Roommate

"In short, that covers everything you need to pay attention to. As long as you all stay mindful, you won't get any house points deducted.

However, even if you have an occasional lapse and lose points, it doesn't matter. We Hufflepuffs don't place much importance on that; as long as everyone is happy here at Hogwarts, that's all that matters."

Prefect Harris was holding court amidst the crowd, while Kyle sat on the outermost edge, head bowed and silent.

"Kyle, why are you here? I've been looking for you for ages."

Just then, Cedric walked over, casually handing him a glass of juice. "Fresh orange juice. It's a great choice right before bed."

Kyle didn't take it, nor did he even look up; he simply waved a hand at Cedric to indicate he didn't need it.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm just a bit sleepy." Kyle still didn't lift his head, his tone slightly hurried. "And I don't like drinking things before bed. Why don't you go ask someone else?"

This unusual behavior naturally piqued Cedric's curiosity. He tentatively stepped to the left, only to find Kyle turning in the opposite direction at almost the exact same moment.

Something was off—very, very off.

"Alright, then I'll go ask the other first-years." Cedric walked quickly to the side, then held his breath, lightened his footsteps, and circled back in front of Kyle. After gauging the position, he dropped to the floor in a flash.

Kyle had been wondering when he could head back to the dormitory when a fuzzy head suddenly popped up in front of him.

The two locked eyes...

"Kyle, what happened to your eye? Why is there such a huge dark circle?"

"It's nothing!"

Kyle quickly raised his hand to cover his left eye, saying with a straight face, "I accidentally bumped into a table earlier. It's perfectly normal to have a few bruises."

"Can a fall really make a bruise that round?" Cedric sat on the floor, rubbing his chin. "It looks exactly like someone punched you."

"Impossible, you're overthinking it!" Kyle said sternly. "Even if you don't believe me, surely you believe in Hufflepuff? This is the warmest family in all of Hogwarts; how could there be such a violent person here?"

"That's true. Could it really have been a fall?" Cedric nodded in deep agreement.

He didn't believe anyone in Hufflepuff would beat up a first-year on the very first day; that sort of thing usually only happened in Slytherin.

But he still couldn't understand how, if it were a fall, the "dark circle" could be so perfectly round.

A natural talent?

Just as Cedric was left completely baffled, Prefect Harris finished his speech.

"From today on, we are all classmates. If you need any help, just speak up—don't feel embarrassed.

Hufflepuff is a warm family. Every senior, myself included, is here to help you.

You must be tired by now, so I'll take you to your respective dormitories. Patty, you're in charge of the girls' side."

As if granted a reprieve, Kyle scrambled up from the sofa and followed the main group. He didn't even say goodbye to Cedric before leaving.

Led by Harris, Kyle soon arrived at his dormitory.

Just like the common room, the primary colors here were yellow and black.

Copper lamps cast a warm glow over the four-poster beds, and copper bed warmers hung on the walls, designed to keep the young wizards' beds at the most comfortable temperature.

There were two other people in his room.

Mikel Drake was a short, thin boy with black hair.

The other was blond and somewhat sturdier, named Ryan Baggins.

Hmm, both were obscure background characters.

As for the remaining bed, it was empty—presumably because there weren't enough first-years.

Kyle tilted his head, exchanged brief greetings with the two, and climbed into bed.

"Hey, isn't this just amazing? I'm actually a wizard." Mikel sat on the edge of his bed, speaking with great excitement. "Nobody in my family does magic. My dad sells drills and my mom works at a bank, so when I first got that letter, I thought it was just a prank. I never expected it to be real.

Haha, Hogwarts... I still feel like I'm dreaming."

"I'm half and half—what wizards usually call a half-blood."

Ryan, with his golden hair, chimed in. "My dad is a wizard and my mom is a Muggle. She was terrified when she found out the truth."

"That's to be expected; anyone who hasn't been exposed to magic is like that," Mikel said. "You probably can't imagine it, but when that Professor Quirrell showed up at our house, my parents almost called the police.

He just stood there, suddenly appearing right in front of us, and said it was something called... shifting?"

"Apparition," Kyle whispered from the side.

"Right, exactly, Apparition."

Mikel looked over, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "Hey, I remember you. You're that Kyle Chopper who took twenty minutes to get sorted, right?"

"That's right, nice to meet you both," Kyle replied.

"So, can you tell us what happened?" Mikel asked curiously. "Why did your sorting take so long? Twenty minutes—that's longer than all the other first-years combined."

"It was nothing," Kyle thought for a moment and said. "The Sorting Hat was just indecisive about where to put me and couldn't make up its mind."

"So that's it," Mikel sighed. "To make that hat think for so long, you must be really exceptional."

Kyle just smiled and said nothing.

That he was excellent was a given, but that had nothing to do with the Sorting Hat.

Moreover, if Mikel knew the real reason why the Sorting Hat had been so conflicted, he probably wouldn't have said that.

For the next while, Mikel was like a man possessed, talking incessantly without a break.

He went from Diagon Alley to Gringotts, and from Gringotts to choosing a wand, never once pausing in between.

It seemed that becoming a wizard truly made him incredibly happy.

At first, Kyle and Ryan were able to chime in, but gradually, only Mikel's voice remained in the dormitory.

There was no helping it; they just couldn't take it anymore.

They were already sleepy from being full, and after sitting on the train for over ten hours, it was already a struggle to keep their spirits up until now.

Kyle had also wanted to chat with his roommates to build some camaraderie, but the bed was simply too comfortable, and he drifted into a deep sleep before he knew it.

Ryan, next to him, had fallen asleep even faster; there hadn't been a sound from him for five minutes.