Chapter 26 - chapter 26

The next morning, Kyle was reluctantly forced out of bed early. The previous night, he had forgotten to close the curtains, allowing sunlight to stream through the round window and shine directly on his face like a searchlight.

"Who can sleep like this?" he grumbled to himself.

Stretching, Kyle reluctantly dressed and walked to the window. Despite being underground, Hogwarts' castle design allowed plenty of sunlight in certain areas. From his window, he could see the swaying grass and dandelions outside. Glancing at his two sleeping roommates, Kyle moved to open the window wider without any expression.

"The OWLs exams are in five years. How can they sleep so soundly?" he mused. It was already past 7:30, which rounded up meant almost 9:00, and classes were soon to start. Being late for their first lesson at Hogwarts would leave a bad impression on the professors, something he wanted to avoid.

The cool morning breeze was the perfect wake-up call for his roommates.

"I'm so considerate," Kyle thought with satisfaction.

It wasn't that he wanted to get them up early; as a Hufflepuff, he couldn't bear to be inconsiderate. After a quick wash, Kyle made his way to the common room and headed out.

Hogwarts' staircases were notorious for their unpredictability, changing direction or extending randomly, causing students to get hopelessly lost. Kyle expected to take a few detours, but the stairs remained surprisingly still. He walked straight from the common room to the Great Hall without any interruptions.

To his disappointment, there were no sudden shifts in the staircases this morning.

Arriving at the Great Hall just before 8:00, Kyle found the Ravenclaw table almost full, with several upper-year students already seated. As for Hufflepuff? It was just him.

Kyle sat down, and a steaming breakfast immediately appeared: a glass of milk, two sausages, and a piece of bread. It wasn't a large meal, but it was enough to start the day. If needed, he could always get more.

As Kyle enjoyed his breakfast, two familiar faces walked in—Mikel and Ryan, his roommates.

"Morning, Kyle! You're up early," Mikel said as they approached.

"I didn't plan on it. The dorm window was open, and the wind made it impossible to sleep," Kyle replied, calmly slicing into a sausage. "What about you? Why are you up so early?"

"Same here," Mikel grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I thought it was you who left the window open."

Kyle, still expressionless, replied, "It was open when I left."

"Must've been the wind then," Mikel muttered, biting into a piece of bread. "Still, it's a good thing. I wouldn't have gotten up otherwise. Can you imagine being late to the first class? I'd probably get expelled."

Ryan nodded in agreement, still groggy.

Kyle smiled. "You really should thank whoever opened that window then."

The two, lost in their breakfast, missed the sarcasm in Kyle's voice. Mikel even added, "It really helped."

Finishing his milk, Kyle stood up. "I've got to head out. You two enjoy your breakfast."

They both mumbled a quick farewell as Kyle left the hall.

Outside the castle, Kyle raised his arm skillfully. Immediately, seven or eight owls swooped down and landed in front of him.

"This isn't about delivering a letter," Kyle began. "I'll be staying at Hogwarts for a while, and I'm looking to hire one of you as my exclusive messenger. In exchange, all meals will be provided—one pack of owl nuts daily, three packs of Mothra rat jerky weekly, and a bottle of owl tonic monthly. This offer stands even after I graduate, for as long as you can still fly. So, who's interested?"

Owls have a natural affinity for magic, and the ones at Hogwarts are particularly intelligent. Though Kyle's proposal was complex, they quickly understood. In seconds, the owls scrambled to land on his shoulder, even going so far as to fight each other for the spot.

Feathers flew everywhere in the ensuing chaos. Kyle, though amused, was unsure how to stop it. Thankfully, it didn't last long.

A large brown owl, with a long scar on its face, easily defeated the others and perched victoriously on Kyle's shoulder.

Kyle recognized it immediately. Three years ago, his brother Chris had found this owl injured, barely alive, with a letter still clutched in its claws. Despite being nursed back to health, the owl bore a permanent scar from black magic, giving it a somewhat menacing appearance.

Kyle scratched the bird affectionately. "Hello, Laton," he greeted. The owl responded by nuzzling Kyle's hand with its beak.

Kyle had given it the nickname "Laton" after taking care of it during its recovery. It had accepted the name so fully that when Hagrid came to retrieve the owl, it ignored its original name, "Saipan," and only responded when Kyle called for it.

Hagrid had been taken aback, looking as if Kyle had stolen a beloved pet.

(End of chapter)

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