https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-396-The-Potion-Worth-Three-Hundred-Galleons/12538689/
Chapter 395: The Thundering Moonstruck Beast
Chapter 395: The Thundering Moonstruck Beast
As night fell, the Night Mares slowed their gallop through the clouds and descended back to the ground. Kyle stepped out of the carriage, curiously taking in his surroundings.
Devon, he recognized. It was familiar to him because of Saint Kachibol Village, yet this particular location was unfamiliar.
It was quite far from the village, almost at the edge of Devon, and Kyle could even hear the distant roar of the sea.
"Welcome, sir," came a sharp, familiar voice.
Kyle looked down instinctively to see a house-elf wearing a floral shirt and protective goggles on his forehead. It was Tata.
"Tata? What's with the getup?"
Tata was Nicole's house-elf, but unlike other house-elves, he didn't shy away from clothing. In fact, Nicole had given him so many outfits that they filled an entire wardrobe.
But the floral shirt, goggles, and dress shoes were a combination Kyle found rather perplexing, especially since the buttons were misaligned, making one side of the shirt hang lower than the other.
Yet, back in Paris, Tata's attire had seemed quite normal...
"The master said I should try some different combinations," Tata said, tugging at his floral shirt. "What do you think, sir?"
"Well..." Kyle gave him a thumbs-up. "It's certainly unique. You'd definitely stand out in a crowd, more so than ninety percent of witches and wizards."
Tata happily tugged at his shirt again but then remembered his duty. "Please follow me, sir."
Tata bowed slightly and then walked in one direction.
Leading the Night Mares by their reins, Kyle followed Tata. After only a dozen or so steps, the scenery before them suddenly changed.
In place of the stony ground was an imposing manor, surrounded by lush, well-maintained grass and a variety of exotic, unnamed plants.
Standing guard at the manor's entrance were two lifelike statues of fire-breathing dragons, so realistic they seemed ready to spring to life.
The Night Mares refused to go any further, despite Kyle's urging.
"Don't worry, sir. It's safe here, and I'll take care of them," Tata assured him.
"Alright then," Kyle said, deciding to untie the reins and let the Night Mares roam freely. "There's food in the carriage, and I'll bring more later."
One of the Night Mares nuzzled his arm affectionately before they wandered off.
Accompanied by Tata, Kyle entered the manor.
It was even more spacious inside than it appeared from the outside, almost as large as Hogwarts.
A teapot with two short legs scurried by, sprinkling water on the plants that lined the path.
"Hey, watch it! We have a guest," Tata said irritably.
The teapot stopped and bent its long spout in a slight bow, as if apologizing...
An apologetic teapot?
Kyle felt like hundreds of moonstruck beasts were thundering through his mind... Merlin's beard!
But then he remembered who the owner of this place was, and suddenly, everything made sense.
"Never mind him, he's a clumsy fellow," Tata said, continuing on his way.
As they walked, Kyle encountered a pair of scissors trimming dead branches, a fountain enthusiastically bathing a bird, and a refrigerator being chased by a kneazle, tossing out ice cubes in a futile attempt to scare off its pursuer.
Kyle felt he owed Mr. Weasley an apology... There really was a refrigerator that could run, and it was here in Nicole's home.
She was his wife, Perenelle, also over six hundred years old.
"It's been a while, young one." Nicollemais patted Kyle's shoulder affectionately.
"Crack..."
At the sound of something snapping, Kyle thought for a moment that the old man was up to some prank.
"Be careful, this is the third time this year." Perenelle gently tapped his wrist.
"I will." Nicollemais smiled and led Kyle into the room.
To Kyle's surprise, the vast room held only the three of them.
He had expected to see some familiar faces, like MacFay, whom he had met in Paris, or even the Beauxbatons headmistress, Maxime, who had tried to woo him away from Hogwarts.
"Don't be puzzled," Nicollemais said, as if reading his mind. "I had a few friends who wanted to come and celebrate Christmas with us, but I didn't see the need.
"In my opinion, there's not much difference between those so-called festivals and ordinary days."
Having lived for over six hundred years, Nicollemais had experienced too much, so no particular day stood out as special to him.
The old man strolled leisurely forward, leading Kyle into a spacious room.
Chairs that had been lounging in the corner scurried over to the table, and a teapot on the table poured a cup of steaming hot tea.
"What a coincidence," Nicollemais said. "Just a few days ago, I was planning to invite you over, and then I received your letter via Aberforth."
Sitting in an armchair, he smiled and said, "I must say, you've really given me a challenging puzzle..."
"What do you mean?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
"Well..." Nicollemais handed Kyle a golden pocket watch with five hands. "Last year, when Albus came to visit, he asked me to fix this at all costs.
"The last time he looked so tense was when he borrowed the Sorcerer's Stone from me a century ago."
"This is the time-turner from Slytherin?" Kyle took the pocket watch carefully, his face filled with surprise.
The last time he had seen it, the time-turner had been as fragile as sand, but now it was intact and showed no signs of damage no matter how he handled it.
"You fixed it?" Kyle asked in astonishment.
As expected of Nicollemais, he could even repair an antique that had been reduced to rubble.
"Not exactly."
Nicollemais shook his head. "I only restored its exterior. But the most crucial magical runes on this time-turner have been destroyed. They date back a thousand years and differ greatly from modern runes. I could only find a small amount of information, and the restoration is extremely difficult."
Although Nicollemais complained, he couldn't hide the smile that played on his lips, clearly enjoying the challenge.
"You didn't invite me here just for this, did you?" Kyle handed the time-turner back.
"Indeed, I need your help." Nicollemais said, "I want to know what you experienced during your time-turner journey, especially the beginning and ending processes, in as much detail as possible.
"It will help me deduce the composition of those runes."
"No problem." Kyle nodded.
...
(End of Chapter)
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