Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 281: Conflict and the Unusual Snape

Anyone who steps into Honeydukes rarely leaves empty-handed, and Kyle and the others were no exception, their pockets now bulging with sweets of every kind. They continued down the main road until they reached The Three Broomsticks, where they stopped for a warm Butterbeer. True to their word, Fred and George covered Kyleʼs drink, though Kyle seemed distracted, preoccupied with something the twins didn’t notice, brushing it off as them “not being ready yet.”

Inside, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were also enjoying a drink with Madam Rosmerta. McGonagall had a small glass of Gillywater in front of her, while Flitwick was sipping a Cherry Syrup and Soda with ice and a tiny umbrella.

The professors hadn’t spotted Kyle and the others, but it still felt a bit awkward to be in such close quarters with them. Fred and George couldn’t seem to stop staring at Professor McGonagall—or maybe they were eyeing Madam Rosmerta. The barmaid, known for her striking looks and friendly demeanor, was a familiar face to most Hogwarts students.

After finishing their Butterbeers a bit hastily, the group returned to the bustling street. They stopped at Gladrags Wizardwear, where they helped Cho pick out a heavy cloak trimmed with white fur. Cho and Kanna led the selection process, with Kyle and the others merely nodding along when asked for their opinion. Cedric, however, attempted to help but made one suggestion after another that earned skeptical looks from everyone, especially Fred and George. Even Cho gave him a dubious glance when he suggested cloaks in pure gold. The color was far too flashy, and to top it off, the style was an adult model, making Cho look like a walking Golden Snidget. After that, Cedric’s “advising rights” were unanimously revoked.

As they walked past Madam Puddifoot’s Tea House, they spotted Harris through the window, chatting with a girl with long, maroon-colored hair. Cedric leaned over and whispered, “Oh... so that’s why Harris gets here so early in the morning.”

“I get it,” Kyle chuckled. “That’s definitely more important than the Captain of Three Consecutive Championships title.”

Madam Puddifoot’s was famously known as a dating spot, where young couples from Hogwarts often went. Clearly, Harris and the girl were more than just friends.

“Oh, I remember…” Cho murmured, “That’s Livy Accina, the Ravenclaw prefect and a seventh year. No wonder she looked familiar; she’s wearing different clothes and has done her hair up today.”

They all gathered by the window, observing the scene inside. Fred and George, with mischievous grins, proposed going in to stage a “chance encounter,” but Cho and Kanna were quick to veto the idea.

“Trust me…” Cho said seriously. “If you barge in now and mess things up, Harris will be aiming for your heads as goalposts at the next Quidditch match. Think your heads are tough? Just wait till you feel the Quaffle!”

“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Kyle said, patting his chest for emphasis. “I’ll keep passing him the ball…”

“And me…” Cedric muttered.

Fred snickered. “Well, the Quaffle’s still a bit tougher…”

“I’m kidding!” he added, seeing Cho’s disapproving look.

“And, Mr. Diggory, don’t forget—you’re not allowed to talk right now…” George teased Cedric with a smirk. “What’s a Seeker doing meddling with Quaffles anyway?”

Cedric shrugged, taking the jab in stride, and wisely kept silent.

...

At noon, the group returned to Hogwarts.

There were places to eat in the village, but the food there was noticeably worse than the meals served at the castle. And, most importantly, they had to pay for it... After a morning full of new experiences, the novelty of ”visiting day” had worn off, and after a brief discussion, they decided to head back to Hogwarts early.

The Great Hall was much quieter than usual, with far fewer people than normal... though this silence felt strangely tense. As soon as Kyle entered, he could sense the thick tension hanging in the air. Gryffindors and Slytherins sat at separate tables, but they were glaring at each other across the space.

”What on earth happened this morning...” Cho whispered. ”I feel like they’re about to start fighting any minute.”

”I don’t know,” Fred shook his head. ”Let’s go ask around.”

The two quickly made their way over to the Gryffindor table and found their friend, Lee Jordan. Since most students had gone to Hogsmeade, there were plenty of empty seats at each table, and the others weren’t paying much attention to them, so they sat down wherever there was space.

After a while, Fred and George came back.

“Oh, we really shouldn’t have gone to Hogsmeade!” Fred said regretfully. “I can’t believe we missed so much.”

“Get to the point…” Cho said impatiently. “What happened?”

“Our team and Slytherin got into a fight on the Quidditch Pitch,” George explained, “because of that Malfoy.”

“The Slytherin second-year?”

“Exactly,” Fred nodded. “His father donated seven Nimbuses to the school and bought him a spot on the team.”

“Using Galleons to solve problems. Typical of that family.”

George glanced over in the direction of the Slytherin table, where the team was still clutching their brand new, shiny Nimbus 2001s.

“I’ve seen Malfoy train…” he said quietly, “and he’s not very good. Without those broomsticks, he’d never have made the team.”

“And then?” Cedric asked.

“Malfoy said something… really nasty,” Fred said, “and then they got into a fight.”

“You won’t believe this…” George suddenly burst out laughing. “Our little brother Ron really made a splash this time—he actually made Malfoy vomit slugs all morning!”

Cho and Kanna’s faces darkened; it was obvious that this news was a bit too explosive for them. Cedric’s eyes widened as well.

“When we first heard the story, we were as shocked as you are…” Fred chuckled. “Absolutely stunned.”

“We thought there was another Ron at school…”

“We didn’t realize it was our brother!”

“Although he ended up getting hit with a spell not far off and was sent to the Hospital Wing, he was still impressive.”

“We decided to share some of the sweets we got from Hogsmeade with him.”

Kyle scanned the Great Hall. Sure enough, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Malfoy were all missing.

“So how did it all turn out? What did the professors say?”

“That’s the strange part.”

George rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Lee Jordan told us that Professor Snape was handling it. We thought he’d come down hard on Gryffindor… a hundred points docked and detention for Ron.”

“But he didn’t,” Fred said. “Instead, Malfoy got detention!”

“What?”

The news was so surprising that even Kanna looked shocked.

“We asked three different people, and it’s true,” Fred whispered. “What do you think has happened to Snape lately?”

“Maybe he’s trying to make up for past mistakes,” Kyle said casually.

“What?” The others looked at him, not quite understanding.

“Nothing,” Kyle shook his head. “Just joking. Don’t mind me.”