Chapter 77: Bitter Taste

The bottles were about the size of a thumb, each filled with a golden potion that shimmered like molten gold. After a moment of careful observation, Kyle became certain: the bottle contained Felix Felicis.

Felix Felicis, also known as the "Liquid Luck", was arguably the most complex potion in the wizarding world. The rare ingredients were only part of the challenge. It took half a year to brew, with each step requiring painstaking precision—any slip-up, and you'd have to start all over again. Each vial was worth a fortune.

"Where did you get this?" Kyle asked, turning toward her.

"Professor Snape gave it to me for Christmas," Kanna replied, a bit unsure. "Why, don't you have one?"

Hearing this, Kyle's heart sank with a twinge of envy. Snape hadn't even given him an empty bottle, let alone Felix Felicis.

He swallowed his jealousy and, with a slightly complicated expression, asked, "Did you know Professor Snape before?"

Kanna shook her head at first, then nodded slightly. "I've heard my mother mention his name before, but I hadn't met him before coming to Hogwarts."

Kyle studied Kanna thoughtfully. Prince?

When Snape first gave Kanna extra points, Kyle had felt something was off. He'd assumed they simply knew each other, so he hadn't thought much more of it. But now, it seemed he had misjudged. If they merely knew each other, even as friends, Snape would hardly gift Kanna something as valuable as Felix Felicis. Malfoy never received such treatment.

This hinted at a deeper connection to the name Prince.

Kyle pondered this for a moment, feeling he'd heard the surname somewhere before. It was so familiar, but he couldn't place it. The only thing that came to mind was Princeton University, which had no relation to the wizarding world at all.

After thinking on it for a while, Kyle gave up. He held up the small glass bottle and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

"Cold medicine?" Kanna guessed uncertainly.

Kyle shook his head and decided to be direct. "No, it's Felix Felicis."

"…Pfft…Kyle, you're still half-asleep."

For some reason, Kanna burst into laughter. "It might look like Felix Felicis, but I don't even know Professor Snape. Why would he give me something so precious? It's impossible."

"Why not?" Kyle said, giving the bottle a gentle shake. "Is there any other potion that looks as much like liquid gold as Felix Felicis?"

Kanna shook her head again. "Professor Snape is a Potions master. It wouldn't be hard for him to change the color of a potion. Maybe it's a Christmas prank, and this really is cold medicine."

Kyle tried to explain further, but Kanna found a reason to disagree each time, until eventually even Kyle began to doubt himself.

He could understand Kanna's reaction. If he'd found this bottle among his own presents, he'd have trouble believing it was Felix Felicis too. He'd likely think Snape had brewed some unusual poison, dressed it up to resemble Felix Felicis just to trick him.

In the end, it seemed that Kanna was convinced, deep down, that the potion was Felix Felicis—even as she kept finding reasons to argue otherwise. Somehow, it made sense.

So Kyle let it go and didn't press the matter further.

Determining whether the bottle held Felix Felicis or not was actually quite straightforward, or at least convincing Kanna of it could be. All Kyle needed was to uncover the connection between the surnames Snape and Prince.

But first, it was probably best if he held onto the bottle. Kanna had a tendency to lose things, and this bottle might be next in line. If it really was Felix Felicis, she'd regret losing it. He glanced over at Kanna and asked, "Can I hold onto this for now?"

Kanna clapped her hands indifferently. "Sure, you can have it."

Kyle shook his head quickly. "Forget it. You'd end up crying and regretting it."

Just kidding. He wasn't the kind to actually take advantage of a situation like this. He was just a tad less scrupulous than most people.

"I won't cry..." Kanna wrinkled her nose in defiance, sounding annoyed with Kyle's comment. "If I say you can keep it, then you can. I won't regret it, and I definitely won't ask for it back, even if you try to return it."

Kyle shrugged nonchalantly. If he had a recording device, he'd have captured her words for later. He'd play it back in the common room on repeat when the timing was just right.

After leaving the common room, Kyle headed to the library and stayed there until noon.

The Christmas feast was lavish, with tables piled high with plump turkeys, mounds of roast meat and potatoes, platters of little sausages, buttered peas, and, oddly enough, stacks of pancakes. Scattered every few feet along the tables were magical holiday crackers in vibrant colors, a festive staple, like the Christmas tree itself.

Kyle picked up one of the crackers in front of him and gave it a pull. With a loud pop, a lacy, tassel-adorned lady's hat drifted down in front of him. He glanced around, then casually slipped the hat into his Mokeskin pouch. Next year's Christmas gift for Professor Snape, sorted.

Kyle continued to pull on several more crackers. Each explosive crack felt like a small burst of joy, with no worry of accidental injury, making it all the more fun. By the time the feast truly began, he had a small mountain of items piled next to him. There were six hats of various styles, two sets of Wizard Chess, three rubber wands, a collection of odd trinkets… and Cockroach Clusters (?).

To be honest, Kyle wasn't sure if the Cockroach Clusters were real or not, so he kept them sealed in a clear box, well away from his other items.

The House-elves had, as always, worked culinary magic. Eyeing the enormous turkey, Kyle carved off a little drumstick, then used some stuffing and sausages to make himself a festive pizza.

After the turkey, the Christmas pudding arrived, which held a small surprise of its own. Kanna's pudding came wrapped with a glint of silver sequins. Kyle eagerly sliced into his own pudding, only to find a hint of yellow inside…

He put down his knife. No more cutting—it was mango sauce inside, and he didn't want it spilling everywhere.