Poppy Pomfrey, or Madam Pomfrey, was a tall witch who excelled in healing spells, potions, herbology, and other medicinal treatments.
According to rumors, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries had invited her to join them three times, promising she could directly assume the position of Deputy Director if she agreed.
Despite this, Madam Pomfrey firmly refused, stating that she only wished to remain at Hogwarts.
Of course, this was merely hearsay, and its authenticity remained unverified. Neither Madam Pomfrey nor St. Mungo's would discuss the matter — they neither confirmed nor denied it. This remained one of Hogwarts' minor unsolved mysteries.
When Kyle entered the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey happened to pass by him, handing a bottle of green liquid to a small wizard lying in bed.
"This is the last bottle of scabies treatment. Remember to apply it, don't drink it again." She then turned and hurried to another bed, muttering continuously, "Why are so many young wizards brought here every year at this time! What are those Hogwarts professors doing? Why are they all so irresponsible!"
It was clear she wasn't in a good mood.
Just as Kyle was hesitating about how to speak up, Madam Pomfrey happened to look in his direction.
"Merlin's beard, what happened to this child!" She ran over quickly, carefully placing Michael on an empty bed, and asked without looking back, "What was it this time? Potions? Or Defense Against the Dark Arts? How did he end up unconscious!"
"Neither, ma'am, it was Charms class." Kyle said softly, "Michael cast a Lumos Charm, and then this happened... Professor Flitwick said he probably experienced magical exhaustion."
"Yes, it is indeed magical exhaustion... wait, what did you just say?" Madam Pomfrey suddenly turned toward Kyle, asking incredulously, "A Lumos Charm?!!!"
Her expression was as if she had seen Dumbledore pole dancing on the Astronomy Tower. Her disbelief carried a hint of absurdity, clearly not believing what Kyle had said.
Young wizards these days were becoming increasingly unreliable — if they were going to lie, they should at least come up with a plausible excuse. To claim magical exhaustion from casting a Lumos Charm... it was ridiculous!
Why not say Filius was knocked down by a Lumos while they were at it?
"It's true. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first-years all saw it, and Professor Flitwick can testify." Kyle quickly explained, giving a general account of what happened during Charms class.
After hearing this, much of Madam Pomfrey's doubt dissipated.
If students from both houses had witnessed it, the story would likely spread throughout Hogwarts quickly. If it were a lie, it would be easily exposed, especially since he had even mentioned Filius as a witness.
Madam Pomfrey turned her head, looking at Michael as if he were a rare magical creature. This was the first time she had encountered a young wizard with such poor control over his own magic.
From Kyle's description, that level of Lumos closely resembled what would be caused by a magical outburst — powerful, but uncontrolled.
Yet she was certain that when examining the young wizard earlier, she had found no signs of a magical outburst — it was genuinely just simple exhaustion.
"This is... quite educational." Madam Pomfrey remarked instinctively.
Kyle nodded in deep agreement, completely understanding her sentiment as he felt the same way.
If casting spells as a wizard could be compared to driving a car, then what Michael had just done was equivalent to flooring the accelerator, instantly draining the fuel tank, and accelerating to 200 kilometers per hour in one second.
This wasn't a good thing. Sure, the speed was impressive, but the crash was just as spectacular.
Fortunately, it was only a Lumos Charm. If it had been Incendio (Fire-Making Charm)... Kyle couldn't help but shudder, vowing to stay far away from this guy during future classes.
As far away as possible!
He had thought that the "demolition prodigy" who would enter school next year was already outrageous enough, but unexpectedly, this year had produced a "forbidden spell wizard". Hogwarts truly never had a dull moment.
A few minutes later, Dumbledore arrived after receiving the news and brought along Snape, who had been teaching.
Madam Pomfrey led them to Michael's bed, whispered a few words, then stepped aside.
Dumbledore bent down, carefully observing the kid's condition, occasionally tapping him with his wand.
After a while, he silently put away his wand and turned to look at Kyle, "Good morning, Kyle. Was it you who brought him to Poppy?"
"Yes, Professor." Kyle nodded.
"You did very well." Dumbledore smiled, "And I heard about what happened from Sabrina. If you hadn't helped those fallen classmates up, there might have been more than just Mr. Michael lying here."
Kyle waved his hands dismissively, "It was what I should have done, Professor, and I wasn't the only one helping."
"But you were the first to step up." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, "Many older students, even adult wizards, cannot remain calm in emergencies, but you did, and you did it well. Your bravery and modesty have earned Hufflepuff twenty points."
As if triggered by those words, Snape, who had been examining Michael, suddenly shifted his gaze to Kyle. It was as if he had just noticed someone else standing there.
Kyle didn't notice this, however, as he was looking at Dumbledore and asking, "Professor, how is Michael doing? Will he be able to continue attending classes?"
"Of course." Dumbledore smiled, "Though it's a bit troublesome, it's not difficult to solve. All we need is some Magic Suppression Potion, which our Potions master can brew quickly."
"One day." Snape came over and said coldly, "I promise to deliver it here before Hufflepuff's Potions class tomorrow. But before that, Mr. Chopper, there is something I must warn you about..."
He suddenly paused, showing a mocking expression.
"You'd better tell your friend to control his barren brain and his wand. Frequent magical exhaustion can turn a wizard into a Squib. I assume you know what a Squib is?"
"I do, Professor!" Kyle said.
"Very good." Snape no longer paid attention to him and left the hospital wing.
"I think we should leave too." Dumbledore said, "Michael needs rest. I suggest you come back to visit him this afternoon."
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