The second Saturday of the term was the day for Quidditch team recruitment, though this year was a bit different. Surprisingly, none of the four houses needed to recruit new players—every team was sticking with last year's lineup, except for a single new addition: Draco Malfoy. All the other players were familiar faces.
Kyle watched from the stands at the Quidditch Pitch, but after just five minutes, he found himself bored. This wasn't worth his time; he'd much rather be deep in discussion about runes with Riddle.
He'd already fulfilled Riddle's peculiar request, though not exactly as planned. Instead of bringing a Fairy or a Bowtruckle, Kyle had found something else.
"Sorry, Tom," Kyle explained, placing a woodlouse on the diary. "Hagrid spotted me on the way to the Forbidden Forest. He's the Gamekeeper, and he doesn't exactly let students wander there. But I found this," he said, gesturing to the woodlouse.
As a snack for a Bowtruckle, a woodlouse might be a stretch, but it could still be considered a magical creature in its own small way. Riddle didn't seem to mind the substitution and instead showed unexpected interest in Kyle's encounter.
[Rubeus Hagrid, you say?]
"Yeah, that's his name. Do you know him?"
[As a matter of fact, we were classmates. He was expelled in the end, though, for a rather serious incident,] Riddle wrote, his script appearing in neat, flowing lines. [Would you like to know what happened? I can show you.]
"No!" Kyle wrote back quickly, unbothered by the invitation. "I'm just focused on my studies. Let's stick to discussing the runes."
[What I meant,] Riddle persisted, [was that Rubeus Hagrid was expelled due to a legend connected to Hogwarts itself—the legend of Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets…]
[Chamber of Secrets? Greenhouses? What's that got to do with me? Studying is the only thing that makes me happy,] Kyle replied dismissively. Before Riddle's words could fade, Kyle filled the page with more of his questions. [Oh, by the way, I still have questions about the symbol for 'light.' Is there an alternative ordering for the runes in its formation?]
Kyle continued to list his queries, filling up every inch of available space.
Riddle paused, slightly thrown off. This was the first time he'd encountered someone completely uninterested in a Hogwarts legend, let alone the notorious Chamber of Secrets. Still, not wanting to risk suspicion, he abandoned his original plan and focused on answering Kyle's rune-related questions instead.
Their conversation went on for quite some time, covering numerous details about rune combinations and enchantment theories. When the clock struck 6:00 p.m., Kyle closed the diary and made his way to the West Tower to attend Professor Flitwick's Charms Club.
The Charms Club was far larger than McGonagall's Transfiguration Club, with around twenty students in attendance. Though the faces were new to him, the club's activities turned out to be engaging. The sessions were very hands-on, with a focus on practical spellwork and activities that resembled dueling exercises, making it both challenging and enjoyable for Kyle.
...
Kyle had undeniably become busier since joining the professors' clubs, especially after October began.
On top of everything, three-times-a-week Quidditch practice had also started. To help manage Kyle's packed schedule, Harris adjusted the team's practice days so they wouldn't conflict with his club commitments. As a result, Kyle now had plans every night, whether he was heading to the eighth floor, the West Tower, or the Quidditch Pitch, only returning to the Common Room just before curfew.
With his workload piling up, Kyle found himself so overwhelmed that he seriously considered applying for a Time-Turner again. There was no way around it—while Professor McGonagall had allowed him to skip some classes, he was still required to complete the assignments to demonstrate his learning progress.
To squeeze out every possible moment, Kyle set his sights on Defence Against the Dark Arts. Although it was a core subject that he couldn't afford to miss, he found he could still work on other things during class. While Lockhart was up at the lectern, reading aloud from one of his books, Kyle sat in the last row, quill in hand, writing on parchment. To anyone glancing his way, it might seem like he was diligently taking notes. But a closer look would reveal that his writing had nothing to do with Lockhart's lecture.
"The tea leaves form the shape of an eagle, which means he has a nemesis. The stick beneath the eagle's talons suggests he will be attacked..."
Kanna peered at the parchment and whispered, "…you have a nemesis?"
"Oh, not me," Kyle replied casually. "I asked the House-elves in the kitchen to bring a cup of tea to Professor Dumbledore, and he drank it."
"Are you... telling Professor Dumbledore's fortune?" Kanna asked, almost without thinking.
Perhaps she had spoken too loudly, as Lockhart's attention shifted their way.
"Miss Prince, do you have any questions about this passage?" he inquired.
"Sorry, Professor, it's actually me," Kyle said, standing up while still holding a copy of Wanderings with Werewolves in his hand. "I've never quite understood the principles behind the Homorphus Charm you mentioned. Is it a Transfiguration Spell? Or is it more like a special Charm, similar to Finite Incantatem, that can counteract magic?"
"Both, my boy," Lockhart replied with a slight pause before continuing in a lighter tone, "Although it's quite simple for me, the Homorphus Charm is actually very complex and requires extensive knowledge—knowledge that might be difficult for you to grasp…"
Kyle looked at him and smiled. "If it's you, I'm sure you'd have a way to help us understand."
"Of course I could," Lockhart replied with a wink. "But it would take several lessons, and I doubt your headmaster Dumbledore would allow it. But good to see you're engaged—five points to Hufflepuff. Now, let's carry on. Think about that."
Kyle sat back down. Handling Lockhart was simple enough if you knew the right approach.
"Thanks…" Kanna whispered. "But weren't you just reading a book on divination? How did it suddenly become Wanderings with Werewolves?"
"It hasn't changed; it's still the divination book," Kyle said, spreading the book open in his hands. "I just swapped the covers."
"I should have guessed," Kanna muttered, before continuing, "So you were really doing Professor Dumbledore's fortune-telling?"
"Pretty accurate, don't you think?" Kyle grinned. "Everyone knows that Professor Dumbledore has a nemesis, so it fits perfectly."
"But about that attack… Do you think anyone would actually dare to attack Professor Dumbledore?"
"You never know," Kyle mused, running a thoughtful hand along his chin. "Maybe it's Fawkes... Haven't you noticed that Professor Dumbledore's beard is getting shorter and shorter? That's Fawkes's doing. In a way, it could count as an attack."
Kanna frowned, clearly skeptical, yet unable to find a reason to contradict him.