Chapter 452: Divergence
Fred and George expressed their strong dissatisfaction with Kyle's "preferential treatment," insisting that they were old enough to try the aged Firewhiskey. Kyle, however, continued to ignore them.
It wasn't until a few minutes later, when Bill lay sprawled on the floor, fast asleep, that the twins went quiet. They exchanged a look, shrugged, and nonchalantly resumed sipping their juice. They'd watched Bill go from drinking to nodding off, and then simply sink to the floor as if he'd come over just to take a nap on Kyle's carpet. The whole process had been remarkably seamless, without even a pause, as if Bill had choreographed it.
Charlie, meanwhile, was handling his drink just fine. As a dragon keeper, he was no stranger to strong spirits and had more experience pacing himself.
He took a cautious sip of his Firewhiskey and glanced over at Bill. "Does he think he's drinking ale?" he scoffed, amused at his brother's lack of restraint.
Much like Fred and George never missed a chance to poke fun at Percy, Charlie and Bill had a similar sibling tradition. The difference was that Bill was generally sharper and could hold his own, always finding a way to retaliate. But right now, he was out cold, leaving Charlie to enjoy a small victory and a second sip of Firewhiskey.
Kyle brought out more candy and snacks, which included an assortment of treats he'd received as gifts. Everyone began snacking and chatting idly.
At first, the conversation was lighthearted. Charlie shared tales from the Romanian dragon reserve, like the time a few reckless wizards tried to steal a dragon egg, only to be chased off by a roaring mother dragon, leaving them so terrified they'd begged the dragon keepers for help. He also mentioned the excitement whenever a dragon laid a new clutch of eggs. These weren't the kinds of stories found in textbooks, and Kyle and the others listened, captivated.
In exchange, Kyle shared some of his own Hogwarts stories. Charlie was fascinated by his account of Professor Trelawney's dramatic predictions in third year, the Basilisk incident, and the time Dementors had stormed the Quidditch Pitch in his fourth year. It was hard for him to believe all that had actually happened.
"When I was at school, Hogwarts was never this exciting," Charlie laughed, shaking his head.