After sitting down at the Hufflepuff table, Kyle felt an inexplicable sense of relief. The uneasiness that had plagued him before the sorting melted away — he was now officially a member of Hogwarts.
This feeling was amazing.
He leaned on the table, resting his chin on his left hand, watching the ongoing sorting ceremony with lazy interest while waiting for the feast to begin.
Due to his unusually long sorting, curious eyes from around the Great Hall kept glancing his way. Several witches watched Kyle and Cedric chatting and laughing together, then looked at their own classmates with barely concealed frustration.
"Damn it, why did all the handsome ones go to Hufflepuff? This isn't fair!"
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Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor table, Fred and George wore identical expressions of frustration.
"Why did Kyle go to Hufflepuff!" Fred pounded his thigh, "Now our carefully planned welcome ceremony is ruined!"
"Hold on, Fred, let me process this first." George scratched his head, "I could've accepted Kyle going to Slytherin, but Hufflepuff... how is this possible?"
"Exactly!" Fred nodded, "Kyle? Loyal? Kind? Has the Sorting Hat gone senile?"
Just as the two boys fell silent, a newly sorted Gryffindor first-year sat down in the empty seat beside them.
The next second...
"Oww!"
A scream echoed through the hall, drawing everyone's attention.
The Gryffindor first-year leaped three feet straight up like a startled tree frog and began running around clutching his bottom, wailing all the while.
"WAAAAAAHHHH! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF! MUMMY HELP MEEEEE!" The boy's voice reached a pitch that would make even the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling cringe.
People could now see a round object clamped onto the first-year's bottom. About the size of a Quidditch Bludger, it had a mouth full of sharp teeth.
"Wait, that ball looks familiar." Fred, watching the scene, suddenly seemed to remember something, "George, didn't you put away the Biting Ball?"
{T/N: Probably a normal ball or a Bludger that had been enchanted with the Biting Jinx.}
George froze for a moment, "No, I thought you had already collected it."
They exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked toward the empty spot on their left where the first-year had just sat.
"Oh, damn." Fred scratched his head with a pained expression, "That was all our savings."
The Biting Ball was an expensive new item from Zonko's Joke Shop that could disguise itself as an ordinary cushion anywhere.
It had cost them three Galleons — no small amount. But thinking about Kyle's sorting, they had gritted their teeth and spent their entire savings on it, planning to give their junior an unforgettable surprise.
They had carefully set everything up while Kyle was wearing the Sorting Hat, placing the cushion on an empty seat beside them. If the kid was sorted into Gryffindor, they could easily lead him into their trap.
Even if he went to another house, it wouldn't matter — they could simply retrieve what looked like an ordinary cushion. The plan had seemed perfect.
But man proposes, God disposes.
They never imagined Kyle would be sorted into Hufflepuff — the house they'd considered impossible — and in their shock, they'd forgotten to retrieve the "cushion". Which led to the current disaster.
"Fred, do you think we can get that Biting Ball back?" George watched the first-year's retreating figure, his heart bleeding.
Three Galleons could buy a whole box of Dungbombs — how could they not be upset?
Fred watched Professor McGonagall approaching the first-year and said resignedly, "I think we probably won't get it back."
After speaking, both of them sighed in unison.
Meanwhile, Minerva had reached the first-year's side. She casually removed the Biting Ball and checked the young wizard's condition. No injuries, no damage to the robes — a standard magical prank.
Recognizing the familiar method and evidence, she immediately identified the culprits and turned to glare at the twins. But since the sorting ceremony wasn't over yet, she only muttered "Twenty points from Gryffindor" before returning to the platform.
The first-year was quite shaken; after Percy brought him back, he carefully checked the seat three times before finally sitting down.
From a distance, Kyle watched the dejected Fred and George, making no effort to hide his mockery as he slowly raised his middle finger at them.
He would swear on Ron's integrity that the Biting Ball was meant for him. Now that Minerva had caught them, it was pure karma.
"This won't do, George. Kyle's too cocky." Fred's face flushed with anger.
Others might not know what that gesture meant, but he certainly did.
For eleven years, whenever Kyle mocked them, he'd given them the middle finger. Fred knew exactly what he meant.
"Don't worry, Fred. As long as Kyle's at Hogwarts, we'll have our chance." Like his brother, George was equally furious — so much that even his ears had turned red.
Unable to do anything under Minerva's death glare, the twins could only retaliate by returning Kyle's rude gesture.
Out of sight, out of mind.
They turned their heads away, temporarily suppressing their desire for revenge as they tried not to look at that kid's infuriating face.
Kyle dismissed their reaction — it was just the final resistance of two ginger losers, nothing worth taking to heart.
He knew Fred and George wouldn't let this go and were probably already plotting revenge.
But what did it matter? In their eleven-year rivalry, Kyle had rarely lost to the Weasley twins.
His few defeats had only come when he was much younger, and even then, only because Charlie had shamefully picked on someone smaller to help his brothers win.
Now Charlie was too preoccupied with graduation exams and Quidditch to meddle in their affairs.
Without Charlie, who could the twins possibly rely on? Ron?
If that was their only backup, dealing with them would be child's play.
With such a glorious track record, Kyle had absolutely nothing to fear.
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