As November began, the weather turned bitterly cold, and every morning a layer of frost covered the ground. Overnight, it seemed the Black Lake had developed a thick, hard layer of ice, and many students were already venturing onto it to play.
The moment they stepped out of the castle's warmth, Kyle and Cedric felt a biting wind whip against their faces.
"Ahh... it's freezing!" Cedric shivered. "Good thing I switched to my heavy robes a few days ago; otherwise, I'd probably catch a cold just walking out here."
Last year, he'd waited too long to swap robes and had ended up spending three days steaming from the effects of Madam Pomfrey's potions. Her remedies worked fast, but they always came with odd side effects.
"We'll probably warm up once we start training," Kyle said, pulling his collar tighter as he quickened his pace against the chill.
"You're probably right."
...
The two walked across the field to the Quidditch Pitch. They were early, and on the pitch, Harris was busy moving boxes of Quidditch balls to the side. Kyle also spotted Hagrid, bundled in his long moleskin coat, de-icing the broomsticks.
When Hagrid saw Kyle, he waved enthusiastically and called out, "Hey, Kyle! Training today, are you?"
"Yes, Hagrid," Kyle replied, walking over and pulling out his wand. "Scourgify!"
In an instant, all the frost on the broomsticks disappeared.
"That's handy..." Hagrid said, eyeing Kyle's wand with a hint of envy, his gaze drifting to the small pink umbrella in his pocket. His wand was concealed inside it, but for some reason, he couldn't openly use it around others.
"Anything else I can help with?" Kyle asked.
"No, thanks." Hagrid picked up the brooms and added with a grin, "If you ask me, you ought to train after lunch when it's a bit warmer."
"Nothing we can do about it," Kyle sighed. "Today's the last weekend before the competition, and all three houses want to practice."
If he had a choice, he'd prefer to train in the warmer hours, but unfortunately, Harris was too agreeable; with just a bit of flattery, he had accepted the earliest time slot.
As a result, Ravenclaw reserved the pitch for four hours starting at ten, and Gryffindor claimed it afterward, leaving Hufflepuff with only the early morning hours.
"Looks like everyone's taking this year's matches seriously," Hagrid observed. "But I'm sure you'll win—you lot were last year's champions, after all."
"Of course, I think so too," Kyle said with a confident smile.
Around then, the other team members arrived at the pitch. Kyle bid Hagrid farewell and soon joined his teammates for training.
Since today's practice was just routine and not a tactical drill, Harris didn't close off the pitch. About half an hour later, spectators began trickling into the stands. Most were Quidditch enthusiasts who, upon seeing they could come and go freely, were eager to catch some action before the season officially started.
Right on the dot at ten, Harris, who'd been leading the practice for two hours, signaled the end. The team descended from the air and handed the pitch over to the Ravenclaw team, who had been waiting eagerly.
Kyle followed his teammates back to the castle. After a short while, the spectators reluctantly filed out of the stands, clearly annoyed at having to leave the match's atmosphere behind. But as it was nothing new, after a few quiet grumbles, they wrapped their arms around themselves against the cold and trudged back toward the warmth of the castle.
Noticing their shivering forms, Kyle's face grew thoughtful.
"What are you thinking about?" Cedric asked, noticing Kyle's faraway look.
Kyle replied, "What would you say to making a warming charm device?"
"A warming device?"
"Yes." Kyle gestured toward the students rubbing their arms for warmth. "The temperature's dropped fast lately, and it'll probably be colder on the day of the Quidditch match. If we could create a portable warming device, it'd be a hit."
Cedric hesitated, mulling over Kyle's idea. "What you're saying makes sense, but there's something you might not know."
"Last year, during the match, we used the Hot-Air Charm and the Warming Charm to deal with the bad weather. Both of those spells are covered in third year."
Kyle, however, was unfazed by Cedric's concerns. His target audience wasn't the older students, but rather those in the first and second years who hadn't learned those charms yet. That would be enough.
With their plan in mind, the two quickly found Kanna and the twins to discuss the idea.
Cho couldn't join them as she had her own practice to attend. The five gathered in an empty classroom and brainstormed until noon.
"It's a deal, Kyle!" Fred said excitedly, standing in the doorway.
"Two months of waiting… Finally, we can get started." George waved a hand with enthusiasm. "You know, I've been looking forward to this since the start of the school year."
"It seems I overheard something interesting."
A cold, sinister voice suddenly echoed from down the corridor.
Fred and George froze, turning around quickly to see Snape and Filch standing at the corner, both eyeing them with ill intent.
"It's you two again, and this time I've caught you…" Filch said with evident satisfaction, glaring at the twins. "Time and again, breaking school rules, and still you show no remorse."
He looked over to Snape with a grin. "How about we throw them in the dungeon to teach them a lesson? Those chains I've got down there are in prime condition, just waiting to be used."
Snape said nothing at first, but his expression darkened as he noticed Kanna standing beside Kyle. His gaze became even more severe.
"Making a lot of noise in the hallway… ten points from Gryffindor," Snape snapped, approaching with a pronounced limp. His icy glare landed on Kyle. "Now, tell me what foolish scheme you're all planning."
If looks could cast spells, Kyle would probably be surrounded by a swarm of Sectumsempra Curses right now.
"I think you've got the wrong idea, Professor," Kyle replied, shifting uncomfortably under Snape's gaze. "We were just talking about next week's Quidditch match."
"You'd better be," Snape said, his eyes narrowing. "Because if I find out you're lying, or breaking any school rules, I'll see to it you're expelled."
Kyle forced a thin smile, feeling a dull ache in his jaw. He couldn't understand it—shouldn't Snape be focusing his attention on Harry? Why did he keep singling him out?
"Well? Why aren't you talking?"
Snape's frown deepened as he looked at Kyle in silence. "No respect for a professor… Gryffindor will lose ten more points!"