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Chapter 655: Perhaps Fox Can Guard the Basilisk (Two-in-One)
Chapter 655: Perhaps Fox Can Guard the Basilisk (Two-in-One)
By the time Kyle, Hermione, and Ron returned to the office, Harry had grown anxious, fidgeting restlessly as he awaited news about Sirius Black.
This time, Dumbledore agreed.
Sasia led them out of the office, turning a corner into a brighter corridor.
Kyle noticed that the first digit of the numbers on the doorplates was a five, indicating they were on the fifth floor of St. Mungo's, the Spell Damage floor.
He had assumed Sirius was on this floor, but Sasia continued downward without stopping.
Everyone they passed along the way, be it patients or healers, paused to greet Sasia with respect. It was evident that the Hospital Director was well-regarded in St. Mungo's.
"Where exactly are we going...?" Kyle couldn't help but ask. "Shouldn't those afflicted by the Cruciatus Curse be treated on the fifth floor?"
"Indeed," replied Director Sasia. "However, Black wasn't subjected to the Cruciatus for an extended period. It would be best to first tend to the wounds inflicted by the Runy Snake. Those fangs are venomous, after all."
As she spoke, Sasia glanced at Kyle once more.
The mention of the Runy Snake made her think of the legendary magical creature, the basilisk. In comparison, the venom of the Runy Snake seemed rather mundane.
Soon enough, Sasia led them to the second floor, a level that Kyle was all too familiar with.
His eyes landed on a stand positioned at the turn of the stairs, and he paused momentarily.
"Yes, that's the very stand you used to impale the werewolf," Sasia said with a smile. "After the Transfiguration effect wore off, we returned it to its original spot."
Hearing this, even Harry, whose mind was occupied with Sirius, stopped in his tracks.
Of course, he knew the reason Kyle had received the Merlyn Knight medal—for defeating a werewolf that had transformed here in St. Mungo's.
But he had only heard about it before; he never expected it had happened right here.
He glanced curiously at the stand.
...It was just an ordinary shelf, with a few flowerpots placed on top.
Honestly, if Sasia hadn't mentioned it, he never would have associated such a mundane object with a weapon.
"Have you found out the reason?" Kyle asked. "Why that werewolf was able to transform during the day?"
"A deranged Potioneer," Sasia said calmly. "He orchestrated that revenge plot because I rejected his application to join the Extraordinary Potioneers' Association."
"Do you need my assistance?" Dumbledore inquired.
"Thank you, Albus, but the matter has been resolved," Sasia assured him with a smile.
"Oh, Professor Dumbledore, Kyle, Harry, what brings you here?"
At that moment, Mr. Weasley walked up the stairs, holding some bandages and several bottles of different potions.
"We're here to see Sirius Black," Harry quickly explained. "Mr. Weasley, do you know where he is?"
"Of course... But to be honest, you really shouldn't have come, especially you, Harry. It's quite dangerous outside Hogwarts at the moment." Mr. Weasley sighed.
However, upon realizing that Dumbledore was also present, he refrained from saying more and simply pointed to the second room on the right.
"Sirius is in there. Follow me."
He walked over and opened the door, and Harry immediately rushed inside.
"Remember to keep it down," Mr. Weasley reminded them. "There are other patients in there besides Sirius."
Kyle also wanted to take a look, but Dumbledore held out a hand to stop him.
"Let's wait outside," he suggested. "Sirius shouldn't be meeting too many people at once; it might disturb the rest of the patients... Besides, I have some matters I wish to discuss with you."
Kyle's expression froze slightly... Well, the inevitable had arrived.
Due to the busy corridor, Dumbledore led Kyle up to the sixth floor of St. Mungo's, an area with shops and tea rooms intended for socializing.
As Sasia was busy preparing the antidote, she didn't join them.
Dumbledore escorted Kyle into one of the private tea rooms, and his expression turned solemn as soon as they entered.
"I recall our previous agreement about not bringing the basilisk into Hogwarts."
"Ah, yes..." Kyle felt a bit guilty, but he persevered. "But the situation is different now, isn't it?"
"Oh?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, but he remained silent, seemingly awaiting Kyle's explanation.
"Because of the Philosopher's Stone and the diary, Voldemort wants me dead," Kyle explained. "During our last encounter at the mountain peak, he made his murderous intent clear and acted upon it. He not only sent all his Death Eaters to capture me but even wanted to take action himself. If not for the Mist Pearl, a magical artifact, I might not have escaped."
Upon hearing about the Philosopher's Stone and the diary, Dumbledore's gaze softened slightly from its previous firmness.
Indeed, Kyle had consecutively thwarted Voldemort's plans twice, and it was understandable that the Dark Wizard would hold a grudge.
Dumbledore was conflicted. While he understood the logic, he still found it difficult to accept the presence of the 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 still a student who hasn't graduated yet, and facing Death Eaters is dangerous."
Dumbledore's hand, which was about to pour tea, suddenly trembled.
Kyle, in danger when facing Death Eaters?
He felt that the Death Eater consumed by the fierce fire would probably disagree... What was his name again? Oh yes, Theodore Nott.
"Of course, one or two Death Eaters might not be a problem, but what if they send more?" Kyle went on. "I only have one wand, and it's not enough to face a dozen wands."
"Hogwarts is safe," Dumbledore said softly. "As long as I'm alive, I won't let any Death Eaters enter the school... not even Tom."
"There could be special circumstances..." Kyle's voice lowered as well, "Like what happened today. If the members of the Order of the Phoenix are in danger, you'll definitely go to their aid."
"If that's the case, I can always come back," Dumbledore glanced at Kyle, "This reason is not enough to convince me."
"But I can't stay at school all the time," Kyle sighed, and this was indeed the main reason he had brought the Basilisk.
He understood that Dumbledore wanted him to leave the Basilisk with Newt while he was in school, and then take it back during the holidays.
However, the Death Eaters wouldn't openly target them, and who knew what plots they were concocting.
Like what happened last year, Harry had been taken out of school by someone. In an emergency, the Death Eaters probably wouldn't let him go to Newt to retrieve the Basilisk first, so it was best to keep it close at hand.
Dumbledore hesitated further. He knew that this was a crucial time for Voldemort to gather strength, and he would woo the giants and invite the werewolves, which meant that Dumbledore himself had a lot to do and couldn't always stay at the school.
Although, according to his understanding of Voldemort, the Dark Wizard wouldn't dare come to Hogwarts as long as he was alive... but that was the Voldemort from over a decade ago.
After the Horcruxes were destroyed, his soul was completely incomplete. It was hard to say if this would affect his character.
Even though the possibility was slim, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Noticing Dumbledore's hesitation, Kyle immediately seized the opportunity and continued eagerly:
"As you said earlier, magic is unknown, and since the Basilisk can save people, it can also be used to deal with Death Eaters.
"Just like a powerful wand, whether it's dangerous or not ultimately depends on who wields it."
Dumbledore was momentarily taken aback, not expecting that the words he had casually spoken earlier would now be turned back on him by Kyle.
However, he had to admit that Kyle's argument made sense... when judging whether a powerful weapon was dangerous, one had to consider who possessed it.
But...
"Even so, you're forgetting one prerequisite," Dumbledore raised his head, "and that is that the person using the weapon must be able to fully control it, otherwise they will be consumed by its power."
"I assure you, I can control the Basilisk," Kyle said confidently.
He wasn't unprepared either.
At the same time that he took away the Basilisk, Newt had brought over a hundred roosters and placed them in a cave near the Basilisk. Kyle could remove the protective magic from the cave entrance at any time and release the roosters.
There were also other things in the box.
Fire dragons, venomous leopards, patches of mandrake and biting nettles; even if the Basilisk didn't listen to him, it would be nearly impossible for it to break out of the box.
Seeing Kyle's confident demeanor, Dumbledore wavered once more.
"If you're still not reassured, Professor..."
Kyle cleared his throat and said in a natural tone, "Then it's fine for Fawkes to keep an eye on the Basilisk as well. I can set up a perch for Fawkes inside the box, and with a phoenix helping to watch over it, there's even less chance of the Basilisk getting out, right?"
Dumbledore looked up involuntarily.
Kyle's reasoning was sound and didn't seem to have any flaws.
The phoenix wouldn't be affected by the Basilisk's gaze, and having Fawkes nearby would indeed put his mind at ease.
However, his intuition told him that Kyle definitely had some other ideas in mind, and it wasn't as simple as just wanting to reassure him.
"Saying 'keep an eye on' is a bit too much, I do trust you," Dumbledore said, "Countless incidents have shown me that you're not one to make empty boasts."
"It's alright, Professor, I understand," Kyle said seriously. "I completely understand, and I have no objections.
"Moreover, you've probably been busy with Voldemort's matters lately. I can help take care of Fawkes as well."
Dumbledore looked into Kyle's eyes and, for once, saw a fleeting trace of evasion.
"Sorry to disturb you, Headmaster Dumbledore," said a young wizard standing outside the door awkwardly. "But the Ministry officials are here, and there seems to be some disagreement in Mr. Black's ward."
"Thank you, Augustus," Dumbledore acknowledged, glancing at the name badge on the young wizard's chest.
"No problem at all," Augustus waved his hands dismissively.
Dumbledore turned to Kyle, "You stay here."
With that, he left the room with Augustus trailing behind.
Kyle had no intention of meeting the Ministry officials anyway, especially since Fudge now considered Dumbledore his greatest adversary. He didn't want to get himself involved in their disputes.
The only thing he found a bit regrettable was that Dumbledore had taken Fawkes away with him, as if he was guarding against something.
That was where Dumbledore was wrong. Kyle had merely suggested an objective solution, without any hidden agenda.
Besides, Fawkes was inherently loyal to the Dumbledore family and couldn't be swayed anyway. Was it really necessary to guard against him like that?
"Now that's being overly cautious," Kyle muttered to himself.
After they left, Kyle walked over to a shop not far from the tea room.
It was already the wee hours of the morning, and after being occupied with Sirius' situation for so long, he felt a bit hungry.
The shop was small, about the size of a train compartment, but it offered a wide variety of items, including snacks, tableware, and daily necessities.
Kyle bought himself a cauldron cake and a bottle of pumpkin soda, then made his way back to the tea room.
The cauldron cake tasted mediocre, far inferior to the ones on the train. It was overly sweet and cloying, with what felt like half of it being sugar.
And for some inexplicable reason, the filling in the cake wasn't jam but fried small fish...
Those inch-long little fish were simply tossed into the cake without any additional preparation, creating a bizarre combination of sweet cake and salty fish.
The strange pairing of sweet cake and salty fish was as jarring as seeing a troll perform ballet.
Kyle suddenly didn't feel that hungry anymore, so he opened the bottle of pumpkin soda and took a sip... at least the soda tasted normal, like any other soft drink.
"Knock, knock..." Just then, there was another knock on the door.
Kyle walked over and opened the door to find Harry standing there, not the staff of St. Mungo's or an Auror from the Ministry.
"The Ministry officials didn't allow me to stay in the ward any longer," Harry explained. "Professor Dumbledore suggested I come here."
"No problem. Have a seat," Kyle gestured to the chair across from him. "You must be hungry too. I just bought some snacks."
Harry's eyes fell on the mostly untouched cake on the table.
He had been so worried about Sirius that he hadn't noticed his hunger before, but now that Kyle mentioned it, he felt his stomach rumbling.
However, the cake on the table didn't look like it would be enough for the two of them.
"I'll go get another one," Harry offered.
"Don't worry, I'm already full. I'll just have some more of this drink," Kyle said, holding up his bottle of pumpkin soda.
Harry realized that Kyle had probably been waiting here the whole time, so he didn't say anything more.
"Thanks," he said, taking a bite of the cake.
"No problem," Kyle watched as Harry's face lit up with satisfaction, and asked tentatively, "How is it?"
"It's okay, I guess. Not as good as the ones on the train," Harry thought for a moment before continuing, "But I've never had this kind of combination before. It's actually not bad."
"Hmm," Kyle mused, not understanding Harry's taste buds but respecting his opinion nonetheless.
No wonder the shop assistant had strongly recommended this cauldron cake. Now it all made sense, and he realized that there were indeed people who enjoyed this unique pairing.
While he didn't share Harry's taste, he respected his preference.
...
(End of Chapter)
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