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Chapter 683: Kyle and Dumbledore, Hurting Each Other
Chapter 683: Kyle and Dumbledore, Hurting Each Other
Dumbledore was delighted, especially when he saw Kyle's helpless expression; he almost laughed out loud.
The petty Headmaster of Hogwarts hadn't forgotten about the onslaught of owls that had flooded in, nor the letters that had poked fun at his ambition to become the Minister of Magic.
He had been contemplating how to give Kyle a taste of his own medicine, knowing that Kyle shared his disdain for the tedious work within the Ministry.
However, Fudge's public announcement in the newspaper about the Dark Lord's return was an unexpected surprise for Dumbledore.
He was well aware that all credit for this development belonged to Kyle, as Fudge's personality would never have allowed him to acknowledge such a thing unless the Dark Lord himself appeared and handed over his wand.
Due to this turn of events, he had initially dismissed the idea of retaliation. But, to his delight, Fudge provided him with a surprise that very afternoon.
Upon seeing the unconventional Ministry employment form, Dumbledore almost instinctively signed his name, agreeing to allow Kyle to work at the Ministry as a student.
Just as he had told Chris, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that couldn't be refused.
As for Kyle's opinion on the matter, it was irrelevant.
Dumbledore glanced at Kyle's silent, expressionless face... He had to admit, this feeling was rather pleasant, and it made him crave a slice of treacle tart.
However, when he noticed Kyle about to leave, Dumbledore called out to stop him.
"Is there something else, Professor?" Kyle asked without emotion. "I still need to go back and write a report."
"You're diving straight into work, then?" Dumbledore inquired. "Can you tell me what it's about? Perhaps I can be of assistance."
"Oh, it's simple..." Kyle replied calmly, "It's a report on reducing the salary and benefits of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I've always believed that even the Headmaster shouldn't be absent from school without a reason for two months."
"What a splendid suggestion," Dumbledore said with a smile, as if what Kyle had said had nothing to do with him.
"But I must clarify something," Kyle continued. "I did not leave without reason. On the contrary, I'm about to embark on something very important."
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a golden ring with an embedded gem immediately appeared on the desk in front of him.
Upon seeing the ring, Kyle's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh, I take it you recognize it," Dumbledore said, his eyes fixed on Kyle. His fingers tapped lightly on the desk.
"Yes, a Horcrux," Kyle said blandly. "I've seen it many times, so is this one also Voldemort's?"
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. He continued to observe Kyle's eyes, and after a moment, he said softly, "I believe that aside from him, there's probably no one else in the wizarding world who would create Horcruxes."
"Yes, perhaps," Kyle nodded.
"Speaking of which, I must thank you," Dumbledore said, extending his arm to reveal the scabbed-over blood marks.
"Are you injured, Professor?" Kyle asked.
"This is the punishment for breaking a contract," Dumbledore explained. "For some reason, I couldn't resist the temptation of this Horcrux and had the thought of using it.
"Fortunately, we had established that magical contract beforehand. If I had actually touched the ring, I might have been in mortal danger.
"I'm ashamed to admit that I always thought I could resist such temptations... You saved my life."
"It's nothing," Kyle shook his head. "Voldemort's arrogance always leads him to choose incredibly precious magical artifacts as vessels for his Horcruxes. To him, they may represent a symbol of honor, but to others, they are irresistible treasures.
"In fact, even Nicole almost couldn't resist putting on the Ravenclaw Diadem when she saw it. It's only natural that you would have such thoughts, Professor."
"Wait, did you just say the Ravenclaw Diadem?" Dumbledore blinked, looking at Kyle with a bewildered expression. "So, when did you find another Horcrux?"
"Cough, cough..."
Kyle realized he had let something slip and quickly tried to cover it up. "I meant the Slytherin Locket... The Diadem has been lost for almost a millennium; how could I possibly find it?"
But Dumbledore obviously wasn't going to buy such a lame excuse...
"Sometimes, the things we say unconsciously are the most truthful," he said complexly. "When did this happen?"
"Well..." Kyle whispered, "Not long ago. About a year ago, I guess."
"A year ago?" Dumbledore felt like someone had punched him in the chest.
The Ravenclaw Diadem, this legendary magical artifact, was considered a priceless treasure that all alchemists dreamed of seeing, and he was no exception.
And Kyle had found it but hadn't told him.
Moreover, from what Kyle had just implied, Nicole also knew about it but kept it from him.
Had the two of them conspired to keep him in the dark for an entire year? Was their friendship of nearly a century so insignificant?
Dumbledore recalled Nicole's seemingly clueless demeanor when they met yesterday, and he felt a chill in his heart. He couldn't help but ask, "Where is the Diadem?"
"That's right, Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the four founders of Hogwarts," Kyle said. "A part of her consciousness was attached to the Diadem, and both Nicole and I have communicated with her and gained valuable insights."
There was a loud bang as Dumbledore pressed his hand on the table. For a moment, his bright blue eyes lost their luster and turned dull.
"Professor, are you alright?" Kyle asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Dumbledore said stiffly, but he quickly regained his composure.
Although it was a pity to have missed the chance to communicate with Rowena Ravenclaw face-to-face, the fact that the Diadem was still in the school meant that he had another opportunity.
Additionally, this incident helped clear up one of Dumbledore's doubts.
Perhaps Kyle had genuinely wanted to bind himself with a magical contract out of caution. Dumbledore even thought that anyone who knew about the existence of Horcruxes and attempted to find them should use such a method to restrain themselves.
The Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, imbued with a part of her consciousness... Dumbledore couldn't think of anyone who could resist such temptation.
However, the one thing he couldn't understand was how Voldemort could have made such a precious object into a Horcrux... unless he was unaware of the consciousness within the Diadem.
Dumbledore didn't think Kyle was lying to him, as Nicole could easily verify the truth.
As Dumbledore pondered, Kyle had already moved closer to the table and was examining the ring carefully.
To be honest, it looked like a cheap Muggle craft, the kind you could buy five for a pound.
The only attractive feature, the gem, had a fine crack, as if it had been carelessly tossed aside and damaged.
"Professor..." Kyle asked softly, "Did you try to destroy the Horcrux by smashing it with Godric Gryffindor's sword?"
"Of course not." Dumbledore shook his head. "While Godric Gryffindor's sword is sharp, it cannot destroy a Horcrux. In fact, that crack is inherent to the Resurrection Stone itself.
I believe it was Cadmus Peverell who, upon realizing that the stone couldn't truly resurrect the dead, smashed it in a fit of anger."
Dumbledore seemed to be trying to regain some ground, and he explained the ring's origin in a calm tone, waiting to see Kyle's reaction, expecting him to exclaim in surprise, just as Snape had done.
"Oh, what a wasteful Dark Lord!"
Kyle did exclaim in surprise, but that was the extent of it.
"I assume you've read 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'?" Dumbledore asked. "Aren't you astonished to see one of the Deathly Hallows, the Resurrection Stone?"
"I am astonished," Kyle said, "but I've already seen another one, and I've studied it for a while. To be frank, it's just an advanced alchemical artifact.
Whether it's the Philosopher's Stone, the Time-Turner capable of traveling back a millennium, or Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, none of them are inferior to it."
"You've seen it?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, his fingers unconsciously reaching for his robe's pocket.
"Harry's Invisibility Cloak," Kyle said directly. "When I had nothing better to do, I browsed through 'Noble Lineage: A Wizarding Genealogy' at Sirius Black's house. It recorded the Peverell descendants, including the Gaunt and Potter families."
"Then why are you so sure that this Potter family is Harry's?" Dumbledore asked with interest.
"Because I remember Harry mentioning that his Invisibility Cloak was passed down from his father," Kyle explained.
"Mr. Potter's belongings would be at least twenty years old by now, yet the best Invisibility Cloaks in the market can only last a decade at most. That's the limit for Invisibility Cloaks made from Demiguise fur.
I believe Harry's Invisibility Cloak has endured for so long because it's the one that belonged to Ignotus Peverell."
"Impressive..." Dumbledore clapped his hands. "I think even Harry himself isn't aware of this."
"If he had read that genealogy book, he might have known," Kyle said. "But he had that book for two months and didn't even open a single page. In the end, he was going to throw it away as garbage."
"That is indeed one of Harry's biggest shortcomings," Dumbledore agreed.
"This Horcrux hasn't been destroyed yet," Kyle said, lifting his head. "I suggest you give it to Nicole. He can perfectly solve the Horcrux issue, and he has ample experience."
"In fact, I just returned from Devon," Dumbledore said. "But there seems to be some sort of curse magic on this Horcrux. If we don't deal with it first, Nicole's method won't work.
He suggested that I forcibly destroy the Horcrux, but I suddenly realized I seem to be lacking a weapon... I heard that you provided St. Mungo's with a thousand Galleons per pint of Basilisk venom."
"So, I gave you a discount." Kyle said nonchalantly.
"Alright, that's reasonable." Dumbledore smiled and promptly placed a bag on the table.
As Kyle handed over the vial, he casually asked, "Professor, how do you plan to deal with the curse afterwards? Since it was placed by Voldemort on the Horcrux, it should be quite dangerous.
"More importantly, if the Horcrux is destroyed, the contract will become useless, won't it?"
"You're right." Dumbledore nodded, "This contract only works on the Horcrux."
"Professor, I think it's better for me to keep this thing." Kyle glanced at Dumbledore's arm, "At least I won't think about touching it."
"I understand what you mean, Kyle, but that's absolutely not possible." Dumbledore said softly but firmly.
"Alright." Seeing Dumbledore's determination, Kyle dropped the topic of keeping the ring and prepared to leave.
However, as he reached the door, he turned and said, "I think you can find a Death Eater, throw the ring at him, and the curse will be lifted.
"Or a Dementor would do, too. Weren't there sixty of them who defected to Voldemort recently? Think of it as making good use of waste."
Dumbledore, who had been deep in thought, suddenly looked enlightened... Yes, how could he have forgotten about those Dementors.
Throwing the ring onto a Death Eater might be a bit inappropriate, but there was no need to worry about Dementors.
Those beings were a collection of all things evil, and they themselves were a form of curse.
More importantly, Dumbledore had recently located those Dementors on a small island to the south.
He had already planned to deal with those Dementors after the school holidays, so it would be convenient to take care of it along the way.
When Dumbledore looked up again, Kyle had already left the Headmaster's office, and the only company he had left was Fox, who was still sleeping on the perch.
Unconsciously, Dumbledore thought of Rowena Ravenclaw again, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed.
His intuition told him that Kyle had intentionally slipped up to get back at him for signing the employment form.
If that was indeed the case, then Kyle had succeeded, because he was feeling rather upset now.
The thought of Rowena Ravenclaw being in this castle, yet being unable to meet her, made Dumbledore so frustrated that he didn't even feel like eating cockroaches.
And it wasn't just him; even the portraits on the walls were gossiping about it.
Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the greatest witches of all time, possessed unparalleled wisdom and creativity, unmatched even a millennium later.
For a witch or wizard, the opportunity to exchange words with her would be an invaluable treasure.
Thus, those former Headmasters and Headmistresses stopped pretending to sleep and vanished into their respective frames in the blink of an eye.
Soon after, an interesting scene unfolded in the castle.
Someone noticed that the school's portraits suddenly featured faces they had never seen before.
The first to discover this was the Gryffindor group, as the Fat Lady, who was in charge of managing their common room, ignored their password and excitedly chatted with a witch with curly hair.
"Hey, pumpkin juice!" Seamus shouted the password for the third time, his tone becoming impatient.
But the Fat Lady showed no signs of opening the door, and to make matters worse, just as he was about to shout again, his voice was interrupted by a piercing scream.
The Fat Lady seemed to be extremely excited, and her scream was more ear-piercing than usual. Seamus instinctively covered his ears.
Then he watched in disbelief as the Fat Lady vanished into her frame with an agility that didn't match her usual demeanor.
In the corridor, five or six Gryffindor students looked at each other in bewilderment. Now that the Fat Lady was gone, how were they supposed to get in?
"Please, not this..." Neville said in despair, "I've been waiting outside for an hour already!"
Unfortunately, the Fat Lady had long disappeared into one of the frames, and she couldn't hear his pleas.
Fortunately, at that moment, the common room door was opened from the inside.
Harry seemed to be in a hurry as he rushed out, with Ron and Hermione following close behind.
"Oh, thank goodness, you..." Neville began to express his gratitude, but the trio had already disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
"They're always like that, mysterious and who-knows-what-they're-up-to." Seamus said nonchalantly as he quickly grabbed the door before it closed, "Alright, let's go in. I hope the Fat Lady comes back soon, or I'll be stuck in the common room all day."
With that, he quickly entered the passage behind the door.
Neville also hurriedly followed.
...
(End of Chapter)
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