Chapter 719: Snape’s Scar
As expected, by the end of Friday's potions lesson, Kanna had finally managed to secure the bottle of Felix Felicis.
Her Polyjuice Potion was nearly flawless, so much so that even Slughorn couldn't find a single fault with it. Kyle's potion was also impressive, but when compared to Kanna's, his brew was slightly darker in color. This was due to his adding the Boomslang skin a little later in the process—a timing issue that didn't affect the potion's efficacy. If not for Kanna, Kyle would have taken first place.
To be honest, though, neither Kanna nor Kyle seemed particularly interested in the Felix Felicis that Slughorn had offered as a reward. Both already had access to the elusive potion.
Kanna didn't need to say much about it; if she ever wanted some, Snape would undoubtedly supply her without hesitation. As for Kyle, his rapport with Director Sykes of St. Mungo's and the Basilisk materials he had previously provided made acquiring Felix Felicis a trivial matter for him.
The reward, while nice to have, wasn't something either of them truly cared about. Winning it was a pleasant bonus, but losing out on it wouldn't have mattered to them in the slightest.
More importantly, Kyle had been keeping his distance from things like Felix Felicis ever since wearing Ravenclaw's Diadem. The overwhelming sensation of being in control was dangerously alluring, and Kyle feared he might not be able to resist the temptation if he allowed himself to indulge too often.
For now, everything was just as it should be.
...
On the first weekend of the new school year, a misty drizzle began to fall from the sky. The air was chilly, but that didn't stop the Quidditch pitch from being crowded with people—after all, it was the day for selecting new players for the team.
Beyond those eager to join, many others came to watch, either for entertainment or to gather intelligence for their own house teams. It was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
Since it was Gryffindor's turn in the morning, Kyle decided against heading to the pitch. Instead, he strolled through the damp grounds with Kanna, making his way toward Hagrid's hut. For the past couple of days, Hagrid had seemed out of sorts—grumpy, with a perpetual frown—and he hadn't even been eating in the Great Hall. With the weekend offering a bit of free time, Kyle figured he'd check in and see what was going on.