Once the semester began, the professors' patrols of the library and nightly rounds relaxed quite a bit; after all, they were now busy grading assignments and had little time to monitor students at night.
That night, Kyle, who had been laying low for two weeks, eagerly crept to the library with the Marauder's Map in hand. The shelves in his magically-expanded box had been installed, but they couldn't stay empty forever. Kyle planned to fill them by the semester's end. It was a daunting task, but if he cut back an hour of sleep each day and worked a bit harder, he was confident he could manage it.
Wand in hand, Kyle made his way skillfully to the Restricted Section. This time, instead of methodically taking books off the shelves as before, he examined each title carefully, only selecting those he actually needed.
After half an hour, Kyle had collected three books, all dealing with the subject of Basilisks:
Deadly Sight
Medieval Explorations: Ancient Species That Are Gradually Disappearing
How to Make a Rooster Lay Eggs
One, however, seemed oddly out of place.
Kyle inspected the last book, which had a black cover and was about as thick as a notebook. He couldn't quite understand how it ended up in the Restricted Section. Still, he thought Newt and Hagrid might enjoy it, so he decided to copy it for them as a Christmas present next year.
Since it had been a while since he last ventured out at night, and because he'd found so many books this time, Kyle stayed in the library until dawn. In the following days, he returned to his usual busy schedule.
Quidditch practice was in full swing again. Luckily, Harris's coaching was more relaxed than other captains', so even as the competition approached, they were only practicing three times a week. Gryffindor, however, was a different story. Wood was almost fanatical about winning the next game and had the team training nearly every afternoon.
Even during the string of rainy days following heavy snowfall, Kyle could see them out on the Quidditch Pitch. Fred and George had complained multiple times that Wood was turning into a training tyrant and didn't seem to care about their well-being.
"If this keeps up, we'll be living in the Hospital Wing before the match even begins," Fred joked. Kyle, however, suspected they might be exaggerating a bit, especially since Hufflepuff's next opponent was Gryffindor.
Besides Quidditch training, Kyle found time each weekend to visit Hagrid's hut. Ever since Hagrid had started looking after the Magical Creatures in the Forbidden Forest, his hut was full of surprises.
"Here you go, Kyle—Unicorn tail hair," Hagrid said one day, pouring Kyle a cup of tea and handing him a small bag. "I remember you're fond of this stuff, so I saved some for you—all naturally shed."
Kyle opened the bag and peered inside. It was filled with a dozen or so long, silvery hairs in perfect condition.
"This many?" Kyle asked in surprise. "Did you collect all these recently?"
Unicorns don't shed nearly as much as Crups, especially not their tails. Without a wizard's intervention, a single hair might take six months to fall. The fact that Hagrid had collected so many in just a few weeks was remarkable—was there another herd of Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest?
"Nah, most of them are from a while back," Hagrid replied, placing a copper pot on the stove. "I'd planned to weave them into a cushion, but the tail hair's color is too bright. It just looked odd mixed with the rest, so I picked 'em out."
"There were actually more, but I didn't find them. The rest are all here, so you can have 'em."
"Uh… thanks," Kyle said, smiling awkwardly.
Only Hagrid, Kyle thought with a chuckle, would attempt to make a cushion out of Unicorn tail hair and then complain it was too bright. He was definitely living up to his reputation.
"Oh, Kyle…" Hagrid said, his face suddenly reddening. "How's that Spider Tonic you were brewing for me coming along? Not that I'm rushin' you—I'm just curious… yeah, just curious."
"It's almost ready," Kyle replied after a moment's thought. "I tested it on Lee Jordan's Tarantula, and it worked pretty well. All that's left is to add a Eight-Leaf Flower, but that plant's rare. It'll take about two weeks to get here from Diagon Alley."
The Eight-Leaf Flower is a delicate ingredient that only works effectively when it's fresh. It's very particular about its environment—just the wrong light or temperature can cause it to wither. For this reason, potion shops don't typically stock it and only harvest it on demand.
And it doesn't come cheap. At 29 Galleons per plant, with payment required in advance and no refunds, it's quite an investment. Still, Kyle hadn't hesitated to place the order. Considering the Unicorn tail hairs Hagrid had given him, now numbering over ten, along with nearly two pints of Acromantula venom from before, the cost seemed minimal.
"Eight-Leaf Flower…" Hagrid mused, thinking aloud. "Is that the plant with eight leaves, purple in the middle, and either yellow or red on the edges?"
"That's right. When it ripens, the petals turn from red to yellow," Kyle said. "Is there a chance you've seen it in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Actually, yes." Hagrid nodded. "I saw some just yesterday while I was out on patrol, near where the Unicorns live."
"Could you take me there?" Kyle asked eagerly. "I promise I won't wander off."
"No!" Hagrid refused without hesitation. The Unicorns lived deep within the Forbidden Forest, and it was too dangerous for him to let Kyle go anywhere near there.
"If you like, I can gather some for you in a few days," Hagrid offered.
"Of course, I'd love that!" Kyle nodded enthusiastically. "When you do go, could you dig them up with as much soil as possible? The more soil, the better. And, if you could, let me know ahead of time—I'll wait for you here at the cabin."
Hagrid nodded, taking Kyle's instructions to heart. "Dig them up with plenty of soil, got it. Oh, by the way, do you still need any more venom from the eight-eyed giant spider?"
"The batch you gave me last time is more than enough," Kyle said, shaking his head. While Hagrid might not mind sharing, Kyle felt guilty about taking too much. Besides, Acromantula venom wasn't something he'd need often; what he already had would last him well past graduation.