Conflict and an Abnormal Snape

It's rare for anyone who comes to Honeydukes to leave empty-handed.

After buying a huge pile of candy, Kyle and his companions left Honeydukes with their pockets bulging.

The group continued along the main road and arrived at the Three Broomsticks, where they ordered a Butterbeer.

Fred and George kept their promise and paid Kyle...

Although Kyle was more concerned about something else, Fred and George didn't respond at all, simply making excuses that they weren't ready yet.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were also at Three Broomsticks, chatting happily with Madam Rosmerta.

Professor McGonagall had a small glass of violet water in front of her, while Professor Flitwick had cherry syrup soda with ice and an umbrella.

Although they didn't notice Kyle and his group, being with the professor still felt a bit awkward.

Fred and George kept stealing glances at Professor McGonagall... or perhaps they were looking at Madam Rosmerta.

This pub owner, who was both handsome and well-built, was very popular among the students of Hogwarts.

After quickly finishing their Butterbeer, the group returned to the street.

They also went to the Gladrags Wizardwear and helped Cho choose a thick cloak with white fur trim.

Most of the time, it was Qiu and Kanna who made the choices, while Kyle and the others simply nodded when they asked questions.

Cedric wanted to help, but his suggestions were met with disapproval not only by Qiu, but also by Fred and George.

Even though Qiu is Seeker, you can't keep recommending pure gold cloaks to her...

Putting aside the issue of the overly bright color, the cloak was an adult size, and when Qiu wore it, she looked like a walking Golden Snitch.

From then on Cedric was deprived of his right to speak, a decision that was unanimously agreed upon by everyone.

As they passed by Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, they saw Harris through the window... He was chatting and laughing with a beautiful girl with long chestnut hair.

"Oh... now I know why Harris came here so early in the morning," Cedric said quietly.

"I understand," Kyle laughed. "This is definitely more important than being a three-time champion captain."

Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop is a popular dating spot; almost every young couple from Hogwarts comes here.

The relationship between Harris and that girl goes without saying.

"Oh, I remember now..."

At that moment, Qiu suddenly said, "That's Ravenclaw's Prefect, Liv Yassina, also a seventh-year student."

No wonder she looked so familiar; she changed her clothes and fixed her hair today.

They huddled by the window and watched for a while, then Fred and George suggested going inside to pretend they'd bump into each other or something.

But Kanna and Cho firmly opposed it.

"Believe me..." Qiu said seriously, "If you go in and cause trouble now, Harris will definitely use your heads as goalposts during the Quidditch Match."

"Do you think your head is harder, or the Quaffle?"

"Don't worry, I'm here for you." Kyle patted his chest reassuringly. "I'll keep passing him the ball..."

"And me..." Cedric muttered to himself.

"The Quaffle is definitely tougher..." Fred chuckled. "Hey guys, I was just kidding."

"And, Mr. Diggory, don't forget you can't speak right now..."

George glanced sideways at Cedric. "What's a Seeker doing getting involved? You talk as if you can actually catch Quaffle."

Cedric pursed his lips and remained silent.

At noon, the group returned to Hogwarts.

Although there are places to eat in the village, the food is far inferior to that in the castle.

Most importantly, you have to pay money...

After a morning, the novelty of the "visit day" wore off, and the group decided to head back to Hogwarts early.

The Great Hall was much less crowded than usual, and unusually quiet... but this quietness was somewhat abnormal.

As soon as Kyle entered, he sensed the strong smell of gunpowder permeating the Great Hall.

It was Gryffindor and Slytherin; even though they were separated by two tables, they were glaring at each other.

"What exactly happened this morning..." Qiu whispered, "I have a feeling they might start fighting at any moment."

"I don't know." Fred shook his head.

"Let's go and find out."

The two ran quickly to the Gryffindor table and found their good friend, Lee Jordan.

Since most people had gone to Hogsmeade, there were many empty seats at each long table, and the others didn't pay attention to the house's problems, so they just found a quiet spot to sit down.

A short while later, Fred and George returned.

"Oh, we really shouldn't have gone to Hogsmeade!"

Fred said with frustration, "I can't believe we missed so much."

"Get to the point..." Qiu said, dissatisfied, "What exactly happened!"

"Our team got into a fight with Slytherin on the Quidditch Pitch," George explained. "Because of that Malfoy."

"That second-year student from Slytherin?"

"That's right." Fred nodded. "His dad donated seven Nimbus 2001 to the school and got him on the team."

"Using Galleon to solve problems, that's so typical of their style."

George looked in the direction of Slytherin, even though they were still holding those brand-new, gleaming Nimbus 2001.

"I've watched Malfoy train..." he said in a deep voice, "He's only so-so at flying. Without those brooms, he would never have made it into the team."

"And then what?" Cedric asked.

"Malfoy said some... really offensive things," Fred said, "And then they started fighting."

"You won't believe it..." George suddenly laughed, "Our little brother Ron really showed off this time, he actually made Malfoy vomit slugs all morning!"

Qiu and Kanna's expressions suddenly turned grim; clearly, the news was a bit too much for them.

Cedric's eyes widened as well.

"We were just like you when we first heard the news..." Fred laughed, "We were all stunned."

"I thought there was another person at school named Ron..."

"I never imagined it really was our younger brother!"

"Although he eventually fell victim to a similar spell and was sent to the Hospital Wing, his actions are commendable."

"We've decided to share some of the candy we bought from Hogsmeade with him."

Kyle scanned the Great Hall.

Sure enough, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Malfoy were all absent.

"So what was the outcome of this matter? What did the professors say?"

"That's also the strangest thing for us."

George stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Lee Jordan told us that Professor Snape was handling this. At first, we thought he would severely punish Gryffindor... deduct a hundred points and then put Ron in solitary confinement."

"But he didn't do that," Fred said. "Instead, Malfoy was put in solitary confinement!"

"What?"

This news was so unexpected that even Kanna couldn't quite believe it.

"We asked three people, and that's indeed the case."

Fred whispered, "What do you think is wrong with Snape lately?"

"Maybe it's to make up for past mistakes," Kyle said casually.

"What?" Some of the others were confused.

"It's nothing," Kyle shook his head. "I was just joking, you don't need to worry about it."