Chapter 290: A Whisper in the Ear
Chapter 290: A Whisper in the Ear
After class, Kyle hurried to the Great Hall for a quick bite before rushing off to the Quidditch pitch.
Ever since Slytherin acquired seven Nimbus 2001 brooms, even Professor Harris was feeling the pressure.
Those brooms were incredibly fast. Fred and George had secretly scouted the Slytherin team and reported that when those players took to the air, all one could see were seven faint green shadows, zipping through the sky.
This was not good news for their Gryffindor team.
Previously, they could make up for their equipment gap with skill and teamwork... But now that Slytherin had upgraded their brooms, the Gryffindor players' skills couldn't be enhanced in such a short time.
Professor Harris had no choice but to continuously train and search for tactics to counter those "pay-to-win" opponents.
However, this idea wasn't panning out smoothly. Up until today, none of the tactics he devised lasted until the next day; without fail, they were scrapped halfway through each training session.
Today was no exception.
As dusk approached, a weary Kyle returned to the castle.
Nearly a month of intense studying and training had taken its toll on him, leaving him feeling exhausted and his head fuzzy. All he wanted was to get back to his dormitory and sleep comfortably.
"If only I had a Time-Turner..." Kyle thought to himself.
As he returned to the castle, he ran into Professor McGonagall.
"I was just about to look for you," she said.
"Bad news, I'm afraid," Professor McGonagall said as she handed a letter to Kyle. "Unfortunately, your second application for a Time-Turner has been rejected."
"Again, because there aren't any spares?" Kyle took the letter, feeling even more dejected.
"That's right," Professor McGonagall nodded. "They specifically mentioned that this year is unusual, and all Time-Turners are currently in use."
Kyle glanced at the letter in his hand, which contained only a few brief lines.
"Dear Albus Dumbledore,
Regrettably, due to certain special circumstances, all Time-Turners are in use, and thus, until June of next year, we must temporarily revoke their usage.
We hope you understand.
...Department of Mysteries, Roderick Bode."
"Dumbledore?" Kyle whispered.
"The Headmaster wrote the application himself," Professor McGonagall explained. "But it was still rejected."
Kyle sighed, "So, I definitely can't use a Time-Turner this year?"
"I'm afraid not," Professor McGonagall said as she glanced at his packed schedule, which she was well aware of.
Whether it was her Transfiguration Club or Professor Flitwick's Charms Club, the content was far more challenging than regular classes.
On top of that, Kyle was taking twelve courses, no wonder he desperately wanted a Time-Turner.
But if the Department of Mysteries didn't approve, she couldn't do anything about it, especially since all Time-Turners were stored there.
As Kyle lowered his head to read the letter, he suddenly heard a voice... a voice that was completely different from the sound of the wind or the crackling of candle flames.
It was a hoarse whisper, mechanical and cold, devoid of any emotion.
"Come... Come here... I can give you everything you desire."
Kyle's hand trembled, nearly tearing the letter in his hand.
"What?" He looked up abruptly.
"I mean, unfortunately, you won't be able to use a Time-Turner this year for sure.
Professor McGonagall looked around, a puzzled expression on her face, before furrowing her brows slightly and twirling her fingers gently...
Kyle felt a gentle breeze blow past him, heading deeper into the castle.
After a few seconds...
"There's no one speaking, Kyle. There's nothing around us," Professor McGonagall stated. "The nearest person, Madam Pince, is over twenty feet away and separated by two walls. Her voice certainly couldn't carry over here."
"Maybe I misheard," Kyle said, rubbing his ears.
"Or perhaps you're just tired. It's good to be passionate about your studies, but don't push yourself too hard," Professor McGonagall advised.
She paused, thinking, then continued, "While I can't remove you from the classes, I will speak to Professors Babbage and Trelawney to see if I can get you exempted from their homework assignments.
As for Quidditch practice, I believe you can take a break from that as well... In my personal opinion, you only need to attend practice once a week.
Additionally, you have my permission to skip the Transfiguration Club meetings whenever you need to. That should help ease your workload a little."
Professor Keridell Babbage taught Muggle Studies, while Professor Sybill Trelawney was the professor for Divination.
The exams for these subjects weren't as crucial as others.
However, what Professor McGonagall didn't know was that Kyle was also attending a "Runic Club" on top of all his other commitments.
Studying runes was challenging, and Kyle had to be vigilant for the traps Riddle had intentionally set, which only added to his time constraints.
As for training and homework, those were minor issues in comparison.
But since Professor McGonagall had suggested it, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
After bidding Professor McGonagall farewell, Kyle left, his mind filled with questions.
In the Hufflepuff common room, several students were still working on their homework.
Cedric hadn't returned with them, as Professor Harris was pinning all his hopes on him as the Seeker.
He was probably still on the Quidditch pitch, practicing those classic Seeker feints.
Kyle greeted a few familiar faces and made his way back to the dormitory.
Micah and Ryan were also out working on their homework, so the dormitory was empty except for him.
Kyle lay on his bed, his thoughts returning to the strange incident at the castle entrance.
Who could have been speaking to him...
The Basilisk?
Unlikely.
While the Basilisk could move through the pipes in the walls and make its voice heard where it couldn't be seen, someone would have had to release it first.
But Riddle's diary was still safely locked away in his trunk, so it couldn't have been causing any trouble.
The devices he had set up in the second-floor bathroom were also silent... unless something unexpected had happened, the Basilisk should still be asleep in the Chamber of Secrets.
Most importantly, he had heard the Basilisk's voice last year, and although it, too, lacked emotion, it had sounded young rather than old.
If it wasn't the Basilisk, then who could it have been...
Kyle rolled over on the bed, his gaze fixed on a pot of flowers on the windowsill, his mind filled with questions.
Could it really have been his imagination due to exhaustion?
...
Thanks to Book Friend Du Yu for the reward of starting points (very loud)
.
(End of Chapter)
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