In a corner of the Hufflepuff Common Room, Cedric was staring in shock at the enthusiastic new students not far away.
He couldn't understand what was going on with this year's newcomers. Did they really not realize that Kael was full of nonsense, and yet they cooperated so well?
This is Hufflepuff, not Ravenclaw.
Cedric didn't know what others thought, but if he ended up in the Hospital Wing, he definitely wouldn't want any classroom notes or homework.
Especially homework.
Goodness, treating homework as a gift... Could any normal wizard come up with that? Even Voldemort wouldn't do something so wicked, would he?
Cedric's conscience told him he should expose Kael and save the innocent Mikel.
But he couldn't do it.
Because in a way, Kael's words made the young Hufflepuffs more attentive in class.
That was undoubtedly a good thing.
Cedric was torn for a long time,
In the past twelve years, he had never faced such a difficult choice. On one side was his conscience, and on the other was his responsibility as a senior; he didn't want to give up either and was stuck bouncing between the two.
Not far from Cedric was Conna, also in confusion, the only newcomer who managed to stay clear-headed.
Unlike Cedric, Conna had simpler thoughts.
Whatever happens, stay away from Kael!
Conna secretly vowed that once she got her special rat tonic, she would keep her distance from Kael. Even if she couldn't switch to another house, she would avoid any possible encounters.
Also, during class, she'd pick a seat as far away from Kael as possible.
On the other hand, the overly enthusiastic young Hufflepuffs were still discussing their detailed plans, while Kael, having accomplished his mission, quietly slipped out of the crowd.
Everyone's attention was now on what they had to do next, so naturally, Kael, as a tool, wouldn't attract as much attention as earlier.
Kael found a sofa far from the crowd, sat down, and started reading "Wandering Minstrel in Wind."
This was a book published fifty years ago, telling the tales of a wandering minstrel's journey and the troubles he encountered.
The style was quite similar to Lockhart's works, but unlike his, this book used little space to describe the minstrel himself, focusing mainly on what he saw.
It recorded many region-specific charms, which felt refreshingly new to Kael.
He read until noon, and when Cedric called him to lunch, Kael finally closed the book reluctantly.
"What are you reading?" Cedric asked curiously. "I've been calling you several times, but you didn't respond."
"Wandering Minstrel in Wind," Kael replied, handing the book to Cedric. "Recommended by Dumbledore, it's quite an interesting biography."
"Recommended by the headmaster?"
Cedric's eyes lit up and immediately expressed his desire to read it.
"That's no problem, but I've just started, so you'll have to wait a few days," Kael thought for a moment and said, "Or you could ask the library if they have extra copies."
"No need," Cedric shook his head as he returned the book to Kael. "Just let me know when you're done, and I'll borrow it then."
Given his knowledge of the school's library, such biographical books rarely had duplicates, and it'd be a wasted trip.
Besides, he was just interested, not that he had to read it right away, so a few days' wait didn't matter.
After leaving the Hufflepuff Common Room, the two quickly headed to the Auditorium.
By mid-morning, the news that a Hufflepuff young wizard had blown up the Charm Class classroom had spread throughout Hogwarts.
In the Auditorium, nearly all the young wizards were eagerly discussing the topic.
"Hey, look who's here!"
As soon as Kael walked in through the auditorium doors, he was blocked by Fred and George, who had been waiting for him.
"I knew it, wherever you are, Hogwarts won't be quiet. Looks like I was right." Fred hooked an arm around Kael's shoulder, "Come on, tell us how you blew up the classroom."
George chimed in, "Yeah, we heard even Professor Flitwick left the class with a limp."
"Blowing up the professor on your first class..." Fred and George exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Kael, you'll definitely make it into the school history books!"
The twins' voices weren't soft, quickly catching the attention of other young wizards. More and more people drifted over, either deliberately or incidentally.
This left Kael speechless and slightly exasperated as he said, "First of all, the Lighting Spell can't blow up a classroom, that's common sense. Professor Flitwick just tripped accidentally, hurting his leg."
"Secondly, the young wizard responsible is now in the Hospital Wing, and it has nothing to do with me. If you keep slandering me, I'll write to Mrs. Weasley."
"It wasn't you?"
The twins were simultaneously stunned, clearly not expecting this result.
"Of course not, why would you think that?" Kael pointed to Cedric next to him, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Cedric."
"I'll vouch for him, it wasn't Kael," Cedric immediately nodded.
"You heard it," Kael pushed them aside and said, "By the way, where did you get your information? It's so unreliable."
"Heard it from a Ravenclaw freshman," Fred shrugged, "They said you sent your classmate to the Hospital Wing."
Kael was even more speechless after hearing this, and he immediately said, "I was helping out, alright? Even Professor Dumbledore gave me twenty points for it. By the way, did they say anything else? It can't be just that one sentence."
"No idea," George shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing. "We were just passing by and heard that one line."
"Bloody hell..."
Kael took a deep breath; he didn't want to talk to these two anymore.
Originally, he thought maybe there was a genius at out-of-context excerpts from Ravenclaw, but it turned out the real talents were Fred and George.
At least finish listening to the whole conversation when you gather info. How does listening to just the ending make any sense, and such an ambiguous ending at that?
Fortunately, they came straight to him without spreading it everywhere; otherwise, his painstakingly built good reputation would have been ruined.
Kael sighed, patting the two on their shoulders, "You're both wasting your talent at Hogwarts. You should go directly to work at the Daily Prophet; Rita Skeeter would absolutely love you."
…