Does Hogwarts Do the Whole Telling Your Parents Thing Too?

A minute later, an extremely furious roar rang out from the Hog's Head Bar. "Get out!"

The three of them, having been swept out by the pub owner, looked at one another in confusion. They had no idea how they had offended him.

The owner of the Hog's Head Bar was a strange-tempered old man, tall and thin, with long hair and a beard both gone grey-white.

Kyle thought he looked somewhat familiar. He bore a strong resemblance to Professor Dumbledore.

He did not know whether the man had some grudge against his father, Grindelwald, but Kyle felt that their being thrown out had something to do with the eyes he had inherited from his father.

After all, when they had first entered the pub, the owner had greeted them and asked what they wanted to drink.

But when Kyle reached the bar and the owner saw his eyes, he suddenly flew into a rage, grabbed a broom, and chased all three of them out.

Kyle awkwardly rubbed his nose. It seemed he would not be getting the drinks the brothers had promised him.

After cursing the pub owner as a lunatic a few times, George and Fred left in a huff.

"Where do we go now?" Kyle asked.

George glanced at a shop not far ahead, with three broomsticks hanging over its entrance. "There are only two pubs in Hogsmeade Village. The other one definitely won't sell alcohol to us."

"We don't have to buy alcohol," Kyle said with a shrug. "I've got plenty in my wine cellar anyway."

Over the years, Kyle had made far more money from the street thugs than he had spent renovating his base.

What could he do with all that leftover money?

Naturally, he bought things to satisfy his collecting habit.

Firearm models the gangsters did not have, every type of game console on the market, all kinds of fine alcohol...

The wine in Kyle's cellar—red wine alone—would be enough to give everyone a bottle at a Hogwarts banquet.

"You probably haven't tried Magical World sweets yet, have you? Shall we go to Honeydukes Sweetshop?"

When the three returned to the secret passage they had come through, they were carrying bags and bags of sweets.

Besides the bags in their hands, their clothing pockets were stuffed to the brim as well.

The Weasley Twins looked a little embarrassed.

"We were supposed to treat you, but we ended up making you spend money again."

Kyle waved it off carelessly. "It's fine. I'm so poor that all I have left is money."

He really was so poor that all he had left was money. The inheritance Grindelwald had left him amounted to at least tens of thousands of gold Galleons, while the prices in the Magical World...

A wand only cost ten gold Galleons. Could you believe that?

The moment they heard Kyle's words, the brothers' faint embarrassment vanished without a trace, leaving only the urge to punch him in the nose.

What did he mean, so poor that all he had left was money?

Believe it or not, I'll do a sliding tackle in a moment, kneel down, and hug this rich man's thigh.

Laughing and chatting, they arrived behind the mirror. The instant it was moved aside, the smiles vanished from George and Fred's faces.

"What's wrong?" Kyle, who was lagging behind, had no idea what was going on.

"P-Professor McGonagall..." George's teeth were chattering as he spoke.

The moment Kyle heard Professor McGonagall's name, his heart skipped a beat. He threw down the sweets he was carrying and turned to run back.

"Come out, Mr. Dumbledore. I've already seen you."

In the fifth-floor corridor, the three young wizards stood in a trembling row like quails. Before them stood a stern-faced Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Weasley, I trust you know that students below third year are not permitted to visit Hogsmeade Village."

Kyle stepped forward on his own. "Professor McGonagall, I was the one who asked them to take me there!"

Professor McGonagall shot Kyle a glare. "I will relay your words to Professor Dumbledore exactly as you said them."

Damn! Does Hogwarts do the whole telling your parents thing too?!

Professor McGonagall folded her arms across her chest. "No matter the reason, you should not have sneaked off to Hogsmeade Village without permission. You two will serve a week of detention!"

"Thank goodness no points were deducted," George muttered so quietly it was barely audible.

"Gryffindor will lose twenty points!"

George jerked his head up. Seriously!?

"Twenty points each," Professor McGonagall added.

Kyle silently lowered his head beside them.

He did not know whether this punishment was severe, but seeing the Weasley Twins punished for taking him to Hogsmeade Village made him feel rather guilty.

And when he thought about Professor McGonagall calling his parents later, Kyle felt utterly miserable.

"Your detention begins at eleven tonight. You will patrol the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid," Professor McGonagall said, looking at Kyle, whose head was nearly tucked into his collar. "If you had already enrolled, you would be serving detention with them."

With that, Professor McGonagall turned and left without looking back.

Kyle "Turtle-head" Dumbledore slowly poked his head back out of his collar. He had intended to comfort the brothers beside him, but their faces were filled with excitement.

"At last, we have a perfectly legitimate reason to enter the Forbidden Forest!" Fred said excitedly.

"There are so many wonderful magical creatures in there. We've been looking for a chance to get into the Forbidden Forest for ages."

The moment they heard that their detention involved the Forbidden Forest, the forty points Gryffindor had lost were completely forgotten.

Uh... Seeing how thick-skinned the two of them were, Kyle decided they probably did not need his comfort.

"If it's the Forbidden Forest," Kyle said, a faint smile gradually appearing on his face, "perhaps I can show you something interesting."

He did not know whether Professor Dumbledore had dealt with the three-headed dog yet. It definitely would not do to just leave it roaming free in the Forbidden Forest.

Never mind. He would ask Hagrid tonight.

"You're coming too? But Professor McGonagall didn't punish you," George asked curiously.

"We share blessings and hardships," Kyle said, patting George on the shoulder. "After all, the three of us went to Hogsmeade Village together. You two can't be the only ones punished."

Fred grinned. "Share hardships? I very much agree with that!"

Kyle picked up the bags of sweets he had set on the ground. "Eleven tonight, Gryffindor Common Room."

With that, Kyle set off.

However, after only a few steps, he turned back. "Um... can you take me back? I don't know the way."

George and Fred's cheerful laughter rang through the fifth-floor corridor.

Kyle awkwardly rubbed his nose. If his hands had not been full, he would have climbed out the window and scaled the wall.

He definitely had to ask Professor Dumbledore later whether the Magical World had any portable storage items like sealing scrolls or storage rings. What was the point of buying sweets if he had to carry them all in his hands?

"Come on, come on. We'll take you back." After laughing enough, the Weasley Twins walked ahead to lead Kyle.

The three figures disappeared down the corridor.

What they did not know was that around the corner at the other end of the corridor, in a blind spot beyond the three of their sight, a figure stood silently in the shadows.

If George and Fred had seen him, they would have recognized him as their Dark Arts Defence Professor—Tom Hiddleston.

Revenge burned in Tom Hiddleston's eyes as he murmured, "Eleven tonight... the Forbidden Forest? My chance... has come..."