Chapter 411: Wolfsbane Potion
The topic in the third-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class was vampires—a subject Kyle had already studied the previous year. Though Lockhart had proven unreliable, at least the information in his book wasn't entirely inaccurate.
Besides Lockhart's dazzling smile, a weapon of charm that was practically a mass destruction device, the book did contain a few effective ways to deal with those creatures of the night.
"Garlic gives off a smell that vampires hate, kind of like when we smell compost in the greenhouse," Kyle explained to Neville on the way to the library. "You can hang it around your neck or rub the juice on your skin."
"Of course, you can eat it too. If you eat enough to reek like Quirrell, who always had garlic breath, vampires won't even bother to come near you."
"I see..." Neville mumbled, looking dazed. "I remember Professor Lupin mentioning something similar."
"But that's only in general cases," Kyle went on. "If you run into a vampire that's been starving for a while or one with a unique taste, turning yourself into a walking garlic clove won't be enough to keep it away."
...
Neville nodded along as Kyle helped him wrap up his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. After a long hesitation, he looked up and whispered, "Thank you..."
"What?" Kyle asked distractedly, not quite catching what Neville had said as he worked on his Divination homework.
"I mean, thank you..." Neville repeated, a bit louder. "Since I lost my password, no one's really wanted to talk to me. Besides Hermione, you're the first one."
"That's just because you didn't know the right approach," Kyle replied, glancing up. "For example, if you go to Fred and George and tell them, 'Your pranks aren't funny at all,' they'll pester you for an entire day, maybe even longer. Or, go to Harry and tell him you spotted a really pretty girl in Ravenclaw. He'll chat with you for hours."