Chapter 112: The Mouse and the Witch
Chapter 112: The Mouse and the Witch
As if in an instant, their closets were empty, and the sounds of playful young witches and wizards were no longer heard in the dormitory.
However, unlike at the start of the school year, the walls of the dormitory now displayed some untouched Quidditch posters, with the players repeatedly throwing Quaffles and celebrating, as if aware that their owners would soon return.
Notes had been sent to every student, warning them against using magic during the holidays.
As Hagrid was still in St. Mungo's, Professor McGonagall temporarily took charge of leading the students onto the boats that would take them across the lake.
On the Hogwarts Express, Kyle declined the invitation from the Weasley brothers to join them in a compartment to discuss future plans (how to earn Galleons next semester)
and the direction of the wizarding world (how to sell their products beyond Hogwarts)
.
The large sum of one hundred Galleons had somewhat obsessed the Weasley brothers, and in the last few days of the term, they hadn't even bothered to look for the password clue on the Marauder's Map, instead focusing on ways to make more money.
Hopefully, they would come up with some good ideas.
Kyle walked towards the end of the train and pushed open the door to a compartment.
There was only one person inside.
Kona curled up in her seat, staring blankly at the neat fields of corn outside the window.
Kyle sat down opposite her, asking naturally, "Are you still sad about Poch's situation?"
......
"Her name isn't Poch," Kona said softly after a long silence. "It's Latri. She's my... great-aunt, I suppose."
......
Kona seemed to be in need of someone to confide in as well, and she shared a lot.
As the train passed through the countryside, the fields outside the window became greener and more orderly, and as they sped through Muggle towns, Kyle gradually pieced together what had happened.
This was quite a cliched story.
Eleven years ago, Kona's father had inadvertently spoken Voldemort's name while drunk and was killed by Death Eaters who had rushed to the scene.
Fortunately, Kona and her mother had not been at home at the time and thus escaped unharmed.
Then, just before the start of last year's term, Kona's mother had also passed away due to an accident. Since then, the Prince family had only Kona left.
While the surname Prince was not as famous as the Sacred Twenty-Eight, it was still an ancient pure-blood family, and this sudden change naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Poch... Latri had appeared around that time.
But when she arrived, she discovered that the previous assets of Kona's family had already been divided up by other pure-blood families.
So she set her sights on the vault at Gringotts, intending to use her Animagus form to steal the key.
As long as she got her hands on the key and found a way to get rid of Kona, she could take advantage of her distant relationship with the Prince family to claim the contents of the vault.
Later, she did indeed find the key, but as with most pure-blood families, they had their secrets, and the box containing the key to the Prince family vault could only be opened by a direct descendant.
However, the problem was that she didn't know how to cast the Avada Kedavra curse, and she didn't dare to seek cooperation from others.
Just as she was worrying about what to do, the distraught Kona inadvertently took a liking to the "mouse that had always been at home" and brought it to Hogwarts as a pet.
The rest, as they say, is history. Latri began to scheme and plot, trying to steal Kona's money and get her to leave Hogwarts so she could retrieve the key and access the Gringotts vault.
Her plan had been going well, and if not for unexpected circumstances, Kona would have likely returned home during the Christmas holidays to retrieve the money. But who could have foreseen that Kyle would come along and forcefully extend Kona's life?
"Yes, you did." Kona nodded.
Having unburdened herself of the secret she had kept hidden for so long, she felt much better.
"Then you should thank me properly."
Kyle smiled and said, "And since you lost your mouse, I also lost out on a big order for healing potions."
"Then I'll just place another order."
Kona took out a shapeshifting lizard-skin bag and placed it on the table. "Same as before, one vial per month until these are all used up."
The bag was filled with nothing but Galleons—not just the original hundred, but also the ones that had been stolen, totaling around one hundred and fifty.
"What about your mouse, though?"
"I can just buy another one in Diagon Alley."
"Are you sure you still want to keep a mouse...?" Kyle eyed her doubtfully.
"It's none of your business!" Kona snapped, her expression turning sour as she seemed to recall the scene in the Forbidden Forest. "Are you going to take it or not? If not, I'm leaving!"
"Of course, I'll take it! I'm not stupid enough to turn down Galleons delivered right to my door!"
Kyle quickly snatched the bag off the table and stuffed it into his pocket.
"By the way, are there many people like, er, that mouse, who are after your family's vault?"
Kona turned her head away, refusing to answer.
From her reaction, Kyle knew the answer.
Come to think of it, the wizarding world was quite small, and it was likely that every pure-blood family had their fair share of distant relatives who were after their fortune.
Kona's unhappy mood after the exam was probably due to her not wanting to face these people.
"How about this," Kyle suggested, tapping his fingers on the table. "I won't give you any more healing potions, but since you paid me, I'll help you deal with these troubles. What do you say?"
"What do you mean?" Kona tilted her head, not quite understanding.
"I mean, leave this matter to me," Kyle said calmly. "I guarantee that by the end of the summer holidays, no one will bother you anymore."
"Really...?" Kona eyed him skeptically, clearly unconvinced.
"You don't need to comfort me. I can handle them," she said.
"Just you wait and see. I won't let you down," Kyle assured her, not offering any further explanation. He pulled out a large stash of snacks and placed them on the table, feeling a bit hungry.
There wasn't much else to eat on the train, so if one hadn't brought their own food, snacks were the only option to tide them over.
Just then, Cedric and Qiu pushed open the compartment door.
"Kona, I've been looking all over for you," Qiu said as she sat down next to Kona. "How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"
"Much better, thanks," Kona replied with a smile.
In fact, they had stopped by earlier but hadn't come in.
"Kyle, do you have any plans for the summer holidays?" Cedric asked as he unwrapped a packet of Chocolate Frogs. "My dad is planning to take me to France. You could come with us."
France? Kyle considered the offer. It was indeed an attractive destination, and he was curious about Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
But it was quite far away.
After some thought, he shook his head. "Maybe next time, Cedric. I already have other plans for the summer."
"That's a shame," Cedric said, sounding disappointed. "I'll bring you back a present."
(End of Chapter)
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