Chapter 26

The next morning, Kain was forced to rise early from the comfort of his bed, driven out by the sunlight streaming through the dormitory's round windows like a spotlight aimed directly at his face.

No one could sleep through that.

Reluctantly dressed, Kain stretched and moved towards the window. Despite being part of the castle's underground structure, the dormitory still received plenty of sunshine due to Hogwarts Castle's uneven terrain. Through the circular window, the swaying grass and dandelions outside were visible.

Glancing at his roommates, still deep in sleep, Kain expressionlessly opened the window as wide as possible.

With their OWLs just five years away, how could they sleep at this hour?

Moreover, it was already half past seven, which left only a few minutes until class started.

This was their first class at Hogwarts, and making a good impression on the professors was crucial; tardiness wouldn't bode well.

The morning breeze, carrying a hint of mist, served as the best alarm clock.

"I really am too considerate," Kain nodded to himself, satisfied.

He truly believed he was doing his roommates a favor, and it definitely wasn't because he wanted them to suffer an early morning like him—such pettiness was unbecoming of a Hufflepuff.

After a quick wash, Kain left the dormitory through the common room passage.

As is well known, the staircases at Hogwarts are quite temperamental, often seeming to have minds of their own. They delight in changing direction just when students are most in a hurry, then silently revel in the ensuing despair.

Kain had braced himself for a few extra rounds today, but perhaps because he had plenty of time or because the staircases weren't "on duty" yet, he made it from the common room to the Great Hall without a single shift in path, a journey marked by unusual quiet.

This left him slightly disappointed; truth be told, he had been looking forward to a bit of navigational challenge.

Though it was not yet eight o'clock, the Great Hall was already bustling with students, especially at the Ravenclaw table, which was nearly full. A few upperclassmen from the other houses were also scattered around.

Only Hufflepuff... had just Kain.

As soon as he sat down, a steaming breakfast appeared on the plate in front of him—a glass of milk, two sausages, and a slice of bread.

It wasn't lavish, but it was quite decent, and he could always get more if it wasn't enough.

Kain began his meal methodically when two familiar figures entered the hall one after the other.

"Hey, Kain, how come you're up so early?" Mikel and Ryan hurried over.

"I didn't mean to be. I was planning on sleeping in, but the window in our dorm was open, and the draft was too cold to sleep," Kain said nonchalantly as he cut into his sausage. "What about you guys? Why are you up so early?"

"Same here," Mikel grimaced. "I thought you had opened the window."

"I left it as it was when I walked out."

Kain emphasized "when I walked out" particularly strongly.

"Must've been the wind then," Mikel took a big bite of his bread. "But it's probably for the best. I went to bed so late last night, if the window hadn't been open, I definitely wouldn't have woken up in time for class.

I can't even imagine the consequences of being late on the first day... I'd probably get expelled."

Ryan nodded in agreement, even though he usually woke up around eight at home—forcibly dragged out of bed by his mother.

If it were up to him to wake up naturally, he probably wouldn't make it to his first class either.

Kain smiled, "Then you guys really should thank the person who opened the window."

"Yeah."

The sleepy pair focused on their breakfast, missing the irony in Kain's comment.

Mikel even added, "Really did us a huge favor."

By the time Kain finished his last sip of milk, he stood up, "Keep eating, I'm going to look around elsewhere."

"Alright," they chorused.

...

After parting from his food-focused roommates, Kain headed straight for the castle's main entrance.

It was just past eight, still early before classes started, and Kain decided to address his pet situation first.

The dorm already hosted a cat and a toad, and he couldn't appear out of sync.

Stepping out the main entrance, Kain expertly raised his arm.

In moments, seven or eight owls from all directions swarmed towards him, landing neatly on the steps in front of him.

"This time it's not about delivering mail," Kain addressed them. "I'll be at Hogwarts for a long time, and I'd like to employ one of you as my personal messenger.

In return, you'll receive all-inclusive meals, at least one packet of owl nuts daily, a minimum of three packets of Mortlard rat jerky weekly, and a bottle of owl tonic monthly... that's for starters, and we can negotiate further needs.

Additionally, these terms will remain in effect even after I graduate, until you can no longer lift your wings.

So, if any of you are interested, fly up to my shoulder."

This had nothing to do with any innate talent Kain might possess.

As specialized messengers of the magical world, owls have a natural affinity for magic and can understand wizards with a little training.

The owls at Hogwarts were particularly adept in this regard.

Though Kain's offer was a bit complex, combined with some gesturing, the owls managed to grasp about seventy to eighty percent of it.

In less than a second, they scrambled towards Kain's shoulder, some even attacking their slower companions in their eagerness.

Feathers flew everywhere as the scene descended into chaos.

Kain scratched his head, wanting to intervene but unable to as the situation was beyond mere words to resolve.

Fortunately, the mayhem didn't last long.

A brown fish owl, using its size advantage, easily defeated the other competitors and settled victoriously on Kain's shoulder.

Kain recognized this owl.

It was about three years ago when Chris found it severely injured, barely alive and clutching an undelivered letter in its talons at the entrance of the Ministry's Owlery.

Thanks to timely intervention, Chris was able to nurse it back to health after taking it home and caring for it over several weeks, allowing it to recover.

However, it bore a long scar on its face, a remnant of dark magic, difficult to heal and visible even beneath its feathers.

In comparison to other owls, it looked distinctly... unsightly.

But Kain didn't care about its appearance. He scratched the neck feathers of the brown fish owl and smiled, "Hello, Luton."

The owl cocked its head and gently nibbed Kain's finger with its beak.

Luton was the nickname Kain had given it.

Initially not knowing its name, Kain used it simply for convenience during feeding.

Unexpectedly, the owl took to it.

When Hagrid came to retrieve it, shouting "Serban, Serban" in the nearby woods for over half an hour, it didn't respond.

Only when Kain quietly called out "Luton" did it leisurely fly out.

Hagrid was dumbfounded at the time, taking a while to recover. It felt as if his own daughter had been spirited away by Kain.

He couldn't have been more disheartened.

...

(End of Chapter)