Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 309: A Quiet Christmas

Christmas was approaching, but the mood in the castle was far from festive. The attacks on Nearly Headless Nick and the Bloody Baron had turned the already tense atmosphere into one of genuine fear. Even the ghosts couldn’t escape the dread... What kind of terrible force could harm someone who was already dead?

Students were desperate to leave, and even those who had previously planned to stay for the holidays were now begging their professors to let them go. There was a rush to secure seats on the Hogwarts Express, everyone hoping to escape to the safety of home for Christmas.

In the days leading up to the departure, Harry found himself completely isolated. Everywhere he went, people stared at him from afar, keeping their distance yet never letting him out of sight. It was as if they feared he would release the monster from the Chamber of Secrets again at any moment.

”Don’t pay any attention to them, Harry,” Ron said one evening during dinner, as he slipped a few chicken legs into his bag. ”They don’t know anything. You’ve got the Invisibility Cloak—if you really wanted to sneak off and do something, they’d just stand there gawking, none the wiser.”

”Yeah, maybe I could give them a real shock with the Invisibility Cloak,” Harry replied with a forced smile.

”That’s the spirit!” said Ron. ”Especially with Macmillan. If you just popped up behind him, he’d probably never try to follow you again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ron. Harry’s in enough trouble as it is,” Hermione said, setting a plate of pudding in front of Harry. “Just wait a few more days. The Polyjuice Potion will be ready soon, and we can get Malfoy to talk. Then we’ll know the truth.”

“I hope so,” Harry said, taking a spoonful of pudding. The sweet and tart orange flavor did make him feel a little better.

Beside him, Ron was stowing another piece of toast into his bag.

“What are you doing with all that food?” Harry asked, puzzled. “If you’re low on snacks, I’ve got some sweets here…”

“It’s not for me, it’s for Scabbers,” Ron sighed. “He’s lost so much weight lately, and I’m trying to fatten him up.”

“Don’t you have rat tonic?”

“We ran out yesterday,” Ron said, pulling out an empty bottle.

“But that was supposed to last a year!” Hermione said with a frown. “Are you sure you’re using it all up that quickly?”

“Not only is it all gone, but it’s not even helping,” Ron replied. “Maybe Scabbers is just getting old… the tonic definitely isn’t working like it did last year.”

He glanced at Hermione and asked, “By the way, is there a recipe for rat tonic in Moste Potente Potions?”

“No!” Hermione’s face went a bit pale. She couldn’t believe Ron’s train of thought… Who in their right mind would think that Moste Potente Potions, locked away in the Restricted Section, would include a recipe for rat tonic?

But Ron didn’t notice her expression. He lowered his voice and muttered, “Maybe we could check out that room on the eighth floor… It’s got everything.”

“Good luck with that…” Hermione replied absentmindedly.

...

Finally, the term ended, and the castle fell into a sudden hush.

On Christmas morning, Kyle woke up early and began unwrapping the pile of presents at the foot of his bed. This year, he received a surprising number of books—nearly as many as the sweets and snacks.

From Fleur Delacour came a crystal music box all the way from France, containing the complete works of the band Unicorn, a famous wizarding group from her country. Dumbledore and Kanna both gifted him gloves. The headmaster, following his style from last year, had adorned the gloves with a few feathers from Fawkes, his phoenix, which made them a perfect set with the socks he had given before. Kyle only glanced at them, then set them aside with the socks he’d never dared to wear. They were far too conspicuous...

Kanna’s gloves, on the other hand, were skillfully made and incredibly comfortable to wear, showing how much her craftsmanship had improved.

After opening his presents, Kyle left the dormitory. The entire common room was deserted; not a soul in sight. This year, Snape had taken Kanna home, leaving Kyle as the only student in Hufflepuff House who stayed behind. Cedric had wanted to keep him company, but after Mr. Diggory sent five letters in a single day urging him home, Cedric finally relented.

In truth, the quiet suited Kyle. He had stayed at Hogwarts to investigate the diary, and fewer people around made it easier to focus.

Things were far livelier in Gryffindor, where all the Weasleys had chosen to stay for the holidays, including Ginny and Percy. The Weasleys had decided not to make the long journey to visit Bill this year.

Of note was that Mr. Weasley had recently received a promotion in recognition of his excellent work during a surprise inspection. A week before Christmas, he was officially appointed as Head of the Office for the Prohibition of Muggle Artifacts. Though his duties hadn’t changed, his salary was now ten Galleons higher each month.

...

Kyle had a quick sandwich in the common room before heading up to the eighth floor to find the Room of Requirement. But oddly, the door seemed welded shut today, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get it to open.

After about ten minutes of fruitless attempts, the door finally swung open, and Hermione stepped out. When she spotted Kyle, she looked startled and immediately tense.

“Kyle, what are you doing here?”

“I was getting ready to use the Room of Requirement, of course,” replied Kyle with a shrug. “And you?”

“So it’s called the Room of Requirement?” Hermione sighed in relief, clearly reassured it wasn’t related to the Polyjuice Potion. “A fitting name, really.”

Kyle chuckled. “Yes, it’s called that because it transforms into whatever kind of room you need at the time.”

“We stumbled upon it by accident,” Hermione explained, relaxing a bit. “We were searching for a place to, um, practice potions, and suddenly a door appeared with all sorts of cauldrons and potion books inside. None of the books or maps of the castle mentioned it, though… it took us a while to figure out how to make it show up again.”

“It’s one of Hogwarts’s hidden rooms,” Kyle said with a nod. “It’s protected by special magic, so it’s untraceable on any map. You won’t find it documented anywhere.”

“That makes sense…” Hermione nodded, but then seemed to remember something that made her tense again. “But… why were you waiting outside? Did you also want to practice potions? And because I was inside, you couldn’t get in?”

The question clearly worried her. Since the Polyjuice Potion was still unfinished, if Kyle needed the Potion Room as well, he’d see everything as soon as he entered.

“Oh, no, it’s not about potion brewing. I’m not planning to make Polyjuice Potion here either,” Kyle assured her with a shake of his head. “But since the room only has one door, it can only transform into one space at a time. If someone’s using it, then naturally, no one else can.”