Chapter 221: A Low-Difficulty Quest
Kyle frowned as he surveyed the empty room. Whether as a Hufflepuff or the one responsible for this situation, he felt it was his duty to help Professor Sprout cover this small oversight.
However, retrieving the Devil's Snare from the Room of Requirement up on the eighth floor would waste too much time. By the time he returned, Quirrell might already be nothing but ash. So, Kyle opted for an alternative solution.
He opened his suitcase and took out all the Chomping Cabbages he had brought, arranging them carefully beneath the trapdoor. There were around thirty in total—enough to fully cover the spot previously occupied by the Devil's Snare.
He'd initially "borrowed" just two seeds from Professor Sprout's greenhouse, but now, by placing them here, he was repaying the debt tenfold.
Kyle nodded with satisfaction at his setup. This was the kind of security required to protect the Philosopher's Stone. His prior use of Devil's Snare had been a bit of a joke, thrown together without much thought. Now, he hoped Professor Quirrell, who'd soon come through this room, would have an appreciation for Chomping Cabbage and understand their habits and weaknesses. Otherwise... he'd be in for a bit of a surprise.
As for Harry, Kyle wasn't concerned. He had a strong hunch that Harry would be just fine.
With that done, Kyle hopped back onto his broom and flew down the stone corridor, soon reaching Professor Flitwick's checkpoint. In the brightly lit room, countless winged keys buzzed around under the high, arched ceiling like flocks of little birds. A row of old broomsticks leaned by the entrance—three in total.
"Three broomsticks... Clever, but something about Professor Flitwick's work here doesn't add up," Kyle muttered.
Rather than rushing to solve the puzzle, Kyle took out his wand and pointed at the broomsticks in the corner, murmuring, "Depulso!"