The common room was dark and empty — Kanna and Cedric's detention apparently hadn't ended yet.
Kyle didn't turn on the lights, choosing instead to sit quietly on a sofa, deep in thought. Too many things had happened tonight, and he needed to sort them out properly.
First, he was certain the person they'd seen during their nighttime wandering was definitely Hagrid — it couldn't have been an impostor. Even if someone could use Polyjuice Potion to imitate him, there was still Fang to consider. The dog couldn't possibly be an Animagus, and Polyjuice Potion doesn't work on animals.
But if it really was Hagrid that time, why would he claim he hadn't been in the Forbidden Forest?
And then there were Dumbledore's words... Memory — a Forgetfulness Charm perhaps?
Or maybe... the Swooping Evil's venom.
Kyle pulled out a small piece of wood bearing corrosion marks from his pocket, turning it over gently in his hand. He had secretly cut this from the tree trunk earlier when Hagrid wasn't looking.
Under the moonlight, the wood still gave off a faint blue glow.
The color matched, but he remembered that Swooping Evil venom wasn't supposed to be corrosive — or was he mistaken?
Just as he was pondering this, the common room door opened, and two figures walked in one after another.
"Kyle, I knew you'd be here." Cedric said in a low voice, "Filch left for a while earlier, then came back fuming — he went to look for you, didn't he?"
Kyle pocketed the wood piece and nodded, "I did run into him when I came back."
"What did you do to make him so angry?" Cedric asked curiously.
"It wasn't me, it was Hagrid." Kyle said, wagging his finger, "Filch got frustrated at Hagrid's place."
"No wonder Filch was so angry — he and Hagrid have never gotten along." Cedric said, "By the way, what was your detention like? I thought we'd definitely get back before you. Fred told me that having five people clean the trophy room together was unprecedented — it was super easy. Though Filch thought so too, so he made us clean it three times before letting us go."
"Mine was similar." Kyle said, "I was taken to the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid to look for something."
"The Forbidden Forest? At night?" Cedric was stunned.
He had imagined countless possibilities — copying lines, cleaning classrooms, polishing armor — but never thought Kyle's detention would involve going into the Forest.
How was that similar at all? It was completely different!
Were they really given detention for the same offense?
True, they had ventured near the Forest at night before, but only around the edges where it was safe. Going deep inside with Hagrid to search for something — that couldn't have been just a casual stroll around the outskirts.
"You weren't hurt, were you?" Kanna asked anxiously.
"Of course not. If I was hurt, I'd be in the hospital wing right now." Kyle laughed, "Let me tell you, I even saw centaurs in the Forest..."
He recounted his experiences in the Forest, leaving Cedric and Kanna dumbfounded. Their expressions gradually shifted from concern to envy.
They wished they could see the depths of the Forest too...
As dawn began to break, drowsiness finally overcame the three and they stopped talking.
Back in the dormitory, Kyle lay in bed unable to sleep. He took out some parchment and a quill, writing a letter by moonlight. After sealing it and writing the address, he placed it before his owl, Stella.
"I'll have to trouble you with this." Kyle said softly, "Take this letter to Newt tomorrow morning. If he hasn't returned yet, leave it on the biggest tree by the door. There's a Bowtruckle there who will help keep the letter safe."
He needed to consult Newt about whether Swooping Evil venom could have corrosive properties. After all, mutations in magical creatures weren't unheard of.
He wondered if that old man had returned yet...
It would be best if he had, but it didn't matter if he hadn't — Dumbledore already knew about this, so there was no need to worry anymore.
Stella opened one eye and placed a claw on the envelope.
Reassured by this response, Kyle lay back down and quickly fell asleep.
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Afterward, neither Dumbledore nor Hagrid sought him out again, and Kyle was content to set aside his curiosity and focus on preparing for final exams.
As exam week approached, the castle transformed overnight — everywhere you looked, young wizards could be seen practicing wand movements while walking.
This marked the most dangerous time of year at Hogwarts Castle, as students would unconsciously speak incantations while waving their wands.
The problem was widespread — Kyle had already witnessed two unfortunate victims hit by spells just on his way from the common room to the Great Hall. Fortunately, they were only struck with Levitation and Repair Charms, sparing them a visit to the hospital wing.
Kyle carefully dodged these hidden "assassins" in the crowd, making it to the Great Hall without incident.
The professors had noticed this situation too — they could hardly miss it, with two or three students absent from nearly every class due to hospital wing visits.
In Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall strictly prohibited students from practicing wand movements in the corridors.
"What were you all thinking?" Professor McGonagall said with pursed lips, "If you want to practice, find an empty classroom. If I catch anyone who can't control their wand, they'll be serving detention for a week."
Compared to her, Snape's approach was more direct — he declared that any student who missed Potions class because of spell accidents, along with whoever cast the spell, would automatically fail their end-of-term Potions grade. It was ruthlessly unfair.
Kyle couldn't shake the feeling that Snape had glanced specifically at him while making this announcement.
Under the professors' strict prohibition, the castle "assassins" vanished within half a day. By dinnertime, Hogwarts had returned to its usual peaceful state, as if nothing had happened.
At the dinner table, Kyle absently cut at the steak on his plate.
He wasn't worried about Snape's threats — his real concern was Stella. Five whole days had passed since he'd sent the letter, with no sign of his owl's return.
Five days — in that time, you could make several round trips by train from Dorset to Hogwarts.
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