Kyle gave Ron one Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean, took one for himself, and handed the rest to Ginny.
The little girl hugged the box thoughtfully before running back to Kyle's side, asking him to help sort through them — at least to identify the dragon dung flavored ones.
Kyle expressed complete understanding of her request, then promptly refused. Young people, he reasoned, should try different things.
Besides, what's the point of Every Flavor Beans? Every bite is a new adventure — that's their defining feature.
Without the surprise, can you even call them Every Flavor Beans? No, they'd just be regular beans.
So it wasn't that he was being lazy — it was all for the girl's own good.
After playing in the yard a while longer, Molly's familiar voice called from the Burrow announcing dinner was ready.
Everyone, already starving, dropped their sticks and began walking back together.
Kyle walked in front with Ron right behind him. But before they'd taken two steps, the twins suddenly rushed over and shoved Ron aside.
Caught off guard, he nearly fell headfirst into a nearby gnome hole. Furious, he glared at Fred and George with an expression that suggested he'd bite them if they didn't apologize.
Ron might have been serious, but he was destined to get no response. Fred and George's attention had been entirely focused on Kyle from start to finish — they hadn't spared their brother a single glance, completely oblivious to his reaction.
Besides, even if they knew, they probably wouldn't care. They'd been bullying their brother since childhood — this was nothing new to them.
Despite Ron's fury, as long as he wanted to avoid a beating, he wouldn't dare confront them. In a few days, some saved-up candy would smooth things over, and they'd be back to being loving brothers — one big happy family.
So now, the main issue was dealing with Kyle.
The twins considered their experience in Diagon Alley the greatest stain on their lives. They'd been looking to get even, but Kyle hadn't left the house these past few days, giving them no chance for revenge.
A direct approach would be too obvious and make Kyle suspicious, so Fred and George had to temporarily suppress their desire for revenge while waiting for the right opportunity.
Like now!
With Chris and Kyle added to the group, dinner inside would be cramped, so Molly set up the table in the yard.
When Kyle went to his usual seat, Fred shot George a meaningful look and quickly sat down beside him.
Though George didn't know what Fred was planning, their twin telepathy kicked in, and he immediately took the seat on Kyle's other side.
"Hmm?" Kyle was surprised — this was the first time he'd seen the twins sit separately. He raised an eyebrow slightly, 'This doesn't bode well.'
The twins were being so obvious that only someone completely oblivious could miss that something was up.
Still, not knowing their plans, Kyle acted naturally and continued helping Molly set the table.
Soft crusty rolls, tender baked potatoes, aromatic roast chicken, golden fried pieces, and juicy veal steaks covered the table. Though familiar fare, it was certainly a feast by any standard.
Of course, he wasn't expecting anything different here — he just hoped the house-elves at Hogwarts might offer some pleasant surprises. He wasn't asking for Japanese food; French would do, or even just pasta or pizza.
After the last dish was placed, everyone sat down and dinner officially began.
Kyle ate with extra caution, worried about accidentally consuming something strange. He really didn't want to embarrass himself in front of everyone.
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Under Kyle's vigilance, nothing happened.
The twins acted normally, eating and telling jokes to everyone's amusement without showing any suspicious behavior.
Until halfway through dinner, when the conversation was at its liveliest.
After finishing a joke about some greasy Slytherin, Fred turned to George with sudden inspiration. "Hey George, Kyle's going to Hogwarts tomorrow — should we give him some help? Warn him about what to watch out for during sorting, since it's quite dangerous."
George immediately caught on, making a show of thinking (while actually trying to swallow his mouthful of steak) before playing along, "I don't think that's necessary, Fred. We should trust Kyle — he's quite capable. It's just one adult troll, he can definitely defeat it and pass the sorting."
"I think you're right, George." Fred nodded seriously, "And proud Mr. Kyle Chopper surely wouldn't want our advice anyway — he won't even call us 'senior.'"
Fred's plan was simple: take advantage of Kyle not being at school yet to frighten him about the sorting. If they could make him lose sleep for a night, that would be perfect.
In this setting, not only would their prank go unchallenged, but it would even get support from the sidelines — it couldn't be more perfect.
Fred looked at Kyle smugly — revenge for Diagon Alley was assured.
"..."
Just as Fred predicted, their conversation immediately caught the attention of the nearby adults, who all joined in.
The sorting of new students had always been a favorite topic among graduated wizards in magical Britain — they never tired of using this same subject to trick generation after generation of young witches and wizards.
Now it seemed to be Kyle's turn.
"Dear, don't listen to them." Molly said, taking the lead with a mock-scolding tone at the twins before turning to Kyle, "It's not that scary — you just have to pass a test given by some ghosts, nothing dangerous at all."
"Molly, how can you deceive the child?" Arthur chimed in, struggling to maintain a stern expression as he glared at his wife, "Kyle's a wonderful boy — we should tell him the truth. I'm sure he can tame a hippogriff all by himself."
"A hippogriff? Wasn't it a dragon?" Chris paused briefly before declaring with conviction, "Son, trust your father — it's definitely a dragon. And by my calculations, this year it should be a Hungarian Horntail."
{T/N: The Hungarian Horntail was a species of dragon native to Hungary, which was considered to be one of the most dangerous dragon breeds, if not the most dangerous.}
"Oh, I see."
"Yes, I can do it."
"I trust you, Dad."
Kyle bobbed his head like a puppet, giving each person exactly the response they wanted.
Relief for Mrs. Weasley.
Determination for Mr. Weasley.
Hesitation for his own father.
Poor wizarding world — what entertainment did they have besides Quidditch and tricking children? This was their small joy, so why not play along? It was just acting, after all.
Everyone was happy now, and that was good.
The table buzzed with cheerful conversation, completely overlooking two helpless figures trembling in the corner.
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