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Chapter 340: A Deal Among Adults
Chapter 340: A Deal Among Adults
Chris had taken a week off, but on the second day, he found himself with little to do.
The basics of Apparition were not overly difficult, and with Kyle's unexpectedly quick learning, he had managed to cover all the necessary teachings in just one afternoon.
There was no need to linger on the rest...
As Kyle gradually adapted to the discomfort of Apparition, Chris realized that even his sole role as a "healer" was becoming obsolete.
For two whole days, Kyle hadn't experienced another split, and correspondingly, the bottle of Gillyweed essence he carried remained untouched.
If this continued, those three Galleons would have been spent for nothing.
Embracing the spirit of frugality and waste reduction, on the third day, Chris increased the difficulty for Kyle by not only setting more distant target locations but also reducing the interval between each Apparition.
Sometimes, Kyle barely had time to catch his breath before he had to Apparate again.
And the reason Chris gave left him unable to refute.
"Apparition is a spell that requires a lot of practice, especially high-frequency repetitive exercises, which will undoubtedly double your efficiency!"
Kyle felt that Chris was wrong, but it also made a lot of sense...
He had no choice but to disappear and reappear over and over again... and the frequency was increasing.
On the slopes of St. Kachel Village, it was as if fireworks were being set off, with pops and cracks sounding non-stop.
And on the fifth day...
On a small hill in the north, Luna was watering the hydrangeas outside the house, occasionally diving into the bushes...
"What are you looking for?" Mr. Lovegood asked.
"Skrewts!" Luna said, "I just saw them on the petals."
"Oh, then you must be more careful..."
"Crack!"
Before Mr. Lovegood could finish his sentence, a firecracker-like explosion shattered the heartwarming scene between father and daughter.
Kyle appeared suddenly in front of them.
This in itself wasn't unusual, as this wasn't the first time Kyle had visited.
However, what was shocking was that Kyle was missing an arm, looking exhausted, and his clothes were torn and tattered.
"Someone is pursuing this child..." Mr. Lovegood thought instinctively.
In broad daylight, in St. Kachel Village, to pursue a student who hasn't even graduated yet... How audacious!
But before he could draw his wand...
"Crack!"
Another blast signaled Chris' arrival.
Skillfully, he pressed the half-arm against Kyle's wound and swiftly applied a circle of Gillyweed essence.
"Chris, what are you two...?" Mr. Lovegood asked, bewildered.
"Oh, Xenophilius, I thought you were taking Luna to Northumberland?" Chris stammered, "I mean, didn't you just get back from seeing the Snorkacks?"
"They've left," Luna said, looking up.
"Yes, we returned an hour ago," Mr. Lovegood nodded, then asked thoughtfully, "Are you teaching Kyle Apparition? I thought he was only fourteen this year..."
After the initial shock, he had mostly regained his composure.
The familiar crack, the severed and reconnected arm, and the obvious split—these could only be signs of Apparition.
"Actually, we were just... just... well, yes, that's right. Could you keep it a secret, Xenophilius?"
Chris sighed and said softly, "I suddenly remembered that I haven't prepared gifts for the Romanian Ministry of Magic. What do you think of an unusual magazine?"
"For example... 'The Daily Prophet'?"
"No, that's too formal," Chris shook his head, "I think 'The Quibbler' would be nice."
"Ahem..." Mr. Lovegood suddenly cleared his throat and turned his head to the side, "Luna, I think our garden must be housing a group of fairies, they're causing me to hallucinate."
Luna blinked, "Dad, fairies don't cause hallucinations."
"Perhaps one of them has changed in some way..."
Taking advantage of their conversation, Chris quickly left the hill with Kyle.
Since they had been practicing for five hours and had just been discovered, Chris decided to call it a day for their special training.
As most people couldn't understand it, they tended to view it as a magazine full of gibberish and trash...and its target audience was mostly confined to the Magical Injuries ward of St. Mungo's.
Giving this magazine as a gift...would the Romanian Ministry of Magic not see it as a provocation?
"It's fine," Chris waved his hand dismissively. "Most of them won't understand it either, and some of the perspectives in that magazine will probably be quite interesting to people from other countries."
On the sixth day, Kyle's arm had completely healed, but his practice of Apparition was forced to a halt.
This was mainly because Diana had returned and had happened to witness their entire training session.
Diana excused herself, saying she needed to go shopping in Diagon Alley, and left with a smile on her arm.
And then...nothing happened.
In the end, she returned alone and told Kyle that Chris had decided to stay at the Ministry for a few days due to work, and he wouldn't be home for meals recently.
As for why Chris took leave only to return to the Ministry...Kyle dared not ask, seeing the residual anger on Diana's face.
...
July soon came to an end.
On his birthday, Kyle received quite a few gifts, including a glass-like top from Fred and George.
There were also two notes attached.
"Happy birthday, Kyle.
This is a pocket spyglass. If there are any suspicious people around, it will spin and glow. We've tested it, and it works great."
"The only drawback is that it's not very bright. Yesterday, a beetle crawled into Bill's soup, and it kept glowing non-stop...even though the beetle crawled into the soup on its own.
Oh, and Percy became the Boy Student President, we're all happy for him, and we're going to give him a new badge."
Kyle curled his lips, not believing a word the Weasley brothers had written.
What kind of beetle would crawl into soup on its own? They must have helped at least ninety-eight percent of the way...and as for Percy's Boy Student President badge, it probably wouldn't end well either.
Kyle put the pocket spyglass aside and picked up Hagrid's gift.
As expected, it was a book.
'The Monster Book of Monsters'
As soon as Kyle took it out, the book stood up with a bang and scurried across the floor like some kind of bizarre crab.
This was the book's most distinctive feature; due to a certain type of magic, it seemed almost alive.
However, the solution was simple; one only needed to stroke the spine, or...
"Relax!"
Kyle cast a spell at the book.
The Monster Book immediately froze, lying soft and flat on the floor like a tasteless cushion.
Kyle walked over, wrapped a string around the book's spine, and then picked up Hagrid's greeting card.
"Dear Kyle:
Happy birthday!
You'll be using this book next semester, so I won't say more here. We can talk about it when we meet; you'll never guess what happened, I still feel like I'm dreaming.
Wishing you all the best.
Hagrid"
Kyle raised an eyebrow, surprised that Hagrid, who was usually tight-lipped, had indeed kept the secret.
Sending him a book and saying he would need it next semester, it was clear that Hagrid would be taking over as the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, succeeding Professor Kettleburn upon his retirement.
The incident last semester had cleared Hagrid's name, and he could finally take on a role beyond that of gamekeeper.
This letter revealed how truly happy Hagrid was.
Kyle was happy for him too.
After pondering for a moment, Kyle found a piece of parchment and wrote a reply.
"Dear Hagrid:
Thank you for the gift, I like it a lot. I can't wait for school to start, but unfortunately, there's still a month to go.
I'll be going to the Fire Dragon Sanctuary in Romania with Mr. Scamander first...something big is about to happen there; the fire dragons will fight each other until the strongest one becomes their new leader.
Kyle.
P.S. I hear there are dozens of fire dragons there."
(End of Chapter)
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