Chapter 716: Kyle's Two-Faced Mirror
Chapter 716: Kyle's Two-Faced Mirror
Kyle didn't think it would be difficult for Cona to pass the Association of Exceptional Potion Masters' assessment with her talent and Snape's assistance. It was almost a done deal.
Of course, that was assuming no one maliciously lowered her score...
But then again, even if that happened, it didn't matter. He was graduating next year anyway, and there would be plenty of time to help them correct their mistakes.
...
An hour later, the pudding dessert on the table had vanished, and the golden plates were once again shining like new.
As Dumbledore stood up, the laughter echoing through the Great Hall suddenly ceased.
"I wish you all a good evening," he said with a smile, spreading his arms as if to embrace everyone in the Great Hall.
"Look at his hands," Mikael suddenly said.
Ryan turned to look, "What's wrong? It looks normal to me."
"I mean, Dumbledore is wearing a ring," Mikael said, "He never used to wear rings before."
Kyle noticed as well. Dumbledore had a new, eye-catching ring on his finger, with a black gemstone only slightly smaller than the Golden Snitch.
The Philosopher's Stone! Kyle squinted, but soon he didn't care anymore.
Dumbledore's hand showed no obvious changes, still the same as before. This indicated that the curse on the ring had disappeared.
Moreover, the fact that it could be worn meant it was no longer a Horcrux... Dumbledore still had a contract on him. If the ring were still a Horcrux, he wouldn't be able to touch it.
As if sensing Kyle's gaze, Dumbledore looked over and winked at him.
"I'm delighted to see you all here again, and not a single person is absent," he said loudly.
Everyone knew what he meant by that.
In the past two months, almost every issue of the Daily Prophet had reported someone missing or even dead. It was indeed fortunate that they had managed to escape this fate.
Dumbledore didn't engage in small talk but, as usual, announced a few reminders to the new students.
For example, the prohibition on entering the Forbidden Forest and the Quidditch team selection schedule.
However, there was an additional reminder this year.
"...Caretaker Filch has asked me to inform everyone. This year, it is absolutely forbidden for students to bring any products from Weasley's Joke Shop."
Undoubtedly, Fred and George were targeted, and the entire shop was put on the school's blacklist... Simple and convenient.
"Also," Dumbledore continued, "this year, we are pleased to welcome a new teacher, Professor Slughorn."
He stretched out his hand, and Slughorn stood up, his bald head shining under the candlelight.
At the Slytherin table, Malfoy looked at him with disdain and snickered, but the next second, he couldn't keep up the laughter.
"I'm delighted that Professor Slughorn has agreed to return to Hogwarts and resume teaching Potions," said Dumbledore.
"Potions?"
The entire Great Hall seemed to pause for a second, followed by a buzzing murmur.
"Professor Snape will be in charge of Defense Against the Dark Arts," Dumbledore said, raising his voice.
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
Two abrupt voices echoed through the Great Hall.
Harry and Draco had almost stood up simultaneously.
Harry couldn't accept Snape teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, as it was his favorite subject.
As for Malfoy, it was because he didn't choose Defense Against the Dark Arts... It was understandable, as he was about to serve the Dark Lord; why would he defend against his own people?
However, his mother had repeatedly reminded him before the start of school to choose Snape's class.
Initially, Malfoy didn't care, as he was confident in his Potions skills. Who would have thought that Snape would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, while the Potions class would be taught by Slughorn, whom he disliked.
"Draco, the professor is looking at you," Pansy whispered, tugging at his robe under the table.
Malfoy then noticed that he and Harry Potter had become the center of attention, and Snape on the stage was staring at him coldly.
Malfoy immediately sat back down.
After calming down, he realized that he could change his class selection as long as Snape agreed; he could still continue with Defense Against the Dark Arts.
As for Slughorn's Potions class... Who cared?
"Ah, Snape got his wish," Kyle said to Cona, "I remember he always wanted to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and it seems like the headmaster finally agreed this year."
Cona frowned, not sharing Kyle's happiness for Snape... After all, everyone knew that being the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts wasn't a desirable position.
She couldn't understand why Snape insisted on teaching this subject when Potions was his specialty.
"Don't worry," Kyle said softly, sensing Cona's concern, "I guess that by the end of this school year, Professor Snape will be back in the Potions classroom."
"Really?"
"It should be," Kyle said, "And this curse isn't as terrible as you think. Look at Lupin, Sirius, and Moody; they're all fine, aren't they?"
Kyle's reassurance seemed to ease Cona's worries a little.
There were many others like them, and the entire Great Hall was buzzing with discussion. Everyone's concern about this matter even surpassed Dumbledore's subsequent reminders.
However, it was also possible that he had given similar reminders many times before, all with the same meaning: encouraging everyone to unite and face the enemy together.
The only difference this year was the addition of restricted areas in the castle, presumably related to the new defensive enchantments. Dumbledore also emphasized the importance of adhering to the new school rules established by the professors to regulate student behavior.
After the banquet, everyone, as usual, pushed the benches behind them and began to leave the Great Hall in an orderly fashion, heading towards their dormitories.
Cona went to fulfill her duties as a Prefect, taking care of the first-year students. Kyle hesitated for a moment and silently made his way through the crowd, returning to the Common Room.
"Kyle, I've been looking for you." At that moment, someone rushed over from behind.
"Grace?" Kyle turned to look at the person and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Come with me quickly." Grace grabbed Kyle's sleeve and tried to pull him in the direction the professors had left, "They mistakenly sent the Quidditch Captain's badge to me. While the professors are still here, we should be able to correct the mistake."
Kyle stood still, not moving.
Grace tugged a few times, but when she realized Kyle wasn't budging, she turned back and said, "Hurry, the professors will be leaving soon."
"No, Grace, they didn't send it to the wrong person." Kyle shook his head, "In fact, you are the captain."
Grace stood there, stunned.
"But... how is that possible?"
"Why not?" Kyle smiled, "Think about it carefully. Even if the badge was sent to the wrong person, the name shouldn't be wrong."
I guess there should be a letter sent along with the badge, and the content of the letter is to inform you that you have become the Quidditch captain."
"Oh, really?" Grace blinked.
"You don't know?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
Grace shook her head.
In fact, when she found the captain's badge, she instinctively thought it was sent to the wrong person and put the items back into the envelope, intending to return them to Kyle when they got back to school. She didn't even realize there was a letter inside.
"Forget it." Kyle said, "You should have the envelope with you."
Grace nodded and took out an envelope from her robe pocket.
"Don't just stand there, open it and take a look." Kyle said with a smile.
Grace was still dazed and subconsciously opened the envelope, and indeed found a folded piece of parchment inside.
It was hard to describe Grace's feelings at the moment—there was definitely tension, as well as bewilderment, confusion, and even a hint of anticipation that she herself wasn't aware of...
Grace opened the parchment, and at the top was her name, followed by a line of text.
"Congratulations on becoming the Hufflepuff Quidditch team captain. Please register as the captain after September 1st."
For a moment, Grace's breathing became rapid.
"Did you see that?" Kyle said, "This proves that they didn't send the badge to the wrong person."
"But why me?" Grace still couldn't quite believe it, "I mean, you're the most powerful player on the team."
"No, you got one thing wrong. The captain's position isn't based on individual strength but on the overall contribution to the team."
Kyle shrugged, "You should know that I also have a position in the Ministry of Magic."
Grace nodded. Almost all Hogwarts students knew that Kyle had become a senior assistant minister, and she was no exception.
"That's exactly what I wanted to say." Kyle said softly, "Due to the busy nature of the Ministry's work, I might not have much time for training or even matches this year..."
"What?" Grace almost jumped, "Are you quitting the team?"
Kyle was Hufflepuff's ace, and if he quit, their strength would undoubtedly be greatly affected.
"No, I'm not quitting."
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Kyle shook his head, "I still want to help Hufflepuff win the seven-year championship, but you should also know that seventh-year students have more than just academic issues. With the current special circumstances, it's hard for me to fully devote myself to the team."
"After all, arranging training and formulating match tactics require time. If I were to become the captain, we'd probably have to rely on random tactics."
Grace breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't quitting the team, the issue of training time could be resolved.
"So don't feel strange." Kyle continued, "The captain's position is most suitable for you."
Grace still couldn't quite believe it, standing there in disbelief. When she came back to her senses, Kyle had already returned to the Common Room.
Following Hufflepuff's tradition, tonight was going to be a sleepless night.
...
The next day, during breakfast, almost half of the Hufflepuff table was filled with students yawning... They had stayed up all night to catch up on homework, and now was the time when they felt the most exhausted.
The new class schedule had been distributed the day before. The first class for seventh-year students was History of Magic, which was perfect for catching up on sleep.
The professor for this subject was a ghost who simply read from the textbook. As long as you didn't interrupt him, you could do whatever you wanted.
Cona sat in the last row of the classroom, curiously observing the person next to her.
At that moment, Kyle was holding his wand, constantly drawing something on a small round mirror... The wand was like an ink-stained quill, leaving marks on the mirror with each gentle stroke.
The shapes seemed to be Runes, but they were too complex for Cona to recognize.
"What are you doing?" She finally asked.
"Reviewing alchemy," Kyle whispered.
"Is this alchemy?" Cona looked at the mirror covered in various runes and symbols with interest. "It doesn't seem quite the same as when you were making maps before."
"Of course it's different." Kyle said, "What I made before, whether it was maps or waterproof badges, could only barely be considered magical items."
"Real alchemy is about runes and magic."
As he spoke, Kyle's wand moved slightly, and the rune he was writing was incorrect.
Instantly, several cracks appeared on the mirror, and it shattered into pieces.
"Sorry." Cona said apologetically.
"It's okay, I probably wouldn't have succeeded on the first try anyway." Kyle waved his wand nonchalantly, clearing the fragments from the table, and then took out a new mirror.
This time, Cona remained silent, just watching Kyle's actions from the side.
To be honest, this process was quite boring. Kyle's rune-drawing speed was very slow. It took about half an hour to fill a palm-sized mirror.
Then the runes would disappear, as if they were covered up, and at this time, Kyle would continue to draw new runes.
But if he made a mistake, the mirror would shatter, and all his previous efforts would be in vain.
For two whole days, Kyle had been messing with this, even skipping classes.
However, most of the professors, including Professor McGonagall, pretended not to see his behavior.
Cona had originally helped Kyle take a lot of notes, but after a Transfiguration class where Kyle completed Professor McGonagall's request with a wave of his wand, she stopped doing such unnecessary things.
No wonder Professor McGonagall didn't care about his inattentive behavior in class; there was no need for that.
It wasn't until the morning of the third day after school started, just before the end of the first spellcasting class, that Kyle put down his wand.
Cona's first reaction was that he had failed again, but the next second she noticed that the mirror was still intact.
"Did you succeed?" she asked.
"I guess so, just one more step." Kyle took a deep breath and tapped the mirror with his wand.
In an instant, all the runes he had drawn before appeared, overlapping and forming a complete symbol.
The mirror began to shake violently, and because of the loud noise, Professor Flitwick and the surrounding students all looked over.
The shaking mirror split in half, but it wasn't a crack; it was as if a duplication spell had been cast, and it became two.
Then it became quiet again, and the runes and symbols on it disappeared once more.
"Clap, clap!"
A round of applause filled the classroom.
"This is amazing." Professor Flitwick walked over and looked at the two mirrors on the table, "To be honest, this is the first time I've seen the process of making a two-faced mirror. It's a very complex alchemical product."
"Thank you for the praise, Professor." Kyle said with a smile.
Hearing Professor Flitwick's words, the other students stretched their necks, wanting to get a clearer view.
At this moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
Kyle packed up and left the professor's office. In the hallway, he handed one of the mirrors to Cona.
"For me?"
"Of course." Kyle said, "Didn't you hear what Professor Flitwick said? This is a two-faced mirror, and only two people can use it."
Cona took the mirror, "How do I use it?"
"You don't know?" Kyle was a bit surprised, as a two-faced mirror wasn't considered a particularly precious item in the magical world.
"I've heard of it, but I've never used it." Cona said.
"It's simple." Kyle said, "Just call my name in front of the mirror, and you'll be able to see me in the mirror. This way, I won't have to worry about not receiving your reply."
"Speaking of which, why didn't you send us any letters during the holidays? Was the assessment that strict?"
"They said it was to prevent cheating." Cona whispered.
"Okay." Kyle was a bit puzzled, but he hadn't experienced the assessment of the Association of Exceptional Potion Masters, so he could only take her word for it.
"But now you don't have to worry." Kyle continued, "As long as you need me, just call my name in front of the mirror, and even if I'm taken to some other place by Snape later, I'll be able to help you get back."
Cona said in a very small voice, "That's France, can you Apparate that far?"
"It's fine, even if I can't Apparate, I have other ways." Kyle shrugged and smiled, "I know someone who has extensive international experience, whether legal or illegal, and no matter how far the distance, there's a way."
Cona didn't speak, her face slightly flushed. She looked at the small, round mirror in her hand and called out softly, "Kyle..."
The next moment, the mirror in Kyle's hand responded, and he looked at Cona's face in the mirror and then at Cona herself.
"What's wrong, can't you just say what you want to say at such a close distance?" Kyle asked in a teasing tone.
"You worry about that, can't I just test if it works or not?" Cona turned her head to the side, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
But immediately, she quickly changed the subject, "Hurry up, class is about to start. The next one is Defense Against the Dark Arts, and if you're late, you'll be in trouble."
...
(End of Chapter)
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