Harry Potter: Shippuden

When Kyle took his seat at the staff table, the Great Hall erupted into a buzz of whispers.

Students from all houses were speculating about Kyle's identity.

What was his relationship with Professor Dumbledore?

Why had Dumbledore brought him into the Great Hall?

And why was he dining with the professors?

Kyle, the subject of all this attention, paid no mind to the chatter. He knew his sudden appearance was unusual, but he had more pressing concerns.

After all, he'd just traveled from New York City, and his internal clock was still set to 3 a.m.

Earlier that night, he'd been in a warehouse, taking on a group of gangsters involved in the drug trade.

He'd barely made it home, hadn't even had time for a late-night snack, when Dumbledore showed up to tell him he was the son of a criminal, that magical law enforcement was after him, and then whisked him across the Atlantic to escape capture.

It had been an eventful night.

Now, he was so hungry he felt like he could devour 46 bowls of Ichiraku ramen.

Kyle attacked the food on the table like a starving man. In no time, the plates were emptied and refilled four or five times.

He was now Kyle Payne Six Paths: Hungry Ghost Path Grindelwald.

The other professors at the table paused, watching Kyle with curiosity, clearly wondering just how much this kid could eat.

When the plates were emptied for the eighth time, Kyle finally stopped, letting out a satisfied burp.

But his eyes still roamed the table, searching for something.

At that moment, a hand reached over and handed him a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Thank you," Kyle said, turning to see a man with shoulder-length black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. "How should I address you?"

"Call me Professor Snape."

"Professor Snape," Kyle said respectfully.

He waited for a moment, but Snape didn't offer anything more. So, Kyle couldn't help but add, "Just Snape? Like, Adele… or Aristotle… Drake? Bono? Eminem?"

Why was this kid so talkative?

Snape's perpetually cold expression twitched, and after a long pause, he finally ground out, "Severus Snape."

On the other side of the staff table, Dumbledore watched the interaction between Kyle and Snape with a smile.

"It seems he's getting along well with Severus. That's quite surprising."

Hearing Dumbledore's words, a tall witch followed his gaze. Through her square glasses, she noticed Kyle's heterochromatic eyes, so similar to Gellert Grindelwald's.

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, smiled. "It seems his Potions grades won't be too bad."

"I think he'll inherit his father's exceptional talent—and perhaps even surpass him."

Dumbledore silently added to himself: His father certainly wasn't this much of an eater.

…

As the food vanished from the tables, signaling the end of the meal, Kyle stood up. His flat stomach showed no sign of the five or six adult-sized portions he'd just consumed.

"Professor…"

Before he could finish his question, Dumbledore answered, "I think you should get some rest first. After you've slept, I'll take you to Diagon Alley to get everything you'll need for Hogwarts."

As a night owl and New York's Dark Knight, Kyle felt no need for a nap.

Besides, he'd already caught up on sleep during the day in preparation for last night's mission. He couldn't exactly yawn his way through a fight with gangsters, could he?

"Professor, I'm not tired at all. Let's just go to Diagon Alley now."

Dumbledore studied Kyle for a moment, confirming that he was indeed wide awake and full of energy, then nodded.

"Let's go now, then."