Chapter 112: The Rat and the Witch
Chapter 112: The Rat and the Witch
Suddenly, their wardrobes were empty, and the sounds of young wizards' playful laughter no longer filled the dormitory.
Unlike the start of the school year, the walls of the dormitory now displayed some posters that hadn't been taken down. The Quidditch players on them repeated their throwing motions, cheered, and celebrated, as if they knew their owners would return soon.
Every student received a notice, warning them not to use magic during the break.
Since Hagrid was still at St. Mungo's, Professor McGonagall temporarily took charge and led them onto the boats that crossed the lake.
On the Hogwarts Express, Kyle declined the Weasley brothers' invitation to join them in their compartment to discuss their future plans (how to earn more Galleons next semester) and the development of the magical world (how to sell their products outside of Hogwarts).
The enormous sum of one hundred Galleons had already made the Weasley brothers a bit bewitched. In the last few days of the term, they hadn't even bothered to look for clues to the Marauder's Map; instead, they had been researching ways to make more money.
Hopefully, they would come up with some good ideas.
Kyle continued walking towards the end of the train and pushed open the door to a compartment.
There was only one person inside.
Conna sat curled up in a seat, gazing out the window at the neat fields of wheat.
Kyle naturally sat down opposite her, "Are you still upset about Pochi?"
...
"Her name isn't Pochi."
After a long silence, Conna spoke softly, "Her name is Ratree, and she's my great-aunt."
...
Conna seemed to want to confide in someone as well, and she spoke a lot.
As the train passed through Muggle towns, the countryside outside the window became greener and more well-maintained, and Kyle gradually understood what had happened.
This was a rather cliche story.
Eleven years ago, Conna's father had unintentionally spoken Voldemort's name while drunk and was killed by Death Eaters who had rushed to the scene.
Fortunately, Conna and her mother weren't home at the time, narrowly escaping the tragedy.
Then, just before the start of last year's term, Conna's mother also passed away in an accident. Since then, the Prince family had only Conna left.
The Prince surname, though not as famous as the Sacred Twenty-Eight Families, was also an ancient pure-blood lineage. This sudden change naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Pochi... Ratree appeared during this time.
But when she arrived, she discovered that the Prince family's previous assets had already been divided up among other pure-blood families.
So, she set her sights on Gringotts' vaults, wanting to use her Animagus ability to steal the keys.
Once she obtained the keys, she would find a way to eliminate Conna, and then she could use her distant relationship to the Prince family to take the contents of the vault without suspicion.
Later, she did find the key, but as with all pure-blood families, they had their hidden treasures. The box containing the Prince family vault key could only be opened by direct blood relatives.
The problem was that she didn't know the Avada Kedavra curse, and she didn't dare to find someone to cooperate with.
Just as she was worrying about what to do, the devastated Conna inadvertently fall in love with the rat that had been "keeping her company at home," and she brought it to Hogwarts as a pet.
The rest is self-explanatory. She began to think of all sorts of ways to steal Conna's money, wanting her to leave Hogwarts as soon as possible and retrieve the key to the Gringotts vault.
Her actions were initially very successful, and if there were no surprises, Conna would have gone home to retrieve the key during the Christmas break. But unexpectedly, Kyle appeared and forcefully extended Conna's life.
According to Conna, Ratree continued to curse that "meddling boy" after being force-fed Veritaserum.
Kyle stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, "So, I saved your life?"
"Yes, that's right," Conna nodded.
After revealing what had been on her mind, her mood improved significantly.
"Then you should thank me properly," Kyle said with a smile.
"And after losing your rat, I also lost a large potion order," Kyle added.
"Then I'll continue buying them," Conna said.
She placed a Morphing Lizard Bag on the table, "Same as before, one bottle per month, until these are all used up."
The bag was filled with Galleons.
In addition to the original one hundred Galleons, the ones stolen earlier were also inside, totaling around one hundred and fifty.
"What about your rat?" Kyle asked.
"I can go to Diagon Alley and buy another one," Conna replied.
"Are you sure... you still want to keep a rat?" Kyle asked, looking at her doubtfully.
"Mind your own business!" Conna's expression suddenly turned sour, as if she had recalled the scene in the Forbidden Forest, "Are you going to take it or not? I won't buy it if you keep hesitating!"
"Of course, I'll take it! Only a fool would refuse Galleons delivered to their door!"
Kyle quickly pocketed the bag on the table.
"By the way, how many people are after your family's vault like that rat, Pochi?"
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Conna turned her head away and remained silent.
From her reaction, Kyle understood the answer.
Indeed, the magical world was small, and for every pure-blood family, there were bound to be many distant relatives.
Perhaps Conna's unhappiness after the exam was also because she didn't want to face these people when she returned.
"In that case, I won't give you the restorative potions," Kyle tapped the table, "But I'll take care of these troubles for you in exchange for your family's money."
"What do you mean?" Conna tilted her head, not quite understanding.
"I'll handle this matter," Kyle said calmly, "I guarantee that during the summer break, no one will bother you again."
"Really...?" Conna looked at Kyle skeptically, clearly not believing him.
"In fact, you don't need to comfort me. I can handle them."
"Just wait and see, I won't disappoint you."
Kyle didn't explain further and placed a pile of snacks on the table.
He was a bit hungry.
There wasn't much else to eat on the train, so if he hadn't brought food, he'd have to settle for snacks.
At this moment, Cedric and Autumn suddenly opened the compartment door.
"Conna, I've been looking for you."
Autumn sat next to Conna and asked with concern, "How are you? Are you feeling better?"
"Much better," Conna replied with a smile.
In fact, they had already come by once before but hadn't entered.
"Kyle, do you have any plans for the summer break?"
Cedric opened a pack of Chocolate Frogs and said, "My dad is planning to take me to France. We can go together."
France? Kyle thought for a moment. It was a good place, and he was also curious about Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
But it was a bit too far.
After careful consideration, Kyle shook his head, "Next time, Cedric. I have other plans for the summer break."
"That's a pity. I'll bring you a gift," Cedric said, sounding a bit disappointed.
(End of Chapter)
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