Chapter 48: Mooncalf
Cedric's performance at the Quidditch tryouts had been outstanding. He managed to catch the Golden Snitch in just five minutes, securing his position as the new Seeker for Hufflepuff. After that, his entire afternoon was spent on the Quidditch Pitch, as he joined his first training session with the team. Kyle only had a brief moment to catch up with him during lunch.
"Fred and George don't know anyone from Slytherin either, but they said they'd help think of something," Cedric said through a mouthful of steak. "We're going to talk it over this afternoon. Want to come?"
"I—" Kyle began to reply, but before he could say anything, a commanding voice echoed from the far end of the Hufflepuff table.
"Hurry up, Cedric, we need to start training!"
"Yes, Captain!" Cedric called back.
In a rush, Cedric struggled to swallow his mouthful of steak, then quickly gulped down a large glass of pumpkin juice. He turned to Kyle with a grin. "I'll head off to train first. This year's Quidditch Cup is definitely going to Hufflepuff!"
And with that, Cedric sprinted off toward the Quidditch Pitch, clearly excited for the training session ahead.
"Hmph..." Kyle shrugged, not feeling particularly envious. What's so special about being on the school team? he thought. Not only did they have to train on weekends, but they couldn't even enjoy a proper meal. Meanwhile, Kyle had plenty of time to savor his lunch in peace.
Knocking on the table, Kyle ordered himself a glass of lemonade to cleanse his palate and enjoyed the rest of his meal at his own pace.
Later that afternoon, Kyle left the castle, carrying the parchment he had copied from the library. Growing Chomping Cabbage turned out to be much more complicated than he had initially imagined. The plant was notoriously picky about its environment and climate, and only a few skilled Herbology masters had ever managed to successfully transplant it outside its native habitat.
Fortunately, the Room of Requirement could solve most of these issues. Kyle's only real challenge now was dealing with the fertilizer.