Kyle lifted his head and followed Cedric's pointing finger, only to realize that Canna was sitting directly across from him, on his left side, and was methodically cutting into a steak. However, with each cut, she kept looking up at him, as if the plate wasn't filled with steak, but with Kyle himself.
This scene made his teeth ache.
"Wait a minute… why do I feel like her gaze isn't exactly friendly? She wasn't like this on the train," Cedric asked curiously. "I remember all the new students were sitting together before the Sorting Ceremony, right? Did something happen between you two?"
"This is actually my fault," Kyle shrugged and quickly recounted what had happened in the cabin.
Cedric, after hearing the story, looked like he had just seen a ghost. Using the Killing Curse for Sorting? Who even thinks of something like that?
"Did she actually believe it?" Cedric asked cautiously.
"Why else would she look at me like that?" Kyle sighed. "If she didn't believe me, she wouldn't be staring like this."
… Wow, they really were both bold—one to say it, the other to believe it. Cedric twitched his lips in disbelief, unsure of what to say, and could only give Kyle a look of resignation. He silently extended his thumb and said, "Honestly, Kyle, you two are truly a match made in heaven."
"She's only eleven, you know? Are you already thinking about sending her to Azkaban?" Kyle shot back, annoyed. "And I suggest you stop saying things like that. If Professor Snape hears you, you're done for."
"She knows Professor Snape?" Cedric asked, his eyes wide in surprise.
Kyle nodded. "Though I can't be sure, I think she does."
Cedric's expression immediately changed, his face darkening. He gave Kyle a look of utter disapproval, as if he were judging him as a scumbag. "You're too much. How could you play such a nasty prank on a first-year? If I were the prefect, I'd take points off you."
Kyle stared at Cedric, not quite believing his ears. The moment Cedric heard that Canna might know Snape, he flipped sides faster than a flipping coin. Was this really the Cedric he knew?
But seeing Cedric unbothered, shifting slightly away from him as if distancing himself, Kyle could only silently flip him the bird.
"Poor choice of friends," he muttered under his breath. Where had he learned to act like this? It had only been a short while, but already he'd become so shameless!
In any case, there was no way he could enjoy his meal in peace now. With a resigned sigh, Kyle put his knife and fork down and also lifted his gaze to meet Canna's.
The young witch didn't look away, and the two stared at each other. Her round face was flushed, though it was unclear whether she was chewing her steak or blushing from anger.
Neither of them spoke, but the tension between them was thick, as if they were silently competing to see who would break first. At first, they were both determined, each staring fixedly as if this silent duel would last forever.
However, Canna clearly overestimated her resolve. Soon, her eyes began to wander, and a faint pink hue spread across her previously pale face. A few more seconds passed… and her gaze began to dart away, her breath growing shallow, her entire face turning bright red.
Finally, Canna couldn't take it anymore. With a swift movement, she lowered her head, her nose practically touching the steak on her plate, as if trying to bury herself in the food. The only thing visible were her bright red ears.
Canna's personality hadn't changed—she was still the same shy, socially anxious girl. The way she acted just now was simply due to the frustration of realizing she had been tricked, which caused her to feel embarrassed and angry.
It was like a normally calm girl getting frustrated and swearing at her keyboard after being scammed in her favorite game. It was the same thing.
Plus, with Kyle avoiding her, she had nowhere to release that pent-up frustration, so it had built up until now. Once the frustration faded, she returned to being the shy, socially awkward little witch she always was.
As for Kyle, staring at her was like giving her an outlet. After all, eye contact is still a form of communication, even if it's not as efficient.
What Kyle hadn't expected was how quickly she got over it—only a few minutes passed, and she was already fine. Her personality was almost too good-natured. Among all the people Kyle knew, Ginny Weasley had one of the best personalities, yet even she wouldn't stop arguing with him for less than half an hour when she was upset.
Compared to Ginny, Canna was just too soft-hearted. In the magical world, that wasn't a good trait.
At Hogwarts, it might be fine. Hufflepuff was known for being friendly and honest, so no one would usually have bad intentions. But if she remained this way after graduation, she'd be in for a rude awakening.
One famous Minister of Magic, Grogan Stump, once said that Hogwarts was a fairy tale for the magical world, and once you left the castle, all that awaited you was a devouring abyss.
To the dark wizards who lurked on the edge of death, a shy, introverted pure-blood witch was no different from a walking pile of Galleons. They would swarm her like hyenas, leaving nothing but scraps.
Kyle wasn't exaggerating—there were plenty of examples, like the many pure-blood families that had mysteriously disappeared.
After Voldemort's fall, the Death Eaters, losing their support and hunted by Aurors, were forced to hide. The pure-blood families were thrown into chaos. And in that chaos, the wolves in the shadows began to pick off the weaker families, either by outright robbery or torturing them for valuable information.
Any lone pure-blood wizard became a target. They didn't care about the size of the family, how powerful it was, or if there was revenge to fear. As long as there was something to gain and no Dumbledore or Voldemort to protect them, they would attack without hesitation.
During that period, many pure-bloods died, and some families even declined into obscurity, never to be heard from again.
Kyle glanced at Canna, who was still acting like an ostrich, and after a brief silence, he calmly picked up the pepper shaker and sprinkled some on his potatoes before eating.
Forget it. It's only first year. Graduation is still years away. Why worry about things like this now? He might as well focus on filling his stomach first.
(End of Chapter)
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