A week after returning from Paris, Kyle finally received a Hogwarts letter on a bright morning. Heading downstairs for breakfast, he found Fred and George waiting in the living room, looking restless and eager.
After hiding out for over a month, they now spent nearly every day in Kyle’s attic, happily working on their Skiving Snackbox experiments. Chris, surprisingly, didn’t mind their racket—in fact, he welcomed it, calling it "early morning excitement."
“A letter from school?” Kyle picked up the yellow parchment envelope with its distinctive green writing.
“Yeah, it just arrived,” Chris said.
“Five minutes ago,” Fred added.
“We caught sight of the owl on its way out…” George chimed in, grinning.
“Kyle, read it. You’ll be in for a surprise.”
Kyle opened the letter and read it carefully. As usual, it informed him to board the Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross Station on September 1st and included a list of required books for the upcoming school year.
For third-years, the list read:
Though Kyle had expected it, he couldn’t help but rub his forehead at the sight of this extravagant book list. Lockhart’s books weren’t cheap, averaging around five Galleons each. With seven required books, the total came to thirty-five Galleons—a substantial sum, nearly half of what Mr. Weasley earned in two weeks.
For Hogwarts families across the board, even if only half of the students purchased the books, Lockhart stood to make tens of thousands of Galleons. The Potter family’s hard-earned wealth over several generations wouldn’t add up to what Lockhart would pocket in a single year. No wonder he’d taken the Defense Against the Dark Arts job—professor’s curse or not, who could resist the allure of such easy profit?
After skimming the book list, Kyle pulled out a second piece of parchment from the envelope.
“Hey, why do you have an extra one?” Fred asked, momentarily puzzled. Then he realized, “Oh, right—you’re in third year now. You get to choose your classes.”
Kyle looked at the parchment listing his options:
Select at least two courses and purchase the required textbooks before term starts.
Numerology and Grammatica by L. Wakefield and M. Carneiro
Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky
Care of Magical Creatures
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles by Wilhelm Wigworthy
Kyle noted the five books listed for Ancient Runes, which included dictionaries and syllabaries—a clear warning about the complexity of the course.
When they saw Kyle’s choice, Fred and George shivered in unison.
"Seriously, this class is the worst disaster I've ever faced," Fred said, his voice tinged with lingering dread. "Even worse than that time we had lunch with the Three-Headed Dog..."
Kyle casually circled Ancient Runes on the form. “So, you two aren’t taking this again this year?”
"Nope, just dropping Divination," Fred said.
"To focus on research for the future Weasley Joke Shop," George added, a little sadly.
"So, what are you taking as your second subject?” Fred asked. “Care of Magical Creatures? Or Divination?"
“I’d recommend Divination,” George said seriously. "It’s dead easy, and it's a breeze to get a high mark if you just… erm…" He suddenly remembered Chris was in the room and changed course, “…if you just pay close attention in class.”
Chris chuckled knowingly. Though he hadn’t encountered Sybill Trelawney himself, her reputation as the “Professor of Frauds” was widely discussed among younger Ministry workers. “When will Trelawney be fired?” was apparently a popular debate topic at the Ministry, so he was well aware of the true nature of Divination. But he simply continued eating his breakfast, letting the twins carry on.
"Care of Magical Creatures is also a good choice," George added, eyeing Kyle. "Honestly, for you, it’d be even easier than Divination."
“That’s true,” Kyle agreed, marking a line next to Care of Magical Creatures as well. Then he glanced down at the remaining options—Divination, Arithmancy, and Muggle Studies—and, to Fred and George’s astonishment, he marked all of them.
“Kyle, you’re not planning to take as many classes as Percy, are you?” George asked, eyebrows raised. “That’s… a terrible idea.”
"You may not know this," Fred said, "but Percy nearly went mad in third year."
"Slept at home for three straight days over Christmas holidays…" George added, "…and didn’t wake up once the whole time!"
"Mum was so scared she almost sent him to St. Mungo’s," Fred finished.
Even Chris, listening in, looked concerned. "I wouldn’t recommend taking so many classes either, Kyle. You already have an Order of Merlin, Second Class—no need to chase twelve OWLs"
He glanced at his son. "Besides… those who try to cheat time often find time turns on them in the end. You understand what I mean?”
“Of course, Dad,” Kyle said, folding the course selection sheet with a smile. “Trust me, I can handle it.”
“If you’re sure… alright.” Chris nodded after a brief hesitation.
Kyle called for Ratton, who took the form in his claws and sped off toward Hogwarts, disappearing in a flash.
Fred and George looked at each other in alarm. They’d meant to talk Kyle into choosing fewer classes—after all, they’d seen firsthand how Percy had been reduced to a pale, sleep-deprived wreck by third year. But Ratton was already gone, leaving them no time to react.
Seeing their efforts dashed, the twins exchanged resigned looks. They’d have to regroup and try another plan. They would write to their friends and rally them on the Hogwarts Express. One way or another, they were determined to talk Kyle out of his decision before classes started!