Chapter 768: Peacock Cedric

Before the Hogwarts Express departed, Kanna and Fleur had already left the school in a Thestral-drawn carriage.

As the Thestral soared higher and higher, Kanna leaned out of the carriage and waved to Kyle. As they passed a tower, she caught sight of Snape standing there.

But in the blink of an eye, he was gone, as if he had never been there at all.

"What's wrong?" Fleur asked, noticing Kanna staring at the castle.

"Nothing," Kanna shook her head, a little unsure of what she had just seen.

The Thestral-drawn carriage was fast, and in less than a minute, it had become a small, blurry dot before vanishing from sight.

Kyle let go of her hand and turned to Bill, asking, "How are you getting back? Taking the train? You should still be able to make it if you hurry."

"Though it's nice to revisit the school, I'll choose Apparition," Bill shrugged. "Trains are far too slow. Ever since graduating, I can't stand wasting half a day on the journey."

"I'll wait for you at Grimmauld Place," he said with a smile, patting Kyle on the shoulder. "Mum's prepared a big dinner to celebrate your graduation—I can't wait."

With that, he strode off toward the school gates.

Kyle, on the other hand, was hesitant.

To be honest, he wanted to just Apparate back as well—it was convenient and easy. But knowing he wouldn't be returning to school next year, there was no need to rush…

Forget it. Might as well take it slow.

After a moment of indecision, he made his way to Hogsmeade Station and boarded the train just in time at 8:59.

A minute later, the train doors closed, and with a loud whistle, the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled out of the station.

Since he had arrived late, the train was already packed.

Cho was sitting with a few Ravenclaw girls, exchanging small trinkets.

Kyle didn't bother her and instead made his way to the spacious Prefects' compartment, found a seat by the window, and gazed outside.

With fewer familiar faces around, the journey felt dull. It wasn't until noon that he heard a familiar commotion.

"Ron, you do realize that a Prefect's duties include maintaining order on the train, right? But what have you done? You've let the younger students run amok!"

"I didn't let them! They were just chasing the trolley. You're being too strict," Ron protested.

The familiar trio entered the Prefects' compartment, with Harry staying quiet beside them.

As a Quidditch player, Harry enjoyed the benefits of being a Prefect, but he didn't have the authority. Even if he wanted to maintain order, no one would listen to him. Then again, looking at it from another angle, it was a pretty comfortable arrangement—no need to waste time dealing with difficult students.

"Oh, Kyle, you're here too," Harry said as soon as he stepped in, and the three of them naturally took seats nearby.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. "A lot of people are looking for you outside."

"Looking for me?" Kyle was puzzled.

"Yeah, mostly seventh years. I think they want to trade souvenirs with you."

"Good thing I didn't go out," Kyle said half-jokingly. "I don't have that much to give away."

Harry chuckled. He could guess why Kyle was hiding—he probably wanted to avoid the crowd.

It reminded Harry of his first year when he was also incredibly popular. But he hadn't liked the attention much. More often than not, he preferred being alone… or just with Hermione and Ron.

"Where's Kanna?" Hermione glanced around.

"She had something else to do and didn't take the train," Kyle replied.

He didn't mention that Kanna had gone to France. It wasn't a matter of trust—if there was anyone he trusted, it was Hermione. She was close to Harry and had even been to the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters.

But there was no real need to bring it up. They weren't deeply concerned about Kanna's whereabouts, just curious.

Sure enough, Hermione simply nodded at his answer and didn't ask further.

The three of them continued chatting, with Hermione spending most of the time scolding Ron for neglecting his Prefect duties, while Harry stood by, trying to remain invisible.

Sensing the awkwardness, he eventually got up and left for a bit. When he returned, he had a large pile of snacks in his hands, which he promptly dumped onto the table.

"We just bought Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Frogs," Harry said, glancing at Kyle. "You should have some, too. It's all we have left from the train."

Ron had been hungry for a long time and wasted no time grabbing a Chocolate Frog, stuffing it into his mouth.

Hermione took some Cauldron Cakes as well.

Noticing that Kyle hadn't moved, she assumed he was feeling embarrassed and simply handed him the cake in her hand.

"Don't be shy, help yourself."

"No, you've got it wrong," Kyle shook his head. "I actually brought lunch."

"You brought lunch?" Harry and Ron stopped what they were doing at the same time, thinking they had misheard him.

If they remembered correctly, this train had left from Hogwarts—why would Kyle bring lunch…?

But in the next moment, they got their answer.

They watched as Kyle opened his suitcase and expertly pulled out several bulging brown paper bags.

He unfolded one of them, revealing whole roast chickens, pork cutlets, fragrant wheat cakes, baked potatoes, and even seasonings like black pepper and orange marmalade, filling up the other half of the table.

Harry suddenly found that the chocolate in his mouth didn't taste quite as appealing anymore.

"You… got this from the kitchen?"

"Yes," Kyle nodded. "After all, you did say there wasn't a proper lunch on the train, so I went to the kitchen before we left."

"As you probably know, our Hufflepuff common room is very close to the kitchen, so it wasn't hard to get these."

"Yes," Harry muttered.

He looked at the feast in front of Kyle, then at the pile of snacks in front of him. His throat moved involuntarily.

"Let's eat together," Kyle offered. "The House-elves were so enthusiastic that they gave me more than I asked for. I definitely can't finish it all by myself."

"Is that okay?" Harry asked.

"Of course."

Kyle waved his wand, and the food, which had cooled down, was instantly steaming hot again.

The Heating Charm was a simple spell Kyle had invented, especially useful for keeping warm on winter nights.

"Thanks," Harry said, immediately tossing the half-eaten Chocolate Frog back into the pile. Who would eat that when there were pork chops?

"Kyle, what are you going to do after you graduate?" Harry asked, mimicking Kyle by placing a pork chop in a flatbread, sprinkling some black pepper on top, and taking a big bite.

He wasn't sure if it was just in his head, but eating like this made the food taste even better—the texture was different, richer. He couldn't resist taking another bite.

"Needless to say? Kyle definitely wants to work for the Ministry of Magic," Hermione said, looking at Harry before frowning at his lack of table manners. But when she saw Kyle eating the same way, she decided to say nothing.

"Don't forget, Kyle is the Senior Assistant to the Minister for Magic, so he definitely has to go back to the Ministry, right?"

"Well… not necessarily," Kyle said after a moment's thought. "At this point, every decision at the Ministry of Magic is basically tied to the hunt for the Death Eaters."

"So right now, what the Ministry really needs are Aurors and Hit Wizards—not a Senior Assistant to the Minister for Magic."

"So will you become an Auror?" Harry asked. "I want to be an Auror too—maybe we'll be colleagues next year."

"I hadn't planned on it," Kyle shrugged. "Fudge definitely wouldn't let me transfer to the Auror Office."

"If possible, I'd actually like to open a shop in Diagon Alley. At least it wouldn't be as much of a hassle."

Kyle's words seemed to take Harry and Hermione by surprise. They both looked at him in disbelief. Ron, on the other hand, wasn't surprised in the slightest.

Kyle had been selling maps and other things with Fred and George at school, so it wasn't strange that he'd want to open a shop after graduation.

As the train continued on, their conversation expanded, and soon, others joined in.

Hermione said she wanted to work for the Ministry of Magic, preferably in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Harry, as he had said during career guidance, was determined to become an Auror.

Ron, however, was torn between joining the Ministry and pursuing a career as a professional Quidditch Keeper.

…

Although Kyle had brought a lot of food, there were many of them eating, and even though they barely managed to get halfway through, with some snacks in between, it was enough to satisfy them.

After lunch, Hermione dragged Ron off for an aisle patrol, and after a brief hesitation, Harry followed them, heading towards the regular compartments.

The train continued its journey, the villages outside the window passing by in a blur.

Finally, the train began to slow down. After a sharp turn, it pulled into the familiar Platform 9¾.

Students filed out of the train one by one, making their way through the barrier and into King's Cross Station.

"Over here, Cho, I'm over here..."

In the station, a particularly irritating idiot was jumping up and down, waving frantically to get someone's attention. From a distance, he looked like a ridiculous peacock in heat.

"Cedric!"

Cho, who had just stepped off the train, immediately noticed the commotion on the platform. Dropping her luggage, she ran over and threw herself into the other person's arms.

The two embraced in the middle of the platform, completely ignoring everyone around them.

"Ugh… what a shameless display," Kyle muttered, scowling as he was forced to accept a packed meal.

"Tsk, isn't that an ugly expression?" A teasing voice sounded from behind.

"Shouldn't we offer our best wishes to our dear friends after a long separation?"

Fred and George had appeared on either side of Kyle.

"So where are your best wishes?" Kyle asked without turning his head.

"Weasley's Super-Strong Magic Adhesive," Fred's voice carried a hint of amusement. "Our latest product, strong enough to even stick wands together."

"Just now, while Cedric was looking around for her, we applied some to the clothes of that flamboyant peacock," George added. "Since they love hugging so much, I don't think they'll mind staying that way forever."

"That's despicable," Kyle said, disgusted, though his eyes flicked to Fred's hand as he discreetly slipped a white bottle into his pocket.

The way Fred moved suggested he had considered smearing some on Kyle but, for some reason, had decided against it.

"Same to you," Fred replied smoothly.

George raised an eyebrow. "Yes, everyone's the same."

The three of them exchanged knowing smiles.

"Congratulations," Fred said, clapping Kyle on the shoulder. "From today onwards, you've finally escaped your prison—no more homework, no more exams."

"You can wake up whenever you want..."

"You can drink as much as you want..."

"You can go to Hogsmeade every day..."

"You can do whatever you want!"

The twins laughed heartily, painting a picture of the blissful life awaiting Kyle after graduation.

But Kyle only saw it as a bad joke. If life after school was really that relaxing, then what were those dark circles under their eyes all about?

It wasn't hard to guess—they hadn't had a proper night's rest in a long time. Most likely, it was because of their involvement with the Order of the Phoenix.

The three of them continued chatting, but it wasn't long before Cedric finally realized something was wrong.

His and Cho's clothes were stuck together. And not just a little—they were stuck firmly. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't separate them.

"Bloody hell! Fred, George, what did you do?!"

They had been friends for years—Cedric didn't need proof. He already knew exactly who was responsible.

"Just a little trick to help you two get closer," Fred said with a wide grin.

George gave him a thumbs-up. "It's what friends do. No need to thank us."

Cedric was furious. Heat rushed to his face as he realized more and more people were staring at them, including Cho's parents.

"Hurry up," Cedric glared at the Weasley twins and practically spat out the words. "Get it off."

"Sorry," Fred blinked innocently. "New product—currently only stickable, not removable!"

"You think I'll believe that?" Cedric wasn't buying it for a second. "As far as I know, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes never releases half-finished products."

"Thank you for the compliment, sir!" George grinned. "But this hasn't been officially released yet, so it's not really—Ouch!"

Before he could finish, a large hand landed precisely on his ear.

Fred on the other side fared no better.

"Cho is a girl, so hurry up and take it out," Mrs. Weasley said menacingly, grabbing both twins by their ears.

"Let go, Mum... let go... we'll give it to him!"

Fred hopped around in pain, quickly pulling out a blue bottle and tossing it over.

Cedric caught it and immediately poured the powder inside over the part of their clothes that had been stuck together. Instantly, he and Cho were separated.

"Hurry up and apologize," Mrs. Weasley ordered, dragging Fred and George toward Cho's parents.

"Sorry!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Ah, it's okay," Cho's parents said, magnanimously forgiving the two.

In truth, they had known Cedric for a long time and were quite satisfied with him. In fact, they had already discussed meeting the Diggorys once the threat of Voldemort and the Death Eaters had passed.

"But..." Cho's father glanced at Fred. "Can I buy a bottle of that glue you used earlier? Our windows have been rattling in the wind lately because they're a bit loose."

"Of course, no problem!" Fred quickly fished the bottle of magical glue from his pocket.

"It's a gift, no charge."

"If you ever need anything else, stop by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley—we'll give you a 50% discount."

"That's quite a good discount," Cho's mother said with a smile.

Then, they left with Cho.

Mrs. Weasley, meanwhile, was still scolding Fred and George.

At that moment, Hermione, Harry, and Ron finally emerged from the barrier.

She immediately abandoned the twins and rushed over to give each of them a hug.

Kyle also noticed that as soon as Harry appeared, several passersby who had been minding their own business suddenly became tense, their hands unconsciously reaching into their pockets.

Judging from Mr. Weasley's composed demeanor, they must have been Ministry of Magic personnel.

"Alright, hurry up and follow me," Mrs. Weasley instructed, leading the group toward the station exit. "It's not safe out there right now—we'd best get back quickly."

"Where's Sirius?" Harry looked around but didn't see the person he wanted to find most.

"He's waiting for you outside," Mr. Weasley said. "Remember? The Ministry of Magic issued a wanted notice for Sirius among the Muggles. There are too many people here at the station, so to avoid trouble, it's better for him to stay outside."

Hearing this, Harry let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, that was the only reason.