Hogwarts: I'm Truly a Model Wizard

Kyle finished the twenty-odd maps in just over an hour and delivered them to the young wizards who'd paid their deposits on time, bright and early on the first day of school. Another generous Galleon haul—it couldn't have been a more satisfying start to the term.

That morning at breakfast, Kyle and his friends gathered around the Gryffindor table to divvy up their hard-earned profits. Why the Gryffindor table? No special reason, really—just that it was closest to the Great Hall doors.

"Oh, and Kyle, this is for you," Fred said, counting out seven Galleons and slipping them into a cloth bag, which he handed over reluctantly.

"A bet's a bet…" George muttered, clearly displeased. "I swear, if we ever bet with you again, we'll turn into Crups!"

"Me too," Fred nodded in solidarity.

"Ah, I nearly forgot about this." Kyle took the bag and, rather suspiciously, dumped the coins onto the table, carefully counting each one. Last year, Fred and George had challenged Kyle to a little wager about when Professor Quirrell would leave Hogwarts. They'd been so insistent, he'd eventually agreed to play along.

Naturally, things hadn't ended well—for the twins, at least. Kyle had not only doubled his twenty Galleons but had also thoroughly emptied Fred and George's wallets. Since they didn't want to dip into their startup funds, they'd put off paying Kyle until they could finally scrounge together the full forty Galleons.

"Not bad—exactly forty Galleons." Ignoring Fred and George's resentful stares, Kyle calmly tucked the bag away. "Want to try again this year? Professor Lockhart's a famous wizard. If he's involved, I'm sure there'll be plenty of participants."

"Haha…" George sneered.

"Only if you don't join," Fred said dryly.

"All right, I won't participate," Kyle replied calmly, then turned to Kanna beside him. "Kanna, set aside forty Galleons as my share. If we win, we'll split it in half."

"Deal!" Kanna grinned, nodding eagerly.

"Enough from you two!" Fred interrupted, glaring at the pair of schemers. He tore into a slice of bread as if he were biting Kyle's head off.

As he'd just said, if they were ever foolish enough to bet with Kyle again, they'd be Crups—the scruffiest, most unfortunate-looking Crups imaginable!

"Wait a minute," Cedric suddenly said, raising an eyebrow. "I remember, you guys still have something to settle, don't you? Didn't you say you'd do something special if Kyle got the Order of Merlin in second year?"

"Oh, I know!" Cho stifled a laugh and joined in. "You promised to fly around the castle doing a tap dance while balancing three trophies!"

"And unlimited Butterbeer," Kanna added with a grin, nudging Kyle. "Looks like you'll never have to pay for Butterbeer again."

Fred and George's faces turned even sourer. Tap dancing while balancing trophies? By Merlin's beard, what had they been thinking, coming up with such a ridiculous challenge? And paying for Kyle's Butterbeer indefinitely... that would surely cost them a small fortune over time!

A shiver ran down their spines, and in a moment of frustration, Fred smacked himself on the forehead.

Pop!

"Why can't I just keep my big mouth shut?" he groaned.

The loud smack immediately drew the attention of nearby students. Even in Gryffindor, known for its boldness, there weren't many people willing to slap themselves that hard in public. Curious glances shot their way.

Fortunately, the arrival of the post spared Fred and George from further scrutiny. Hundreds of owls flooded into the Great Hall, hovering as they dropped letters and packages among the chatting students. Kyle reached out and caught a copy of The Daily Prophet, but before he could open it, a commotion nearby stole his attention.

An owl had knocked over a milk jug, sending milk and feathers everywhere. But that wasn't what caught everyone's eye. The owl was clutching a damp red envelope in its beak.

"Oh no…" Ron muttered from a few seats away.

The sight of the red envelope drew immediate attention from the students around them.

"That… that's a Howler, isn't it?" Kanna whispered.

"Yes," Kyle confirmed, his eyes on the envelope.

"You'd better open it, Ron," Neville advised, sitting beside Kyle. "It's worse if you don't. My Gran sent me one once, and I ignored it, and…"

He took a deep breath, shuddering. "It was awful."

"What happens?" Cedric asked, intrigued. He'd heard of Howlers but had never seen one in action.

"It explodes," Kyle replied with a shrug. "And do you know what 360-degree surround sound is? It's like that—sound blasting from wherever the pieces land, even across the Black Lake."

Ron's face turned ashen, and wisps of smoke started seeping from the corners of the envelope.

"Open it quick!" Neville urged. "It'll only get worse…"

With trembling hands, Ron slowly tore the envelope open.

"Run!" someone shouted, and the surrounding students scattered in an instant. Those who couldn't escape, like Neville and Cedric, clamped their hands over their ears. Harry and Hermione, though baffled, followed suit.

Then, they understood why.

The Howler exploded with a roar, filling the Great Hall with a voice so thunderous it shook dust from the ceiling.

"...STOLE A CAR! I wouldn't be surprised if they EXPELLED YOU. Just wait until I get my hands on you! You have NO IDEA what your father and I felt when we realized the car was GONE…"

Mrs. Weasley's voice, magnified a hundred times, echoed through the hall, loud enough to make the cutlery on the tables clatter. Heads turned from every table, each student craning to see where the voice was coming from.

Ron had ducked under the table, with only his red forehead visible, but there was no escaping the Howler's wrath.

"...I can't believe you'd do something so reckless! You and Harry nearly got yourselves KILLED! It's outrageous—your father's job is at risk now, and it's all because of you! If you don't shape up, we'll come get you ourselves!"

The shouting finally subsided, leaving an echo in the hall as the Howler crumpled to ashes on the floor. The remnants of the red envelope curled and smoked, disintegrating completely.

Kyle, still processing the spectacle, noticed that what had truly enraged Mrs. Weasley wasn't just that Ron had taken the car, but that he and Harry had nearly been flattened by the Whomping Willow. If not for that close call, Kyle suspected, Mrs. Weasley might not have been angry enough to send a Howler at all.