The Kyle-ites stood frozen, watching in stunned silence as Kanna turned and walked into the Charms classroom. They hadn't expected her to actually follow through on what she'd said earlier.
This is Felix Felicis!
If it had been the Weasley twins in her place, they probably wouldn't have cared if they really turned into Crups, much less thought twice about joking around with it.
Kyle opened his mouth, about to say something, but Kanna was already seated in class, chatting with her roommate. Seeing this, he had no choice but to pocket the bottle of Felix Felicis for now and follow her inside.
Today's lesson was on the Engorgement Charm, a handy household spell that Hagrid frequently used. The massive pumpkins in his garden? All thanks to the Engorgement Charm. The most amazing thing about this spell was that while magic couldn't conjure food out of thin air, it could increase the size of existing food without altering its taste. Oddly enough, though, no one ever actually ate anything charmed this way; Hagrid's pumpkins, for instance, were mostly used as Halloween decorations.
"Now, gesture is crucial…" Professor Flitwick said earnestly from the front of the class. "Remember what I just explained. Keep your arms steady, use your wrist, draw a downward circle… and don't forget the incantation…"
Although the Engorgement Charm was part of the second-year curriculum, it wasn't difficult—certainly simpler than the Levitation Charm. Kyle focused on the button lying on the table in front of him, giving his wand a gentle twirl.
"Engorgio!"
Immediately, the button began to swell like a balloon, growing until it was about the size of a plate.
"Oh, well done!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically. "Everyone, take note—someone has already succeeded! Five points to Hufflepuff!"
While Kyle made it look easy, it was another story for the rest of the class. Mikel and Ryan tried to mimic his movements, rotating their wrists again and again, but the buttons before them stubbornly remained unchanged. Frustrated, Mikel gave his button a jab with his wand—and with a loud pop, it flew off, whizzing past Professor Flitwick's hair and bouncing off the wall.
Across the room, Gryffindor students were having just as much trouble.
"Engorgio… Engorgio!" one Gryffindor student shouted, clearly forgetting Professor Flitwick's instructions as he wildly swung his arms like a windmill. His button didn't budge, but he was so into it that he accidentally jabbed Katie Bell, who stood beside him.
"By Merlin's beard…" Professor Flitwick sighed, face in hands as though bracing for what would come next.
A second later, Katie began to swell into a round, floating ball, drifting slowly up toward the ceiling. Her eyes wide with terror, she flailed her arms, letting out a piercing scream.
"Don't panic, Miss Bell, don't panic!" Professor Flitwick reassured her as he rushed over, quickly reversing the charm. Once she was back to normal, he sent the shaken Katie off to the Hospital Wing. Charms accidents were nothing new to him, and he had become quite adept at handling them.
"Mr. McLaggen, your arm movements were far too wild, which is extremely dangerous," Professor Flitwick admonished, casting a stern look at the Gryffindor student. "That will be ten points from Gryffindor!"
After Charms, Kyle tried to catch up with Kanna, but she had already left. From that day on, she never brought up the incident again, as if the bottle of Felix Felicis had been nothing more than an ordinary bottle of pumpkin juice sitting around.
...
There were no secrets at Hogwarts.
By the next day, news had already spread of McLaggen from Gryffindor accidentally inflating his classmate like a balloon in Charms class.
"That's incredible," Harry said, eating toast at the table, looking curiously at Ron beside him. "How did he even manage that?"
"Never mind that," Ron muttered, clearly not wanting to dwell on it. Instead, he looked eagerly at Harry. "Is it true what you just said—that Professor McGonagall really made you Seeker?"
"That's what she said," Harry replied. "She even took me to meet a fifth-year named Wood, who's going to train me."
"Oliver Wood?" asked Ron, wide-eyed.
Harry nodded.
"He's Gryffindor's Quidditch captain. I can't believe it—you're only a first year!" Ron, with a forkful of pie poised halfway to his mouth, added, "Harry, you're probably the youngest Quidditch player in years!"
"Wood told me I'd be the youngest in a century," Harry said, taking a bite of pie.
"A century…" Ron repeated, staring blankly at Harry.
"I start training tomorrow," Harry added. "But don't tell anyone—Wood wants to keep it a secret."
Just then, Fred and George entered the hall. They spotted Harry right away and came over, grinning.
"Nice going!" George whispered. "Wood told us. We're on the Quidditch team too, as Beaters."
"We're definitely going to win the House Cup this year," Fred said excitedly. "You wouldn't believe how surprised Cedric and Kyle were when they heard."
"They're on the Hufflepuff team," George added. "Before this, they were convinced Gryffindor was doomed. Ha… two silly prefects."
"Kyle's trying out for Quidditch?" Harry asked, surprised. He'd assumed that students like Kyle, who were as academically gifted as Hermione, wouldn't be interested in Quidditch.
"Not officially yet," Fred explained. "But he's in the final tryouts tomorrow. If he makes it, he'll be on the team."
"You should come watch," George suggested. "Get a sneak peek at the competition."
"Really?" Harry's eyes lit up. "But isn't it for Hufflepuff?"
He was suddenly eager to learn more about Quidditch in any way he could. Observing the Hufflepuff team tryouts sounded like the perfect opportunity.
"Oh, go ahead," Fred assured him. "Slytherin might mind, but Hufflepuff won't care."
"We've got to run," George added. "Lee Jordan thinks he's found a new secret passage out of the school."
"Behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy?" Fred grinned. "We found that one on our first day."
"Good luck. See you later."
"Bye!" Harry called, turning back to Ron. "I'm going to check out the tryouts tomorrow. Want to come?"
"Sure," Ron agreed after a moment. "Though I should warn you, I've seen Kyle play Quidditch with Fred before, and he's really good. It might not be great for morale."
"Really…" Harry's curiosity only grew stronger, a flutter of excitement making him even more eager for tomorrow.