Dangerous Plotting

At six in the evening, the young wizards and witches streamed toward the Great Hall.

There, they would fill the empty stomachs left hollow by an afternoon of classes with a lavish feast.

Instead of heading to the Hufflepuff table for dinner, Kyle slipped into the Gryffindor crowd while wearing Hufflepuff robes.

Hermione was quite surprised to see Kyle hopping tables for a meal.

The students in second year and above, however, had long grown used to the Father-Worriers Alliance moving between one another's tables since the previous school year, so they found nothing strange about it.

"Kyle? Why did you come over here?" Hermione asked.

"I need to talk to George and Fred about something." Kyle's eyes roamed over the food on the table as he picked out what he wanted, answering without even looking up.

He was very interested in the gun modification plan the Weasley Twins had mentioned last night.

But George and Fred had poor alcohol tolerance. They had barely begun discussing it over drinks before both of them ended up under the table.

And since they had classes all day today, they could only continue the discussion tonight in the Great Hall.

Spearing a sausage with his fork, Kyle looked at the brothers. "Have you come up with a modification plan?"

"I think the magazine could be replaced with some sort of energy-storage material. Add a conversion magic pattern to turn the magic stored inside into magical bullets and fire them..."

"That way, we could have unlimited ammunition until the magic runs out. We could also add different properties to the magic, producing effects like freezing or acid corrosion."

The spoon in Hermione's hand clattered onto her plate. Her eyes were filled with shock as she looked at Kyle. "You have firearms?"

"Relax, relax." Kyle waved dismissively. "They're just some Muggle guns. The wand in your hand is a hundred times more dangerous than they are."

"But..." Hermione was briefly at a loss for words. "That's illegal!"

"Muggle laws don't apply to the wizarding world." Kyle turned back and continued discussing alchemical modifications with the brothers.

There were not many modification options for ordinary firearms. It was basically just replacing physical bullets with magical bullets and adding elemental properties to them.

What remained was to strike a balance between the power of the magical bullets and the magic required to form them.

Kyle lifted a glass of pumpkin juice and moistened his somewhat dry throat. "How are you planning to modify the RPG?"

Little Beaver's brow twitched. These dangerous people even had an RPG?

Not even children of the warrior nation were this savage, okay?

No, she had to find an opportunity to tell Professor Dumbledore.

Compared with possessing weapons of mass destruction, breaking school rules was hardly worth mentioning.

If Kyle and the others had merely broken one or two school rules, Hermione would have turned a blind eye out of friendship.

But hiding a huge stockpile of weapons on campus...

There was no way she could pretend not to notice.

Fred scooped up a large spoonful of mashed potatoes. "It would be great if we knew Fiendfyre."

"Our original idea was to seal Fiendfyre inside the rockets."

George spread his hands. "Unfortunately, we don't know that spell, and we don't have its incantation either."

Little Beaver pricked up her ears. Fiendfyre did not sound like magic that normal wizards used. She had to remember that too and report it to Professor Dumbledore.

Kyle took a bite of the chicken leg in his hand. "Fiendfyre is a very dangerous spell. I'd advise you not to try it lightly unless you have sufficient control over your magic."

Glancing at Hermione, who thought she was concealing herself well even though they had all noticed her eavesdropping, Kyle leaned closer to the brothers and whispered in a voice too low for Little Beaver to hear:

"We can modify the rockets based on the principles of Muggle napalm. Its effects are similar to Fiendfyre—it's just as hard to extinguish, but easier to control."

Unable to overhear the confidential details, Hermione wrinkled her nose. There was no need to think about it. These three troublemakers had to be plotting something even more dangerous. She needed to report them to Professor Dumbledore even more.

Hermione looked up at Dumbledore in the staff seats and quietly made up her mind.

After dinner in the Great Hall, Hermione hurriedly got to her feet, intending to shake off these three dangerous, illegally armed individuals and then find a chance to report them to Professor Dumbledore.

Kyle gave the hurried Hermione a puzzled look. "Hermione, where are you going in such a rush?"

Hermione stiffened, then slowly turned around and tried to explain in a matter-of-fact tone, "To the library. If I don't go early, there won't be any seats left later."

"Merlin's beard! It's only the first day of school!"

"I've never seen a first-year go to the library on the first day of school!"

The Weasley Twins cried out with exaggerated expressions.

"Isn't it perfectly normal for a student to go to the library and study?" the studious Little Beaver asked in confusion.

George winked at Hermione. "I happen to know someone."

"He's been at Hogwarts for four months," Fred swiftly picked up where George left off.

"And he hasn't even stepped through the library doors once."

"But in Hogsmeade, the Three Broom—"

Kyle viciously jabbed Fred in the ribs, cutting him off in time. "Want a Thousand Years of Death?"

Little Beaver, who instantly understood who Fred's "someone" was, covered her mouth and giggled.

Having had his slacker nature exposed, Kyle looked at Hermione and rubbed his nose awkwardly.

"I really should be ashamed, having been at Hogwarts for four months without going to the library even once. So..."

When she heard "so," Little Beaver froze slightly, a vague sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

"I'll go to the library too," Kyle finished.

Hermione: ???

She had only wanted an excuse to slip away!?

How had it turned into actually going to the library now???

Kyle waved at Hannah, who was walking toward them. "Hannah, want to go to the library together?"

"Sure, sure!" Upon hearing Kyle's invitation, Hannah nodded rapidly.

"Are you two coming along..." Kyle turned toward the Weasley Twins, intending to invite them as well, only to see teasing smiles on both their faces.

Their smug expressions made him want to give them a Thousand Years of Death.

They had to be thinking something improper. Kyle narrowed his eyes dangerously.

Sensing the killing intent gathering, George and Fred immediately fled.

Only the words, "We won't disturb you two," lingered in the air.

Watching George and Fred's retreating backs, Kyle regretfully released the Tiger Seal he had formed with his hands.

"Come on, let's go to the library."

That night, Little Beaver, who had been trying to slip away and report to Dumbledore but could not find an opportunity, sat restlessly in the library for two hours.

When the library finally closed, Little Beaver emerged and wandered around the castle in utter confusion.

"Where exactly is Headmaster Dumbledore's office..."