Kyle and Kanna were making their way toward the castle when they spotted Hagrid carrying a fir tree through the grounds.
"Finished with class?" Hagrid called out with a smile, poking his head out from between the branches. "Go on, have a look in the Great Hall—it's a real treat this year."
"No rush," Kyle replied, walking up to examine the tree. "Are there more? We can help carry some in if you'd like."
"Thanks, but this one's the last," Hagrid winked at Kyle. "And I didn't forget Christmas this year."
"Forget Christmas?" Kanna asked, confused. "How could you forget Christmas? Last year, the hall looked amazing—I saw twelve Christmas trees, just like the one you're holding."
"Well, yes... for some reason... that was, uh, a bit of a blunder on my part," Hagrid stammered. "But, thanks to Kyle here, we got it all sorted in the end."
Losing his memory was an embarrassing story that Hagrid preferred to keep under wraps, so he mumbled an excuse and quickly changed the subject. Fortunately, Kanna didn't press him for details.
As the three of them continued toward the castle, they suddenly stopped when voices called out ahead. It was Harry and Ron.
"Hey, Hagrid! Need any help?" Ron asked.
"Where're you taking that massive tree?" Harry added.
"No, no, I've got it, thanks," Hagrid answered, poking his head out between the branches. But just then, a slow, sneering voice sounded from behind them.
"Would you get out of the way, please?" drawled Malfoy. "Earning some pocket money, Weasley? Maybe you fancy yourself as a future Gamekeeper at Hogwarts?"
Ron's face went red, and he balled his fists, turning toward Malfoy with a look that suggested he was ready to throw a punch.
Crabbe and Goyle took a few menacing steps forward, emboldening Malfoy, who seemed to revel in Ron's anger. Just as Malfoy opened his mouth to add more insults...
"I think you owe Ron an apology, Draco," said Kyle calmly. "And, by the way, you don't need to drawl out your words like that—it just makes you sound nasty."
"Who... dares to tell me what to do!" Malfoy snapped, frowning as he looked behind Hagrid in annoyance.
He wanted to see who had dared to tell him to apologize to Weasley—and to call him nasty right in front of Harry Potter, no less! Malfoy had actually picked up that particular drawl from Professor Snape himself, so calling him nasty was practically an insult to Snape, too. How dare they!
"Crabbe, Goyle, give me..."
But as Malfoy looked at the speaker, his words trailed off, and his tone softened. "...give our friend Kyle here... some snacks."
Malfoy's bravado faded instantly; he hadn't expected Kyle to be there, nor Kanna Prince, standing just beside him.
He vividly recalled how, only a week earlier, Marcus from the Slytherin Quidditch team had been whisked away by Professor Snape and given detention on the spot simply for calling Kanna "Kyle's little follower" during dinner. The poor boy had spent three days scrubbing Flobberworm cages in the dungeons.
Not wanting to meet a similar fate, Malfoy had discreetly asked around and discovered that Snape had been awarding this Hufflepuff girl extra credit in every Potions class. Just for that reason alone, it was worth showing a bit of caution.
Next to Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who had rolled up their sleeves at the start of the confrontation, quickly froze at Malfoy's sudden shift. Realizing they wouldn't need to throw any punches, they quickly moved their hands to cover their pockets, as if keeping the "snacks" safe from Kyle.
"No more snacks, Draco," Crabbe muttered, looking uncomfortable.
"Yeah, yeah, we're all out," Goyle added, clutching his pockets defensively.
"You're..." Malfoy's expression twisted in anger. He knew that most of the fancy sweets his father sent had already disappeared into Crabbe and Goyle's pockets, and now they dared to claim they were out? And the way they were covering their pockets—did they think he was completely blind?
"Just hand them over," he said in irritation, "or you won't be getting any more next time."
With grimaces, Crabbe and Goyle reluctantly pulled out a single candy each, offering them to him with trembling hands.
"You..." Malfoy's face grew even sourer at their stinginess. Stepping up to them, he dug his hands into their pockets and grabbed as many sweets as he could carry, then turned around and dumped them all into Kyle's hands.
Crabbe and Goyle stood frozen, as if petrified. Their mouths hung open, and their eyes looked dull and empty. For them, the world had just collapsed the moment Malfoy seized the sweets.
"Thanks, Draco..." Kyle said with a smile, taking the sweets from Crabbe and Goyle as well. "And thank you, too, Crabbe, Goyle... Oh, Pepper Imps! I've been wanting to try one of those."
"Ooh!" Crabbe squeaked, nearly fainting on the spot.
As for Goyle... he had already passed out by the time Kyle took his last candy.
Malfoy ignored his two disheartened cronies, straightening his robes and striding up to Kyle with a polite smile. "It's nice to see you here, Kyle. Oh, and Miss Prince, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Draco Malfoy, Slytherin."
"Hello," Kanna said politely, then fell quiet, as she often did with strangers.
"Actually, Draco, I was just coming to find you," Kyle said, stepping forward and producing a stunning, crystal-clear snake-shaped bracelet that glowed a brilliant green. "Here's the item you requested. I went ahead and engraved the Malfoy family crest on it—hope that's alright? I can change it if you don't like it."
"Like it... Of course I like it!" Malfoy's irritation vanished as he caught sight of the bracelet. He'd only intended to brush Kyle off, but now he forgot about Harry entirely, his attention locked on the beautiful craftsmanship. The bracelet was more magnificent than he'd imagined, with exquisite detailing and the Malfoy family crest skillfully engraved onto the snake.
"How much extra is it for the crest engraving? I can pay you now."
"No need, Draco. The 100 Galleons you paid earlier covers it," Kyle said with a grin. "Consider it a bonus for being a repeat customer."
"Thank you... This is amazing!" Malfoy's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Why don't you try it out at the pitch?" Kyle suggested with a knowing smile.
"Ah, yes..." Malfoy snapped back to attention, then, without a second thought for Crabbe and Goyle, who were still rooted in place, he dashed off towards the Quidditch pitch, eager to test his new treasure.
It wasn't until Malfoy had disappeared from sight that the others seemed to fully register what had just happened.
"Kyle... you actually get along with Malfoy?" Ron asked in disbelief. "But... he's a Slytherin."