Chapter 526: Stirring Up Trouble
When Kyle returned with the pudding and Pumpkin Fizz, he noticed a Durmstrang boy standing in front of Kanna, seemingly inviting her to dance.
Kanna declined politely, and the boy didn't press her, quickly shifting his attention to another Gryffindor girl nearby. Kyle vaguely remembered her name was Parvati—someone in the same year as Harry.
"Have some soda," Kyle said as he approached Kanna, handing her the pudding and Pumpkin Fizz. "Someone recommended this pudding as being really good."
Kanna accepted the pudding and took a small bite. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the three dances she'd just had.
"Hogwarts has never been this lively before, has it?" she said with a soft smile. "Everyone seems to be having a great time. This is the best Christmas ever."
"Yeah," Kyle replied.
Though, of course, it could have been better if someone weren't staring at him constantly.
Kyle wasn't thinking about anyone else but Professor Snape.
Snape's piercing gaze had briefly vanished during the dancing, but just now, when Kyle had gone to fetch drinks, that unsettling feeling of being watched—like a bug pinned under a magnifying glass—returned.
Turning his head slightly, Kyle saw Snape standing near the table, his dark eyes fixed on him without so much as a blink. Beside Snape stood Karkaroff, looking nervous as he gestured toward the door repeatedly, as though urging Snape to discuss something urgent.
Kyle, curious, tilted his head and tried to listen in, but the distance and the noise in the hall made their conversation nearly impossible to decipher. All he could catch were scattered phrases: