After coming out of the Headmaster's Office, Kai did not go directly to Hagrid's class but went to the kitchen first, asking the house elves to help him buy some things.
Like those tables, chairs, and furniture in Professor Lupin's office.
Although these things can be found in the storeroom or the Room of Requirement, Kai thought about it and decided to buy new ones directly.
Professor Lupin helped him cover up, although it wasn't successful, at least he tried his best... He felt embarrassed to use those old things to muddle through.
After all, the new ones aren't expensive, just a few badges' worth of money.
The house elves came back by evening, and Professor Lupin's office was newly decorated. Facing the shiny new furniture, he seemed a bit nervous, cautious in everything, afraid of bumping into them.
Kai spent the remaining money on candies and gave them to the house elves as a thank-you gift. The elves were overjoyed and stuffed all kinds of snacks into Kai's hands.
When he returned to the common room, his pockets were bulging like they had two bludgers stuffed in them.
Initially, Kai thought the matter would just pass like that.
But unexpectedly, only a day later, by Friday morning, the news that he blew up Professor Lupin's office because of a Boggart had spread among the young wizards.
"Hogwarts really has no secrets," Kai sighed helplessly, sipping some pumpkin juice beside the dining table.
So far, in less than half an hour, more than a dozen people had already asked him for details about the incident.
Luckily, they didn't know it was Fiendfyre, just assuming it was a powerful Fiendfyre Curse.
"Hey, Kai, is it true?"
Just as he put down his cup, Fred and George came over, arm in arm.
"Really moving," Fred said, sitting beside him with an exaggerated expression.
George squeezed out two tears, "Heard you saw us dying and then blew up that Boggart."
"I didn't think you'd value us so much..."
"Just that there was one annoying beside us..." George glanced sideways at Cedric eating his stew, "Seriously, why was he there too!"
"Is this something good?" Cedric said speechlessly.
Looking at Fred and George's demeanor, anyone unaware might think they were fighting for Quidditch tickets... blaming him for taking up a death spot seems a bit odd, doesn't it?
"But with you there, we couldn't figure out who the dead one of us was!" Fred said matter-of-factly.
"Nearly Headless Nick only said there were two people: you and one of us..."
"We argued about it all night..."
"Wait." Kai interrupted them, "Did you just say, Nearly Headless Nick?"
"Yes." Fred nodded, "He said he drifted into the Defence Against the Dark Arts office while pondering the issue and saw the whole process."
Kai suddenly understood.
He had always found it strange; at that time, the office only had him and Professor Lupin. Others only arrived after the incident was over; logically, no one should have known about the Boggart.
Yet they spread it in such detail that apart from the money Professor Lupin gave him, nothing was omitted, almost as if someone was standing right there.
Kai had always thought some professor let it slip, but it was actually Nearly Headless Nick.
And he really was there.
"So, Kai..." Fred stared at him intently, "Who was the person, me or George?"
"It's important!" George also leaned over.
Cedric watched their demeanor, the corner of his eye twitching repeatedly. He could swear they never took their final exams this seriously.
"Both of you, alright." Kai couldn't be bothered with them and answered casually, "Nearly Headless Nick got it wrong, there were actually three people; he just didn't see the other one."
"Really?" George seemed skeptical.
"Really." Kai nodded, "You can ask Professor Lupin if you don't believe it; he saw it."
Fred and George stared at Kai for a while and, determining he wasn't lying, returned satisfied to the Gryffindor table and began to boast ostentatiously.
Soon, envious whispers echoed around them.
"I really don't understand what they're happy about," Hermione snapped her book closed not far away.
It was so noisy that she couldn't concentrate.
"You're quite right," Ron nodded beside her, "and it's just dealing with a Boggart; is it necessary to go through such trouble? Clearly, a simple little Charm would do the trick."
Ron looked pleased; this was his first time feeling he surpassed Kai, especially in his studies.
But the next second, Harry poured cold water on him.
"But you have to admit, Kai's method was effective, surely faster than ours."
Harry poured himself a cup of pumpkin juice, "Remember what Nearly Headless Nick said? The Boggart was resolved instantly, nothing was left."
"It was just the Fiendfyre Curse; I can do it too; just didn't think of it at the time," Ron muttered under his breath.
Beside him, Hermione furrowed her brows; nowhere in her books had she ever read about using the Fiendfyre Curse against a Boggart.
Moreover, she didn't believe that just because of a normal Charm, Headmaster Dumbledore would deduct a hundred points from Hufflepuff.
Elsewhere, Fred and George had just left when Conna unexpectedly leaned over.
"What about me, where was I?"
Kai expressionlessly pushed her head aside.
"You weren't there, go play elsewhere; don't poke into everything!"
Then he looked at Cho, who was about to speak, "You too..."
"Humph!"
"Tch!"
The two of them seemed displeased, feeling neglected and unfairly treated.
Clearly, everyone was friends; Cedric, Fred, and George were there but not them; isn't it biased?
Cho snorted coldly and dragged Conna over to the Ravenclaw table.
Kai felt a toothache.
He couldn't understand it; was this some good thing that everyone was forcing into?
Fred and George were understandable; they were inherently unreliable, usually having perspectives different from others, so doing absurd things wasn't surprising.
But how did Cho and Conna turn out like this?
Did he really have no normal people around him?
Oh, wait, there is one... Kai turned to Cedric.
Noticing his gaze, Cedric hesitated before asking quietly, "How did I die exactly?"
"Stuffed to death by pumpkin pie!" Kai sneered.
Alright, he definitely had no normal people around him.
"Ha, impossible..."
Regarding Kai's statement, Cedric clearly didn't believe it, waving his hand dismissively, "You're definitely joking."
Saying so, he glanced at the remaining half of the pumpkin pie in his hand, discreetly pushed it aside, and picked up a roasted potato instead.
...
More people gathered around him; everyone seemed to want first-hand information from Kai.
Fortunately, just then, the mail carriers arrived.
A large group of owls flew into the auditorium, starting to drop letters and packages to everyone.
During the brief moment when everyone focused on their mail, Kai quickly finished the last bit of pumpkin pie and hurriedly left the auditorium.