Chapter 25: Roommates

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"Anyway, those are the main points to keep in mind. As long as everyone pays attention, you won't lose any house points. However, even if you occasionally slip up and lose points, it's not a big deal. We Hufflepuffs don't place much importance on that; the most important thing is that everyone enjoys their time at Hogwarts."

Cedric Harris, the prefect, spoke confidently to the crowd while Kyle sat on the outskirts, head down and silent.

"Kyle, what are you doing over here? I've been looking for you!"

At that moment, Cedric approached, casually handing him a cup of juice. "Fresh orange juice—definitely a good choice before bedtime."

Kyle didn't take it; he didn't even lift his head, just waved his hand dismissively at Cedric, indicating he didn't need it.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I just feel a bit tired," Kyle replied without looking up, speaking in a slightly hurried tone. "And I don't like drinking anything before bed. You can go ask someone else."

This unusual behavior naturally piqued Cedric's curiosity. He took two tentative steps to the left, only to find Kyle almost simultaneously turning in the opposite direction.

Something was off—very off.

"Alright, then I'll go ask some other first-years," Cedric said, quickly moving to the side. He held his breath, lightened his footsteps, and circled back to Kyle, estimating his position before swiftly lying down on the floor in front of him.

Kyle, who had been wondering when he could return to the dormitory, was suddenly confronted by a furry head popping up in front of him.

Their eyes met…

"Kyle, what happened to your eye? You have such a huge dark circle under it."

"Nothing!"

Kyle quickly raised his hand to cover his left eye, adopting a serious tone. "I accidentally bumped into a table. It's normal to have a bruise or two."

"Do falls create circles that round?" Cedric asked, sitting down and stroking his chin. "It looks like you got punched in the face."

"Impossible! You're overthinking it!" Kyle replied sternly. "Even if you don't believe me, you must believe in Hufflepuff, right? This is the warmest family in all of Hogwarts. How could anyone here be so violent?"

"You have a point. Could it really be from a fall?" Cedric nodded in agreement.

He also didn't believe that a Hufflepuff would beat up a first-year on the first day of school; such things typically only happened in Slytherin.

But he still couldn't understand how a "black eye" could be that round if it were truly from a fall.

A rare talent?

Just then, Cedric was still mulling it over when Prefect Harris finished speaking.

"From today onward, we're classmates. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask—there's no need to feel embarrassed.

Hufflepuff is a warm family, and every prefect, including myself, is here to support you.

You must be tired now, so I'll take you to your respective dormitories. Patty, you're in charge of the girls' side."

Kyle felt like he had received a reprieve and quickly stood up from the sofa, following the group. He didn't even say goodbye to Cedric before leaving.

Under Harris's guidance, Kyle quickly arrived at his dormitory.

Like the common room, the main colors here were also yellow and black.

The copper lamps cast a warm glow over the four-poster beds, and on the wall hung a copper bed warmer, which kept the young wizards' beds at the most comfortable temperature.

There were two other boys in his dormitory.

Mickel Drake was a small-framed boy with black hair.

The other boy was Ryan Baggins, who had blond hair and was relatively more robust.

Both were just ordinary students, unknown to anyone.

The last bed was unoccupied, likely because there weren't enough new students.

Kyle tilted his head and exchanged brief greetings with the two before climbing into his bed.

"Hey, isn't this amazing? I'm actually a wizard!" Mickel exclaimed excitedly, sitting on the edge of his bed. "None of my family can do magic. My dad sells drilling machines, and my mom works at a bank. So when I first received that letter, I thought it was a prank! I never expected it to be real.

Haha, Hogwarts… I still feel like I'm dreaming."

"I'm half and half, what wizards call a half-blood," Ryan chimed in. "My dad is a wizard, and my mom is a Muggle. She was pretty shocked when she found out the truth."

"That's understandable. Anyone who's never been exposed to magic would react that way," Mickel replied. "You wouldn't believe it; when that professor Quirrell showed up at our house, my parents almost called the police.

He just appeared out of nowhere and talked about something called… what was it? Apparition?"

"Apparition," Kyle quietly reminded him from the side.

"Yeah, right, Apparition," Mickel said, his eyes lighting up. "Hey, I remember you! You're the one who took twenty minutes to be sorted, Kyle Chobba, right?"

"That's me. Nice to meet you both," Kyle replied.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Mickel asked curiously. "Why did it take you so long to get sorted? Twenty minutes is longer than all the other first-years combined!"

"It's nothing much," Kyle thought for a moment. "The Sorting Hat just couldn't decide where to place me. It was really indecisive."

"Oh, I see." Mickel sighed, "If that hat took so long to decide, you must be really special."

Kyle just smiled and said nothing.

It was true that he was special, but it had nothing to do with the Sorting Hat.

Besides, if Mickel knew the real reason the hat struggled, he probably wouldn't have said that.

For a while, Mickel chatted like he had just been injected with adrenaline.

He rambled on about Diagon Alley, then moved on to Gringotts, and from there to wand selection, without stopping for breath.

It was clear that becoming a wizard made him incredibly happy.

At first, Kyle and Ryan managed to chip in a few comments, but gradually, the dormitory was filled only with Mickel's voice.

There was no helping it; it was overwhelming.

After all, it was hard to stay awake after a big meal, and after sitting on the train for over ten hours, just making it this far was a struggle.

Kyle also wanted to talk with his roommates to strengthen their friendship, but the comfort of the blankets was too enticing, and he unknowingly drifted into sleep.

Ryan, on the other hand, had fallen asleep even faster—there hadn't been a sound from him for the last five minutes.

…

…

(End of chapter)