Chapter 26: Radon

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The next morning, Kyle was forced to crawl out of bed early.

Because he hadn't closed the curtains the night before, sunlight streamed through the round window of the dormitory, shining directly onto his face like a spotlight.

Who could sleep like that?

Reluctantly, Kyle dressed and stretched as he made his way to the window.

Although Hogwarts Castle wasn't built on flat ground, and their dorm was technically underground, sunlight still poured in. Through the circular window, he could see the swaying grass and dandelions outside.

Kyle glanced at his two roommates, who were still sound asleep, and without a word, opened the window as wide as it would go.

How could they sleep so soundly with only five years left before the O.W.L.s exams?

Besides, it was already 7:30. Round that up, and it's practically 8:50, meaning there were just minutes left before the 9 o'clock class.

This was, after all, their first class at Hogwarts, and they needed to make a good impression on the professors. Being late wouldn't help.

And the morning breeze, with its misty chill, was undoubtedly the best alarm clock.

"I'm so thoughtful," Kyle nodded, pleased with himself.

He really was doing this for his roommates' benefit, definitely not because he wanted them up early with him. After all, a Hufflepuff like him wouldn't do something like that.

After a quick wash, Kyle passed through the common room and left the dormitory.

As everyone knew, the stairs at Hogwarts had quite the personality. It was almost as if they had minds of their own, always shifting directions or extending to other floors just when a wizard was in the biggest hurry, silently enjoying their victims' desperate cries of frustration.

Kyle had prepared himself for a detour, but either because he had plenty of time or because it wasn't the stairs' "working hours," he made it all the way from the common room to the Great Hall without the stairs changing even once. They were eerily still.

He felt slightly disappointed. To be honest, he had been kind of looking forward to the challenge.

Although it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet, quite a few people were already in the Great Hall, especially at the Ravenclaw table, which was almost full. Other houses had a few upper-year students scattered around.

Hufflepuff, however... just Kyle.

As soon as he sat down, a hot breakfast appeared on the plate before him—a glass of milk, two sausages, and a piece of bread.

Not exactly a feast, but good enough. If it wasn't enough, he could always get more.

Kyle leisurely ate his breakfast, and soon, two familiar figures walked into the hall, one after the other.

"Hey, Kyle, why are you up so early?" Mikael and Ryan walked over quickly.

"I didn't want to be," Kyle said, keeping a straight face as he cut into his sausage. "But the dorm window was open, and the wind made it too cold to sleep. What about you guys? Why are you up so early?"

"Same reason," Mikael said with a grimace. "I thought it was you who opened the window."

"It was already open when I left," Kyle emphasized the word "left" heavily.

"Ah, must've been the wind then," Mikael said, taking a big bite of bread. "But it's probably for the best. I didn't fall asleep until midnight, and if the window hadn't been open, there's no way I'd have woken up before nine.

If we were late to our first class... I can't even imagine what would happen. We'd probably get expelled."

Ryan, beside him, nodded in agreement.

Although he usually woke up around 8 at home, that was only because his mom dragged him out of bed. Left to his own devices, he wouldn't have made it to the first class on time either.

Kyle grinned. "Well, you two should be thanking whoever opened that window for you."

"Yeah, no kidding."

The two, still groggy from sleep, focused on their breakfast, not noticing anything off about Kyle's earlier comment.

Mikael even chimed in, "Yeah, definitely a big help."

By then, Kyle had finished his last sip of milk and stood up. "You guys keep eating. I'm going for a walk."

"Alright," they both replied in unison.

...

Leaving his food-obsessed roommates behind, Kyle headed straight for the castle's main doors.

It was just past 8 a.m., and there was still plenty of time before class. With time to spare, Kyle decided to take care of his pet situation.

There was already a cat and a toad in the dormitory. He couldn't be the odd one out, right?

Stepping outside the castle, Kyle raised his arm in a practiced motion.

Within seconds, seven or eight owls swooped down from all directions, neatly landing on the stone steps in front of him.

"This isn't about delivering letters," Kyle said, looking at them. "I'll be staying at Hogwarts for a long time, and I'd like to hire one of you as my personal messenger.

"As for compensation… All meals provided, at least one bag of owl nuts every day, three bags of Mortula jerky each week, and one bottle of owl tonic each month. If there's anything else you need, we can discuss it.

"Also, even after I graduate, these terms will still stand, until you're no longer able to fly.

"Well? Whoever's interested, just fly onto my shoulder."

This had nothing to do with Kyle's family talents.

As magical creatures, owls have a natural affinity for magic. With just a bit of training, they can understand wizards' commands. The ones at Hogwarts were particularly skilled in this regard.

Even though Kyle's proposal might have been a bit complicated for them, with a few gestures, the owls could understand most of it.

It didn't even take a second. The owls eagerly vied for a spot on Kyle's shoulder, with some even attacking the others in front of them to get there first.

In no time, chaos erupted as feathers flew everywhere.

Kyle scratched his head, torn between amusement and exasperation. He wanted to stop them, but it was too late. This was beyond what a few words could fix.

Fortunately, the commotion didn't last long.

A large brown fish owl, using its massive size to its advantage, easily bested the other contenders and proudly perched on Kyle's shoulder.

Kyle recognized this owl.

It must have been about three years ago when Chris found it, badly injured and barely alive, at the entrance of the Ministry of Magic's mail station, clutching a letter it hadn't been able to deliver.

Thanks to Chris's quick actions, the owl received immediate treatment and was nursed back to health over the course of half a month.

Even so, a long, narrow scar remained on its face, the result of dark magic. The scar was nearly impossible to remove, not even Chris or Newt could do it, and its feathers couldn't cover it.

Compared to other owls, this made it look rather... ugly.

But Kyle didn't care about that. He ruffled the feathers on the owl's neck and smiled. "Hey, Radon."

The owl tilted its head and gently nuzzled Kyle's fingers with its beak.

"Radon" was the nickname Kyle had given it back then.

At first, Kyle had no idea what its real name was. He had only come up with the nickname for convenience when feeding it.

To his surprise, the owl actually accepted the name.

When Hagrid came to take the owl back, he had spent over half an hour shouting "Saiban! Saiban!" into the nearby woods, but the owl didn't respond at all.

It wasn't until Kyle quietly called out "Radon" that the owl slowly flew out of the trees.

Hagrid was stunned. He didn't recover for a long time, as if the owl he had raised had been stolen by Kyle.

The disappointment on his face was unmistakable.

...

(End of Chapter)