https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-654-Sirius-Under-Attack-Part-II-/13012016/
Chapter 655: Let's Have the Phoenix Guard the Basilisk (Part 2)
Chapter 655: Let's Have the Phoenix Guard the Basilisk (Part 2)
When Kyle and his group returned to the spot, Harry had been waiting anxiously, looking restless and eager to visit the unconscious Sirius.
This time, Dumbledore agreed.
Saxia led them away from the office, turning a corner and arriving at a brighter corridor.
Kyle noticed that the first digit of the room number at the door was a five, indicating they were on the fifth floor of St. Mungo's, the Curses Ward.
He initially thought Sirius was on this floor, but Saxia didn't stop and instead headed downstairs.
Everyone they encountered along the way, whether patients or healers, almost always paused to greet Saxia, showing the respect she commanded as the Headmistress of St. Mungo's.
"Where are we going now...?" Kyle couldn't help but ask, "Shouldn't the Cruciatus Curse victim be treated on the fifth floor?"
"That's correct," Headmistress Saxia affirmed, "But Black wasn't subjected to the Cruciatus Curse for long. It's better to address the bite wounds from the Runeword Snake first. Those fangs from magical creatures are venomous."
As she spoke, Saxia glanced at Kyle again.
She thought of the Basilisk, and compared to this legendary magical creature, the venom of the Runeword Snake seemed somewhat insignificant.
Soon, Saxia led them to the second floor, a floor Kyle was very familiar with.
He noticed a rack placed at the corner of the stairs and paused slightly.
"Indeed, this is the rack you used to pierce the werewolf," Saxia said with a smile, "After the Transfiguration spell on it wore off, we put it back in its original place."
Upon hearing this, Lee, who had Sirius on his mind, stopped as well.
Naturally, he knew the reason Kyle earned the Order of Merlin—he had defeated a werewolf who unexpectedly transformed at St. Mungo's.
But he had only heard about it and never imagined it was here.
He curiously glanced at the rack.
...It was just an ordinary rack with a few flowers placed on it.
To be honest, if Saxia hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have associated this ordinary object with a weapon.
"Have you found the reason?" Kyle asked, "Why the werewolf could transform during the day."
"A mad potion master," Saxia replied calmly, "Because I rejected his application to the League of Extraordinary Potion Masters, he planned that revenge."
"Do you need my help?" Dumbledore inquired.
"Thank you, Albus, but the matter is resolved," Saxia assured with a smile.
"Oh, Professor Dumbledore, Kyle, Harry, what brings you here?"
At that moment, Mr. Weasley walked up from downstairs, carrying some bandages and a few potions.
"We're here to visit Sirius," Harry quickly explained, "Mr. Weasley, do you know where he is?"
"Of course... But to be honest, you shouldn't have come, especially you, Harry. It's dangerous outside Hogwarts right now." Mr. Weasley sighed.
However, he soon realized that Dumbledore was also present and stopped talking. He pointed to the second room on the right.
"Sirius is in there, follow me."
He walked over and opened the door, and Harry rushed in.
"Remember to be quiet," Mr. Weasley reminded, "There's more than just Sirius in here."
Kyle also wanted to follow and take a look, but Dumbledore stopped him.
"Let's wait outside," he said, "Sirius can't meet too many people at once, or it will affect the rest of the patients' rest... Conveniently, I also have some matters to discuss with you."
Kyle's expression turned stiff... Alright, what must come will come.
Due to the bustling corridor, Dumbledore led Kyle to the sixth floor of St. Mungo's.
This floor housed shops and tea rooms, dedicated to receiving guests and chatting.
Saxia didn't accompany them as she needed to prepare the antidote.
Dumbledore led Kyle into a private tea room, and his expression turned serious upon entering.
"I recall our agreement to not bring the Basilisk into Hogwarts."
"Oh, is that so...?" Kyle felt a bit guilty but still mustered the courage to say, "But the situation is different now, isn't it?"
"Oh?" Dumbledore's eyes flashed, and he seemed to be waiting for Kyle's explanation.
"Because of the Philosopher's Stone and the diary, Voldemort wants to kill me. Last time on the mountain peak, he showed unconcealed murderous intent and took action."
Kyle continued, "He not only had all the Death Eaters come to capture me but even wanted to take action himself. Fortunately, a magical item like the Mystical Bead saved my life."
Upon hearing about the Philosopher's Stone and the diary, Dumbledore's gaze became more resolute.
Indeed, Kyle had consecutively disrupted Voldemort's plans twice, and it was natural for him to hold a grudge.
Adding to what happened on the mountain that day, and the fact that Kyle was the one who found several Horcruxes, there was absolutely no chance of a turnaround.
Voldemort's hatred for Kyle was likely no less than for Harry, perhaps even more. In this situation, it was only natural for Kyle to seek some means of self-defense.
Dumbledore was conflicted. While he understood the logic, he still couldn't quite accept the presence of a Basilisk in the school... unless Kyle could provide a more compelling reason.
"I'm just trying to protect myself," Kyle continued. "After all, I'm just a student who hasn't graduated yet, and it's dangerous to face Death Eaters."
Dumbledore's hand trembled slightly as he was about to pour tea.
Kyle facing Death Eaters, dangerous?
He felt that the Death Eater consumed by the Killing Curse might have a different opinion... What was his name again? Oh, right, Theodore Nott.
"Of course, one or two wouldn't be a problem, but what if they come in large numbers?" Kyle continued. "I only have one wand, which is definitely not enough to face a dozen wands."
"Hogwarts is safe," Dumbledore said softly. "As long as I'm alive, it's impossible for Death Eaters to enter the school, not even if Tom Riddle himself came."
"There are always special circumstances..." Kyle's voice lowered, "For example, like today, if members of the Order of the Phoenix encounter danger, you'd definitely come to their rescue, right?"
"If that's the case, I can always come back," Dumbledore glanced at Kyle. "This reason can't convince me."
"But I can't stay in school all the time," Kyle sighed, which was also the main reason he brought the Basilisk.
He understood that Dumbledore wanted him to leave the Basilisk with Newt while on break and bring it back later.
But it was impossible for the Death Eaters to openly target them, and no one knew what schemes they might devise.
Just like last year, wasn't Harry taken out of school? In the event of an emergency, it was unlikely that the Death Eaters would let him go to Newt to get the Basilisk first, so it was safest to keep it with him.
Dumbledore became more hesitant. He knew that this was a critical time for Voldemort to gather strength. He would curry favor with giants and invite werewolves, which meant that Dumbledore had a lot to do and couldn't stay in school all the time.
Although, based on his understanding of Voldemort, it was impossible for him to come to Hogwarts while Dumbledore was still alive... But that was Voldemort from over a decade ago.
After the Horcruxes were destroyed, his soul was completely incomplete, and it was hard to say whether this would affect his personality.
Even though the possibility was small, it wasn't impossible.
Seeing Dumbledore's hesitation, Kyle immediately became spirited and seized the opportunity:
"You just said that magic is unknown, and if the Basilisk can save people, it can also be used to deal with Death Eaters."
"It's like a powerful wand. Whether it's dangerous or not ultimately depends on who holds it."
Dumbledore was momentarily speechless, not expecting that the casual words he had just said would be turned back on him by Kyle.
But he had to admit that Kyle made sense... To determine whether a powerful weapon is dangerous or not, one must consider who wields it.
However...
"Even if that's the case, you've forgotten a prerequisite," Dumbledore raised his head. "That is, the person using the weapon must have complete control over it, and only then can they avoid being consumed by it."
"I can control the Basilisk," Kyle said with conviction.
He wasn't completely unprepared, either.
When he took the Basilisk, Newt also found more than a hundred roosters and placed them in a cave near the Basilisk, and he could always remove the protective magic at the cave entrance and release the roosters.
Additionally, there were dragons, bagworm beetles, fields of mandrakes, and venomous cabbages in the box. Even if the Basilisk didn't listen, it was almost impossible for it to break out of the box.
Seeing Kyle's confident demeanor, Dumbledore wavered again.
"If you're still worried, Professor..."
Kyle cleared his throat and said in a natural tone that sounded very natural: "Then it's no problem to have Phoenix watch over the Basilisk. I can build a perch for Phoenix in the box, and with the help of the Phoenix, there's no chance of the Basilisk getting out, right?"
Dumbledore couldn't help but look up, and Kyle's reasoning was indeed compelling and sounded reasonable.
The Phoenix wouldn't be affected by the Basilisk's gaze, and with Phoenix watching over it, it did make Dumbledore feel much more at ease.
But his intuition told him that Kyle definitely had some other thoughts, and it wasn't as simple as wanting to reassure him.
"Saying 'watch over' is too serious, but of course, I believe you," Dumbledore began. "Countless facts have shown me that you're not one to boast."
"It's fine, Professor. It's only natural," Kyle said seriously. "I completely understand and won't have any objections."
"I'm sure you've been busy with Voldemort's matters recently, and I can help take care of Phoenix."
Dumbledore looked into Kyle's eyes and, unusually, saw a hint of evasion.
If he had only suspected it before, now he could be certain that Kyle was after his Phoenix.
This left Dumbledore in a bit of a predicament.
He had originally come to confront Kyle for taking the Basilisk without permission, but now it seemed like his own Phoenix might be in danger, and the situation appeared to be quite reasonable.
After returning the Basilisk to Newt, this was the best solution.
The Phoenix was unaffected by the Basilisk's gaze, its tears could neutralize the venom, and it could fly, providing an early warning in case of emergencies.
With the Phoenix nearby, it was like adding an extra layer of insurance to the box containing the Basilisk, giving Dumbledore some peace of mind.
However, he hadn't considered sending the Phoenix to the box when he arrived, and even during his moment of hesitation, he only wanted to know if Kyle had the ability to ensure the Basilisk wouldn't appear at Hogwarts.
But now, not only was the situation involving the Phoenix, but Dumbledore was also perplexed as to why he was slightly tempted by the idea.
"Bang, bang..."
As Dumbledore pondered, a knocking sound came from outside.
The tea room door was pushed open.
"Sorry to interrupt, Headmaster Dumbledore," said a young wizard standing outside, looking flustered. "But the Ministry officials are here, and they're in Black's ward, and it's not a pleasant scene."
"I understand, thank you... Augustus," Dumbledore said, glancing at the badge on the wizard's chest.
"No need, no need," Augustus, the healer, waved his hands dismissively.
"You stay here," Dumbledore said to Kyle.
With that, he left with the healer.
Dumbledore didn't need to remind Kyle to stay; he had no intention of meeting the Ministry officials. Currently, Fudge considered Dumbledore his biggest enemy, and there would undoubtedly be some covert conflicts. Kyle didn't want to get himself into trouble.
The only thing that made him feel a bit regretful was that Dumbledore had taken the Phoenix with him, as if he was guarding against Kyle.
This was where Dumbledore had gone too far. Kyle had merely offered an objective solution without any personal motives.
Moreover, the Phoenix was inherently loyal to Dumbledore's family and couldn't be swayed by Kyle. Why was Dumbledore so guarded against him?
"He's so narrow-minded," Kyle muttered under his breath.
After the two left, Kyle went to a nearby shop.
It was already the early hours of the morning, and after being abruptly called here and kept busy for so long, he was feeling a bit hungry.
The shop was small, about the size of a train compartment, but it had a wide variety of products, including snacks, tableware, and daily necessities.
Kyle bought himself a Cauldron Cake and a bottle of Pumpkin Soda and returned to the tea room.
The Cauldron Cake tasted average, far inferior to the ones on the train. It was overly sweet and cloying, with what felt like half of it being sugar.
Moreover, the filling in the middle of the cake wasn't jam but salted fish. Several inches long, the salted fish had no additional seasoning and was simply fried and stuffed into the cake.
The combination of sweet cake and salted fish was as jarring as a giant dancing ballet.
Kyle suddenly didn't feel as hungry anymore. He opened the Pumpkin Soda and took a sip...
"Bang, bang..." At that moment, the knocking sound echoed again.
Kyle walked over and opened the door.
It wasn't the St. Mungo's staff, nor was it the Ministry's Aurors, but Harry.
"The Ministry officials won't allow me to stay in the room anymore," he said. "Professor Dumbledore said I could come here."
"It's fine, take a seat." Kyle pointed to the seat across from him. "You must be hungry too. I just bought some snacks."
Harry also noticed the cake on the table, which was mostly untouched.
He hadn't felt hungry while worrying about Sirius's condition, but now that Kyle mentioned it, he felt a wave of hunger.
However, the cake on the table didn't seem big enough for two people.
"I'll go buy another one," Harry said.
"It's okay, I'm already full. Another drink will be enough," Kyle said, holding up the Pumpkin Soda.
Harry then remembered that Kyle had been here all along, so he didn't say anything further.
"Thanks," he said, breaking off a piece of cake and putting it in his mouth.
"Don't mention it," Kyle said, watching Harry with a satisfied expression. He tentatively asked, "How is it?"
"It's okay, but the taste is not as good as the one I bought on the train," Harry thought for a moment before continuing, "But I've never had this combination before, and it sounds interesting."
"Quite interesting?" Kyle savored the words.
No wonder the shop assistant had strongly recommended this combination of Cauldron Cake. Now it made sense, and there were indeed people who liked it.
Harry's evaluation, though Kyle didn't understand, was accepted without question.
...
(End of Chapter)
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