toward Fred.
"What? You're giving them to me?" Fred clearly couldn't quite believe it.
Kyle explained, "These books were bought specifically for you. I look forward to the day you can create true art."
After saying this, he patted Fred on the shoulder in encouragement. having eaten and drunk his fill, he turned and left the Great Hall, leaving a certain slacker standing there looking depressed.
How could anyone possibly finish reading this many books? You could have just converted the cost into Galleons and given them to me instead!
Glancing at the giant fireball rising from the hydrogen bomb explosion on the cover, Fred gritted his teeth. Study!
A moment later, he slammed the book onto the table.
Study my ass!
"Hiss!"
During the afternoon Potions class, a sharp sound of someone sucking in a cold breath suddenly broke the silence of the underground dungeon.
Kyle turned his head and saw that Hannah, who was next to him, had accidentally cut her finger while slicing potion ingredients.
Fresh blood was gushing out of the wound.
The blonde little girl was currently staring at her finger with teary eyes.
A faint, fluorescent green light lit up in the cold Potions classroom.
Hannah was amazed to find that the wound on her hand was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Soon, only a shallow red mark remained.
Only a smear of blood remaining next to the mark proved that it had just been sliced open by a knife.
Hannah turned her head blankly and met Kyle's smile, which was as warm as sunshine.
"Be careful next time you cut ingredients. You should curl your fingers and rest them against the blade, rather than sticking your fingertips directly under the edge."
Listening to Kyle's words, the blonde little girl lowered her head, her cheeks flushing slightly red.
"Miss Abbott, the Potions classroom is not a place for you to engage in romance."
The old bat's voice, revealing a chilling coldness, made Hannah shudder, and the trace of romantic atmosphere in her heart was instantly dispelled completely.
Kyle stirred the potion in his cauldron unhurriedly. "Professor Snape, perhaps this is the reason you are still a bachelor in your thirties."
A series of coughs immediately rang out in the Potions classroom.
Hold it in, don't laugh!
Otherwise, the old bat will kill us!
From the beet-red faces of the surrounding students, it wasn't hard to see that they were struggling very hard to hold back their laughter.
Snape's exasperated roar echoed through the dungeon: "Get out!"
The sound of a door shattering was exceptionally distinct in the empty underground corridor as Kyle flew out of the classroom, chair and all.
Kyle climbed up from the ground, not caring in the slightest.
He tidied up his appearance and quickly vanished down the underground corridor in a flash.
Snape had told him to get out; there was no way he was going to shamelessly run back in.
Wouldn't it be better to go to the Forbidden Forest and pet the eagle?
For the rest of the time, the atmospheric pressure in the Potions classroom was terrifyingly low.
A furious Snape vented all his rage on the other young wizards, leading to the loud sounds of cauldrons exploding frequently echoing through the room.
However, this had little to do with Hannah. As a member of the first-year academic trio, the content of this Potions lesson wasn't too difficult for her.
Hannah continued to space out while stirring her potion.
She was filled with interest regarding the healing magic Kyle had just performed.
Given Kyle's personality, during his seven years of study at Hogwarts, getting into trouble would certainly be inevitable.
And Kyle seemed to really enjoy fighting.
If she could learn healing magic, then wouldn't she be able to treat his injuries whenever Kyle got hurt?
The moment she thought about treating an injured Kyle, and Kyle saying thank you to her with that warm, sun-like smile on his face, Hannah suddenly solidified her resolve to learn medical magic.
The person most skilled in medical magic at Hogwarts should be Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing, right?
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