Kyle raced down to the common room. That was a terrible curfew, he decided, after the third wrong turn. Stupid hallways changed. Finally he found the section of wall that was the secret passage into the common room. He was considerably late and hoped Snape wasn't inside. 

Kyle was lucky. He sighed relieved and went to his dorm room. Years of being surprised by his sister had given Kyle considerable reflexes. This was a good thing because as he opened the drapes to his bed, which he distinctly remembered having left open, Protego had already left his lips as what could only be described as a small explosion knocked him back. Kyle's spell was weak, but he had used it before. The explosion didn't seem to leave any mark of having happened. In fact if he hadn't been sitting on the ground he would have been certain he imagined it. That and Sam, sitting on his own bed, had slightly singed hair.

"What was that?" He asked coughing slightly.

"A trap from my sister." Kyle stood up and dusted himself off.

"You can do the shield charm?" Sam seemed impressed. Kyle was confused.

"Yeah," Kyle frowned. "When your sister lays magical traps around the house you learn quick how to protect against them. Keeps me on my toes she says." Kyle shrugged and climbed into his bed. Quiet honestly, Kyle had thought that had been tame. He wondered what message this was supposed to impart on him. He pulled his bag up onto the bed and started working on the essay again.