After leaving the hospital wing, Kyle headed directly to the library since classes were already over.
Earlier, Dumbledore had recommended two books that would be "very helpful for casting basic Charms" and "perfect for newly enrolled young wizards", so Kyle planned to borrow them.
The library was easy to find on the second floor, just one flight of stairs away.
"Two books? No way!" Exclaimed the librarian, Irma Pince, while holding a feather duster and scrutinizing Kyle, "Unless you have a professor's note, you can only borrow one book at a time."
"If it's just one, then I'll borrow 'Wanderings with Werewolves'." Kyle replied quickly, without much thought.
To his surprise, when Madam Pince heard "Wanderings with Werewolves", her face immediately displayed an expression of utter disdain, as if she had heard some vile profanity.
"Another Lockhart book." She muttered under her breath.
She disliked Gilderoy Lockhart — or rather, his extremely self-centered writing style, which in her view was simply pandering for attention.
If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, as many biographies are similar and tolerable with some effort. However, whenever she read Lockhart's books, she always felt something was missing, making many sections seem disconnected.
Though this issue wasn't major and didn't affect reading comprehension, Madam Pince found it uncomfortable, and thinking about it made her feel uneasy all over.
Consequently, her impression of Kyle deteriorated considerably. After a moment of silence, she said with a stern face, "Wanderings with Werewolves has been checked out. If you register now, you might get it in about two years."
"Two years... never mind then." Kyle shook his head and asked, "What about 'Sonnets of a Sorcerer'?"
"That one is available." Madam Pince's expression softened slightly. She told him to wait while she walked to a nearby bookshelf.
While waiting, Kyle curiously observed this famous librarian from the side.
Irma Pince was a thin, elderly woman who resembled an underfed vulture. As she walked through the library, students reading books didn't dare to even breathe. One young wizard, seemingly overwhelmed with nervousness, couldn't help but sneeze and was promptly expelled from the library.
Kyle clicked his tongue. No wonder she was rumored to be Filch's partner — they were perfectly matched, both equally strict about rules and equally disdainful of students.
Soon after, Madam Pince returned with a thick hardcover book and a slip of paper, which she handed to him.
"This must be returned within one week. If you exceed the deadline or if there is any damage to the book, don't expect to easily borrow any books from here again."
"I'll remember that."
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Since first-years only had one morning class, Kyle went straight back to the common room after leaving the library, planning to find a comfortable spot to read his newly borrowed book.
But as soon as he passed through the barrel door, he was surrounded by people. Almost all the Hufflepuff first-years were gathered in the common room, waiting for his return.
"How is it, Kyle?" Ryan was the first to rush over, anxiously asking, "Is Michael alright? We wanted to visit him in the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey chased us out as soon as we entered."
Other young wizards nodded in agreement. Despite having suffered quite a bit from the accident in Charms class, they were still concerned about Michael's condition.
This was probably typical of Hufflepuff.
"Don't worry." Kyle patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Professor Dumbledore has checked on him and said he'll be discharged tomorrow after taking his medicine."
"That's good, that's good." Ryan was visibly relieved. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Is Michael awake? Did he say if he wanted anything to eat? We can't send it to him right now, but we can prepare it in advance and give it to him when he's discharged. He'll definitely be happy."
His suggestion was met with enthusiastic approval from the other young wizards, who generously offered their treasured items.
"I have raspberry preserves!"
"I have cream fudge."
"How about cookies? My mom made them, they're delicious."
"I think he might want licorice..."
...
At that moment, even Kyle was moved by the strong sense of camaraderie. Meeting everyone's expectant gaze, he said solemnly, "Michael didn't say what he wanted to eat, but I believe what he wants most right now isn't these snacks, but to not fall behind in his studies!"
"Not fall behind in... studies?" Ryan scratched his head, not understanding what Kyle meant.
"Yes." Kyle said seriously, "You saw it too — Michael had the accident because he was anxious about not being able to complete the charm correctly, right?"
"That's right." Ryan nodded.
Although Ryan's attention had been on his own wand at the time, and he wasn't clear on how that blinding "flash bomb" had appeared, from his perspective, everyone had been practicing charms, including Michael, so Kyle's explanation made sense.
"That's exactly it." Kyle said earnestly, "Being such a competitive person, he definitely wouldn't want to fall two classes behind everyone else. What we need to do now is pay close attention in Transfiguration this afternoon and History of Magic tomorrow morning, take notes on everything the professors say, compile them, and give them to him. I'm sure he'll be moved to tears."
The vast Hufflepuff common room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. The little badgers looked at each other, and no one said a word.
They found it hard to believe that someone would prefer studying over snacks. But after carefully thinking about what Kyle had said, they couldn't find any flaws in his logic. It was clear, logical, and seemed completely reasonable.
Perhaps Michael really did love magic that much.
The little badgers convinced themselves of this and quickly volunteered — some taking on the responsibility of note-taking, others in charge of final compilation.
The remaining few who hadn't secured a task but still wanted to help got together and, after a brief discussion, quickly discovered something that Kyle had overlooked.
Homework!
At Hogwarts, homework was essential for every class, its importance self-evident.
So they decided to pass on the assignments from each class to Michael. And not just that — they would also tell the professors that he was an excellent Hufflepuff who still cared about his studies even while in the hospital wing and wouldn't slack off on his homework.
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