Chapter 106: Battle in the Forbidden Forest (Two-in-One)
Chapter 106: Battle in the Forbidden Forest (Two-in-One)
"Humility is indeed admirable, and caution is not wrong, but those are things to consider later. At this moment, you have the ability to showcase your true potential."
Professor Oren seemed to treat this place like a classroom, speaking with a serious expression, "After all, your age is evident, and who would truly consider an eleven-year-old first-year student as an opponent?"
Kyle continued walking forward, remaining silent.
Professor Oren didn't mind and continued, "I've said my piece, now it's your turn. When did you figure it out?"
Kyle blinked and asked, "Figure out what? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, Professor."
"If that's your answer..." Professor Oren suddenly stopped and said coldly, "...then we might as well end this journey here."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Even Kona, who was solely focused on finding her Bowtruckle, subconsciously sensed that something was amiss and moved closer to Kyle.
"As a yearly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I should be the one questioning your identity."
Kyle shrugged and said, "Everyone knows that this position is cursed. For most professors who take on this role, they either end up injured and sent to St. Mungo's, or they find themselves in Azkaban.
There are also some unluckier ones who don't make it to either of those places.
Even those professors who manage to survive until the end of the term inevitably have to resign for various reasons.
Now that we're at the end of the term, you haven't had any mishaps nor have you resigned, so it's only logical to suspect your identity."
"You're not wrong about that," Oren clicked his tongue, "A cursed position indeed."
Professor Oren sighed, "I quite enjoyed being a professor, but my cover has been blown. I've just received word that the Ministry is on their way here.
Those incompetent fools probably never imagined that I was hiding in Hogwarts all along, and they've been searching for me for so long."
As he mentioned the Ministry, disdain filled Oren's eyes.
"Wait, do you mean to say that the Ministry isn't after the Crup, but you instead?"
"Of course, it's me."
Oren mocked, "Think about it. Would they create such a ruckus just for a magical creature? What they're after is something I possess."
"What is it...?" Kyle asked subconsciously.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Oren jeered, "If you insist on knowing, I can tell you."
"Umm... I don't want to know," Kyle snapped out of his daze and forced a laugh, "I'm not that curious."
Whatever it was that had the Ministry in such an uproar for almost half a year was likely something extraordinary, and he wanted no part in it.
Hearing this, even the slow-witted Kona realized what was happening. She stared at Oren in disbelief and instinctively drew her wand.
"No need to be so tense, Miss Prince," Oren paid no heed to her reaction and instead directed his gaze to the base of a tree on his left.
"Oh, look what I've found here."
With a slight wave of his wand, the fallen leaves on the ground began to stir, coiling like snakes around a gray-furred mouse that was perched on the tree root.
"Bowtruckle!"
Kona cried out, her wand trembling as she pointed it at Oren, "Let it go..."
"Let me teach you one last lesson,"
Oren, without sparing a glance at Kona, aimed his wand at the mouse and said, "If you want to confirm whether an animal is an Animagus, the best option is to use a Revelio spell.
Revelio!"
A bolt of blue light shot from his wand, freezing the mouse in mid-air as its small body writhed frantically.
Oren waved his wand again, and as the leaves parted, the mouse fell to the ground, accompanied by another dazzling flash of light...
Just like a time-lapse of a growing tree, a head appeared, followed by limbs, and in an instant, a hunchbacked, ugly witch materialized out of thin air.
The witch's stooped posture made her appear very short. Her sparse, dull hair hung messily, covering her large and unsightly hooked nose.
Kona stared at the old witch, once again dumbfounded. She pointed with her wand, stammering, "She... Bowtruckle... Bow..."
"So your name is Bowtruckle, pleased to meet you," Oren said pleasantly, as if he had just made a new friend at a banquet.
"Damn you!" The witch was furious. She brandished a thick, short wand and glared at Oren, "I'll kill you! Kill you!"
Her voice was extremely hoarse, like a rusty lawnmower trying to saw through wood.
Taking advantage of the witch's aggression, Kyle quickly pulled out two brooms from his lizard skin pouch and handed one to Kona.
"Go, find Professor McGonagall!"
After a brief moment of surprise, Kona understood Kyle's intention and mounted her broom with lightning speed, soaring into the sky.
However, instead of following her, Kyle casually tossed his broom aside.
...
On the other side, Professor Oren merely sidestepped, dodging the witch's curse, and then let out a mocking laugh as he raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A sickly green light grazed past the witch's ear, striking a small spider passing behind her.
The unfortunate spider instantly froze.
The witch, who had just cheated death, fell to the ground, trembling all over.
After casting his spell, Professor Oren turned and happened to catch sight of Kyle tossing aside his broom.
"You never cease to surprise me."
"As you said before..." Kyle smiled, "...always keep a spare broom handy, it could save your life."
"Five points to Gryffindor." Professor Oren smiled as well, "That's the highest score I can award."
He paid no heed to Kona, who had already flown out of sight, choosing to let her go.
"Kyle, you didn't seem surprised at all, or perhaps you already knew that the mouse was an Animagus?"
With Kona gone, Kyle relaxed a little. He stretched his stiff shoulders and nodded, "I had my suspicions."
Ever since Kona mentioned that Bowtruckle was sick, he had become doubtful.
Then, during the Quidditch match, he used the Marauder's Map to note the names of those present in the common room at that time.
One of those names was not on the Gryffindor roster.
However, at that moment, Kyle could only suspect, as the idea of two Animagi rats in the castle seemed far-fetched, and he found it hard to believe.
What if someone from another house had visited Gryffindor that day? It wasn't impossible.
So, Kyle had been looking for the rosters of the other three houses lately.
So far, he had only managed to take a look at Ravenclaw's; Slytherin's was the only one left.
But... he wouldn't need to now.
"If you knew, why didn't you say anything?" Oren raised an eyebrow, "Weren't you worried about that young girl's safety?"
"Then why did you bring us to the Forbidden Forest?" Kyle shrugged, "This is Hogwarts, after all. Do you think she'd dare to cause trouble here?"
Oren chuckled lightly, "It seems you're smarter than I thought."
His expression quickly turned cold as he addressed the witch sitting on the ground, "Kill that boy, and I'll let you live."
Is it time for a battle already?
Kyle smiled faintly and touched the ring on his finger.
But before he could act, Professor Oren spoke again.
"You probably have some means of escape, but I advise you to wait. Remember the Crup I have? Care to guess where it is right now?"
Kyle's pupils contracted, "You..."
As he hesitated, the witch's curse flew towards him.
Kyle quickly threw himself backwards, his movement lacking grace but effective in dodging the attack.
The deep purple curse struck the tree behind him, instantly corroding a large portion of its trunk.
"Ten minutes."
Professor Oren placed an hourglass on a nearby stone and said nonchalantly, "In ten minutes, the Crup will be back. Good luck."
Ten minutes, huh? Alright then! Kyle gritted his teeth as he faced an incoming fireball. He turned and sprinted deeper into the Forbidden Forest, intending to use the dense foliage to hide from the witch's curses.
This isn't fair!
Kyle cursed inwardly as he ran through the trees.
Why did Harry Potter always encounter either his arch-nemesis, Draco Malfoy, or the bumbling Gilderoy Lockhart, while he was stuck with Professor Oren, who had more tricks up his sleeve than a deck of cards?
It's not fair!
...
On the other side, the witch grew anxious as her curses kept missing their mark. She began chanting her spells faster, her voice filled with urgency.
Professor Oren's previous statement applied to her as well—if Kyle was still alive in ten minutes, she would be the one to pay the price.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Rictusempra!"
"Acid Curse!"
...
Kyle ran, with the witch in hot pursuit.
"Impedimenta!"
The tree canopy shook, and the once sturdy tree instantly softened. The flexible trunk, under the force of gravity, bent like a noodle and smashed down towards the witch.
The Softening Curse only renders objects pliable; it doesn't reduce their weight.
Frightened by the massive tree crashing down on her, the witch's face turned pale as she scrambled to escape.
Kyle waved his wand, causing several branches to float up from the ground. With a twist, the branches transformed into sharp spikes that flew towards the witch.
The witch, noticing Kyle's actions, glared at him and shouted, "Armor Charm..."
"Boom!"
Just then, a loud crash accompanied the falling tree.
The deafening sound startled countless birds, causing them to scatter in all directions.
When the dust settled, a large pit could be seen on the ground.
Lying in the pit was the witch, moaning in pain.
One of her arms was pinned under the tree, and a stone spike had pierced her leg, rendering her completely incapable of fighting back.
The battle started and ended quickly, so quickly that even Oren found it hard to believe.
The witch was useless, but she was still an adult wizard who had mastered Animagus. How could she be defeated so easily?
If Kyle had used a bunch of high-level spells, Oren might have accepted it.
But the problem was that Kyle had only used five spells, and they were all the simplest kind.
Two Softening Curses, a Levitation Charm, a basic Transfiguration spell, and a Mobility Charm—these were spells that almost any young wizard could cast.
..."
Kyle, however, wasn't surprised. After all, he had spent two weeks reading the biography of a dueling master; it would have been strange if he hadn't learned anything.
Setting traps, utilizing the terrain, and striking when your opponent is vulnerable—these were just the basics of dueling.
Additionally, the witch was truly incompetent. Look at the spells she used...
Aside from the Acid Curse, the Hanging Upside Down Hex, and the Full-Body Bind Curse, which were all taught in the third year or below, the only slightly challenging spell was the Blasting Curse from the fifth year.
Moreover, she wasn't very bright either. She took the bait so easily that Kyle began to suspect she had bought her Animagus form.
Of course, if there was a place to buy such a thing.
"Disarm!"
Kyle walked over, reached out, and placed the short wand into his robe's pocket.
"Pat Pat Pat... Fifty points to Hufflepuff," Oren said, clapping his hands and pointing his wand at Kyle. "Now, do you need me to give you time to run away?"
"Professor Oren..." Kyle stood his ground, confused. "Why are you targeting me specifically? Even if I took one of your Billywigs, I don't deserve this treatment... At most, I'll give you back ten of them."
"..."
Oren's wand-holding hand trembled slightly.
"That's not the issue," he said through gritted teeth. "It's because you're Chris' son. If it weren't for him meddling back then, I wouldn't be in this situation today... Wait, are you stalling for time?
Tsk tsk, do you really expect those idiots from the Ministry to save you?"
"I am stalling for time, but not for them to come to my rescue," Kyle said, looking directly at Oren. "I have one more question. Why did you want me to send Kona away?"
"Friendship, perhaps?"
"Partly," Kyle shrugged. "Also, there are some things on me that I'd rather she didn't see."
"What... Ah!"
Oren suddenly screamed in pain as he felt something bite his leg, causing him to lose sensation in it.
"Disarm!"
A red light shot out from Kyle's wand.
Oren gritted his teeth and endured the pain as he rolled forward, dodging Kyle's Disarming Charm. At the same time, he saw what had bitten him.
Two round cabbages.
"Damn it!" Oren cursed. "How are there man-eating cabbages from Z-country in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Of course, I brought them here," Kyle said, casting another Disarming Charm. "Hogwarts is too dangerous. Even Hagrid fell victim to a plot. It's reasonable for me, a young wizard with no combat power, to carry some self-defense items."
(End of Chapter)
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