A Failed Prank

After sitting down at the Hufflepuff table, Kyle felt a strange sense of relief.

Before the Sorting, he had felt uneasy, but now that everything was settled, he could finally consider himself a true member of Hogwarts.

This feeling was fantastic.

Kyle leaned against the dining table, resting his chin on his left hand, watching the ongoing Sorting ceremony leisurely while waiting for the feast to begin.

Because of the exceptionally long Sorting that had just taken place, many people in the Great Hall were curiously sizing Kyle up.

Among them, quite a few witches looked at Kyle and Cedric, who were sitting together laughing and chatting, then glanced at the classmates beside them, nearly grinding their back teeth to dust.

Damn it, why did all the handsome ones go to Hufflepuff? This isn't fair!

Over at the Gryffindor table, Fred and George were also on the verge of grinding their back teeth to dust.

"Why did Kyle go to Hufflepuff!" Fred hammered his thigh in frustration. "Now our carefully prepared welcome ceremony is useless!"

"Don't say it, Fred, let me catch my breath." George scratched his head beside him. "Honestly, I could have accepted it if Kyle went to Slytherin, but Hufflepuff... how is that even possible!"

"Exactly!" Fred nodded. "Kyle? Loyal? Kind? Has the Sorting Hat gone senile?"

Just as Fred and George fell into a simultaneous silence, a first-year who had just been sorted into Gryffindor happened to sit in the empty seat next to them.

The next second...

"Ouch!"

A scream echoed through the Great Hall, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

The Gryffindor first-year jumped three feet into the air like a startled Patronus Frog, then began running around in circles while clutching his backside.

He wailed as he ran.

Only then did the crowd see the round, bulky object hanging off his rear.

It was about the size of a Quidditch Bludger, and a massive mouth filled with sharp teeth was clamped firmly onto the student's behind.

"Wait, that ball looks a bit familiar." Fred, who had been watching the show, suddenly remembered something and turned his head. "George, didn't you put the Biting Ball away?"

George froze. "No, I thought you had already put it away."

The two exchanged a look, then simultaneously glanced at the seat on their left—the spot where the student had just sat down.

Without a doubt, it was empty.

"Oh, damn." Fred grabbed his hair, looking heartbroken. "That was our entire savings."

That Biting Ball was a new prop Fred and George had bought at a high price from Zonko's Joke Shop, designed to disguise itself as an ordinary seat cushion and be placed anywhere.

It was just a bit expensive, costing three Galleons, which was not a small sum for Fred and George.

But thinking that Kyle would be sorted today, they had gritted their teeth and spent their entire savings on it, intending to give their little junior an unforgettable surprise.

To avoid any suspicion, they had specifically set everything up while Kyle was wearing the Sorting Hat, placing the cushion on the empty seat beside them.

That way, if Kyle were sorted into Gryffindor, they could naturally lead him into the trap.

Even if he were sorted into another house, it wouldn't matter; it was just a cushion, easily retrieved.

Everything had been so perfect.

Unfortunately, man proposes but God disposes; they never expected Kyle to be sorted into Hufflepuff, the house they considered the least likely, and they had been too shocked to retrieve the "cushion" immediately.

As a result, the scene before them unfolded.

"Fred, do you think we can still get that Biting Ball back?" George looked at the student's retreating back, his heart bleeding.

That was three Galleons! You could buy a whole crate of Dungbombs for that; how could it not hurt?

Fred looked at Professor McGonagall, who was walking toward the student, and said helplessly, "I think it's probably gone for good."

Having said that, the two sighed in unison.

On the other side, Professor McGonagall had already reached the student. She first casually removed the Biting Ball, then checked on the young wizard's condition.

No injuries, and not a single tear on his robes—a standard magical prank.

Looking at the familiar technique and the weapon of choice, she didn't even need to think; Professor McGonagall immediately identified the culprits and turned to glare at the twins.

However, since the Sorting wasn't over yet, she couldn't say much, so she left them with a "Twenty points from Gryffindor" before turning back to the stage.

The student had been scared out of his wits; after being brought back by Percy, he checked himself three times over with extreme caution before finally sitting back down at the table.

Not far away, Kyle watched the dejected Fred and George, making no effort to hide his mockery as he slowly extended a middle finger toward them.

Kyle would swear on Ron's integrity that the biting ball from earlier was one hundred percent prepared for him by those two.

Now that Professor McGonagall had caught them, it could only be called karma.

"No way, George, Kyle is being too arrogant." Fred's face turned red with anger.

Others might not know what that gesture meant, but he certainly did.

For the past eleven years, whenever Kyle mocked them, he would extend his middle finger, so he understood exactly what Kyle meant just now.

"Don't worry, Fred, as long as Kyle is still at Hogwarts, we'll have plenty of chances."

Just like Fred, George was equally infuriated, his ears even turning red.

But the problem was that they truly had no way to deal with Kyle right now, and they dared not cause trouble under the death glare of Professor McGonagall, so they could only retaliate by flipping Kyle the middle finger.

Out of sight, out of mind.

The two temporarily suppressed their desire for revenge and turned their heads away, trying their best not to look at Kyle's infuriating face.

Faced with their actions, Kyle didn't care at all.

It was merely the final resistance of two red-headed losers; he wouldn't take it to heart.

Moreover, Kyle knew that Fred and George certainly wouldn't just let it go; they were probably discussing how to get back at him right this moment.

But so what?

In the past eleven years, he had almost never lost a war against the Weasley twins.

The few times he had suffered defeat were only because he had been too young back then, and with Charlie shamelessly bullying the younger, they had managed to score a point.

Now that Charlie was swamped with graduation exams and Quidditch, he had no time to look after them at all.

Without Charlie, who else could the twins turn to for support?

Ron?

If that were truly the case, dealing with them would be even simpler.

Therefore, with such a glorious track record laid out before him, Kyle was fearless.