Chapter 399: Snape’s Gift

Kyle finally returned to Hogwarts in the afternoon. The thestral-drawn carriage didn't return to its original starting point but instead landed near Hagrid's hut.

"I was just wondering when you'd be back," Hagrid said, giving one of the thestrals an affectionate pat on the wing. "So, how was the ride?"

"It could easily replace the train as the school's main way to travel at the start and end of term," Kyle said with a grin.

"The governors'll never go for it," Hagrid replied, shaking his head regretfully. "Keeping the thestrals is no small expense—far more costly than the train."

"You're right," Kyle nodded. The thestrals couldn't be beaten for speed or comfort, but the Hogwarts Express was more affordable and capable of transporting all the students in one go. He'd only been joking about replacing it.

Before heading back to the castle, Kyle handed Hagrid a small, sealed vial of dragon's blood as payment for the thestral ride. Despite the sealed bottle, the thestrals' sharp noses caught the scent immediately, and they grew restless. Hagrid tried to calm them, but his efforts only partially worked as the three thestrals clustered around him. Meanwhile, Kyle had already slipped away toward the castle.

Inside the Hufflepuff common room, Kyle found only one person, Winsty, who was furiously catching up on her homework.

"Long time no see, Winsty," Kyle greeted her.

Winsty looked up, surprised. "Wait… Did the train get back already?"

"Oh, no, I didn't come by train," Kyle replied. "Where are Kanna and Cedric?"

"Kanna's in the library," she said, looking back down at her work. "I don't know about Cedric—he went out early this morning, probably with some of the Gryffindors."

"Thanks, I know where to look."

"You're welcome," said Winsty, returning to her mountain of essays. The price of two weeks' holiday fun, it seemed, was five looming assignments she hoped to finish that night.

Kyle gave her a sympathetic look and made his way to his dormitory. Inside, he found a pile of gifts of all shapes and sizes, and he picked out the ones that caught his eye, tearing into the wrapping. This year, both Professor Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley had given him sweaters. Mrs. Weasley's was a warm reddish-brown, while Dumbledore's was a lighter yellow with brown stripes and a unique design, almost as though he'd done some research on current trends. It looked like he really was serious about opening that shop in Hogsmeade.

The other gifts were mostly an assortment of books, sweets, and small trinkets. Halfway through his unwrapping, he heard a knock on the door. Kanna entered, smiling as she stepped inside.

"Winsty told me you'd returned," she said.

"Yeah," Kyle replied, "I got back early since I didn't take the train."

"Want some help with all this?" Kanna asked, eyeing the stack of presents.

"Definitely, you're just in time," Kyle said, making some room for her.

As she sat down and started unwrapping packages, Kanna asked, "So, where did you spend the holiday? Cedric mentioned that all our letters ended up in your dormitory, so we knew you weren't here."

"I was staying with Nicolas Flamel," Kyle explained. "The owls couldn't find me."

"You were in Paris?" Kanna asked, remembering Kyle had spent a previous holiday there for an entire month.

"Not that far this time. I was in Devon," Kyle said.

...

With Kanna's help, the presents were soon mostly unwrapped. She picked up the last box, which had no name on it but bore Snape's unmistakable handwriting. Curiosity piqued, she opened it carefully and found an old, battered quill and a small vial inside.

When Kyle wasn't looking, Kanna quickly tossed the broken quill under the bed, silently discarding it.

"Kyle, Professor Snape sent you a bottle of Elixir to Induce Euphoria," she said, holding up the vial.

"What?" Kyle looked up in shock. Snape had given him a potion? That was highly unusual. He'd been expecting something closer to a broken quill—which would have paired well with the moldy parchment Snape had given him the previous Christmas.

"Look," Kanna said, handing him the bottle.

The vial was small, and the potion inside shimmered in a peacock-blue hue, with a few bubbly particles that caught the light in a way that matched the Elixir to Induce Euphoria's description perfectly.

"An Elixir to Induce Euphoria?" Kyle muttered, still skeptical. It looked genuine, but this felt almost too generous for Snape. Could it be that Snape had accidentally drunk some of Mikel's attempt at brewing this potion?

"Of course it's real," Kanna replied, smiling. "When I gave Professor Snape his Christmas gift, he told me he had a surprise for you."

"A Christmas gift?" Kyle asked, eyes narrowing. "What did you give him?"

"A set of potion-grinding tools," Kanna said, "and some of that really sweet coffee from Madam Puddifoot's Tea House."

Kyle's heart sank a bit. "So you weren't buying that coffee to give to Professor Dumbledore?"

"No," Kanna answered matter-of-factly. "Didn't you say the Headmaster and Professor Snape both recommended that very sweet pudding once? I figured Snape might have a bit of a sweet tooth too."

"Did he like it?" Kyle asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

"I think so," Kanna said, thinking it over. "He came by the next day asking where I'd gotten it."

"You told him?"

"Of course," Kanna said, smiling. "I told him we'd had it at Madam Puddifoot's Tea House in Hogsmeade."

...

Kyle took a deep breath and quietly put away the bottle labeled Elixir to Induce Euphoria. There was no doubt in his mind—this stuff had to be fake, and he had no intention of drinking it. Kyle valued his life, and he intended to live long enough to graduate. Given his recent need to steer clear of Snape, he realized he'd better have extra protection on hand. More bezoars would be a good idea.

Bezoars were inexpensive and available in Hogsmeade, so Kyle decided he'd stock up on a hundred of them, just to be safe.

As the last of the presents were unwrapped, the sky outside grew dark. By then, the other students had returned from their holidays, filling the common room with laughter and excitement. When it was time for the Start-of-Term Feast, the Great Hall was as magnificent as ever.

Dumbledore, wearing a rich purple robe, strode briskly to the front of the hall. Cedric, seated nearby, leaned in with a grin. "Kyle, have you noticed the headmaster looks especially cheerful tonight?"

It wasn't just Cedric—most of the students seemed to have picked up on Dumbledore's unusually buoyant mood.

"Maybe he's received some good news," Kyle mused, glancing up at the staff table.

Indeed, Dumbledore seemed to have just shared something witty with Professor McGonagall, causing her to laugh.