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Chapter 481: The Clever Weasley Brothers
🕑 Added 2025-02-12 13:31:03 +0000 UTCFor Kanna, this was her first time being so close to a Dragon, a completely new experience. But Norbert, clearly unfazed, felt no such novelty. The moment the two disembarked, Norbert straightened, turned his back to them, and took off without so much as a backward glance. Almost deliberately, he gave his tail a hard flick, aiming to splash Kyle with dirt as a parting gesture.
Unfortunately for Norbert, he didn't exactly have the skill set of a Chaser. The clod of dirt sailed in a wide arc and, rather than hitting Kyle, landed directly on the head of the Niffler, who had just crawled out from a nearby bush. The poor creature, bewildered and unaware of what had hit it, was flung back into the bushes with a series of disgruntled squeaks trailing behind it.
“Oh… with that much dirt, I hope it’s okay,” Kanna said, looking concerned.
“Don’t worry,” Kyle replied, noting the spirited sounds coming from the Niffler. “Not only will it be okay, but it’s also probably cursing us out by now.”
With that, he brushed off any concern for it and continued onward with Kanna.
Kyle's suitcase, though quite large, was primarily designed for Norbert’s comfort, allowing the Dragon more space to move about freely. In terms of other magical creatures, however, his collection was sparse. Over the years, he had managed to gather a few Bowtruckles, Mooncalves, and Fwoopers from the Forbidden Forest, but with them scattered across the vast area, the place still felt rather empty—especially the snowy zone, which had no residents at all.
Kanna, however, was undeterred. Everything in the suitcase seemed to captivate her. She soon noticed a wide clearing up ahead, filled with rows of round cabbages neatly planted in the soil.
“Is this food you’ve prepared for the Mooncalves?” she asked curiously. “Growing these must have been quite a chore.”
“It was,” Kyle admitted, “but these aren’t for the Mooncalves.” He added, “And be careful not to go running in there. In a way, those cabbages are even more dangerous than the Dragon.”
To demonstrate, he picked up a fallen branch and tossed it at one of the cabbages. The cabbage, which had looked perfectly ordinary, suddenly split down the middle, revealing a wide mouth bristling with sharp teeth. It chewed the branch into bits, making a loud crunching noise as it did.
“Is that… Chomping Cabbage?” Kanna asked, wide-eyed.
“Exactly,” Kyle nodded. “So be cautious when passing by. See that vine hiding behind the rock? That’s a Venomous Tentacula. And over there in the row of planters? Those hold Mandrakes. Oh, and watch out for the Devil’s Snare nearby. To its left, those yellow flowers? That’s Belladonna. Don’t touch them; if the pollen gets on you, you’ll be miserable for days.”
As Kyle listed off the plants, Kanna’s expression grew increasingly perplexed. There didn’t seem to be a single harmless plant here—everything was either toxic or dangerously aggressive. In this context, the patches of Dittany and rue nearby seemed oddly out of place, as though they’d been planted just to reduce the area’s overall threat level.
And then there was the Dragon…
Kanna blinked, unable to resist asking, “You’re not preparing for the Triwizard Tournament, are you?”
She mulled over the idea. If all these creatures and plants were unleashed at once, it would create obstacles few could overcome—unless the competition involved a duel with Professor Dumbledore himself. After all, a single Dragon alone could turn the entire tournament on its head.
"The Triwizard Tournament? No, of course not. I just like growing plants; it's purely a personal hobby." Kyle shook his head. "Besides, I’m not even sure if I’ll get selected as a champion. And there are some things in here I can’t exactly show off—like the Dragon and Venomous Tentacula. If word got out that I had them, the Aurors would be knocking on my door at the Ministry of Magic."
“You know…” Kanna muttered.
Kyle, however, remained unconcerned. This place was so well-hidden that no one else could possibly find it, making it perfectly secure. And even if someone did find out, he wouldn’t be too worried. After all, Newt had plenty of experience in these matters, and Kyle could easily borrow a few of his solutions if needed.
Kanna stayed in the suitcase until noon before finally leaving. During her time there, she sketched a rough map on a piece of parchment. Wary of losing it, she kept her notes simple, using different colors to indicate each area’s level of danger. The safer zones, like the bushes and the patches of Dittany and Rue by the entrance, were shaded in pale yellow and pinkish white, marking the Niffler’s territory and the flower beds.
A circle in the sky-colored area was drawn in red, which Kyle guessed represented Norbert. The zone with the Chomping Cabbages and Venomous Tentacula, however, was marked in solid black.
The parchment was a chaotic blend of colors, and her drawing style was so abstract that it resembled something out of The Dream Oracle. Kyle was sure that if anyone else tried to decipher it, they’d have no clue what it was meant to depict.
They returned to the small room by the entrance, where Kanna carefully stashed her parchment before following Kyle out of the suitcase. The two then headed to the Great Hall for lunch. Kanna hadn’t eaten much that morning, and after trekking around inside the suitcase, she was starving. If not for her hunger, she probably would’ve stayed in there all day.
As they walked from the eighth floor down to the foyer, they reached the entrance to the Great Hall—only to be ambushed by Fred and George, who jumped out from either side, blocking their path.
“You must’ve been in the suitcase!” declared George, looking quite sure of himself before Kyle could even say a word.
“How’d you know?” Kyle asked, a bit surprised.
“Because we went looking for you!” replied Fred.
“But you weren’t in the common room…”
“Or the library, or Hagrid’s hut…”
“And the Room of Requirement was locked…” George finished with a knowing grin. “So, naturally, you must’ve been in there with Kanna, looking through the suitcase without anyone else finding out!”
“Alright, alright, you caught me,” Kyle said with a shrug. “It’s the weekend, after all, so I had some extra time.”
“Kyle, don’t tell me you’re forgetting what you promised us…” Fred said, narrowing his eyes. “George, I think we need to give this forgetful gentleman a little reminder.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Fred,” said George, grinning wickedly.
The twins cracked their knuckles, then pulled out a handful of Dungbombs from their pockets. There were over a dozen, all from Zonko’s latest and “improved” batch, with a more potent aroma than before. If they let them all off, the entire Great Hall would be practically uninhabitable.
“Alright, let’s not be hasty,” Kyle said, raising his hands in surrender. “It was just a quick tour of the suitcase; of course, I remembered. But you weren’t in the Great Hall this morning, so I couldn’t exactly grab you.”
“The Room of Requirement is right next to our common room,” Fred said, eyes narrowing further. “You could’ve come to get us…”
Kyle smirked. “Would you believe me if I said I just… forgot?”
Fred gave a dry chuckle. “What do you think?”
“Alright, how about this afternoon,” Kyle suggested. “I’ll take you there after lunch.”
Fred and George exchanged glances, then finally lowered their arsenal of Dungbombs.
“Alright, you said it,” they agreed in unison.
