A Good Hogwarts Roommate

Kyle stayed with Hagrid until noon before returning to the castle.

It's almost lunchtime, I can't not go back.

Hagrid had originally intended for Kyle to stay for dinner, but Kyle hesitated for only a second before decisively declining.

Because he saw Hagrid take two long, unidentified creatures from the shelf outside, make a few simple cuts, throw them into a basin next to him, and then smear a layer of yellow-green, sticky stuff on them.

If he doesn't leave now, he'll probably spend the first weekend of the new school year at the Hospital Wing.

Kyle left decisively, ignoring Hagrid's attempts to persuade him to stay, and quickly crossed the field back to the safety of the castle.

At this time, the Great Hall on the first floor was already quite crowded, and due to the Quidditch selection process, the atmosphere was noticeably more lively than usual.

"I wish I could fly lower."

At the doorway, a Gryffindor student said in frustration, "You guys don't know, the Golden Snitch flew past me just a few feet away, and I didn't even see it!"

"That's such a pity..." his teammate asked regretfully, "Do you think you can still make the team?"

"It should be fine," the man said. "The other competitors for the Seeker position aren't doing very well; many of them even fell off their brooms. Compared to them, I've done quite well."

"That's great!"

Kyle heard similar conversations everywhere he went.

Interestingly, at the Gryffindor dining table, everyone who participated in the selection process was very confident. Even those who fell off brooms and got bruised and battered still believed they could easily make it into the team.

Just as Kyle walked to the Hufflepuff table, Cedric also walked over.

"How did the qualifying rounds go?" Kyle asked.

Cedric shook his head, picked up the Pumpkin Juice on the table and took two big gulps before saying, "Many people signed up, but most of them are not qualified. Some didn't even pass the aerial turn test."

Oh, by the way, I also saw your two roommates."

"Mikel and Ryan?"

"Yes."

Kyle asked curiously, "How did they perform?"

"Forehead..."

Cedric's expression suddenly turned strange, as if he was carefully choosing his words. After a long silence, he continued, "I think... they might not be very suitable for Quidditch."

"It can't be that bad..." Kyle, somewhat surprised.

For Cedric, a man known for his kindness, to say something like "not suited to play Quidditch" only proves how badly Mikel and Ryan performed.

Kyle remembered that they did pretty well in Flying Class; although not spectacularly, they at least flew very steadily.

"Were they too nervous and didn't fly well?"

"It has nothing to do with this."

Cedric sighed and said, "The main problem is that they don't know the rules of Quidditch at all. Ryan just charged around as soon as he came on the field, not caring about where anyone else was, and he didn't even look at his opponents, passing the ball to them twice."

The other one is even more outrageous!

... Did you know? He actually mistook the Bludger for Quaffle, grabbed it, and charged towards the goal.

"Uh..." Kyle was speechless.

But since he was still his roommate, he clicked his tongue and said, "At least he's quite energetic, which is a good thing, isn't it?"

"If only that were true." Cedric sighed again.

"In fact, he hadn't flown very far before he lost control of the Bludger. If the others hadn't reacted quickly, he would have been taken to the Hospital Wing by now."

This time, Kyle really couldn't find any reason, and he wondered if it was just his imagination, but he noticed that Cedric's gaze towards him had suddenly become a little strange, as if it carried a hint of pity.

"It was just an accident," Kyle explained dryly. "Apart from Quidditch, they're pretty normal."

"If I remember correctly," Cedric said thoughtfully, "One of them was the one who blew up the Charms class classroom with an Wand-Lighting Charm last year."

"That's a problem with Mikel's constitution," Kyle said seriously. "He can't control his magic output; it's beyond his control!"

"Okay." Cedric thought for a moment, then continued, "What if they copy your name too when they copy your homework..."

"Forehead..."

Before Kyle could speak, Cedric continued:

"During the Potions Class exam, they made Professor Snape add water to the cauldron..."

"..."

"Dye yourself all blue..."

"..."

"Wait a minute..." Kyle paused, then asked, "How did you know that?"

He remembered that when he brought Mikel back, it was during class time, so no one should have seen him.

"The Pendulum Courtyard is right outside the History of Magic classroom," Cedric said quietly. "You can see the entrance to the Hospital Wing just through the window."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Kyle said earnestly, "Cedric, you've gone too far. Talking behind people's backs is not the style of Hufflepuff."

Cedric looked at Kyle with a strange expression, but didn't say anything.

"Alright, I'll let it go this time, but don't let it happen again."

Kyle calmly picked up a piece of toast and said, "Tell me about the other teams. Have they made any changes this year?"

Although Cedric felt that Kyle's change of topic was rather abrupt, he still went along with it, saying, "Slytherin cleared the room when they were selecting their members, and all I know is that their new captain is Marcus Flint."

Gryffindor's team is still the same as last year, with no outstanding new players. Oliver Wood spent the whole morning pulling his hair on the field.

However, Ravenclaw produced an excellent Seeker, can you guess who it was...?

"It's Qiu," Kyle said. "She said she wanted to be Seeker last year."

"That's right, it's Qiu." Cedric laughed. "Among all the people who participated in the Chaser selection, she was the fastest to catch the Golden Snitch."

The Ravenclaw captain was overjoyed; if it weren't so early, he probably would have agreed to make Cho the new Seeker right away.

"You wouldn't believe how envious Oliver Wood was back then, his eyes were practically red with envy."

Cedric picked up a glass of Pumpkin Juice and said with a smile, "He went straight to Professor McGonagall and asked if first-year students could also participate in the selection, and he got a good scolding."

"Hey, I think I heard someone mention our beloved captain."

"Is Oliver Wood that popular now?"

Just then, Fred and George walked over from a short distance away, sat down on either side of Kyle, and asked, "What were you talking about just now?"

"Regarding the Quidditch player selection," Cedric didn't hide anything, asking with a smile, "What, Professor McGonagall agreed to let you select players from the first year?"