Although Kyle never had to worry about delivering letters, it was still beneficial to have his own owl at Hogwarts. Owls, in a way, function like telephone numbers in the Muggle world, often representing the identity of their owners.
This is quite important.
To give a simple example, Kyle's mother, Diana, works in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. The management there is very strict. Except for special circumstances, all letters sent in must go through several layers of screening.
From the owl's identity and ownership to the sender's name and checking for any curses or dangerous substances, everything must be verified. Only once these checks are completed are the letters sent to the Department of Mysteries via paper airplanes.
This is the rule, and even Kyle's letters are no exception, although his letters may go through the process a bit faster.
Given the efficiency of the Ministry of Magic, this entire process takes at least a day to complete.
But it's different with Laton.
Diana can request Laton to be classified as a special owl. This way, letters get priority and the screening process can be greatly simplified. They would only need to check Laton's status, the sender's name, and ensure the letter is free from curses, and it can be done on the spot.
At Platform 9, Diana had specifically mentioned this, advising Kyle to choose the same owl whenever he sent letters. If that wasn't possible, she suggested he go to Diagon Alley to buy one.
Of course, Kyle didn't want to spend money on that, especially since he already had Laton—a perfect solution.
Kyle took out some owl treats and a few bags of Mothra rat jerky from his magical lizard-skin bag, offering them to the owls along with the chestnuts in his hand. Then, he found some clean water, poured in two bottles of owl tonic, mixed it well, and filled a stone trough beside him.
These were the owls' hard-earned wages. He couldn't let them go without proper care.
While the owls ate, Kyle took Laton back to the castle and headed straight for the Hufflepuff common room.
He passed through the barrels in the kitchen corridor and returned to the dormitory.
Mikel and Ryan weren't there—probably already in class.
Kyle didn't give it much thought. He placed Laton on the shelf by his bed, grabbed his textbook, and left.
In the common room, Kyle bumped into Cedric, who was also getting ready to head out.
"Kyle, I was just looking for you," Cedric said as he approached. "What's your first class?"
"Charms," Kyle replied, shaking the *Standard Book of Spells: Elementary* in his hand. "Why, what's up?"
"I've got something for you." Cedric handed Kyle a piece of parchment. "This is the Hogwarts map a senior gave me when I first arrived. It marks the classrooms and some of the staircase changes. I don't need it anymore, so it's perfect for you."
Hogwarts is amazing in many ways, but it's undeniably huge, like a giant maze. First-year students often get lost, and being late is pretty common.
Thankfully, the professors are aware of this. Apart from one strict head of house, most professors tend to let it slide. They might give a verbal warning or symbolically deduct a point, but they don't make a big deal out of it.
Kyle studied the parchment closely. It was just a regular map, but detailed enough, clearly marking the routes from the Hufflepuff common room to the classrooms, and even noting where you had to wait for staircases to move.
It was like a simplified version of the Marauder's Map, but more than sufficient for Kyle's needs.
"Thanks. I really needed this." Kyle tucked the map away. "By the way, what's your first class?"
"Potions... Oh no, I'm going to be late!" Cedric suddenly panicked and bolted. "I've got to run, Kyle! Remember, the one class you can't be late for at Hogwarts is Potions—never forget that!"
Cedric's voice trailed off as he disappeared down the hallway. His reaction made it clear that Snape had left quite the psychological impact on him—and likely on many other students as well.
Kyle figured his time would come too.
"What a shame! If only Harry Potter had started a year earlier," Kyle muttered, leaving the common room soon after.
…
The Charms classroom was on the third floor, and thanks to the map, it wasn't hard to find.
Upon entering, the first thing he saw was a stack of books arranged like a staircase. There were four portraits of unknown figures on the front wall—probably famous wizards, though Kyle didn't recognize them. The banners of the four houses hung on the side walls, followed by several long tables.
When Kyle arrived, there were still five minutes until class. Surprisingly, not many students were there yet, and even Professor Flitwick was absent.
Kyle found a seat and sat down.
Across from him were some first-year Ravenclaw students, while students from his own house sat on either side, the groups distinctly divided.
As nine o'clock approached, more students hurried into the room, breathless.
Kyle spotted Kanna, but the young witch walked right past him, clearly upset about something.
At 8:59, Mikel and Ryan finally arrived, just in time.
"Thank goodness we made it," Mikel said, out of breath as he collapsed into a seat next to Kyle. "We got so lost."
"Oh man, Hogwarts is a total maze! We were supposed to be on the third floor, but suddenly the staircase moved and we ended up on the fifth floor!"
"Then we tried going down, but after ages, we realized we were still on the fifth floor."
"And when we finally got back down, we were on the second floor again. Kyle, we climbed those stairs for thirty minutes—my legs are about to give out!"
The more Mikel spoke, the more distressed he became, almost on the verge of tears.
"Wait, hold on," Kyle said, rubbing his forehead, trying to make sense of it. How could they keep going down but never actually move?
Even with the worst sense of direction, you should know up from down.
Their story was starting to sound like something out of a paranormal mystery, not magic.
Besides, nothing like this was mentioned on the map Cedric had given him.
"Let's drop it for now." Kyle couldn't figure it out and decided to give up. "How did you finally find the classroom?"
"We were guided," Mikel admitted, blushing. "A Ravenclaw first-year found us on the fifth floor and took us down the spiral staircase. She asked if we were going to Charms and brought us here."
Kyle glanced in the direction Mikel pointed and realized the Ravenclaw was Cho Chang.
(End of Chapter)
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