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Chapter 715: Cona's Transfer
Chapter 715: Cona's Transfer
Harry had never experienced such an excruciating lunch. For the entire afternoon, Professor Slughorn spent half the time rambling on about topics he found fascinating and the other half reminiscing about the past.
He shared amusing anecdotes about famous witches and wizards, revealing that during their time at Hogwarts, they had all joined an organization called the Sniveling Club.
This renowned club, he proudly claimed, was founded by him, with its name derived from the first half of his surname.
It had started as a joke, but Professor Slughorn found it amusing and decided to keep it.
Time flew by, and it wasn't until the evening shadows crept in that this so-called lunch gathering finally came to an end.
"I didn't even notice they had lit the lamps," Professor Slughorn exclaimed in surprise, as if he had just realized how much time had passed.
"Well, as much as we'd like to linger, you must hurry back to change into your school uniforms..." Professor Slughorn turned to Kyle and Harry, "You're always welcome to come find me, and the same goes for the rest of you."
Several Slytherin students stood up and began gathering their belongings slowly. Only when Kyle, who was sitting by the door, left the compartment did they follow him out.
"It's finally over," Neville sighed with relief outside the compartment.
"Yeah," a voice agreed from the side.
It was Billy Belby, who glanced back at the compartment and then winked at Kyle and Harry. "Let me tell you something," he whispered, "I actually have a pretty good relationship with my uncle."
"Then why did you say that earlier?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"This is what my uncle taught me," Billy said in a low voice. "He doesn't really like Professor Slughorn's ways. When he learned that Professor Slughorn was returning to Hogwarts, my uncle predicted what would happen. So, he specifically told me that as long as I pretend not to know him, I can easily avoid those boring gatherings. And it turned out just as he said, didn't it?"
"You're so lucky," Harry muttered.
"Haha," Billy laughed, "but this method doesn't work for you. I'm sure he'll be looking for you."
"Please don't say that," Harry sighed.
He had already anticipated this, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Good luck to you," Billy waved and walked into a nearby compartment.
"Kyle," Harry asked at this moment, "I noticed you were listening very intently earlier. How did you manage that?"
"It's simple," Kyle rubbed his forehead, "Do you remember the Daydream Charm? I was actually sleeping just now."
"The Daydream Charm... Isn't that a product from Weasley's Joke Shop?" Harry recalled.
"No, that's not right," Kyle said, "I remember that when using the Daydream Charm, you'd have a blank expression and drool."
Harry remembered it clearly because it was a patented product of Weasley's Joke Shop and was placed in the most prominent position.
But Kyle didn't look like he was sleeping at all just now.
"There's something you don't know," Kyle explained with a smile, "The Daydream Charm was originally invented with the same purpose as the Quick Escape Candy. If it's that obvious, what's the point?"
"But I clearly remember..."
"That was added on purpose to confuse any professors who might visit the shop," Kyle said with a smile.
Harry immediately showed a look of annoyance on his face. Why didn't Fred and George tell him about something so important!
"Okay, let's hurry back!" Kyle glanced at the sky outside, "The train should be arriving soon."
The group quickened their pace and returned to the last carriage. Harry followed along.
As Prefects, Hermione and Ron had to maintain order, and Harry, being alone, could go wherever he wanted.
On the other side, in the Slytherin sixth-year carriage...
"Well, Sabini," Draco Malfoy asked, "What's Slughorn up to?"
"He's just trying to curry favor with those who have connections to influential people," Sabini said contemptuously.
"Who are they?" Pansy asked from the side.
"Cormac McLaggen from Gryffindor," Sabini replied.
"His uncle is a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic..." Malfoy said nonchalantly.
"Billy Belby from Ravenclaw."
"He's a fool," Pansy chuckled.
Sabini mentioned a few more names, but without exception, they were all ridiculed. Especially when Neville was mentioned, Pansy openly mocked Slughorn's taste, thinking he must be senile to invite such a universally acknowledged idiot.
"Oh, and there's Potter, and Kyle from Hufflepuff," Sabini shrugged, "You didn't see how enthusiastic Slughorn was. Someone who didn't know better might think they had a close relationship."
This time, Malfoy remained silent, and even the usually sharp-tongued Pansy closed her mouth.
The atmosphere became a bit awkward. Pansy peeled a piece of chocolate and tried to feed it to Malfoy, but he dodged it.
"Don't be angry, Draco," Pansy said, "Slughorn probably didn't know you were on the train, so he didn't invite you."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Sabini interjected, "I noticed that Professor Slughorn didn't invite anyone with Death Eater connections... Mr. Malfoy has been wanted by the Aurors for two months now, hasn't he?"
"Why should I care about his opinion?" Malfoy chuckled, "I might not even be at Hogwarts next year. Some grumpy old fool doesn't like me, so what?
"You'll never know what I'm up to, and that's more important and exciting."
The entire compartment fell silent again.
Sabini tentatively asked, "Are you referring to... him?"
Malfoy shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
But this response only earned him Sabini's scorn.
"Who do you think you are..." Sabini said sharply, "You're only sixteen. What makes you think you're qualified to work for him?"
"The fact is, I am!" Malfoy said softly, "The Dark Lord doesn't care about age; he only cares about capability and how one demonstrates loyalty.
"And some things are not about age. Once I accomplish this, I'll become his most trusted person... because only I can do it."
Crabbe and Goyle stared at Malfoy, their mouths agape, and the sarcasm in Sabini's eyes gradually faded.
He didn't think Malfoy had the nerve to lie about such matters.
Could it be true? Had he gained the Dark Lord's trust at the age of sixteen?
Perhaps it was jealousy that twisted Sabini's expression.
But Malfoy didn't notice any of this. Perhaps it was the first time he had been looked down upon, or maybe for some other reason, but his gaze gradually became determined, as if he had made up his mind about something.
...
The train gradually slowed down and eventually came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station.
As the carriage door opened, Kyle was the first to step out.
"Kyle," Harry called out from behind, "I thought you were a Prefect too. Aren't you supposed to maintain order?"
"Oh, I forgot." Kyle said without turning back, "But since I'm already out, I'll just leave it at that. They'll be fine."
He quickly made his way towards the carriages.
Harry hesitated for a moment and didn't follow. He had agreed with Ron and Hermione to wait for them here.
On the other side, Kyle didn't care if Harry followed or not and headed straight for the long row of carriages.
Usually, the carriages would only depart when they were filled with four people, but Kyle seemed to have managed this with a piece of bacon.
One carriage left the main group and headed down the path towards the castle.
The Hogwarts Express moved swiftly, and within minutes, it arrived at the familiar grand wooden gates.
Kyle climbed the steps and entered the castle.
"Why are you here alone?" Professor McGonagall, who was waiting at the entrance, glanced behind Kyle... The next carriage was still at the school gates.
"I had something to take care of, so I came early." Kyle explained. "Sorry, Professor McGonagall, but I need to go to the Common Room first."
"Alright, go ahead." Professor McGonagall said, "Remember to attend the welcoming feast later."
Kyle nodded.
He planned to check the Common Room first to see if Cona had returned. If not, he would go and ask Snape.
Kyle thought that Snape probably wouldn't tell him... Perhaps Dumbledore knew as well.
After passing through the entrance hall, Kyle arrived at the corridor leading to the kitchen.
But just as he was about to take out his wand and tap the wooden barrel, the Common Room door opened on its own.
Cona, wearing her school uniform, emerged from inside.
"Kyle!" She exclaimed with some surprise, "I was just heading to the Great Hall. Have you returned?"
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"Oh, yes." Kyle put down his wand and couldn't help but ask, "By the way, why didn't you take the train?"
Cona walked towards the Great Hall with a hint of surprise.
"Actually," she said after a moment of silence, "I almost couldn't come back to Hogwarts this year."
"Couldn't come back?" Kyle frowned, "Was that Professor Snape's decision?"
"Yes," Cona nodded and said, "Right after the holiday, he took me to Norway to participate in the assessment of the Association of Exceptional Potion Masters.
Everything was going well until yesterday, when we left Norway. He then took me directly to France and said that he had already arranged for me to attend Beauxbatons this year."
A commotion erupted around them as they had reached the Great Hall.
"I've been wondering why I had to learn French," Cona continued, "I thought the assessment for the Association of Exceptional Potion Masters would be conducted by a French wizard, but it turns out it was for this."
Kyle stood at the entrance, not entering.
He suddenly thought that perhaps it would be good for Cona to attend Beauxbatons this year, as it was a safe place.
But why did she come back? Could it be Snape... No, it couldn't be.
If Snape had decided to keep Cona in France, he wouldn't have brought her back; there's no point in doing so.
But if it wasn't Snape...
"You didn't go to see Madame Maxime, did you?
"He turned and asked.
'That's what I thought too.' Cona gave a cunning smile. 'Although I don't know why Professor Snape would do this, I'm definitely not staying at Beauxbatons.'
'Perfect, I know you're familiar with the Headmistress of Beauxbatons, so I was thinking, maybe I could ask her to send me back.'
'Did Madam Maxime agree?' Kyle exclaimed in surprise.
'I didn't see her.' Cona said, 'I found Gabrielle, Fleur's sister. She told me that Madam Maxime hasn't been at the school for a long time, and it was someone else who brought me back.'
'Someone else? Who?'
'I don't know him.' Cona shook her head, 'I met him by the Magical Fountain at Beauxbatons...
'You know, there's a particularly beautiful Magical Fountain there, said to be carved from a whole piece of crystal. It's not water inside, but potions. Sometimes it's healing potions, sometimes it's wake-up potions.'
As Cona spoke, she unconsciously shifted the topic. She seemed eager to figure out where all these potions came from and where they went afterwards.
However, Kyle wasn't interested in this. Beauxbatons' focus on alchemy and their peculiar magical items were nothing unusual.
'Hmm, and then?' He asked.
'Then I met an old wizard who seemed to know you, and he said he had a way to send me back to Hogwarts.'
They heard a heavy knock on the door, which seemed to signal the arrival of the new students. At Professor McGonagall's urging, Kyle and Cona hurried into the Great Hall.
The door behind them slowly closed, and Kyle also wondered who the old wizard Cona mentioned was.
At Beauxbatons, there weren't many people he knew.
Besides Madam Maxime, there was only Fleur, Gabrielle, and Professor Lockner, whom he met in Romania.
But none of them fit the description.
As the two of them reached the Hufflepuff table and sat down, Professor McGonagall also led the new students in.
Taking advantage of the Sorting, Kyle asked again, 'Did you ask his name?'
'He didn't say.' Cona shook her head.
'So how did you get back?'
'Apparition.' Cona said, 'But the old wizard was really old. When I grabbed his arm, I didn't use much force, and his arm broke. It scared me at the time.'
Well, now Kyle knew who it was.
There were many elderly wizards in the wizarding world, but only one whose body would break with a touch—Nicolas Flamel, who had lived for six hundred years.
This made sense.
Although Nicolas usually lived in Devonshire, he would occasionally go to France for vacations and to watch operas, like a randomly refreshed NPC. Many people had encountered him.
And Beauxbatons was Nicolas' alma mater. It made sense for him to visit, but Kyle wondered how Nicolas knew Cona.
Soon, the Sorting ended, and the new students all went to their respective houses. The previously empty golden plates were instantly filled with various foods.
Kyle, who hadn't eaten much all day, stopped thinking about Nicolas and randomly picked a piece of steak for himself.
'By the way, how did your Association of Exceptional Potion Masters assessment go?'
'It went well.' Cona couldn't help but smile. 'Although there were some twists and turns, some people thought I was too young and should wait a couple of years before taking the assessment. But Mr. Damocles didn't think so. He insisted on adding me to the list and personally supervised my potion-making process.'
'I didn't know that potion-making also considered age. Could it be that age increases the success rate of potions?'
Kyle scoffed, 'If your skills aren't up to par, no matter how old you are, the cauldron won't give you any face... By the way, do you remember who wanted to cancel your assessment qualifications?'
'What are you up to?' Cona glanced at him.
'Of course, to give them a little surprise.' Kyle took some fried potatoes for himself. 'Although it seems like I'm targeting you, I'm also targeting myself... After all, every wizard in Britain knows that I'm the youngest in the Ministry of Magic.'
'Don't be silly. Don't think I don't know what you're up to.' Cona lightly kicked Kyle's shin under the table. 'They may be a bit old-fashioned, but they didn't oppose me after I passed the assessment. You must not do anything excessive!'
'How could I? What do you take me for?' Seeing Cona's nonchalant attitude, Kyle also shifted the topic. 'But why did you go to Norway for the assessment?'
'Because Mr. Damocles is in Norway. He's said to have discovered a special grass there that can improve Wolfsbane Potion.' Cona explained.
Mr. Damocles was the uncle of Billy Belby, whom Kyle met on the train, and also the inventor of Wolfsbane Potion, a famous Potion Master. It was reasonable for him to be in charge of the Association of Exceptional Potion Masters' assessment.
'So you passed?'
'Not sure yet.' Cona took a bite of the fried pork chop. 'The results won't be known until after Christmas, but I think I passed.'
'Then you definitely passed.' Kyle said with a smile.
(End of Chapter)
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