After returning from Diagon Alley, Kyle set everything aside to enjoy the remaining days of his holiday while testing his new broomstick.
After a year of waiting, he finally had a broomstick of his own.
It wasn't the outdated Nimbus 1700 or the budget-friendly Sweeper series, but the Nimbus 2000 — a brand-new model that had hit the market just a month ago and taken the wizarding world by storm.
It was a birthday present from his dear mom and dad. Since Kyle had been in Dorset earlier, the gift had remained in his room until now.
The Nimbus 2000, coveted by nearly every professional team, proved truly flawless in performance. It was fast and stable, with incredible handling — Kyle needed only the lightest touch to make it turn exactly where he wanted.
With this broomstick, he could easily outmaneuver the Weasley twins in the St. Catchpole Village Quidditch Championship, even when facing them both alone.
When Cedric returned from France the next day, he naturally joined Kyle's team, turning their one-against-two matches into proper two-on-two games.
The outcome was predictable — Fred and George suffered a crushing defeat.
"This isn't fair!" George looked at his old Sweeper and sighed, "The difference in broomsticks is just too much. If we had a Nimbus 2000 — or even a Nimbus 1500 — you wouldn't have stood a chance."
"That's not the main issue, George." Fred patted his shoulder glumly, "School's about to start. This year, Kyle is bound to make the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. That's bad news for us in Gryffindor."
"Yeah... you're right." George slumped to the ground in defeat, understanding exactly what his brother meant.
With Kyle joining, Hufflepuff would manage a smooth transition between old and new players, maintaining their team's strength.
But Gryffindor faced a different predicament. Since Charlie's graduation, they hadn't found a suitable Seeker to fill his position.
Unlike other positions, being a Seeker required exceptional talent — there simply weren't many players who fit the bill. Someone like Cedric, who displayed outstanding skill as a Seeker even in his second year, was extraordinarily rare at Hogwarts.
Lee Jordan had shown promise. Though not quite matching Cedric's natural ability, he'd been a strong candidate. Unfortunately, he'd chosen to pursue commentary instead.
At this thought, Fred and George exchanged glances and sighed in unison.
And so, the summer holidays drew to a close.
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On September 1st, as usual, Arthur Weasley accompanied them to King's Cross Station.
At the station, Kyle scanned his surroundings carefully. Even after reaching the platform, he couldn't spot any boy wearing glasses.
Had he arrived at the wrong time?
Kyle felt puzzled but tried not to dwell on it.
Just then, Molly asked, "Now, which platform is this?"
"Nine!" Ginny replied eagerly, "Mom, can I go?"
"You're still too young, Ginny, not now." Molly glanced sideways and said, "Percy, you first."
Without a word, Percy walked onto the platform.
"Kyle, your turn."
Kyle nodded and followed him in.
By now, there were already quite a few people on the platform. They found their familiar friends, chatting in small groups about their summer adventures.
"Sorry, Kyle." Percy turned around as he walked ahead, "I have to go to the prefects' carriage first. You know, prefects are responsible for keeping order on the train, and there's a lot to prepare."
As he spoke, he fiddled with the gold-and-red badge pinned to his chest. Percy had achieved his wish of becoming Gryffindor's prefect — a topic he'd been discussing endlessly for the past month.
"No problem, you go ahead." Kyle said, "I'll wait for Fred and George."
"See you at school." Percy adjusted his prefect badge one more time, then grabbed his luggage and headed toward the train.
Kyle stayed where he was.
Several minutes passed before Fred and George finally entered the platform.
As soon as they met, Fred grinned and said, "We ran into a lost little witch."
"Right after you and Percy left." George explained, "Mum found her asking a Muggle how to get to Platform 9¾. That little girl was so persistent — she seemed convinced there was a platform with a 9¾ sign."
"That Muggle was furious."
"When we came in, we could still hear him grumbling about people wasting his time."
A little girl... Kyle was taken aback. Wasn't that Harry Potter?
Just then, two more people entered the passage one after another — a father and daughter.
The father entered first, a man about Chris's age wearing a smart, dark suit with neatly combed hair. He walked in, looking around curiously before his gaze settled on the bright red Hogwarts Express.
The daughter followed, dragging a huge suitcase, her thick, bushy brown hair wild around her shoulders.
"Sweetheart, let me help you with your suitcase." The man said, reaching out.
"No, Dad, I can manage." The girl shook her head, "I put a spell on it before we left — it's not as heavy as it looks. You know, I've memorized all my textbooks."
"Yes, I know, but Hermione..." The man hesitated, glancing at the big suitcase.
At King's Cross, he'd helped carry it off the car. Honestly... it weighed almost exactly the same as it had last night after she'd packed it. That spell clearly hadn't worked.
"Just a second, Dad." At that moment, the girl spotted the three nearby — particularly Fred and George. She hurried over and said, "Thank you for helping me find the platform."
"You're welcome."
"It was nothing."
Fred and George just shrugged, as if it had been no trouble at all.
"No, really — if it weren't for your help, I might've spent ages looking for the platform." The girl shook her head, "I memorized all my textbooks, but none of them mentioned where the platform was. Oh, right — I'm Hermione Granger. What are your names?"
"Fred Weasley."
"George Weasley."
✭✭✭
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