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Chapter 708: A Letter
Chapter 708: A Letter
"What did Connor give you?" Fred and George flanked Kyle, their eyes gleaming with curiosity, as they prodded him to reveal his gift.
Without hesitation, Kyle opened the box. Inside lay a robe, but its style was markedly different from the common British design. It was more ornate and elegant, resembling a formal gown.
The brown fabric featured a unique light-colored pattern that, upon closer inspection, was created by intertwining two different shades of fabric—brown on the ends and light gray in the middle—in a specific manner.
"I've seen a scarf made of similar material in Hogsmeade," Fred remarked thoughtfully.
George racked his brains. "I remember the shop owner saying it was made from the neck hair of a… Leicrot, Leicrot something. Anyway, it's a rare magical creature."
"Leicroth," Kyle supplied.
"That's the one!" Fred nodded vigorously.
The Leicroth was a large magical creature resembling a moose, distinguished by its unbelievably huge mouth. When fully open, it could easily swallow a cow whole. Despite its fearsome appearance, it was a gentle, herbivorous creature.
While the Leicroth itself wasn't particularly rare, they were less common in Britain.
"Speaking of Connor, where has she disappeared to?" George inquired. "We've sent her loads of letters but haven't received a single reply."
"Do you know anything about it, Kyle?"
Kyle shrugged. "All I know is that Snape took her to the Extraordinary Potion-Making Association's assessment, but I have no idea where exactly. I haven't gotten any replies either." He paused, then added, "Though I suspect it might be in Northern Europe."
He based this guess on the fact that Leicroths preferred colder climates. Witches and wizards in places like Denmark and Norway often favored robes and cloaks made from Leicroth hair for their superior warmth compared to wool.
"I hope she's doing well," Fred said sincerely.
"Enough chit-chat," George interrupted. "We'll know when school starts. Come on, Kyle, try it on!"
"It's August…" Kyle looked at him incredulously. "You want me to wear this now?"
"Just try it on, we're not asking you to wear it all the time," Fred cajoled.
"Fine," Kyle sighed, giving in to their eager expressions. He took the robe out and slipped it on.
Surprisingly, it fit him perfectly, as if it had been tailored just for him.
"Hmm," Kyle smoothed out the wrinkles on the robe, "it doesn't feel hot at all."
"Of course, you're not hot…" Fred shivered, rubbing his arms as if trying to ward off a chill. "It's suddenly gotten colder in here…"
George pulled his thin garment tighter around himself. "What's going on? Is it winter already?"
Before he could finish his sentence, a terrified scream pierced the air from upstairs.
"Drat!" Kyle suddenly recalled something important and turned on his heel, rushing up the stairs.
How could he have forgotten something so crucial!
In his haste, Kyle apparated directly to Harry's room on the third floor. He flung the door open with urgency.
As he had feared…
Inside the room, a Dementor hovered aimlessly in midair, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione huddled together in a corner, trembling.
The Dementor turned its hooded head toward Kyle and floated toward him.
"Be careful, don't come in!" Hermione screamed, her voice laced with panic. "There's a Dement…or?"
Her voice trailed off in confusion. She stared, wide-eyed, as Kyle opened a box, and the Dementor obediently jumped into it, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
But it was a Dementor—not a pet owl or cat.
Hermione was bewildered.
"Sorry," Kyle said sheepishly, "I temporarily used this box to contain the Dementor, but with everything that's been going on, I completely forgot about it."
"I-it's okay…" Harry stuttered, still shaking.
Thanks to Lupin's guidance, he had mostly overcome his fear of Dementors. However, the sudden appearance of the Dementor had startled him.
He had eagerly opened the box to put something inside when the lock sprang open, and a Dementor had emerged, its skeletal face inches from his own. Anyone would be terrified in that situation, so Harry deserved credit for not fainting on the spot.
"But Kyle, why on earth are you carrying a Dementor with you?" he asked, still shaken.
"I caught it," Kyle explained. "I was planning to turn it over to the Ministry, but as I mentioned, I forgot about it."
"What's going on here?"
The concerned adults had arrived, drawn by the commotion.
"I heard someone screaming," Sirius Black burst into the room, scanning the room for any signs of danger. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, we're fine," Harry replied, shooting a glance at Kyle. "We accidentally opened a prank item, and Ron got scared."
"I guess it's something similar to a snow-covered tree," Kyle offered.
Before Sirius could finish his sentence, Dumbledore walked in from outside, a nostalgic tone in his voice. "That was one of the most popular novelties a decade ago. It could make a whole tree look like it's covered in snow in just a few seconds."
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry stood up, glancing around sheepishly.
But Dumbledore seemed not to have noticed his furtive movement and continued, "However, I must remind you, Messrs. Weasley, that Professor McGonagall will certainly not approve of anyone bringing such items into the school."
"Oh, really?" Fred, unsure of what had just transpired, replied instinctively, "Then we won't sell it."
"Right," George chimed in. "We definitely won't have anything like that in our shop."
"That's excellent," Dumbledore smiled. "Sirius, if you don't mind, I could use a sip of whisky to warm up."
"Of course, Professor Dumbledore," Sirius nodded. "I recall we have a few bottles of aged Firewhisky in the basement cellar."
The adults left the room once more.
Harry patted his chest. "Do you think Professor Dumbledore figured it out?"
"Definitely," Hermione asserted. "Nothing gets past Dumbledore."
"Then why didn't he expose us?" Ron asked, perplexed.
"He probably didn't want to cause a panic, and let's not forget, Sirius has his own trauma involving Dementors," Kyle reasoned. "Anyway, thanks for covering for me."
"No problem, we're friends," Harry dismissed it with a wave of his hand, glancing at the box on the floor. "There's nothing else in there, is there?"
"Don't worry, definitely not," Kyle assured him. "Of course, if you're concerned, I can get you a different one."
"No, no, it's fine," Harry waved him off. "I quite like this box. But Kyle, I think you should tell everyone about it. I mean, how can you sleep at night knowing you have a Dementor with you?"
Harry felt that if he were in the same room as a Dementor, even separated by a box, he wouldn't be able to sleep a wink.
"Don't worry, it's fine," Kyle said. "It's just for one night. I'll turn it over to the Ministry tomorrow."
"Alright then," Harry said, seeing that Kyle had made up his mind.
"That's a beautiful robe you have there," Hermione commented, eyeing Kyle's outfit. "Where did you get it? Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions? I don't recall seeing a similar style when I was there a few days ago."
"Oh, this was a gift from Connor, sent from abroad," Kyle explained as he took off the robe.
With the Dementor gone, the chill in the room dissipated, and the Leicroth hair did its job—in just a few minutes, he was perspiring.
"I see," Hermione said, taking another glance at the robe.
Harry invited Kyle to stay and play a game of Wizard's Chess, but Kyle declined.
He had more important matters to attend to and didn't intend to waste any more time.
Harry then invited Fred and George, but they also refused. Dumbledore's words had sparked an idea they were eager to pursue.
Even Dumbledore remembered it clearly, so they were confident it would be a hit. They decided to work through the night to recreate the snow-covered tree effect.
...
The room Sirius had prepared for Kyle was also on the third floor, right next to Harry's—just a few steps away.
Upon returning to his room, Kyle carefully closed the door and sat down at the desk, his heart racing as he took out the parchment that had been tucked in his pocket all this time.
Any wizard would be hard-pressed to remain calm upon encountering something related to the renowned wizard Merlin, even if they had already met the Hogwarts Four Founders and communicated with Rowena Ravenclaw face to face, as Kyle had.
While the Four Founders were also great wizards, there was something about the name 'Merlin' that evoked a different level of reverence; no wizard would exclaim "Grffindor's beard!" in a moment of excitement.
In a sense, the name 'Merlin' had become a symbol, unmatched by any other.
Earlier, during dinner, Kyle had only managed a quick glance at the parchment before putting it away. Now, he discovered there were five pieces of parchment.
However, the topmost sheet was blank except for the line he had seen earlier, likely serving a protective purpose to hide the actual content from prying eyes.
The bottommost sheet was the same—after all, Diana had warned him that the content would vanish if a second person laid eyes on it.
Kyle set aside the blank sheets and carefully examined the letter related to Merlin.
Of course, what he held in his hands was certainly not the original; the parchment was new, obviously created through magic, but that didn't matter.
Merlin, though a medieval wizard, predated the founding of Hogwarts by at least five centuries, making his Runic script vastly different.
This primitive Runic script was like a different language compared to what Kyle knew, and reading it gave him a throbbing headache.
While he could grasp some of the meanings, it was a strenuous task. There were passages where he didn't recognize half the characters, and they were not ones he could even guess at.
Initially, Kyle intended to memorize the content and study it at his leisure.
But soon, he encountered a peculiar difficulty.
The words seemed to have wings, for no sooner had he read them than they flew out of his mind.
Kyle retrieved a fresh piece of parchment, intending to transcribe the content... but to no avail.
Upon finishing, he discovered that he had copied it all wrong; not a single Runic character matched between the two parchments.
Kyle was certain the issue wasn't with him. He had transcribed it carefully, and even with the complexity, it was improbable that he had copied it all incorrectly.
The only explanation was that these parchments were enchanted to prevent any form of replication or recording.
Left with no choice, Kyle put everything away and went downstairs to find Sirius.
...
"Runic translation?" Sirius looked at Kyle quizzically. "What do you need that for?"
"I received something, but I can't understand it," Kyle explained.
Although he wasn't sure if the Black family's private library had what he needed, it was worth a try. As one of the oldest pure-blood families, they should have something.
"Primitive Runic script?" Dumbledore, who was sipping his drink nearby, gave Kyle a thoughtful look and murmured, "It seems you've received quite an extraordinary birthday gift."
Kyle felt no need to hide anything from the trustworthy people around him, so he explained, "It is..."
But as he opened his mouth, he found himself unable to speak.
"Don't worry," Dumbledore said, as if it were commonplace. "Items from the Department of Mysteries often come with peculiar restrictions."
Dumbledore seemed accustomed to such occurrences and calmly continued, "I experience similar issues at times. I know things, but I simply can't voice them. However, don't fret; this situation won't last long."
Hearing his words, Kyle nodded, deciding not to push himself to speak further.
Sirius, catching on, said, "The Black family should have quite a few books related to ancient Runic script, but I can't guarantee we have what you need.
"Here's what we'll do. I'll have Kreacher bring all the books here, and you can look through them yourself."
"No need for that," Dumbledore stood up and said, "If it's the oldest Runic translation you require, I happen to have a book that might help. Please wait a moment."
With that, Dumbledore disappeared.
He returned five minutes later and handed Kyle an old book.
"I've been pondering what gift to give you, and now it seems I don't have to worry about it."
Kyle reached out and took the book.
It was indeed old, its pages yellowed and worn from frequent use.
However, it was exactly what Kyle needed—a guide to primitive Runic script with simplified Runic translations.
"Thank you, Professor," Kyle said gratefully.
"You're welcome," Dumbledore replied. "Now, hurry back upstairs. If I'm not mistaken, what you've received likely has a time limit."
Kyle nodded and immediately disapparated back to the third floor.
With the translation aid, deciphering the parchment became less daunting.
Although he had to look up every other word, it was manageable.
More importantly, Kyle realized that this was a teaching letter, with Merlin instructing someone on how to cast the Iron Armor Charm... or 'Armor Defense,' as the letter called it. The effect, however, seemed to be the same.
【Combine 'Firmness' with 'Protection' and merge it with 'City Walls' to form a magical array at the tip of your wand...】
【'Earth' is the key...】
"No, that's not right," Kyle shook his head, muttering, "This part isn't referring to 'Earth,' but rather 'Continuous Growth.'"
The same Runic character could have multiple meanings, and the unabbreviated script made it even more challenging. Even with the translation aid, it required careful interpretation.
Kyle had to list all the possible interpretations and then modify them based on the context of the sentence, a time-consuming but intriguing task.
(End of Chapter)
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