At the end of October, Ratton finally returned from Romania after being away for more than a month. Kyle placed him back in his dormitory, filled his food bowl with dragon liver and tonic, and then untied the small bag tied to his paws.
Inside were dragon scale badges and a letter from Charlie. The letter explained that the shop had been low on stock, so they had rushed to produce a new batch, which was why it had taken so long. Kyle sighed, thinking Old John's shop could use a bit more professionalism. If he'd known it would take this long, he would've ordered fewer badges.
By now, everyone had realized that the Dementors couldn't enter the castle, so the demand for the badges had faded. Kyle hadn't been asked about them in quite some time.
Now, everyone's attention had shifted to something else entirely. With the first Quidditch match of the season approaching, the castle buzzed with excitement. Students could hardly wait for the game, and amidst all this energy, concerns about the Dementors—or even Black's break-in—seemed like distant worries.
The day before the match, the wind howled, and the rain poured down harder than ever. The corridors and classrooms were so dim that extra torches and lanterns had to be lit. No one was keen on playing in such weather.
"Luckily, the first match is between Gryffindor and Slytherin," Mikel remarked gratefully in the common room, glancing at the window being battered by wind. "This kind of weather really messes with performance." As it was his first match, he was taking things very seriously. The other team members around him nodded in agreement.
But when they arrived in the Great Hall, Cedric delivered some unfortunate news.
"Our match has been moved up," he said with a grim expression. "Flint just came to see me—apparently, we're playing Gryffindor tomorrow instead."
"Why?" the team members asked, nearly in unison.
"Flint claims their Seeker broke his arm during training yesterday and wants us to swap spots with them."
"He's talking rubbish!" Mikel exclaimed angrily. "Even if his arm were broken, Madam Pomfrey could have him fixed up in no time. They're just trying to dodge this weather because they think it'll hurt their score."
"Wait..." Mikel's face brightened with an idea. "Captain, you haven't already agreed to this, have you?"
Cedric shook his head. "Not yet. I told Flint I'd think about it."
"There's nothing to think about! Just refuse," another teammate urged.
"But Flint's already spoken to Professor Snape," Cedric said, his expression darkening. "And Snape didn't look happy when I told Flint I needed to consider it."
"What—Professor Snape?" Mikel raised his voice, baffled. Why was the Slytherin Head of House getting involved in a Quidditch scheduling dispute?
"And..." Cedric hesitated before continuing, "if we refuse, Flint will probably go to Ravenclaw."
Mikel stopped, turning suddenly to Kyle. "Kyle, which house are we having our first Charms lesson with today?"
"Ravenclaw, I think," said Kyle, curious. "Why?"
"Give me a moment..." Mikel lowered his head, deep in thought. The rest of the team remained silent, waiting.
After a few minutes, Mikel looked up, a grin spreading across his face. "I have an idea. If both Ravenclaw and we have players 'injured' and in the Hospital Wing, then Professor Snape won't have any reason to replace us with Slytherin."
Cedric raised an eyebrow. "It might work... but isn't it a bit extreme to get yourself hospitalized for one match?"
"Don't worry, I've thought of everything." Mikel looked pleased with himself. "But first, I need to meet their Seeker, Cho Chang, before class... could someone get her for me?"
Cedric eyed him suspiciously but then got up and went to the Ravenclaw table. He'd wanted to discuss Flint's request with the team first—after all, Kyle's waterproof badge could help them get through the match without too much discomfort, even in this weather. Still, Mikel's plan was intriguing enough to hear out.
Soon, Cho arrived, looking a little pale, clearly already aware of the situation from Cedric. She sat down next to Mikel and asked, "So, what's your plan?"
"It's just an idea, but I think it'll work..."
Mikel and Cho began whispering, and gradually, her expression shifted from worry to surprise, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"I think it could really work!" she said, nodding.
"Exactly," Mikel laughed. "Now we just need the key ingredient. Wait here—I'll go buy it..."
"No need." Kyle stopped Mikel, pulling out some sweets from his bag. "I've already got what you need right here."
"You're sure these will work?"
"They're even better than the original," Kyle said with a smirk. "And don't worry—they won't have any lasting effects."
Soon, it was time for class. At the staircase, the group split up—Cedric headed down to the Dungeon for Potions, while Kyle and the others made their way to the Charms classroom.
Today's lesson focused on the Revealing Charm. After thoroughly explaining the wand movements and the incantation, Professor Flitwick handed each student a blank piece of parchment and instructed them to uncover its hidden content.
"Aparecium!" The room filled with students chanting the spell, eager to see if any invisible writing would appear.
Once Professor Flitwick had moved to the other side of the classroom, Mikel discreetly popped a bean into his mouth, then gave Cho a quick wink. Catching on, Cho did the same.
Without warning, an intense white light flashed through the classroom, startling everyone. Then, Mikel let out a dramatic scream and collapsed onto his desk, lying utterly still. Meanwhile, Cho's face seemed to have swollen, looking paler and a full circle larger than before.
Professor Flitwick turned around, wide-eyed at the sight of Mikel motionless on the table and Cho with her face grotesquely puffed up. "Oh dear—what's happened?" he stammered, utterly taken aback. Seeing Mikel's condition and recalling that peculiar flash of light, an unsettling memory from a few years back surfaced, filling him with dread.
Could it really be happening again?
Panic flashed across his face. "Quick! Take them to the Hospital Wing!" he ordered.
Kyle reacted instantly, sprinting out of the classroom as fast as he could.