Chapter 529: The Gift Sirius Gave, He Could Not Take Back
Chapter 529: The Gift Sirius Gave, He Could Not Take Back
This time, it was Kyle's turn to be perplexed.
"What did you just say?" he asked unconsciously again.
"Is it hard to understand?" Sirius smiled, "Didn't you find it strange yesterday? Why didn't you receive the Christmas gift I sent you?"
"I did," Kyle said, "The Firebolt, isn't it? It even helped me pass the first task of the Triwizard Championship."
"No, no, no. That was a gift for becoming a Champion."
Sirius said, "You mustn't think that what I said in the Headmaster's office was all a lie. I really prepared a gift that couldn't be delivered to Hogwarts..."
"Wait a moment." Kyle interrupted him, "Is this also something your uncle left for you?"
"No, this is a Black family asset." Sirius said, "But now it belongs to me, and I can dispose of it freely."
"Forget it." Kyle waved his hand, "The Firebolt is already a valuable gift. I won't accept the shop. I can't take it."
Kyle didn't know exactly how much it would cost to buy a shop in Diagon Alley, but it was certain that it wouldn't be less than a few thousand Galleons. If the shop was large enough, even ten thousand was possible.
This gift was too valuable, and Kyle couldn't accept it with ease.
"That won't do." Sirius said solemnly, "You've helped me so many times. I..."
"Stop. It was Professor Dumbledore who helped you."
Kyle said, "Whether it was defending you at the Ministry of Magic or going to the cave to retrieve Regulus, he was the one who put in the most effort. I was just watching from the sidelines."
"You're wrong." Sirius shook his head.
Apparently tired of standing, he pulled Kyle to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, ordered two hazelnut peanut ice creams, and sat at a small table by the door.
"Or perhaps you underestimate your own role in all this." Sirius handed one of the ice creams to Kyle and continued, "Let's talk about my situation first. In fact, I had already prepared to flee, but you gave me a chance to turn things around."
"You have Peter Pettigrew, and you can always clear your name." Kyle said.
"That's the most interesting part."
Sirius looked at the bustling crowd on the street, "I had a conversation with Professor Dumbledore, and he told me that even with Peter Pettigrew and all the evidence laid out, Fudge would find it difficult to do me justice.
"This is a scandal for the Ministry of Magic. He might even directly kill Peter to preserve the Ministry's face."
"But Fudge didn't do that," said Kyle.
"That's because you said something that made Fudge realize he could extricate himself from the situation." Sirius said seriously, "Remember what you said, 'If you were the Minister, such a mistake would never have happened.' That's what made Fudge's attitude change instantly.
"And Professor Dumbledore also said that neither he nor I would ever have thought of such words, and I agree with that.
"In other words, you paved the way, and we just need to walk it."
Sirius took a big bite of the ice cream, smacked his lips, and continued, "And Regulus...
"You found the Slytherin Pendant Box, and only then did we hear about his past from Kreacher.
"If you hadn't discovered that pendant box, I would probably have thrown it away as trash. Naturally, there wouldn't have been any of the subsequent events. You know, Kreacher and I didn't get along at all back then.
By the way, including when we were at the cliff, it was you who called Dumbledore, and you used a precious phoenix tail feather, which is worth two shops.
"Um... you may not know." Kyle explained, "I have a great relationship with Fawkes. Yesterday on Christmas, he gave me another one."
Sirius didn't seem to hear him.
"Take it." He said to himself, "Because of you, I can stand in the sunlight, and Regulus can come home... I don't know how to express my gratitude, and this is the best way Lupin and I could think of.
"You really don't need to." Kyle said, "Besides, I'm friends with Harry too, and helping a friend is just a small favor. You should leave the shop to him."
"This is the Black family's, not mine." Sirius shook his head, "I would never use it, but giving it to you is fine...
"After all, Regulus is my parents' favorite child, and I should express my gratitude on their behalf."
Although Kyle said this, he still felt it was a bit exaggerated. This unexpected windfall was too big, and he was a little dazed by it.
Additionally, Kyle had never thought of opening a shop in Diagon Alley after graduation.
However, Sirius seemed to have already made up his mind.
"Here's the magical contract for the shop. It's yours now." He took out a piece of parchment and slapped it on the table, "If you don't want it, just throw it away. I'm not taking it back.
"Just like my uncle once told me, the Blacks have never taken back what they've given."
"Weren't you already disowned by the Blacks?" Kyle said quietly.
Sirius had just put on the air of a pureblood family, but before he could show off, he was immediately deflated.
He looked a bit flustered.
"Anyway, I can represent the Blacks."
Kyle shook his head and picked up the parchment on the table to examine it.
There was only an address on it: 31 Diagon Alley.
Below was a complex magical rune symbol. Just holding it in his hand, Kyle could vaguely sense the location of the shop.
"You take it back first. Let's talk about the shop after I graduate."
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Kyle handed the parchment back, but Sirius acted as if he didn't see it and refused to take it.
Just as the two were at a stalemate, Kyle inadvertently glanced at a Muggle holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.
A large photo on the cover immediately caught his attention.
Kyle stood up and walked over, "Hello, may I take a look at this newspaper?"
The male witch was startled by Kyle's sudden appearance, but after he regained his composure, he handed over the newspaper, "Oh, sure, you can have it. I've already read it."
"Thank you." Kyle took the newspaper.
"What's up?" Sirius also came over.
Kyle didn't speak.
He opened the newspaper and quickly read the article on the front page. Then, he pointed to a paragraph and frowned, "Hagrid might be in trouble.
Sirius looked over instinctively.
"We can exclusively reveal that Professor Hagrid's mother is the giant Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
Giants are inherently bloodthirsty and brutal. We don't know if Hagrid has inherited this trait, and whether Hogwarts' headmaster, Dumbledore, has informed the students and their parents about this."
"Wait a minute!" Sirius exclaimed, "Could it be that Hagrid is a half-giant?"
"That's for sure. Normal witches and wizards can't grow to be over three meters tall." Kyle said, "But the problem is, guessing and being pointed out are two different things. Hagrid's behavior at Hogwarts has never been brutal or bloodthirsty. In fact, many people like him, but now..."
After hearing Kyle's words, Sirius also realized the seriousness of the situation.
Because he had the best example right beside him, Lupin.
For a whole year, he had been the most popular professor at Hogwarts, but when his werewolf identity was revealed... even though he had a peaceful year, he still had to resign and leave.
This stemmed from people's fear of werewolves, which couldn't be changed.
And half-giants... to be honest, although this identity wasn't as frightening as werewolves, it was still pretty bad.
All witches and wizards knew that giants had once joined the Dark Lord's forces and were synonymous with brutality.
"What should we do now?" he asked.
"I don't know." Kyle stuffed the newspaper into his robe pocket, "Let's go back to Hogwarts first and ask Hagrid about it."
"Okay!"
Sirius immediately stood up and, with Kyle, quickly headed towards the Cauldron Club.
(End of Chapter)
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