Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 660: Hagrid's Doubts, What is Dumbledore Up To? - Novel Cool

Chapter 660: Hagrid's Doubts, What is Dumbledore Up To?

Chapter 660: Hagrid's Doubts, What is Dumbledore Up To?

As Kyle returned to the second floor from the tea room, he heard a furious roar coming from Sirius' hospital room.

"If you don't shut up, I'll hang you upside down from the ceiling!"

The three of them were then promptly kicked out of the room by Mr. Weasley.

Ron stood in the corridor, grumbling under his breath as he looked at the closed door, "We were just talking, and we didn't disturb him..."

"But we did disturb him," Hermione spoke up, "We woke him up twice, and it's only fair that Sirius asked us to leave..."

"But it's not our fault," Ron pouted, "The room is so small, no matter how softly we speak, it won't help."

"Alright, we can come back tomorrow," Harry said, "It's the holidays, so we can come anytime... Where's Mr. Weasley?"

"Not sure, he's probably outside with Bill, who's joining us."

As they spoke, Kyle had already made his way downstairs.

Not wanting to explain again how he had come from Hogwarts, Kyle chose not to greet the trio in the corridor. Instead, he returned to the waiting room on the first floor and left St. Mungo's through the passageway.

Outside, Mr. Weasley was talking to Bill.

"Let me drive on the way back, what do you say..." He stared at Sirius' new car, his eyes full of eagerness.

Bill naturally didn't refuse and handed the car keys to him.

Mr. Weasley took the keys and, as he looked up, he spotted Kyle exiting the department store window.

"Did you finish talking with Headmistress Saxia?" He asked.

"Yes, we finished."

Speaking of this, Kyle felt a twinge in his chest... 7000 Galleons gone in the time it took to drink tea, and it would be a lie to say he didn't feel the loss.

However, Mr. Weasley was unaware of what had happened. He pointed to the car, "Come on, get in. I'll go call the others, and we'll all leave together."

"No need, Mr. Weasley," Kyle shook his head and took out a teapot from his pocket. "I just had Headmistress Saxia help me make a Portkey that goes directly to Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade?"

"Yes, I signed the Stay-at-School List, so technically, I'm sneaking out this time..." Kyle glanced at the time and quickly added, "Sorry, Mr. Weasley, but I only have one minute before the Portkey takes effect. I must hurry."

"Oh, alright," said Mr. Weasley. He opened the car door, "Want to come inside? There's plenty of space."

Kyle had intended to go to the phone booth, but hearing Mr. Weasley's offer, he didn't refuse and climbed into the car.

...

When Kyle returned to Hogwarts, it was already 7 o'clock, just in time for dinner.

This year, the number of students staying at school was small, only about thirty, so the Great Hall had been rearranged, leaving only the central table. All the students and professors who stayed sat together for the meal.

Fortunately, Kyle didn't see Umbridge at the table, which was a relief.

Not seeing her there was indeed good news; otherwise, Kyle might not have been able to eat.

Dumbledore was also absent. Professor Flitwick led them in singing Christmas carols, and as per tradition, he pulled a colorful ribbon cracker.

The ribbon crackers contained various trinkets, such as wizard hats of different styles and Wizard Chess sets. Professor Flitwick himself happily put on a leather wizard hat.

Kyle also opened a hat adorned with glittering sequins, but he didn't keep it for himself. Instead, he planned to give it to Snuffles as a Christmas present.

For Snuffles, such shiny objects were like priceless treasures.

Soon, the table was filled with a sumptuous feast.

Conna spread orange marmalade on a piece of toast and asked quietly, "How is Professor Black doing?"

"The Runesnake Venom in his body has been cleaned up," Kyle said, "I think in a few more days, he should be able to leave the hospital."

"That's good."

"By the way, when did Umbridge leave school?"

"Probably today or maybe last night," Conna thought for a moment, "I didn't see her all day today."

"You won't see her for the next two weeks either," Kyle smiled.

"Yes," Conna also smiled, "It's really the best Christmas present."

Although the number of students staying was small, the dinner wasn't any less lively than usual. During dessert, Professor McGonagall created twenty dancing snowmen, making the Great Hall resemble a Christmas ball.

After dinner, these snowmen turned into ice sculptures, frozen in various poses around the Great Hall.

Everyone applauded, and amidst laughter, they returned to their respective common rooms.

The next day was Christmas.

When Kyle woke up that morning, he found gifts almost filling half the room.

Since he woke up late, Kyle was busy until noon, finally finishing unwrapping all the presents.

Most of the gifts were books and candies, as usual. He couldn't remember when he last shopped at Honeydukes.

Kyle received a homemade chocolate from Connor, which surprisingly tasted quite good. Inside, there seemed to be some potion, and after consuming it, his morning grogginess vanished, and he felt much more energized.

It was somewhat like a Wakefulness Potion, but the flavor was slightly different, a pleasant vanilla scent.

Additionally, Mrs. Weasley sent a Christmas jumper, a gray one that felt very comfortable.

Hagrid gifted him a leather wallet with sharp teeth, along with a note explaining it as an anti-theft wallet, ensuring the safety of Galleons stored within.

Hagrid's claim proved true, but the wallet had one issue—it didn't recognize its owner. Even Kyle couldn't retrieve his money once it was placed inside.

Professor Snape's present was a bottle of air.

Dumbledore's gift was a woolen scarf.

Furthermore, Headmistress Saxia also sent a Christmas gift... a bottle of Felix Felicis.

After seeing the dazzling golden bottle, Kyle lost interest in the remaining presents.

"I should've saved this for last," Kyle muttered.

After opening all the gifts, Kyle left the dormitory and headed to the Great Hall with Connor.

The ice sculptures were still there, now adorned with additional extravagant robes, also created through magic, seemingly the work of Professor Flitwick.

After the Christmas lunch, Connor was ready to head to the library, intending to read at least three books related to potions during the holiday, as planned.

Kyle left the castle alone and made his way to Hagrid's cabin.

It was unclear if it was due to Umbridge or some other reason, but Hagrid's mood had been off lately.

When Kyle arrived, Hagrid was sitting beside the pumpkin patch, cooking a pot of sticky substance. Next to him was an empty bucket, likely preparing food for some magical creature.

"Merry Christmas, Hagrid, what's that?" Kyle greeted him, frowning.

Hagrid seemed deep in thought and was startled by Kyle's voice.

"Merry Christmas, Kyle," he replied, lifting his head. "It's just some meat, offal, and a thick stew with rock cakes. It's for Fluffy. He likes it."

"Oh, I see," Kyle nodded. No matter how strange, anything related to the three-headed dog instantly became reasonable.

That magical creature was truly unpicky and never cared about the appearance of its food.

Kyle transfigured a chair for himself and sat next to Hagrid. "What's been going on with you lately?"

"What?" Hagrid asked. "I'm fine."

"Then why were you ten minutes late for class, and you've never been late before. Plus..." Kyle glanced at Hagrid's face, "how did you get that bruise?"

Hagrid had a fresh bruise with a noticeable dark circle, as if hit by a Bludger.

"No, it's nothing," Hagrid quickly lowered his head, attempting to cover his eyes with his hands. "I just... bumped into a tree."

"You bumped into it precisely, huh?" Kyle said with a smile, not exposing his blatant lie.

"Well... it's actually because of that annoying Umbridge," Hagrid stammered. "She told me that if I don't improve my teaching by the end of the holiday, she'll put me on the Stay-at-School List."

Hagrid's tone gradually became more fluent, and he angrily threw a piece of wood into the fire. The pot immediately started bubbling.

"But what would satisfy her... I mean, she always finds an excuse to criticize my class, no matter what I do. Even when I speak normally, she takes it as if I'm intimidating students."

"It's ridiculous. She's clearly doing it on purpose because I said I'd always support Dumbledore!"

"Of course, that's what she's here for," Kyle said.

Hagrid sighed, not wanting to continue the conversation. "Why didn't you go home for the holiday?" he changed the subject. "I thought you'd go to Sirius's place like Harry."

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"I plan to do something..." Kyle said, "but it has to be at school, and when Umbridge isn't around. I need your help."

"No problem," Hagrid didn't hesitate, immediately replying, "Just tell me what you need."

"Not yet," Kyle waved his hand, "I want to ask you something first."

"What is it?"

"About the school's owls, have there been any abnormalities lately?" Kyle asked, "like injuries or missing letters?"

"How did you know?" Hagrid asked angrily, "There haven't been missing letters, but there have been injured owls, and not just one."

"I don't know who did it, but if I catch the bastard who attacked the owls, I'll teach him a lesson."

"Great," Kyle said subconsciously.

"What? You must be mistaken," Hagrid frowned, his expression serious. "The owls being attacked likely means someone is trying to steal the letters they carry. This is no small matter."

"Let him see it, no need to catch him. Just throw it at him if you want." Kyle smiled and said, "I have a plan that might get Umbridge out of Hogwarts."

Hagrid couldn't be bothered to cover his eyes anymore and immediately looked over.

"Go on, what can I do?"

"It's simple. Go to the Owl Post Office and send a letter to Hogwarts."

"What?" Hagrid thought he might have misheard and couldn't help but ask, "You want me to go to the Owl Post Office and send a letter to Hogwarts?"

"That's right," Kyle said, "Not only that, but you also need to instruct the owl to fly in a big circle when sending the letter, creating the illusion of it coming from different directions."

Hagrid was even more confused, unable to fathom Kyle's intention for doing this.

However, Kyle didn't explain, he just handed over a thick stack of parchment and said, "These are the letters you need to send. Just write your name as the recipient."

Hagrid took the parchment and couldn't help but glance at it.

Interestingly, although these were all given to him by Kyle, the handwriting on each letter was different.

Hagrid looked at the first letter, and the handwriting was quite messy.

"I gladly accept your invitation, Albus. How about we meet at the usual spot, and we can discuss in detail that matter you mentioned before."

"Is this a letter to Professor Dumbledore?" Hagrid thought.

But isn't Kyle at school? Why go to the trouble of writing a letter to discuss something with the headmaster when he could just talk to him directly?

Hagrid looked at the second letter.

The handwriting on this one was much neater, completely different from the first, as if written by another person.

"Professor Dumbledore, I have conveyed your message to my uncle, and he has expressed his full support for you.

"Additionally, my friends and I share the same thoughts, and we're eagerly awaiting the end of this Christmas break."

Has Professor Dumbledore made a new decision? How does Kyle have another uncle... I've never heard of Chris having a brother.

Hagrid continued reading, and the handwriting changed again.

"You should have done this long ago, Albus. See you on the 20th."

Is there an operation planned for the 20th?

The more Hagrid read, the more bewildered he became, feeling various doubts flooding into his mind.

He now felt like he had been hit with a Memory Charm, remembering nothing.

"Don't read them, Hagrid. These are just made up," Kyle patted Hagrid's arm and said, "And they're not meant for you to read."

Hagrid raised his head, feeling a sense of relief.

"Are these letters to Professor Dumbledore?"

"Not exactly," Kyle shook his head, "These are for those who sneak a peek at the letters.

"Hagrid, when you send the letters, remember not to choose too diligent owls. It's best to pick the type that drops the letters and runs at the first sign of trouble."

"That's not easy," Hagrid said, "Owls are always diligent. At least I've never seen a situation like that."

After realizing he couldn't possibly guess Kyle's intentions, Hagrid didn't bother thinking about it anymore. Whatever Kyle said, he would just do it.

"It's fine, ask away. You might get it right," Kyle said.

The two discussed some details, mainly Kyle instructing Hagrid on what to do, until the cauldron next to them started to emit a faint burnt smell, prompting Hagrid to hastily extinguish the fire with dirt.

"I need to feed Grawp his lunch now. Let's continue later, shall we?" Hagrid glanced at the direction of the Forbidden Forest, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Grawp?" Kyle raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you just say this was for Grawp?"

Hagrid closed his mouth abruptly, looking at Kyle in a fluster.

"Yes, for Grawp, that's right." Hagrid stammered, "Grawp... that's the name I gave to his middle head."

"I thought Grawp was a giant's name," Kyle said casually, "I didn't know there would be a giant in the Forbidden Forest, right?"

"You're right," Kyle smiled and said, "Now, you'd better get going. That's all for me.

"Oh, and one more thing, remember to choose encrypted delivery when sending the letters. Ask the post office to add a small anti-Muggle charm to the letters, the kind that requires a spell to open."

Kyle took a Galleon from his pocket and handed it to Hagrid, "Here's a Galleon for you."

Hagrid's expression turned sour.

"What are you doing?" he said with dissatisfaction, "I'm just helping to send letters. Why would I take your money?"

Kyle wanted to say something, but Hagrid's face was getting more and more unpleasant.

"Alright then," Kyle, realizing Hagrid was upset, could only shrug and put the Galleon back in his pocket.

"That's better," Hagrid smiled and said, "I'll go to the Owl Post Office this afternoon. Don't worry."

"No rush," Kyle said, "Just not too many letters in one day."

"No problem," Hagrid readily agreed.

...

(End of Chapter)

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