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Chapter 720: Newt and the Snake Woman's Story
Chapter 720: Newt and the Snake Woman's Story
"What's wrong with Professor Snape?" Kyle asked, almost colliding with the hurrying professor. "Professor, you're not going to dock his pay, are you?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore said with a smile, adjusting his mood. "Actually, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor earns ten Galleons more than the other teachers... There's no other way. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't be able to find a suitable professor."
Kyle believed that the higher salary was probably true, but he refrained from commenting on the suitability of the professors, assuming that Dumbledore would know best.
"Young man, I sense you're thinking some very impolite thoughts," said Finneas Black, suddenly speaking from his portrait. "Believe me, my intuition is usually spot-on."
"Good afternoon, sir," Kyle said, looking up at the portrait. "I admit, I was just thinking about suggesting to Sirius that he should do a thorough cleaning at home and get rid of some useless things."
"For example, the portrait next to the staircase in the living room," Kyle added.
"I knew it! You're an impolite little brat," Finneas hissed like a cat with a stepped-on tail. "I warn you, don't even think about it, and Sirius wouldn't throw away his grandfather's portrait either."
"Is that so?" Kyle said nonchalantly. "Not necessarily..."
Next to the staircase at Number 12 Grimmauld Place hung Finneas' portrait, which gave him the advantage of moving freely between the Headmaster's office and there, conveying Dumbledore's requests or requirements.
However, Dumbledore usually chose to deliver the messages himself rather than have Finneas act as a messenger, so the portrait was rarely of use.
Sirius had already thought about getting rid of that portrait more than once.
"I warn you..." Finneas said sternly. "That's my house, and you can't kick me out."
"No misunderstanding, I was just making a suggestion," Kyle shrugged. "It's up to Sirius what to do, but I think he wouldn't mind getting a new portrait."
"You!" Finneas was so angry that his beard stood on end, and he zipped out of the frame, presumably to find Sirius at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Well done, young man!" said an old wizard with a beard next to him. "That's interesting. You're the first student to get him so flustered."
"Thank you for your praise, Headmaster Dippet," Kyle said with a smile.
He was quite familiar with the portraits due to his frequent visits, and the one in front of him was Armando Dippet, Dumbledore's predecessor.
Finneas Black and Armando Dippet had never gotten along; Finneas had been struck ten times, and nine of those times, Dippet had kicked first. The only time he didn't was because he had been too slow to catch up.
"Kyle," Dumbledore said softly. "It's quite useful to keep Finneas at Grimmauld Place."
"I know, I was just scaring him," Kyle said. "After all, his portrait has a Permanent Sticking Charm, so it can't be thrown away."
Dumbledore's mouth twitched. How would Kyle know about the Permanent Sticking Charm on the portrait if he hadn't tried to remove it himself?
"Don't misunderstand, Sirius found out about it, not me," Kyle explained, then changed the subject. "Professor, what did you call me here for?"
"There is a small matter."
"What is it?" Kyle asked.
"It's about Horcruxes," Dumbledore said.
He took an ancient stone basin from the cabinet. "But before that, how about we view a memory first? This is a memory I've been searching for a long time, and it's the most important one I've found."
Kyle, of course, didn't object since Dumbledore had said so.
Dumbledore took out a small crystal bottle from his inner pocket. The memory inside seemed to have solidified a bit due to its age, losing some of its smoothness. Dumbledore struggled a bit to pour it into the Pensieve.
The Pensieve began to emit a hazy light.
Kyle felt his consciousness sinking, falling into the silver substance. When he opened his eyes again, there was an additional person in front of him.
It was a much younger Slughorn, with a full head of thick, golden hair.
Kyle felt a bit uncomfortable, perhaps because he was so used to Slughorn's bald image. It was as if he had a head full of straw.
"Professor Slughorn went bald quite early," Kyle said, turning back at the sound of approaching footsteps.
"What?" Dumbledore was taken aback, not quite understanding Kyle's words.
Kyle pointed to the top of Slughorn's head, where there was already a small bald spot, about the size of a Galleon.
Dumbledore said nothing, as Kyle's focus was quite unexpected.
Kyle wondered if Dumbledore had gone to such lengths to obtain this memory just to confirm when Slughorn went bald. Fortunately, Kyle didn't dwell on this question for long and instead turned his attention to the other people conversing nearby.
It seems that this place is Professor Slughorn's office, with six or seven boys gathered around him.
The one sitting closest to Slughorn is young Voldemort, who should still be called Tom Riddle at this time.
He presents a bag of pineapple treats to Professor Slughorn. They then chat about a retired professor.
Regarding the name they mentioned, Kyle has no impression at all, probably not someone of importance.
"Oh, that's Garraldia, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, my old colleague," Dumbledore says beside him. "He's about to retire, and Riddle was probably aiming to take over his position at that time."
"But you refused him," Kyle says.
"Yes," Dumbledore confirms. "I advised Armando to reject his request to stay, even though many professors, including Garraldia, believed that Riddle was capable enough to take on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
Dumbledore's expression is calm.
He is certain that Riddle's intention was not to become a professor at the school, but he had ulterior motives, which is why he refused the offer to stay twice.
"So is he now trying to verify the authenticity of this news with Professor Slughorn?" Kyle asks.
"No," Dumbledore shakes his head. "He's showing off his abilities to Professor Slughorn, sometimes gathering information, and that's also a form of ability."
Things are just as Dumbledore described.
Professor Slughorn looks a bit surprised, "Where did you get this information, child? You know more than most professors."
Riddle smiles but says nothing.
"You're a clever one, always knowing things you shouldn't, and you know how to please important people..." Professor Slughorn seems to be reprimanding Riddle, but his tone is more like a jest. "By the way, thank you for the pineapple. You guessed right, this is my favorite..."
A burst of laughter fills the room.
But just then, the surroundings are suddenly enveloped in a white fog, obscuring Kyle's vision.
"This memory has been tampered with!" Kyle exclaims.
The fog in this memory is like a mosaic, obviously added later, as if someone didn't want them to hear or see something.
The white mist covers everything, and Kyle only hears an unnaturally high-pitched voice saying, "...You will make a mistake, child. Remember my words."
His mouth twitches, and he asks, "Whose memory is this?"
"Professor Slughorn's," Dumbledore replies.
"So..." Kyle turns to Dumbledore, "Professor Slughorn isn't very good at anything other than Potions, right? This voice is too obviously fake."
That high-pitched voice, so different from the natural tone before, is clearly forced, an attempt to cover something up.
This feeling is like a Quidditch match where someone's broomstick suddenly turns into a dragon, impossible to ignore.
"Yes, at that time, he wasn't very skilled with memory charms," Dumbledore says. "But later, he made up for this weakness."
"As for the reason, you'll find out soon. We're almost there."
After Dumbledore speaks, the fog in front of Kyle dissipates.
By now, Professor Slughorn has finished the pineapple treats, and the golden clock on his desk has jumped from 9:30 to 11:00.
It's already curfew time, and everyone else has left the office, except for Riddle, who lingers at the back.
After everyone leaves, he says, "Sir, I'd like to ask you something..."
"Then ask quickly," Professor Slughorn urges.
"Sir, I'd like to ask if you know about... Horcruxes."
The room fills with fog again, followed by another overly exaggerated voice.
"I know nothing about Horcruxes, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Get out now, and don't let me hear you mention this again!"
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But at this point, Kyle has guessed why Dumbledore showed him this memory.
The next second, the two of them exit the memory.
"Professor," Kyle says, looking at the Pensieve in front of him. "Riddle was indeed told about the secret of Horcruxes, wasn't he?"
"Undeniably, Professor Slughorn must have told him something, otherwise he wouldn't have tampered with his own memories out of embarrassment."
Dumbledore speaks softly, "That's his weakness. He always finds it hard to refuse those he values, and Tom, once his favorite, was someone he believed would achieve greatness for a long time."
"He guessed right, didn't he?" Kyle says. "In a way, Riddle did achieve something great."
"But this is obviously not what Professor Slughorn wanted to see, so he wanted to hide his past mistakes," Dumbledore says as he takes the memory from the Pensieve and returns it to the bottle. "His methods are crude, but that's good news."
"Dumbledore continued, "This indicates that he didn't completely erase these memories, but rather chose to conceal them."
"I hope you can help me find it," Kyle said, blinking in surprise at the suggestion.
"Me?" Kyle asked, not entirely keen on the idea.
"Just as I said earlier," Dumbledore added, glancing at him. "Professor Slughorn finds it hard to refuse the students he values."
"And the reason he returned to Hogwarts is because of you and Harry. So, it's only fitting that you two take on this task."
"Harry?" Kyle looked around, unsure of his whereabouts.
"He's not here, and I haven't figured out how to break this news to him. After all, he's different from you, and I need to explain a lot in advance."
Dumbledore looked at Kyle, seemingly waiting for his response.
"Oh," Kyle nodded as if he hadn't heard, "Take your time, Professor. Harry is easy to deceive... well, easy to talk to."
Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged as he glanced towards the door.
"Weren't you asking why Professor Snape was angry?" he continued. "This is the reason. He believes the Horcrux is Tom's deepest secret, and anyone who knows about it will be in danger. He doesn't want you to take such risks."
"Who doesn't want me to take risks? Professor Snape?"
Kyle's face changed, and he said seriously, "Professor, I think it's necessary to conduct a thorough inspection at school. I suspect some professors are Death Eaters disguised by Polyjuice Potion, and it's better to be cautious and deal with this early."
"Don't say that."
Dumbledore chuckled, "Actually, Professor Snape isn't as strict as you think, and..."
He looked at Kyle and said in a teasing tone, "You'll all become family eventually, and it's only natural for him to care about you."
"That's a matter for the future," Kyle rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache over this.
"So, what's your decision?"
Dumbledore said, "Would you help me with this? I must tell you that obtaining the real memory is crucial to us, but if you have concerns... I can understand."
"Professor, do you think I can stay out of the Horcrux matter?" Kyle asked, unable to hold back.
He had destroyed so many of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and there was one more piece of information he had to share.
Additionally, there was also Harry, who was still the same...
Professor Snape's worries were entirely unnecessary, regardless of whether they knew about Professor Slughorn's memory or not. Voldemort would never let them off the hook.
At that moment, a phoenix suddenly flew into the room from the window, delivering a letter in its claws to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore glanced at the letter, his expression growing more serious.
"Sorry, Kyle, I might have to attend to some other matters," he stood up and then Disapparated from the room.
The phoenix gave a soft cry and vanished in a flash of fire.
In the blink of an eye, the Headmaster's Office was empty except for Kyle, who looked around at the vacant office and then at the closed-eyed portraits pretending to sleep. He prepared to leave.
After leaving the Headmaster's Office, Kyle thought about what Dumbledore had said. However, he realized that Professor Slughorn's memory didn't seem to be of much use.
It was just a memory related to the Horcrux, but upon careful consideration, how many Horcruxes did Voldemort have? The diary and the Resurrection Stone ring had been destroyed, and the crown, cup, and locket were all with Nicolas Flamel. Counting the time, they should have been mostly dealt with by now.
That made five Horcruxes.
Oh, and there was also Nagini, the giant snake.
During the Triwizard Tournament, Kyle, disguised as the trophy, had been transported to the mountain where Voldemort was performing the resurrection ritual. Taking advantage of the battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore, he had captured the snake.
However, to Kyle's surprise, the snake wasn't a Horcrux... but it wasn't an ordinary animal either. It was a Blood Cursed Beast.
In simple terms, it was a witch transformed into a snake.
This situation was somewhat similar to an Animagus, but the difference was that the Blood Cursed Beast was permanent, unable to switch between animal and human forms like an Animagus, and could only remain in its animal form forever.
Moreover, their own consciousness would gradually be eroded until they became a true animal.
During the holidays, Newt had shared this information with Kyle.
Newt also knew the snake, and he insisted that Kyle leave Nagini with him.
Kyle had no reason to refuse, as he wasn't Voldemort and had no habit of carrying a snake with him. Even if he did, he had a more suitable snake monster, so he readily agreed and gave Nagini to Newt.
This was also why Newt hadn't asked for the Kelpie back. They could say they had an unspoken agreement.
However, there was one thing that bothered Kyle. Nagini was a female snake, which meant that before she became a Blood Cursed Beast, she was a female witch.
Newt had been keeping a 'snake witch' by his side... and he still hadn't decided whether to tell Tina about this.
(End of Chapter)
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