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Chapter 726: The Opal Necklace, Kyle's Decision
Chapter 726: The Opal Necklace, Kyle's Decision
"Malfoy, you jerk!"
Harry and Ron, unaware of what had transpired or the true nature of the package, saw Hermione nearly pushed over, and they were about to teach Malfoy a lesson. With his two bulky sidekicks absent, the odds were in their favor.
Before they could take a step forward, however, a tremendous force pushed them back.
"Don't move!" Tonks shouted from a distance, her wand still in hand.
But Harry soon understood why she hadn't needed to do anything.
Soaked by the rain, the package had broken upon hitting the ground, and its contents had fallen right at Katie's feet.
In an instant, Katie was uncontrollably lifted into the air, looking bizarre—her arms outstretched, her hair wildly blown by the fierce wind, but her eyes tightly shut and her face devoid of expression.
Soon, her eyes snapped open as if she were enduring immense pain, and she began to scream piercingly.
"I'll get a professor!" Hermione immediately turned to run towards the school.
But just then...
"Finite Incantatem!"
Harry turned instinctively at the shout and noticed a layer of orange glow on Kyle's wand, which Kyle then forcefully thrust into the stony path.
The ordinarily sturdy stones now seemed as fragile as freshly fried potato chips under the influence of the orange-glowing wand, easily pierced through.
A hint of golden flames seemed to spread, and upon touching Katie, who was still in mid-air, a layer of black smoke appeared out of thin air around her, quickly burned away by the golden flames.
The screaming abruptly stopped.
The unconscious Katie fell from the air, caught by Tonks.
By now, a small crowd had heard the commotion and gathered around, curiously pointing and whispering about the unconscious Katie.
"What in the world is going on here!" Tonks demanded an explanation, especially from the girl who had been with Katie.
She had witnessed everything, and it was clear that the package was the culprit. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of a rude young troublemaker, the one lying on the ground could have very well been Kyle.
"I... I don't know," the girl stuttered, still shaken from the recent scare.
She pointed at the broken package on the ground. "We were on our way to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, but she found this package somewhere and said it was for Kyle and that she had to deliver it..."
"Oh, and her expression when she was talking about it was strange, just like how Professor Snape described someone who has been hit with the Imperius Curse... Oh no, why didn't I realize it earlier!"
The girl hit her head in annoyance and started crying again, this time out of self-blame. If only she had noticed her friend's odd behavior earlier, Katie might have been spared this ordeal.
Conner walked over and gently patted her shoulder.
"It's not your fault... I recall you're seventh-year Linnet, right?"
The girl nodded.
"So, do you know who gave her the package?"
"No," Linnet sobbed. "I forgot something at Honeyduke's, and we were apart for a while. When I came back, she already had it."
"Is that so?" Conner turned to glance at Kyle.
"It's alright," Kyle said, his eyes fixed on the opal necklace on the ground. "Let's deal with the present first."
"You're right, we need to get back to school quickly." Tonks looked at the growing crowd and immediately took off running towards the school with the unconscious Katie in her arms.
She didn't forget to remind the twins, "Fred, George, please take care of that thing on the ground. Make sure no one else touches it."
"Leave it to us," Fred said. He skillfully waved his wand, and the stones on the ground instantly transformed into a box, re-enveloping the opal necklace. He then directed the box to float forward with his wand.
Throughout this process, the box kept a safe distance from everyone.
Harry and the others exchanged glances and hurried to catch up.
"By the way, what spell did Kyle use just now?" Ron asked curiously. "It solved the problem in an instant."
"Finite Incantatem," Hermione answered. "It's an advanced spell that you can think of as an enhanced version of Expelliarmus. It can eliminate all magical traces within a certain range."
"Even the effects of Dark artifacts?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Hermione said impatiently. "If you had paid attention in Professor Snape's class, you'd know that so-called Dark artifacts are simply objects imbued with curses.
"And curses are also a form of magic."
"Paying attention in Snape's class?" Harry opened his mouth in disbelief. That was a tall order for him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but Snape always found a way to enrage him within the first ten minutes, making it impossible for Harry to focus even if he wanted to.
"Huh?" Harry blinked, then realized, "Now that you mention it, if Malfoy hadn't pushed Hermione and knocked over that package, Kyle might have touched it."
"Hmph, I never thought Malfoy would do something good." Ron said, "Though he probably isn't too happy about it... Hey, where's Malfoy anyway?"
He looked around, but Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, which struck Ron as odd.
Given Malfoy's personality, he would have surely boasted about his contribution to Kyle or tried to curry favor with a professor to earn some extra points. Why wasn't he here?
Kyle also glanced back but remained silent.
In fact, when Tonks had rushed over, Malfoy had quietly slipped away into the surrounding crowd.
The group quickly returned to the school grounds.
"Do you think he's behind all this?" Ron speculated.
Although there was no evidence, it had become a habit for Ron to blame Malfoy for everything, regardless of proof.
"I don't know." Harry pondered, "But that opal necklace looks familiar."
"You've seen it?" Ron asked, surprised, as Hermione turned to look at Harry as well.
"Yeah." Harry nodded, "I remember seeing it in a box at Borgin and Burkes four years ago. Do you remember when I first used Floo powder and accidentally ended up there?
"Because the box said it had taken the lives of over a dozen Muggles, it caught my attention, and I remember it clearly."
"So, someone must have bought it from that shop?"
"I suppose so."
"The opal necklace from Borgin and Burkes..." Conner looked at Kyle and asked, "Who do you think it could be?"
"Who knows." Kyle narrowed his eyes, "Maybe someone wanted to use it against me but changed their mind at the last moment."
"Changed their mind... Malfoy?" Conner blurted out.
She knew that Kyle wouldn't say such things without reason; he must have noticed something.
And the only one who fit that description was Malfoy, who had suddenly appeared along the way.
Although their group was large, they didn't occupy the entire path, and they had been walking along the side.
Malfoy could have easily walked straight back to the school, yet he hadn't. Instead, he had detoured to push Hermione, who was never going to be in his way.
Coincidentally, Hermione had then knocked into Katie, causing the package to fall to the ground.
If all of this wasn't intentional, it was quite a remarkable coincidence.
Conner stared at Kyle, seeking an answer.
"Ah, who knows." Kyle smiled and shrugged, "But given the current situation, I should probably thank Malfoy. After all, he saved me."
"Cut the act." Conner said, "Don't think I didn't see that you had already cast Protego before reaching out."
"Of course, I had already detected the traces of the Imperius Curse, so I wasn't about to foolishly touch that unknown package." Kyle said, "And as it turned out, I was right, wasn't I?"
"Professor McGonagall is here." Hermione's voice came from ahead.
Kyle looked up and saw Professor McGonagall hurrying down the stone stairs through the snow to meet them.
"Tonks told me you witnessed Katie Bell being attacked. Please come with me to my office upstairs immediately."
"It wasn't an attack!" Ron exclaimed, "She wanted to give Kyle a Dark artifact that could kill!"
"We'll discuss this later." Professor McGonagall looked at Fred and the floating box next to him, "Mr. Weasley, what is that?"
"It's what Katie touched." Fred said, "I brought it back to prevent anyone else from touching it."
"Very good, well done, you're very considerate." Professor McGonagall's face was tense.
"It's what I should do." Fred said seriously.
At this moment, Filch walked over with the Secrecy Sensor in his hand, looking eager to wave it at Fred.
"No, Filch, they're with me, no need to check." Professor McGonagall quickly said.
Filch's face immediately turned gloomy.
"Oh, Mr. Filch." Fred raised an eyebrow, "You may not know this, but I work at the Ministry of Magic, and I specialize in dealing with these dangerous Dark artifacts. You shouldn't stop me."
Filch breathed heavily through his nose, feeling that the people at the Ministry of Magic must be crazy to let a Whomping Willow guard the vault.
"Oh, and Mr. Filch..."
George, standing next to him, looked at the Secrecy Sensor in his hand, "I suspect this item is of questionable origin and may be enchanted with some kind of hidden Dark magic. If you can't provide the purchase information and details, I must confiscate it.
Filch's face turned ashen, and he clutched the Secrecy Sensor tightly to his chest.
The device had been at Hogwarts for who knows how long, and there was no way to determine its purchase details now...
Even if there were, after so many years, that shop might have changed hands or disappeared altogether.
However, Fred and George's faces were filled with smugness. They had endured countless interrogations by Filch during their school days, and now the tables had turned.
It had to be said that this feeling was quite fantastic.
"Come on, Filch, hand it over." Fred urged, "We need to inspect it. It's a requirement from the Ministry of Magic."
"Alright, that's enough." Professor McGonagall glared at them, "I assure you the Secrecy Sensor is absolutely fine. Is that clear?"
"Since Professor McGonagall says so, we certainly believe it." George replied with a smile.
"Then keep quiet." Professor McGonagall said, "Now, take this to Professor Snape immediately."
She glanced at the group of Kyle and Harry, "You lot, come with me..."
Professor McGonagall led Kyle and the others into the castle, up the stairs to her office. The rain and snow tapped on the windows, but the fireplace inside was blazing, providing a warm refuge from the cold outside.
"Speak." Professor McGonagall strode briskly around her desk, her tone stern. "What happened?"
Linnet stammered, her words disjointed due to the shock she had experienced. While her account wasn't entirely coherent, it was understandable.
However, she didn't know much beyond what had already transpired. All she knew was that Katie had received the package during the time Linnet had left to go to Honeyduke's. As for who had given it to her and who had cast the Imperius Curse on her, Linnet was clueless.
Afterwards, Professor McGonagall instructed Linnet to go to the hospital wing as well.
Linnet was in a rather poor state, and a calming potion to soothe her nerves was in order.
"Now, what happened after that?" Professor McGonagall looked at the others, expecting an account of the events.
Hermione promptly recounted how Katie had been flung into the air and then rescued. Her narrative was detailed, and Professor McGonagall quickly grasped the sequence of events.
"Very well, five points to Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall nodded approvingly, "Off you go now, and remember to keep this matter confidential. Don't discuss it with anyone, even if they ask."
With that, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the office, leaving only Kyle and Conner behind.
At this point, Professor McGonagall's expression had softened from its previous tension.
"Because of your quick thinking and calm response..." She looked at Kyle and said gently, "I'll award fifty points to Hufflepuff. Well done."
"Thank you, Professor." Kyle replied.
"You deserve it." Professor McGonagall rubbed her forehead, thinking that if Kyle hadn't been there, the situation could have escalated terribly... Katie Bell would have endured far more suffering.
Even Tonks, an Auror, might not have handled it better than Kyle.
"Do you have any idea who might be behind this?" Professor McGonagall continued, "Who would want to target you, going as far as to use the Imperius Curse on a Hogwarts student?"
"I'm not sure." Kyle remained calm, "Perhaps it was a deranged Death Eater seeking revenge because I foiled their plans during the holidays. It wouldn't be surprising if they wanted to get back at me."
"A Death Eater?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, finding it hard to believe that a Death Eater would dare to target a Hogwarts student. Yet, aside from that, there didn't seem to be any other plausible explanation.
"If that's the case..." She paced back and forth in the room, "Kyle, I must insist that for your safety, you refrain from leaving the castle and avoid Hogsmeade for the time being."
"Alright, I understand." Kyle had anticipated this request from Professor McGonagall, so he nodded in agreement.
After all, his trips to Hogsmeade usually involved nothing more than a visit to the Three Broomsticks for a mug of butterbeer.
Moreover, given the severity of the incident, the school would likely suspend student visits to Hogsmeade, rendering his consent irrelevant.
"You may go now as well." Professor McGonagall waved her hand, looking slightly weary, "The school will get to the bottom of this matter promptly."
"There's one more minor thing, Professor." Kyle didn't hurry to leave, pausing for a moment before continuing, "It's about Mr. Malfoy."
"Go on."
"Well, regardless of the circumstances..." Kyle paused briefly before continuing, "Since he did indirectly save me, could I give him twenty-five of the points I earned?"
Professor McGonagall seemed taken aback by Kyle's suggestion, lifting her head, "But if it weren't for Mr. Malfoy, the package wouldn't have broken and caused this situation."
"Let's not mix matters." Kyle maintained his composure, "So, I'm not asking for extra points to be added, just to divide the points I received with him."
"Very well, if you insist..."
Professor McGonagall stared at Kyle, hesitating for a moment before eventually nodding in agreement. "Twenty points from Hufflepuff, and twenty points to Slytherin."
(End of Chapter)
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