Chapter 169: Fortified Pumpkin
This hectic pace continued until the eve of Halloween. That morning, Kyle woke up to the sweet, mouthwatering aroma of roasted pumpkin wafting through the hallways. Even better, Harris announced in the common room that there would be no Quidditch practice for the following week. He admitted the recent training sessions had been a bit intense, and with Kyle and the other new player's impressive performances, he decided to give the team a breather before the official matches began.
Kyle was thrilled with this unexpected break, grateful for the chance to relax a bit. To his delight, in honor of Halloween, the school seemed filled with extra pumpkins—several new ones were scattered across the classrooms.
During Transfiguration class that morning, Professor McGonagall used pumpkins as teaching props, instructing the students to transfigure them into anything they liked, as long as the end result was no longer a pumpkin.
Kyle was, as usual, the first to complete the task, transforming his pumpkin into a miniature replica of the stone statue guarding the castle entrance. The tiny statue took two steps across his desk and then swung its oversized sword in a wide arc, unintentionally smashing Kanna's pumpkin nearby, scattering pumpkin seeds all over her desk—and her face.
Kanna, clearly unamused, wiped the seeds off her face and shot Kyle a furious glare, her teeth clenched in frustration as if she might pounce and take a chunk out of him.
"Oops! That was an accident!" Kyle hurriedly apologized, realizing he'd forgotten the sword was merely a conjured illusion.
Professor McGonagall, whose rare smile hinted at mild amusement, said, "Hufflepuff loses one point for your ungentlemanly behavior. A bit of recklessness there, and it could've been dangerous."
"Understood, Professor," Kyle muttered sheepishly.
She nodded approvingly at his lifelike stone statue. "Very well, Hufflepuff—eleven points for excellent transfiguration."