Chapter 630: The Snitch
The gathering at The Hog's Head lasted longer than Kyle had expected—nearly two hours before anyone began to leave.
The first to emerge were Fred, George, and their friend Lee Jordan, who hurried out of the pub and headed straight for Zonko's Joke Shop.
Following them, Colin from Gryffindor, Angelina, Ryan, and Mikel from Hufflepuff, Justin, and three Ravenclaw boys whose names Kyle couldn't even pronounce filtered out.
Their departure drew the attention of bystanders, who seemed stunned by the sheer number of students leaving the least popular pub in Hogsmeade.
Finally, Cedric and the others, who had been among the last to arrive, exited together.
From his vantage point at the window of The Three Broomsticks, Kyle could see Cedric standing on the main road, his expression tense as he scanned the crowd with a frustrated look, as though searching for someone.
"He's not looking for you, is he?" Kanna asked in a low voice. "Did you tell him you weren't going to The Hog's Head today?"
"Well... I forgot," Kyle admitted.
In truth, it wasn't until he'd encountered the Greengrass sisters earlier at Gladrags Wizardwear that he'd realized he ought to avoid activities opposing the Ministry of Magic, given his current alignment with Fudge.
"Are you going to wait for him here?" Kanna asked.
Kyle thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Forget it. He's probably really angry right now. I'll talk to him back at the castle."