https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-714-Connor-Who-Didn-t-Take-the-Train/12539203/
Chapter 715: Kona's Transfer
Chapter 715: Kona's Transfer
Harry had never endured such an uncomfortable lunch. All afternoon, Slughorn rambled on about what he thought were interesting topics, and reminisced endlessly about the past.
He shared numerous anecdotes about famous wizards, revealing that they had all been part of a group called the "Slugs Club" during their time at Hogwarts.
This renowned club, he proudly declared, was named after the first half of his surname. It had started as a joke, but he found it amusing and decided to keep it.
Only when the light outside gradually dimmed did this lengthy lunch gathering come to an end.
"My, I hadn't even noticed they'd lit the lamps," Slughorn said in surprise, as if just realizing how much time had passed.
"Well, as much as I hate to leave, you all must hurry back and change into your school robes… Kyle, Harry, do feel free to visit me anytime. The rest of you are welcome as well, of course."
The Slytherin students sitting near the door slowly got up and began gathering their belongings. It wasn't until Kyle, who had been sitting closest to the door, left the compartment that the others followed suit.
"Finally, it's over," Neville said with relief once they were outside the compartment.
"Yeah," agreed a voice beside him.
It was Crabbe, who glanced back at the compartment and then winked at Kyle and Harry. "Just between us," he whispered, "I actually get along quite well with my uncle."
"Then why did you say that earlier?" Harry asked, puzzled.
Lowering his voice, Crabbe replied, "My uncle taught me to do that. He's not a fan of Professor Slughorn's ways, and when he heard that Slughorn was returning to Hogwarts, he knew something like this would happen.
"So he told me that if I pretended not to know him, I could easily avoid those boring gatherings. And he was right, wasn't he?"
"You're so lucky," Harry muttered.
"Haha," Crabbe laughed proudly, "but that tactic won't work for you two. I bet he'll be seeking you out again."
"Please, don't remind me," Harry sighed.
He had already thought of that, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Good luck to you both," Crabbe said with a wave before turning and entering another compartment nearby.
"Kyle," Harry asked curiously, "how did you manage to look so attentive earlier? Were you actually listening?"
"Oh, that," Kyle said, rubbing his forehead, "it's simple. Remember the Daydream Jinx? I was actually sleeping."
"The Daydream Jinx… Isn't that a product from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Harry tried to recall.
"Yes, but that's not entirely accurate," Kyle said. "I remember that when you use the Daydream Jinx, your expression becomes blank and you start drooling."
Since it was a patented product displayed prominently in the shop, Harry remembered it clearly. But Kyle hadn't looked like he was sleeping at all earlier.
"There's more to it than meets the eye," Kyle explained with a smile. "The Daydream Jinx was originally intended to be like the Skiving Snackboxes. If it were that obvious, what use would it be?"
"But I clearly remember…" Harry trailed off.
"That was done on purpose, to mislead any professors who might visit the shop," Kyle said, still smiling.
Harry immediately scowled, annoyed that Fred and George hadn't shared this crucial information with him!
"We'd better hurry back," Kyle said, glancing out the window at the darkening sky. "The train should be arriving soon."
The group quickened their pace back to the last carriage, with Harry tagging along.
As prefects, Hermione and Ron had duties to attend to, and since Harry was now on his own, it didn't matter where he went.
Meanwhile, in the sixth-year Slytherin carriage…
"Well, Zabini," Draco Malfoy asked, "what do you think Slughorn is up to?"
"Just trying to suck up to people with connections," Zabini replied disdainfully.
"Who was there?" Pansy Parkinson asked from beside him.
"McLaggen from Gryffindor," Zabini said.
"His uncle is a bigwig in the Ministry," Malfoy said nonchalantly.
"Belby from Ravenclaw."
"He's a dimwit," Pansy snickered.
Zabini mentioned a few more names, but each one was met with scorn and derision. When he mentioned Neville, Pansy openly mocked Slughorn's taste, calling him senile for inviting such a well-known idiot.
"Oh, and Potter, along with Kyle from Hufflepuff," Zabini shrugged. "You should have seen how enthusiastic Slughorn was. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were the best of friends."
This time, Malfoy remained silent, and even the usually sharp-tongued Pansy said nothing.
The atmosphere became slightly awkward. Pansy unwrapped a chocolate and tried to feed it to Malfoy, but he dodged her hand.
"Don't be angry, Draco," Pansy said, "Slughorn probably just didn't know you were on the train, that's why he didn't invite you.
Once again, silence fell upon the compartment.
Zabini probed cautiously, "Are you referring to... him?"
Malfoy shrugged nonchalantly, neither confirming nor denying.
But this response elicited scorn from Zabini.
"Who do you think you are..." he said sharply, "You're only sixteen. Why would he trust you with such matters? Do you even have the qualifications?"
"As a matter of fact, I do!" Malfoy whispered fiercely. "The Dark Lord never cares about age. He only cares about ability and how one demonstrates loyalty to him.
"Moreover, certain things have nothing to do with age. Once I accomplish this, I will become his most trusted confidant... because only I can make it happen."
Crabbe and Goyle stared at Malfoy, their mouths agape, and the scorn in Zabini's eyes gradually faded.
He didn't think Malfoy would dare lie about such matters.
Could it be true? Had he really gained the trust of the Dark Lord at the age of sixteen?
Perhaps it was jealousy, but Zabini's expression gradually twisted.
However, Malfoy didn't seem to notice. Perhaps it was because he was looked down upon for the first time, or maybe for some other reason, but his gaze gradually hardened, as if he had made a firm decision.
...
The train began to slow down and eventually came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station.
As the doors opened, Kyle was the first to step out.
"Kyle," Harry asked, trailing behind, "aren't you a prefect too? Shouldn't you be helping to maintain order?"
"Oh, I forgot about that." Kyle said without turning back, "But since I'm already here, it's fine. They'll be alright without me."
With that, he quickened his pace towards the carriages waiting to take them up to the castle.
Harry hesitated for a moment, not following him. He had agreed to wait here for Ron and Hermione.
On the other hand, Kyle didn't seem to mind whether Harry followed him or not, and he strode straight towards the long line of carriages.
Usually, the carriages would only depart when they were filled with four students, but Kyle easily managed to secure a carriage for himself by offering a chunk of wartbread.
One carriage veered off from the main path and made its way up the winding road towards the castle.
The Thestrals pulling the carriage were swift, and within minutes, they arrived at the familiar oak doors.
Kyle alighted from the carriage, climbed the stone steps, and entered the castle.
"Why are you alone?" Professor McGonagall asked, glancing behind Kyle... the next carriage was still making its way up from the gates.
"I had something to take care of, so I came early." Kyle replied. "Sorry, Professor McGonagall, but I need to stop by the common room first."
"Alright, hurry along then." Professor McGonagall said, "Remember to attend the Start-of-Term Feast later."
Kyle nodded.
He intended to check the common room first to see if Kona had returned. If not, he would go and ask Snape about her whereabouts.
Kyle suspected that Snape wouldn't tell him anything... perhaps Dumbledore might know.
As he made his way through the entrance hall, Kyle arrived at the corridor leading to the kitchen.
But just as he raised his wand to knock on the barrel, the door to the common room opened on its own.
Kona, dressed in her school robes, emerged from within.
"Kyle!" she exclaimed in surprise, "I was just heading to the Great Hall. Are you guys back already?"
"Yeah," Kyle lowered his wand and asked curiously, "By the way, why didn't you take the train?"
Kona's face fell, and she remained silent as she walked towards the Great Hall.
"Actually," she said after a moment of silence, "I almost didn't get to come back to Hogwarts this year."
"Couldn't come back?" Kyle frowned, "Was that Professor Snape's decision?"
"Mhm." Kona nodded, "Right after the holidays began, he took me to Norway for the assessment of the Extraordinary Potion-makers' Association.
Everything went smoothly, but yesterday, after we left Norway, he took me straight to France and told me that he had already arranged for me to attend Beauxbatons this year."
The sound of chatter filled the air as they reached the Great Hall.
"I never understood why I had to learn French." Kona continued, "I thought the one in charge of the assessment for the Extraordinary Potion-makers' Association was a French wizard, but it turns out it was for this reason."
Kyle lingered at the entrance, not stepping inside.
He suddenly thought that perhaps it would be good for Kona to attend Beauxbatons this year, at least it would be safer there.
But why was she back?
Could it be because of Snape... probably not.
If Snape had decided to keep Kona in France, he wouldn't have brought her back, so what was the point of going through all that trouble?
But if it wasn't Snape...
"You didn't go to see Madame Maxime, did you?
"You mean Headmistress Maxime?" Kyle asked in surprise.
"I didn't get to see her," Kona said. "I found Gabrielle, Fleur's sister, and she told me that Headmistress Maxime hadn't been at the school for a while and that someone else had brought me back."
"Someone else? Who was it?"
"I don't know him," Kona shook her head. "I met him by the Beauxbatons' magic fountain...
"You know, there's a beautiful magic fountain there, supposedly carved from a single piece of crystal, and instead of water, it holds potions... sometimes healing potions, sometimes awakening potions."
As she spoke, Kona unintentionally steered the conversation in a different direction, seemingly curious about the source of the potions and where they went afterward.
However, Kyle didn't mind this tangent. It was quite normal for Beauxbatons, with its focus on alchemy, to have some peculiar magical items.
"Hmm, and then what happened?" he asked.
"Then I met an old wizard who seemed to know you, and he offered to help bring me back to Hogwarts," Kona continued.
They heard a loud, heavy knock on the door, signaling the arrival of the first years. Professor McGonagall urged them to enter the Great Hall, so Kyle and Kona quickly took their seats.
As the massive doors closed behind them, Kyle wondered about the identity of the old wizard Kona had mentioned.
There weren't many people he knew from Beauxbatons, aside from Headmistress Maxime, Fleur, Gabrielle, and Professor Longbottom, whom he had met in Romania.
But none of them seemed to fit the description.
Once they were seated at the Hufflepuff table, Professor McGonagall led the first years into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony. Taking advantage of the moment, Kyle asked, "Did you ask for his name?"
"He didn't tell me," Kona shook her head.
"So, how did you get back here?"
"Side-Along Apparition," Kona replied. "But that old wizard was really old. I barely touched his arm, and it just snapped. It startled me."
Now Kyle knew exactly who it was.
There were many elderly wizards in the magical world, but only one whose bones would snap from a gentle touch—the six-hundred-year-old Nicolas Flamel.
That explained everything.
Although Nicolas usually resided in Devon, he occasionally vacationed in France, enjoying operas and acting like an NPC that randomly respawned. Many people had encountered him.
And since Beauxbatons was his alma mater, it made sense that he would visit from time to time... but how did he know Kona?
Soon, the Sorting Ceremony concluded, and the new students were sorted into their respective houses. The once-empty golden plates on the tables were now piled high with various delicious dishes.
Having barely eaten all day, Kyle helped himself to a juicy steak.
"By the way, how did your assessment with the Extraordinary Potion-makers' Association go?"
"It went well," Kona said with a smile. "Although there were some bumps along the way, some people thought I was too young and should wait a couple of years before taking the assessment. But Mr. Damocles disagreed, and he insisted on adding me to the list and personally supervised my potion-making process."
"I never knew that potion-making had an age requirement. Does age increase the success rate or something?"
Kyle scoffed, "If one lacks the skill, no amount of age will make the cauldron cooperate... By the way, do you remember who wanted to disqualify you from the assessment?"
"What are you planning?" Kona asked, giving him a sideways glance.
"Of course, I'm just planning to give them a little surprise," Kyle said as he helped himself to some fried potatoes. "This may seem like it's targeting you, but it's also targeting me... After all, every wizard in Britain knows that I'm the youngest in the Ministry."
"Don't you dare," Kona said, kicking him lightly under the table. "They may be old-fashioned, but they didn't object after I passed the assessment. Don't you dare do anything unnecessary!"
"How could you think that of me?" Kyle feigned innocence and quickly changed the subject. "But why did you go to Norway for the assessment?"
"Because Mr. Damocles is in Norway," Kona explained. "He supposedly discovered a special herb there that can improve Wolfsbane Potion."
Mr. Damocles was Belby's uncle, whom Kyle had met on the train, and he was also the inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion—a renowned Potion Master. It made sense that he would be in charge of the assessment for the Extraordinary Potion-makers' Association.
"So, you passed?"
"Not sure yet," Kona said as she bit into a piece of fried pork. "The results won't be out until after Christmas, but I think it went well."
"Then you definitely passed," Kyle said with a smile.
(End of Chapter)
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