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Chapter 663: Snape's Unique Ability
Chapter 663: Snape's Unique Ability
Even though it wasn't Dumbledore's signature, Snape's name carried a lot of weight as well.
Five minutes before dinner started that day, Snape arrived in the Great Hall with a house-elf in tow.
Perhaps due to being tormented for several days, Harry seemed to have developed a peculiar sense of awareness. Instinctively, he lifted his head and looked in Snape's direction the moment he entered the Great Hall.
At the same time, he also noticed the house-elf beside Snape.
"Dobby?" Harry called out uncertainly after Snape had left.
He felt that the house-elf resembled the one from his second year, the one who had desperately tried to protect him and belonged to the Malfoy family.
However, he wasn't entirely sure.
Back then, that house-elf had been wearing a dirty and tattered tea towel, but now... Well, Harry had never seen an elf dressed so appropriately before.
He wore a hand-knitted wide-brimmed hat that perfectly concealed his large ears, and he carried a brand-new brown briefcase in his hand.
He donned a spotlessly clean jacket that seemed tailored for him, featuring a modern style with pockets of various shapes. The material resembled the dragon keeper's uniform Charlie wore, appearing sturdy and durable.
As for the boots on his feet, Harry couldn't quite tell if they were made from cowhide or dragonhide.
They didn't resemble cowhide, but it seemed a bit over the top for a house-elf to be wearing dragonhide boots.
Moreover, given that house-elves generally looked very similar, it was understandable that Harry couldn't be completely certain.
It was only when the house-elf excitedly waved at him and exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "Mr. Harry Potter remembers Dobby! Dobby is so happy!" that Harry was convinced.
"It really is you," Harry said in surprise. "But how did you end up with Snape? Are you working for him?"
"No, Dobby works for Mr. Scamander," the house-elf replied.
"Scamander?" Harry furrowed his brows, feeling that the name was very familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.
"Yes, Mr. Scamander asked Dobby to come to Hogwarts to find Professor Snape, so Dobby came," the house-elf explained.
Upon hearing that it was related to Snape, Harry immediately lost interest in the person and instead asked, "What brings you to Hogwarts?"
As he asked this question, Harry suddenly felt a sense of unease that he couldn't quite explain.
Perhaps it was because of what Dobby had done in the past... He had claimed to want to protect Harry, but he had also intercepted letters and sealed the passage to the train station, causing no end of trouble for Harry.
Harry was truly afraid that Dobby would try to 'protect' him again.
"Dobby is here to find Mr. Kyle," the house-elf suddenly remembered his task and looked around.
At that moment, Kyle happened to walk in from outside.
"Oh, Mr. Kyle," Dobby hurried over to him.
Seeing this, Harry breathed a sigh of relief... As long as it wasn't to protect him, it was fine.
However, for some reason, the feeling of unease didn't dissipate with Dobby's departure; instead, it became more pronounced.
"Maybe it's because I've been attacked by Snape too many times..." Harry could only comfort himself, unable to think of any other reason.
On the other side, Kyle was also surprised to see Dobby running towards him.
"I thought Newt would come," Kyle said.
"Mr. Scamander said that it's not suitable for him to appear at Hogwarts right now, so he sent Dobby instead," Dobby explained.
"No, it would have been perfect if he had come now," Kyle muttered in disappointment.
But since Dobby was already here, he couldn't very well send him back...
"Never mind," Kyle said. "Follow me."
He led Dobby to the empty common room and asked, "Did you bring it?"
"It's here," Dobby said, holding up the briefcase. "Mr. Kyle, are you sure there's no one else here? Mr. Scamander said that this mustn't be seen by anyone else, or you'll be expelled from school."
"Don't worry, everyone else has gone to the Great Hall. It's just the two of us here," Kyle assured him.
"That's good," Dobby said, opening the case to reveal a pair of eyes as blue as sapphires within.
"And this," Dobby added, taking out a bulging bag.
"What's this?" Kyle asked.
"Mrs. Scamander just made these grapefruit cookies. She asked me to bring some to you," Dobby explained.
When Kyle returned to the Great Hall, dinner had already started.
"Where's the house-elf?" Connor asked, looking around him.
"He's gone," Kyle replied, taking out two cookies from the bag and handing them to Connor. "Try these and see how they are."
Connor took a bite and his eyes lit up. "They're delicious! Where did you get them? From the Hogwarts kitchen?"
"No, they're from Tina... Mrs. Scamander. Her baking skills come from a fantastic baker," Kyle explained. "If you like them, I can take you to meet her during the holidays..."
"I'm sorry, but Connor will be going to Austria during the holidays for the assessment to join the Extraordinary Potioneers' Association, so I won't be able to accompany you to meet Mrs. Scamander," a cold, snake-like voice interrupted from behind.
Kyle felt a chill down his neck as he turned to see Snape standing expressionlessly behind him.
"Professor, I didn't realize you were there," Kyle said with a forced laugh.
"Of course you didn't," Snape said, narrowing his eyes. "Where is it? Give it to me."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Kyle said. "The child has just arrived here and hasn't adapted yet. It will attack any strangers who approach it.
"Of course, Professor, you would certainly be able to handle it, but it would be troublesome if you were accidentally injured or if it was hurt. Why don't you leave this minor matter to me?"
"What about tomorrow?"
Snape stared at him for a while longer, then leaned in close and said meaningfully, "Then remember, don't let me see you again..."
With that, he straightened up and strode out of the Great Hall.
Only when his figure had completely disappeared did Kyle let out a long sigh of relief.
He glanced at the uneaten roasted bread and sausage on his plate and decided to push them aside, planning to bring them back to the pouch-bellied leopard later to try something new. He then got himself a fresh plate.
Who knew if Snape had added some special "ingredients" to his food just now? Although the possibility of such an occurrence was slim, Kyle still felt it was better to be cautious.
Watching his actions, Connor couldn't help but laugh and reached for another cookie.
Kyle sighed.
The most annoying thing about Snape was that he walked almost silently and always managed to appear nearby at critical moments.
Kyle had experienced this several times, and it was indeed bothersome.
After dinner, Connor still went to the library as usual, intending to read some more before the curfew.
Kyle, relieved to finally be free from writing plans for the day, didn't accompany her.
On the other hand, Harry returned to the dormitory.
With everyone else gone home, there was no one to chat with, and a bored Harry lay down on his bed and dozed off.
...
The next day.
Although reluctantly, Harry still arrived at the underground classroom at the appointed time.
It was one minute before nine, and Harry stood in the corridor as he usually did, preparing to enter the room when the clock struck nine.
However, the door to the office was opened from the inside.
Kyle walked out and happened to meet Harry's gaze.
"I was just about to come looking for you," Kyle said. "We're not studying here today. Let's change locations."
"Where are we going?" Harry asked.
"The eighth floor, Room of Requirement," Kyle replied.
"Room of Requirement..." Harry tensed up immediately. "Does Snape know about that place, too?"
"No, he doesn't know yet. I chose this place," Kyle said as he started walking up the stairs. "You mentioned before that you wanted to learn Occlumency from me, right? Snape agreed."
"Really?"
Harry felt a surge of excitement, feeling that this was the best news he had heard in nearly a month.
"Yeah, of course, it's true," Kyle said casually. "But there's something I must remind you. I don't know how to teach Occlumency to others... Don't look at me like that, I really don't know."
Seeing Harry's suspicious expression, Kyle continued, "However, if you agree, I can recommend the way I learned Occlumency."
"I definitely agree!" Harry said eagerly. "As long as I don't have to see Snape again."
"Don't jump the gun..." Kyle muttered.
Soon, the two arrived at the eighth floor, and Kyle opened the door to the Room of Requirement and stepped inside, with Harry following closely behind.
He found himself in an enormous room, so vast that he couldn't see the edges. Instead of a ceiling, there was a sky with drifting clouds overhead, and soft grass underfoot. Not far away, there was a lake about the size of the Black Lake.
For a moment, Harry thought he was outside on the grounds.
"This place is amazing..." Harry closed his eyes, relishing the gentle breeze on his face.
As expected of Kyle, just the choice of this study location far surpassed Snape's.
Learning Occlumency in such a comfortable place would undoubtedly be much better than in Snape's dim and cramped office!
"What do I need to do?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Hold on a moment," Kyle said, clapping his hands.
Accompanied by a low roar, Harry suddenly found himself facing a...
Leopard... Tiger... Lion? Harry wasn't sure what kind of animal it was. It resembled a cat-like creature that had been enlarged many times over, but it had six legs.
Neither cats nor tigers should have six legs, right?
Harry's confusion was soon cleared up.
"This is a cat-leopard," Kyle explained. "The Ministry of Magic classifies it as a 5X magical beast, extremely dangerous."
Harry's eyes widened in terror, and he unconsciously took two steps back.
5X? So, it was on par with a fire dragon?
No wonder it had six legs! These oddly shaped magical beasts were not to be trifled with.
"Of course, this particular cat-leopard is special. It won't attack you," Kyle clarified.
To prove his point, he scratched the cat-leopard under its chin, causing it to purr contentedly and nuzzle against his hand, looking just like a larger house cat.
This eased Harry's worries, and he asked, "But Kyle, how did the Room of Requirement come to have this... um, cat-leopard?"
"I borrowed it, of course," Kyle continued. "In fact, this is the creature I learned Occlumency from in the first place.
"Cat-leopards are natural Legilimens. Like Tonks' metamorphmagus ability, their sapphire-blue eyes can see through everything, including your mind."
Harry subconsciously looked up into those blue eyes.
"You must be joking," he stammered. "I mean, how is this possible? It's just a magical creature; how could it possibly perform Legilimency?"
The cat-leopard let out a whimper.
"You already felt it, didn't you?" Kyle said with a smile. "This is the cat-leopard's unique ability, and the reason why they are classified as 5X magical beasts.
"Coupled with their intelligence, which far surpasses that of other magical creatures... to a certain extent, cat-leopards are even more dangerous than fire dragons."
Harry pressed his lips together.
"But I feel differently about it," he said. "Snape's Legilimency isn't like this."
"In fact, it's the same," Kyle shrugged. "It's just that Professor Snape used a more complex method to allow you to see his memories as well."
"I knew he had ulterior motives," Harry said involuntarily.
Kyle raised an eyebrow, unsure why Harry had suddenly made such a comment, but he didn't pay it much mind.
After being tormented by Snape for so long, it was natural for Harry to suspect his intentions, and that was understandable.
"All right, let's continue." Kyle took out a piece of warthog meat and fed it to the cat-leopard, saying, "My method is actually similar to Professor Snape's. We're both using Legilimency to force you to learn Occlumency. The only difference is that instead of me attacking you, it will be the cat-leopard."
"You want me to face the cat-leopard?" Harry shrieked, his voice changing pitch.
He felt that his odds against the cat-leopard were only about thirty percent.
He could hold out for three minutes while the cat-leopard ate its fill... Was Kyle really asking him to take on a magical beast on par with a fire dragon? That seemed a bit much.
He then heard a low whimper.
"The cat-leopard says it won't take that long. You'll last a minute at most..." Kyle said casually.
Harry's face paled even further, and his legs began to tremble. All he wanted was to learn a spell; he didn't think he'd have to risk his life for it.
"I'm just kidding, don't be nervous." Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "Rest assured, I learned Occlumency from this very cat-leopard, and it has plenty of teaching experience. It knows how to hold back."
"If you regret your decision, I can always send you back to the underground classroom."
"No!" Harry said firmly. "I'd rather face the cat-leopard than go back there."
"In that case, think it over carefully," Kyle said. "If you choose to stay here, you won't be able to leave until school starts, unless you can master Occlumency beforehand."
"What about meals and sleep?" Harry asked.
"You'll do that here as well." Kyle pointed to a small cabin in the distance. "That's where you'll stay. It's furnished similarly to your dormitory. As for meals... I'll have a house-elf bring them to you."
"Okay." Harry agreed almost without hesitation.
Once he was certain there was no danger, Harry's fear subsided, and he even felt a tinge of excitement.
Learning a spell from a 5X magical beast was certainly not an opportunity that came by often. Ron would definitely be envious if he knew, and even Hermione would be surprised to learn that magical beasts could be teachers too.
"What do I need to do?"
"It's simple." Kyle took two steps back. "Just try not to get beaten too badly."
Before Harry could comprehend what that meant, the once docile cat-leopard pounced, its movement as swift as lightning.
His instinct was to dodge, but the cat-leopard seemed to anticipate his thoughts, shifting its body to block his path.
Its tail, like a whip, struck Harry with pinpoint accuracy, sending him flying.
Harry cried out, clutching his arm and wincing in pain.
"Wait, this isn't what we agreed on..." Harry started to say, but the cat-leopard was already in front of him again.
That same tail, like an iron rod, slashed through the air towards him.
Harry rolled on the spot, and then... he was sent flying in the opposite direction.
"Harry, don't forget about Occlumency!" Kyle shouted from the sidelines. "The cat-leopard can see through your thoughts. Simply dodging won't work; use Occlumency!
"Only when it can't read your mind will you have a chance to evade its attacks."
His response was another cry of pain as he arced gracefully through the air and landed in the lake, creating a large splash.
Although this lake was merely an illusion, with the deepest part only reaching up to a normal person's calf, the sight of Harry soaked through was still a bit heart-wrenching.
So, Kyle chose not to look.
After giving the cat-leopard a few more instructions, he turned and left the Room of Requirement.
"That's better."
As he stepped out into the corridor, Kyle breathed a sigh of relief. With a cheerful mood, he began to descend the stairs.
Whether or not Harry would learn Occlumency depended on these next few days, and in the meantime, he could focus on his own affairs.
As for Harry's safety, Kyle wasn't worried in the slightest.
In addition to the cat-leopard, there were two domesticated house-elves farther away in the room. In case of any emergencies, they would immediately use Disapparition to take Harry to safety.
Moreover, Fox would also stop by several times a day.
Kyle himself hadn't had such a luxurious setup when he was learning Occlumency, so Harry should count himself lucky.
(End of Chapter)
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