Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 363: Defense Against the Dark Arts Worth Anticipating

Trying to alter the trajectory of the Summoning Charm turned out to be much harder than Kyle had anticipated. By the end of Charms class, he had only managed to make the quill stop about half a meter in front of him instead of coming directly to his hand. Determined to master it, he decided to keep practicing in the next class.

During the second session of History of Magic, Kyle continued his efforts.

Professor Binns, the ghostly instructor, had hundreds of years of teaching experience under his belt—and the dubious distinction of being Hogwartsʼ most “popular” professor for inducing sleep. He rarely intervened in whatever students did in his class unless their snoring became too loud, disturbing him while he droned on.

“In 1612, the goblins used a tavern in Hogsmeade as their headquarters and launched a rebellion against both male and female wizards…” he read in his usual monotonous voice, reciting directly from the book about the Goblin Rebellions.

Seated in the back row, Kyle seized the opportunity provided by the gentle snores around him, discreetly practicing the Summoning Charm under his desk.

Kanna, who had initially been trying to follow along with Professor Binns, soon found her attention drifting to the quill that kept bobbing and floating sporadically in front of Kyle. She recognized what he was working on from Charms class and couldn’t resist watching for a while, trying to imitate his hand movements under her own desk. Her progress was slower than Kyle’s, but at least it was more interesting than falling asleep.

Feeling both curious and bored, Kanna decided not to give up just yet. Determined to find something to do to stay awake, she pulled out her wand and quill again, quietly joining Kyle in his practice.

...

As History of Magic ended, students who had been dozing off stirred awake almost in unison, rubbing their eyes and gathering up their books with loud yawns, ready to head to the Great Hall for lunch. But just as Kyle reached the entrance, he was stopped—not by Hermione this time, but by Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin girl known for getting straight to business.

“Kyle, I’m here to buy a badge,” Daphne said without preamble. “Just tell me the price.”

Kyle didn’t mind her bluntness; Daphne was a frequent customer, quick to pay, and always ordered the most premium version of whatever he offered. But this time, she wasn’t alone; she had a younger girl with her, whom Kyle recognized as a new first-year student.

“This is my younger sister,” Daphne added impatiently, noticing Kyle’s gaze. “I’m buying her the badge this time.”

The younger girl was much more polite than her sister. Though she seemed a bit shy, she greeted Kyle earnestly. “Hello, I’m Astoria Greengrass, first-year Slytherin.”

“Hello, I’m—”

“Enough with the introductions,” Daphne interrupted, looking at Kyle with her usual bluntness. “Just get the badge—the best one. None of that cheap rubbish you sold to Longbottom.”

Her attitude was as curt as ever.

“I sold out of the badges this morning,” Kyle replied.

Daphne frowned, just about to ask for clarification, when Kyle pulled an elegant wooden box from his pocket. Daphne recognized it instantly—the box was crafted from freshly-cut mountain ash wood, with its distinctive soft color and lustrous finish. She knew the material well, as her room was furnished with similar wood.

“What’s this?” Daphne asked, intrigued. “Didn’t you say there were no more badges?”

“A dragon’s not only scales,” Kyle grinned. “This might meet your requirements.”

He opened the box, revealing a five-inch dragon tooth that gleamed with a silvery-white coil wrapped around it. The tooth had a sharp, dagger-like appearance, clearly something rare.

“This is from a Hungarian Horntail. I think you’re familiar with that breed,” Kyle explained.

Daphne merely nodded, her eyes shifting to the silvery-white coil.

“That’s unicorn hair,” Kyle continued. “Unicorns are also a natural counter to Dementors. Their purity makes Dementors extremely uncomfortable.”

Daphne’s eyes lit up. “One hundred Galleons.”

Kyle chuckled. “The unicorn hair coil makes it easy to attach to a bag or robe, but if you’d prefer, I can remove it, bringing the price down to twenty Galleons.”

“No need.” Daphne didn’t hesitate. She thrust the box into Astoria’s hands and handed Kyle a heavy pouch. “Here are one hundred Galleons. I’ll take it as is.”

Astoria curiously opened the box and touched the unicorn hair coil. A warm, comforting sensation ran through her fingertips. She looked up at Kyle, impressed. When she’d heard the price, she’d assumed it was some sort of scam. But now she could tell this was worth every Galleon—unicorn hair was notoriously rare and expensive, making this not only beautiful but practical.

For the same price, she thought, this was far more special than the gemstone brooch she had at home.

Wait… did my sister just call him Kyle?

Astoria suddenly recalled that Draco had mentioned this name to her a month ago when the Malfoys came to visit. He’d even given her a map yesterday, supposedly bought from this same person.

Daphne’s voice suddenly cut through Astoria’s thoughts. “Let’s go, Astoria.”

Astoria snapped back to the present and politely said to Kyle, “It was a pleasure to meet you. Goodbye!” before being whisked into the Great Hall by her sister.

“Are they really sisters?” Kanna whispered to Kyle as the two girls disappeared. “How can their personalities be so different?”

“It does seem odd, but it’s actually pretty common,” Kyle replied with a shrug. “Look at Percy and Fred and George. Would you say they’re alike?”

Kanna chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Good point.”

Kyle tucked the hefty pouch of one hundred Galleons into his bag and walked into the Great Hall with Kanna by his side.

“A hundred Galleons seems a bit steep, doesn’t it?” Kanna asked as she watched him settle into a seat. “I mean, things with unicorn hair usually only go for a few dozen Galleons. Aren’t you worried she might think twice about paying that much?”

“Not at all,” Kyle replied, casually helping himself to some food. “This time, the unicorn hair is from complete tails, so it’s naturally more expensive. And if someone doesn’t buy it, I can just uncoil it and use the unicorn hair elsewhere.”

“What’s this about unicorn hair?” Cedric asked, sliding onto the bench next to Kyle. But he didn’t wait for an answer, his tone more curious than serious. “Anyway, what time’s your Defense Against the Dark Arts class?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Kanna replied, glancing at her schedule. “Why?”

“Something to look forward to,” Cedric said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. “Defense Against the Dark Arts this year is nothing like the past two years. It’s actually amazing!”

Pouring himself some pumpkin juice, Cedric looked thrilled. “At long last, Headmaster Dumbledore has found a professor who really knows their stuff!”