For Kyle, the minor mishap during the Charms exam had no effect on his final grade.
"Impeccable," Professor Flitwick said, smiling. "I'm looking forward to your final score, Kyle. I hope you didn't intentionally get one question wrong like you did last year. It's been a long time since Hogwarts has seen a student with perfect marks in every subject."
Kyle smiled sheepishly. Last year, he hadn't expected to ace the Potions exam, so he'd jokingly listed the thirteenth use of dragon's blood, figuring an extra point or two wouldn't make much difference.
In the Transfiguration exam, Professor McGonagall tasked them with transforming a rabbit into a trophy. The more intricate the trophy, the higher the score—points would be deducted if any rabbit fur remained. Kyle completed the task with ease.
The last subject, as always, was History of Magic. When Professor Binns told them to put down their quills, it meant the school year was officially over. No more studying, no more early mornings, and no more library visits for homework—they were finally free to enjoy the summer holiday.
As Kyle walked out of the classroom, he could hear cheers all around him. Everyone wore smiles, and the air was filled with a sense of relief and celebration. To his surprise, he noticed a few people giving him odd looks. Some offered him encouraging smiles, while others laughed openly, leaving him puzzled. Just as he was about to ask someone what was going on, Cedric approached.
"I've heard about it..." Cedric said, patting Kyle's shoulder. "It's alright—you didn't do well in one class, but that doesn't mean anything. You're still the brightest student at Hogwarts, no doubt about it."
"Wait a second..." Kyle asked quickly, "Why are you saying that? What do you mean I didn't do well? How could results be out so soon?"
"Don't you know yet?" Cedric replied. "Someone saw Professor McGonagall shaking her head while looking at your test paper. Rumor has it she was disappointed because you didn't do well."
Kyle froze, taken aback. He hadn't heard anything about this. No wonder Cedric had been so quick to reassure him. Now he understood. But after thinking it over, Kyle shrugged it off. He was sure he'd gotten the answers right. As for why Professor McGonagall had been shaking her head... well, who could understand the mind of an older cat-loving professor?
"Kyle... we were looking for you," Fred and George appeared, approaching with identical grins. Whether by coincidence or prior arrangement, they both began the same way Cedric had.
"We've heard about it..."
"Stop!" Kyle interrupted quickly. "I did well on the exam, so I don't need any sympathy."
"Oh, so you want us to praise you?" Fred said, raising an eyebrow.
"Let me channel what Mum usually says about Percy..." George rubbed his chin, adopting an exaggerated tone. "Look, all 'O's'! I knew you could do it... We're so proud of you, Kyle!"
"Is that good enough?" Fred laughed. "But shouldn't grades be something we think about in a week? Seems a bit early to brag..."
"So, you're not here to comfort me?" Kyle asked, a little thrown off.
"Are you kidding?" Fred gave him a wry look. "If we need to comfort you over grades, what should we do for ourselves, go back to the dorms and have a good cry?"
"We actually came to see if you'd like to join us in the Forbidden Forest," George said. "We heard there are some cat-like creatures in there..."
"Maybe we could catch one to give to Ginny as a welcome gift," Fred added. "She's always wanted a Kneazle."
Kyle thought about it and then shook his head. "I've got something else to take care of. But, by the way, could I borrow your Marauder's Map?"
At this, the twins, who'd seemed a little disappointed, immediately perked up. They exchanged mischievous glances, clearly intrigued by Kyle's request.
"Sure, go ahead and use it."
That night, Kyle quietly slipped out of the Hufflepuff common room and made his way to the restricted area alone.
He had spent countless hours debating whether to get involved with the mess surrounding the Philosopher's Stone, and only last night had he finally made up his mind. After all, the Stone itself wasn't his main concern; it belonged to Nicolas Flamel, and as Dumbledore's prized secret, it was likely out of reach.
Kyle had come here for a different purpose.
Of course, he still had to be prepared for a potential encounter with Voldemort, so he'd taken every precaution he could think of. He pulled a tiny bottle from his pocket, no larger than a thumb.
Kyle knew he wasn't Harry—he didn't have any mysterious connection to Voldemort. If he was going to come out of this unscathed, he'd need a little luck on his side.
"Here's hoping this journey will be worth the price of admission," he murmured, opening the bottle and taking a careful sip of the shimmering golden liquid inside. It would be wasteful to drink it all; he only needed a few hours of luck.
The moment the potion took effect, Kyle felt an indescribable surge of confidence and clarity. It was as though endless possibilities stretched out before him, and things that had once seemed difficult now felt almost trivial.
"Why did I waste so much time doubting?" he thought with a smile, pushing open the door to the forbidden area.
Inside, Fluffy lunged at him with a growl, but as soon as the Three-Headed Dog recognized Kyle, he skidded to a halt, wagging his tails with excitement. Two of Fluffy's heads nodded eagerly, while the middle one looked hesitant.
"Bored, huh?" Kyle chuckled, waving a hand. "How about a little adventure? Just for a while—I promise we'll be back before Dumbledore notices."
After a moment's hesitation, the third head finally nodded in agreement. Kyle packed Fluffy into a magically expanded suitcase, then took out his broomstick and descended through the trapdoor.
The first room was empty.
Kyle had removed the Devil's Snare from it a while back, and apparently, Professor Sprout hadn't noticed or hadn't bothered to replace it. It made him suspect there was another entrance the professors used when setting up the protections, one that bypassed the trapdoor entirely.
Which meant that no one had even realized something was missing from this room.
This was really...irresponsible, Kyle thought, shaking his head. Did no one check these crucial defenses regularly?