Despite Kyle's repeated assurances that he was fine, Minerva insisted on taking him to the hospital wing.
Although Madam Pomfrey found no injuries during her examination, after hearing what had happened, she insisted he stay overnight.
After Professor McGonagall left, Pomfrey retrieved a bottle from the cabinet and poured Kyle a large glass of light blue potion.
"Drink this!"
Lying in the hospital bed, Kyle grimaced, "No, that's not necessary, Madam Pomfrey."
The hospital wing's potions were incredibly effective — and terribly unpalatable.
When Cedric had caught a cold recently, his Pepperup Potion had tasted "like dishwater left in the sun for three days", and it had taken tremendous willpower just to swallow it.
Kyle didn't fancy drinking dishwater himself. Besides, his worst injury was merely a bite mark on his arm — hardly something that required medicine.
But Madam Pomfrey wouldn't hear of it. She stood firm and said sternly, "This potion will help you recover your energy and strength quickly. You must finish it, or you won't be leaving the hospital wing!"
His face fell at the news.
The hospital wing wielded supreme authority in Hogwarts — even Dumbledore had to follow Pomfrey's orders without question. If she wouldn't let Kyle leave, he was truly stuck, no matter who might try to intervene.
Kyle picked up the cup and resignedly drank the potion.
Glug, Glug, Glug...
The taste wasn't pleasant, but it beat Pepperup Potion — more like dishwater that had been left in the sun for just one day.
After he finished, Pomfrey left.
Kyle lay in bed, and whether from exhaustion or the potion's effects, his eyelids grew unusually heavy, and he quickly drifted off to sleep.
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He had no idea how long he'd slept, but in his drowsy state, he kept hearing a rustling sound — like someone eating something.
Hmm, eating?
At that thought, he suddenly felt hungry, and the feeling grew stronger.
Kyle struggled to open his eyes against the harsh sunlight, taking a while to adjust. Above him was the hospital wing's ceiling and... Albus Dumbledore's smiling face.
"Good afternoon, Kyle." Dumbledore said indistinctly through a mouthful of something, with an open box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans beside him.
As Kyle came to his senses, he quickly understood the situation before him: the greatest wizard in Britain, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, was stealing his sweets!
"The table simply couldn't hold anymore." Dumbledore said with a smile, apparently guessing Kyle's thoughts, "Besides, I suggest you avoid this box — I've tried three beans, and they were all terrible flavors. I suspect they must have been packed incorrectly."
"Professor, you should try the golden-brown one." Kyle said instinctively, then turned his head to look at the table, which was piled high with sweets like a mountain.
And that wasn't all — someone had cleverly brought over the table from the neighboring bed, which was equally covered in a mountain of sweets.
"These are all gifts from your friends. I suspect they might have bought out Honeydukes entirely." Dumbledore said with a smile, popping the bean Kyle had suggested into his mouth, "Oh, champagne... that's quite a rare flavor."
"Professor, how long have I been asleep?"
"In three more hours, it will have been a full day." Dumbledore said.
Kyle sat up in bed, stretching his stiff neck. He hadn't expected to sleep so long — it was already the next afternoon, no wonder he felt hungry...
Wait! The next afternoon?
"Professor, the Quidditch match!"
"I'm afraid you missed it." Dumbledore said, "But Hufflepuff won — they believed winning the Quidditch Cup would help you recover faster, and they played with tremendous spirit."
"Damn that Oren!" Kyle pounded his pillow in frustration, "I had been looking forward to this match more than anything."
"Speaking of him... Kyle, do you know why he had a grudge against you?"
"He said it was because of my father." Kyle said.
"But as far as I know…" Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled, "Twelve years ago, if it hadn't been for Chris, Oren would have died at the hands of Death Eaters. Your father saved his life."
"That's impossible. If my father saved Oren, why would he do this — repay kindness with enmity?" Kyle said firmly, "He truly meant to kill me. If the centaurs hadn't arrived in time, he would have used the Killing Curse on me."
"It is indeed puzzling, and perhaps only Oren himself knows the reason." Dumbledore said softly, "But he's fled now, and catching a traveling minstrel is no easy task."
"A traveling minstrel?"
"Yes." Dumbledore explained, "After that near-death experience, he left for France and began traveling the world as a minstrel. When he became involved in smuggling magical creatures remains a mystery."
"Then why did he come to Hogwarts?" Kyle asked, puzzled, "Was it just to kill me?"
"Of course not, child." Dumbledore shook his head, "I've learned that the Ministry received an anonymous tip in mid-August, detailing the smugglers' routes.
Thinking about it now, Oren was likely the one who sent that letter, which explains why he applied for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position two months in advance.
But I still don't understand his true motives — perhaps he needed Hogwarts as a hideout, or he was desperate for money, or something else entirely. Traveling minstrels are always so unpredictable."
After hearing this explanation, Kyle found himself understanding Oren less and less. All he could do was plan to grow more Chomping Cabbages and give him a proper botanical bath treatment next time they met.
Whatever the reason, one fact remained clear: he had nearly died at Oren's hands — it was the worst predicament he'd ever faced.
Kyle had already decided: one hundred Chomping Cabbages would be his gift in return.
"Now, let's change the mood and discuss something more cheerful." Dumbledore said brightly, "Because of your clear thinking in using your broomstick to rescue Kanna Prince from the Forbidden Forest during the greatest danger, and your noble spirit in facing two dark wizards alone to buy her time, we have unanimously decided to award you the Special Award for Services to the School."
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