Professor Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was as dreadful as always, and with his injured arm, the job of handling the "teaching assistant" fell to the students. A Gryffindor boy at the front of the class had the dubious honor of holding the large lizard, though he looked more like he was clutching a venomous snake. His face went pale as he stood there rigidly, as if he were cradling Professor Snape's Animagus form rather than a harmless reptile.
"I've had it with this..." Kyle overheard him muttering to a friend as they left the classroom. "That lizard reeks like Professor Quirrell! It must eat garlic daily... and now I sll like it, too! Ugh... I hope a cleaning spell works; otherwise, I'll need a new uniform."
Kyle instinctively sniffed his own robes, picking up a faint trace of garlic, though it was far less potent than Quirrell's. Having just left the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, he figured no one else would likely notice. Still, it was enough of a sll to make anyone consider fresh clothes.
As they made their way down the corridor, Kyle suddenly stopped on the second floor and turned to his friends. "I'm heading to the library. Anyone want to co along?"
"Nope, not ," Mikel and Ryan both shook their heads quickly.
Kyle had expected as much—they only ever ventured into the library for last-minute howork. Otherwise, they steered clear.
"I'll pass too," Kanna said after a mont. "I've been reviewing the notes Professor Snape gave , and I need to go over them by Christmas. No extra reading for ."
"Snape's notes?" Kyle's eyes lit up. "Can I borrow them? Don't worry, I'll just make a copy so it won't take up your ti."
Last year, he had received Professor Flitwick's Charms notes, which contained unique insights and practical tips not found in any textbook. That knowledge had proven invaluable, the kind of treasure money couldn't buy.
"Of course, you can," Kanna replied without hesitation. "Head to the library first, and I'll go back and make a copy for you. But... be careful with them. Professor Snape made promise not to share them."
As she spoke, Kanna's expression turned a bit awkward. When Snape had given her the notes, he had specifically ntioned soone's na—though she hadn't had the nerve to bring it up with the person in question.
"Don't worry," Kyle assured her, giving his chest a confident pat. "I'm Hogwarts' best-kept secret."
"And..." Kanna continued, "my Doubling Charm isn't as good as yours. It'll only last a week, so you'd better read them quickly."
Kyle waved off the concern. With his Self-Writing Quill, he could copy the notes in half a day; a week was more than enough ti.
After finalizing their plans, Kanna, Mikel, and Ryan returned to the common room, while Kyle took a detour to the library.
The library was bustling, packed with students despite class having just ended. Kyle quickly spotted the Gryffindor trio sitting at a table near the entrance, with a stack of books towering beside them. He took a quick, curious glance their way.
It was no surprise to see Hermione, who practically lived in the library. But Harry and Ron were a different story—they were more like his roommates, the type who rarely set foot here. And oddly, they had no parchnt or quills, suggesting they weren't there to do schoolwork. Here to read? That's unusual.
Kyle didn't linger on it. He simply gave them a quick nod of greeting before heading off to find Madam Pince.
"Harry..." Ron whispered, watching Kyle's retreating figure. "What if we just ask Kyle? If anyone knows who Nicolas Flal is, it's probably him."
"No way!" Hermione interjected before Harry could even respond. "It's too dangerous. Don't forget, Snape already tried to kill Harry. We can't involve Kyle."
"Yeah... Hermione's right," Harry agreed after a mont's hesitation. He, too, felt it was best to keep this secret to themselves for now; after all, Ron's suggestion was only a hunch. Just because Kyle was clever didn't an he'd know about Nicolas Flal. Hermione's extensive research hadn't turned up anything, after all.
"Fine, it was just an idea," Ron muttered, shrugging. "If you two don't think it's a good one, that's that."
While the trio whispered together, Kyle had already borrowed the book he wanted and was about to leave. As he passed them, he noticed all three looking at him with odd expressions—overly bright smiles and a hint of awkwardness.
Why are they acting so weird? Kyle thought, raising an eyebrow. He quickly left the library, deciding it was better to steer clear of them. He had no idea what was going on, but it seed wise to keep his distance. Hermione, especially, had beco a little strange since spending more ti with Harry and Ron. It was almost... unnerving.
Back in the common room, Kyle found Kanna, who handed him Snape's notes. The notebook wasn't very thick, about the sa size as Professor Flitwick's Charms notes, and didn't look like it covered everything Snape knew.
"Just rember," Kanna warned, "don't let Professor Snape find out you're reading this, or I'll be in serious trouble."
"No worries," Kyle replied as he took the notebook, then found a quiet spot to settle in.
But instead of opening Snape's notes first, he took out the book he had borrowed from the library, Legendary Alchemical Items. Opening it, he skimd past the early entries: the Self-Stirring Cauldron, a device that had been briefly ntioned in A History of Magic last year. Its invention had dramatically improved potion-making by reducing accidents and increasing success rates.
After the Self-Stirring Cauldron, there were entries on the Broomstick, Sneakoscope, the Ti-Turner...
Kyle wasn't interested in these, however. Flipping through the pages quickly, he soon reached what he was looking for.
The Philosopher's Stone!
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