Gryffindor Common Room

The end of the second afternoon class marked the beginning of dinner time at Hogwarts Castle.

Kyle and the two girls chatted and laughed as they made their way to the first floor of the castle.

For now, Kyle was still an auditor and had not officially enrolled, so he did not yet belong to any House.

So when they entered the Great Hall, Cho Chang and Marietta invited him to dine with them at the Ravenclaw table.

But Kyle politely declined.

Perhaps because he had been single his entire previous life, he felt slightly uncomfortable eating with two girls.

Besides, he would be too embarrassed to really let loose and wolf down his food.

So, forget dining at the Ravenclaw table. Kyle felt it would be more relaxing to eat with Professor Snape instead.

Just as Kyle passed by the Gryffindor long table, two red-haired students stepped into his path.

"Hey, newcomer!"

"You're the kid who caused trouble in Professor McGonagall's class, aren't you?"

Their tones were unfriendly, as if they had come looking for trouble.

Well, this was great.

Beating up another student on his first day of school—he would probably be the first in Hogwarts history, wouldn't he?

Noticing the commotion, people at the two nearby tables cast eager, entertained looks in their direction.

Kyle tightened his grip on the kunai in his pocket, then loosened it again.

It was just ordinary school bullying. If he used a kunai, it might turn into a criminal case.

"Yes, that's me." Kyle's voice was full of hostility. "What do you want?"

The red-haired boy on the left leaned closer. "I'll tell you what we want."

"We want to invite you to attend Professor Snape's class with us tomorrow." The boy on the right suddenly shifted from a cold expression to a cheeky grin.

The tense atmosphere instantly vanished, becoming relaxed instead.

The two friendly strangers slung their arms around Kyle's shoulders from either side.

"I'm George Weasley."

As soon as the boy on the left finished speaking, the boy on the right immediately punched him. "Sod off, I'm George. He's Fred Weasley."

They looked exactly alike. It was not hard to tell that they were the Weasley Twins.

Pulled over to sit beside the Gryffindor long table, Kyle nodded at them. "I'm Kyle Dumbledore."

Gasps rose all around them. He had already heard that sort of reaction several times during the two afternoon classes.

George: "You're actually related to Professor Dumbledore!"

Fred: "No wonder you were eating at the staff table this morning!"

Two boys across the table, both with the same fiery red hair, extended their hands toward Kyle.

"Hello, I'm Percy Weasley," said the boy wearing glasses.

"Charlie Weasley," said the other boy, whose face was covered in freckles.

Percy pointed at George and Fred. "I'm their older brother."

Judging by their hair color, they were definitely family.

With Percy and Charlie taking the lead, the Gryffindor students around them also extended hands of friendship to Kyle.

Kyle had still underestimated the status the Dumbledore surname held in the hearts of Hogwarts students, especially those of Gryffindor House.

After all, Albus Dumbledore, the greatest White Wizard in the Magical World today, had come from Gryffindor.

What should have been a perfectly good dinner had somehow turned into a fan meet-and-greet.

The Ravenclaw table next to them also noticed the commotion. Beside Cho Chang, a beautiful witch with long brown curls asked, "Who is that boy?"

Cho pointed at Kyle, who was surrounded by a crowd. "You mean him? His name is Kyle Dumbledore."

Dumbledore!

He was actually a Dumbledore?

Penelope Clearwater silently committed the name to memory.

Once the crowd around him finally dispersed, Kyle felt as if his face had nearly frozen from smiling.

"Do you want to attend class with us tomorrow? We have Potions with Professor Snape!"

"We've been fed up with that old bat for ages. He's always picking on people from Gryffindor House!"

The Weasley Twins invited Kyle again. It seemed they had taken a liking to the courage he had shown in daring to stir things up during Professor McGonagall's class.

Percy, across the table: "..."

Could you pay attention to the people around you when you talk?

A dense darkness silently closed in.

"Cough, cough!" Unable to stand it any longer, Percy coughed violently and frantically winked at his two younger brothers.

"Percy, what's wrong?"

"Are your eyes bothering you?"

The Weasley Twins asked one question each, completely unaware of how serious the situation was.

Kyle sensed something and turned to look behind him, only to find his view blocked by a wall of black.

So he looked up, and a gloomy face constantly radiating black fumes instantly filled his vision.

Holy shit! Speak of Snape and Snape appears!

The sudden appearance of the giant bat nearly made Kyle jump out of his skin, but he quickly calmed down. It wasn't him who had been badmouthing the man, so why should he be scared?

George and Fred finally understood what was happening. The two swallowed nervously and stiffly turned their heads.

The moment their eyes met Snape's icy, deathly glare, they dropped beneath the seats with a thud.

"Ten points deducted from each of you for disrespecting a professor."

After coldly tossing out those words, Snape flicked his robes and turned away.

Only after Snape had left did a weak voice drift out from beneath the table. "Kyle, help me up. My legs have gone weak."

Though there had been a small incident before dinner, it did nothing to spoil their good mood during the meal.

The dining table was a great place to quickly bring people closer together. Before long, Kyle and the Weasley Twins were chatting and laughing together.

At the staff table some distance away, Professor Dumbledore looked toward the Gryffindor table with a gratified smile on his face.

It seemed there was no need to worry about Kyle being unable to find friends at Hogwarts.

Once dinner was over, Kyle blended into the large group of Gryffindors and followed George, Fred, and the others toward the Gryffindor common room.

"Are you living with us too, Kyle?" George asked curiously when he noticed Kyle following them all the way.

"Yes. Professor Dumbledore arranged a room for me."

Kyle followed the Weasley Twins through the noisy crowd and up the marble staircase.

Eventually, they stopped before a portrait at the end of a corridor on the eighth floor of the castle. The portrait depicted a very plump woman dressed in pink.

"Password?" she said.

"Nirvana," Percy said.

The portrait swayed as it moved forward, revealing a round hole in the wall.

They all climbed through the opening.

After that, they arrived in the Gryffindor common room.

It was a cozy circular room filled with squashy armchairs.

There was also a bulletin board covered with school notices, various advertisements, posters, and the like.

The school grounds could be seen through the windows.

A huge fireplace took up an entire wall, which was decorated with scarlet tapestries depicting many witches and wizards, as well as numerous animals.

After returning to the common room, George and Fred immediately claimed a table and skillfully pulled a box out from beneath it.

"Want to play Wizard chess with us?" they invited Kyle.

But Kyle had not even seen what his room looked like yet. How could he be in the mood to play Wizard chess with them?

"No." Kyle shook his head. "I want to go take a look at my room first."

"Can we come take a look too?"

Although they lived in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory and already knew everything here like the backs of their hands, they were truly curious whether the room Professor Dumbledore had arranged for Kyle would be different from theirs, or perhaps more luxuriously decorated.