Chapter 320: Anomaly
Hagrid had been taken away by the Ministry of Magic, but a deep unease lingered throughout Hogwarts. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets remained at large, able to strike again at any moment.
The professors maintained an air of calm, diligently escorting students from one class to the next during the day and patrolling the castle halls at night. Despite Lockhart's repeated assurances that the danger had passed and that escorting students was a needless precaution, no one paid him any mind.
These days, the Hufflepuff common room was always packed; with a strict curfew at 6:00 p.m., students had nowhere else to go, and every evening was filled with conversation, rumors, and speculation.
After dinner, Kyle settled into a game of wizard chess with Cedric, but his focus was off. Game after game, Kyle lost without much of a fight, and after an hour, he hadn't managed a single win.
"I get the feeling you're not paying attention," Cedric said as he began putting the chessboard away. "Still thinking about the Chamber of Secrets?"
"No..." Kyle replied, shaking his head. "I just feel a bit unwell."
For the past few days, he'd been plagued by dizziness and an inability to concentrate, and today it had worsened. While they'd been playing chess, he'd even heard a faint buzzing, like dozens of voices whispering inside his head.
"You're not catching a cold, are you?" Kanna asked, looking at him with concern.
The weather had been unpredictable lately—though summer was close, it had been raining frequently, with sudden shifts between warm and chilly days. Quite a few students had come down with colds.
"Could be," Cedric said, stowing away the chess pieces. "Should we let Professor Sprout know and ask her to take you to the Hospital Wing?"
"No need. I've got a Pepperup Potion with me." Kyle patted his forehead, pulling a small bottle of red potion from his pocket. He unscrewed the cap and took a sip.