https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-730-Dumbledore-It-Must-Be-Sniffles/13012946/
Chapter 729: Kyle: Am I the Dark Lord?
Chapter 729: Kyle: Am I the Dark Lord?
"Good news, Kyle!"
Early the next morning, the new Quidditch team captain, Grace, eagerly sought out Kyle, who was reading in the library.
"What's up?" Kyle put down the book in his hand and asked curiously, "Did Dumbledore defeat the Dark Lord last night?"
"Huh?" Grace blinked in confusion, "Really? Is that true?"
"I'm asking you." Kyle looked up at her, "Weren't you going to tell me some good news?"
"No, no..." Grace finally realized what Kyle meant and quickly shook her head, "The news I was going to tell you has nothing to do with the Dark Lord. It's about the team."
"Oh." Kyle immediately lost interest, but out of politeness, he asked, "What's the news?"
"Do you know who our first opponent is?" Grace asked.
"Gryffindor?" Kyle replied casually.
"How did you know?" Grace asked in surprise, "Did Professor Hooch tell you?"
"No, it's just my guess." Kyle answered.
"Your guess is right. It's indeed Gryffindor." Grace lowered her voice, "I noticed that their Keeper, the Weasley boy, is in poor form. Isn't this good news for us?"
"Poor form?" Kyle asked curiously, "What do you mean?"
"Mikael and I secretly watched their training..." Grace explained, "Don't get me wrong, it's a normal thing to do to gather intelligence."
Noticing the change in Kyle's expression, she shrugged and said, "Every team does this. Maybe you didn't notice, but last year, a month before the final, the Weasley twins often wandered near our training ground... They weren't there for a picnic."
"Alright." Kyle nodded, "Go on."
No wonder he had often encountered Fred and George after training. Those two had lied to him, saying they were testing new prank items. Now everything made sense.
"Where was I?" Grace thought for a moment, "Oh, right, the Keeper..."
"When we went to gather intelligence, we found that the Keeper, Weasley, was always distracted. He even missed some shots that seemed completely unskilled to me."
"Indeed, Mikael was right. Not every Weasley is a Quidditch genius."
Grace seemed a bit excited.
"I remember Ron Weasley. He seems to be good friends with their captain, Harry Potter."
"That's right." Kyle nodded, "They are inseparable, even wearing the same robe."
"The same robe?" Grace was stunned again, "Although I've heard that the Weasley family isn't that wealthy, it's not like they can't even afford a robe... Second-hand robes are only one Galleon."
"No, I just used that to describe how close they are." Kyle waved his hand.
"Okay." Grace didn't pay too much attention to it and continued, "I guess he must have stayed on the team because of his relationship with Potter. If it were me, his poor performance would definitely not qualify him to be a Keeper."
Kyle nodded in agreement. He quite agreed with Grace's statement.
Ron's talent was actually quite good. During their Quidditch games in St. Cacklesburg, his performance was commendable, and he even received Charlie's approval.
But his mentality was weak. When it came to critical moments, his abilities would significantly diminish, which was evident in last year's match.
Gryffindor played a total of three games, and in two of them, Ron was daydreaming, not knowing what he should be doing.
Logically, this situation should have led to a substitution, and former captain Angelina Johnson did exactly that.
But to avoid hurting Ron's feelings, Harry, after becoming captain, recalled him to the team and gave him chance after chance.
In Harry's words, he knew Ron could do it; he was just too nervous.
He used this reason to convince himself that he wasn't abusing his power, then magnified Ron's competitors' shortcomings, and used that to convince others.
...
"Potter made a big mistake. He abused his power as captain, but it's good news for us." Grace said excitedly,
"If Ron Weasley is still in this state on the day of the official match, we're definitely going to win!"
The more she spoke, the more excited she became, and her voice couldn't help but rise a bit.
"What are you doing! No noise in the library!"
Madam Pince stormed over and drove both Kyle and Grace out.
"Yes, sorry." Standing at the library door, Grace apologized repeatedly.
"Never mind..." Kyle, who was also affected, said helplessly, "I'll just ask someone to help me borrow those books later."
"Are you going to participate in next week's match?" Grace looked at him intently, "We have a high chance of winning."
It was at this moment that Kyle finally understood her purpose.
Because at the beginning of the school year, Kyle had proactively approached Professor Hooch and requested to be moved from the main team to the reserve team.
So, according to the rules, he had to find Professor Hooch first to adjust the team before he could take the field.
Kyle hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go."
He was only going to be a substitute because he had to go to the Ministry of Magic on the weekend, but now the fireplace to the Ministry was sealed, and his time suddenly became much more abundant. Participating in the match was definitely not a problem.
Grace ran off excitedly, as she needed to find Professor Hooch as soon as possible to change the list of main players.
Kyle turned back to look at the library and Madam Pince, who was still seething with anger.
It was obviously impossible to continue reading, so he could only turn around and walk towards the Common Room.
...
In the following days, Hogwarts enjoyed a rare period of tranquility, free from attacks and Dark Magic.
Even the Prophet Daily rarely reported on anyone being attacked by Death Eaters... The wizarding world seemed to have returned to the peaceful times of a few years ago.
But as to what exactly happened and whether the outside world was truly as calm as the newspapers portrayed, Kyle, who had been staying in Hogwarts all this time, had no way of knowing.
He could only discover some strange things happening in the school... like Malfoy.
Recently, he had hardly seen Malfoy's figure in the school. The few times they met were during mealtimes in the Great Hall.
Stranger still, every time Kyle wanted to approach Malfoy to say a few words and express his gratitude, Snape would appear like a ghost nearby and take Malfoy away without explanation.
"Damn, when did Snape and Malfoy's relationship become so good!"
During a Herbology class, Kyle couldn't help but complain, "Snape cares so much about Malfoy that he might as well use a Permanent Sticking Charm to stick him to himself."
"What do you want to find Malfoy for?" Cona asked from the side.
"Of course, it's to thank him," Kyle blurted out, "He helped me in Hogsmeade, and I should at least show some gratitude, otherwise it would be too impolite."
"If that's the case, you can go to his office to find him," Cona said as she put on protective gloves and carefully pulled the blue mushroom out of the soil, placing it on a nearby wooden stake.
The mushroom's roots stretched out seven or eight small tendrils, clinging tightly to the stake, and then the stake began to wither at a visible rate.
This was the unique fertilization method for Hopta Mushrooms, and it was their task for this class.
After the Hopta Mushroom started absorbing tree sap, Cona continued, "Malfoy has been in Professor Snape's office recently. I saw him many times when I was in detention."
"You saw him?" Kyle asked, "So he's not in the Common Room at night?"
Cona's custom-made detention usually took place in the evening because she was trying to avoid Professor Slughorn's dinner invitation.
"He should not be there," Cona thought for a moment and said, "That Malfoy seems to be in detention as well. Only when curfew comes does Professor Snape send him back."
"Tsk, and he even sends him back..." Kyle pouted, "Is he worried that Malfoy will get lost?"
Cona didn't speak, she just put the Hopta Mushroom that had fallen off the stake back into the soil.
After completing all this, she suddenly asked, "Last time in Hogsmeade, Malfoy used the Imperius Curse on Katie, right?"
"Why do you say that?" Kyle asked.
"I'm guessing," Cona said, "Just like I'm in detention to avoid Professor Slughorn, Malfoy must be trying to avoid someone too."
"Then why do you think it's me?" Kyle raised his eyebrows.
"Because you're the one looking for him," Cona said, "After knowing all this, the rest is obvious, isn't it?
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And your only recent interaction was last time in Hogsmeade. If Malfoy really helped you, he didn't need to hide, so it must be another possibility... that Malfoy gave Katie that Dark Magic Necklace and asked her to deal with you.
Kyle paused in his action and couldn't help but say, "Cona, you're the smartest witch I've ever met."
"Thank you for your praise..." Cona smiled at Kyle, "So I guessed right?"
"I guess so," Kyle said, "I can only confirm that the necklace is related to Malfoy for now, but for the specifics, I'll need to ask Malfoy himself."
"He must have some other reason, I understand him," Cona said quietly, "And I've noticed he's been acting strangely lately, as if he's secretly up to something."
Kyle put down the mushroom in his hand and looked at Cona.
She continued, "For example, during the holidays this year, he seemed very reluctant to let me stay in Britain. The assessment only starts in August, but the day after the holiday, he sent me over there. And it was the same after the assessment."
"Maybe... he's worried about you encountering the Dark Lord," Kyle said.
"I thought so at first too, but something felt off," Cona frowned, staring at the withered stake in front of her.
"And I've also noticed that when we're in school, he deliberately keeps his distance from me. Whether it's in private or other occasions, he insists that I must call him Professor Snape and nothing else."
"I feel like he's afraid of someone."
As she spoke the last sentence, Cona's voice was soft, yet her tone was certain.
Kyle stared at Cona, oblivious to the fact that Professor Sprout had already walked over to them.
"No more whispering," she said, eyeing the row of Hopta Mushrooms in front of them. "You're already far behind the others."
"Yes, Professor, we'll get to work right away!" Kyle replied.
Professor Sprout nodded and left.
For a while, neither of them spoke, focusing on the task at hand for this class.
Or perhaps they weren't as focused as they could have been, as their minds were elsewhere, causing their movements to slow down considerably.
It wasn't until ten minutes before the end of class that they finally completed the task assigned by Professor Sprout.
Kyle buried the Hopta Mushroom in the soil and turned to look at Cona once more, as if with newfound determination.
He waved his wand gently. "Ear-Shutting Spell!"
"Cona..."
"Hmm..." Cona turned her head. "What is it?"
"Do you want to know what Professor Snape is up to?" Kyle whispered. "I happen to know a few things."
"Oh, about that." Cona blinked and said nonchalantly, "I don't want to."
"What?" Kyle was momentarily caught off guard.
"I said I don't want to know," Cona repeated.
"Professor Snape must have his reasons for not telling me. I can't help him now, and the only thing I can do is maintain the status quo, so he doesn't have to waste time and energy on me and deviate from his original plan." She smiled.
"So you trust Professor Snape that much? What if he's..."
"Of course, I trust him." Cona interrupted Kyle, speaking firmly. "Just like I trust you."
"Alright." Kyle removed his gloves and set them aside, putting on a pair of sturdier dragon-hide gloves. "But this doesn't sound very reassuring... Give me the pot."
Cona handed him a small pot filled with gray granules, emitting a pungent odor.
It was a natural blend of fertilizer concocted by Professor Sprout herself. While effective, its smell was equally unbearable.
If they didn't keep it at a distance, everyone might have to endure the effects of the Petrificus Totalus Charm during class.
"Kyle, could you..." Cona poured some of the gray granules into the soil, her face filled with hesitation, as if unsure how to phrase her next words.
"I understand what you mean." Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "I won't go looking for trouble with Malfoy for now."
"That's not what I meant." Cona shook her head quickly. "He wanted to use Dark Magic items against you, which is unforgivable. What I meant is, I'll help you find out the truth if you trust me."
"It's not necessary." Kyle smiled. "In fact, Malfoy saved himself, remember? He intentionally knocked over the package to prevent me from touching it."
"If it weren't for that, even if Professor Snape hid in the Headmaster's Office, it wouldn't have worked."
Kyle also poured some fertilizer onto the Hopta Mushroom in front of him and then threw the pot away.
"And I can guess the specifics of what happened. Asking Malfoy is just to confirm it."
"Is that all?" Cona asked, seeming relieved. "I thought you wanted to..." She trailed off, "Never mind."
"Wait." Kyle looked at her. "You don't think I want to kill him, do you?"
"No, is that what you thought?" Cona appeared embarrassed. "I overheard their conversation by accident... Professor Snape said that was the only way to save his life."
"Of course not!" Kyle raised his voice involuntarily. "That's slander, pure and simple! Killing your own classmate at the slightest disagreement, am I some kind of Dark Lord? Even when Voldemort was in school, he wouldn't have gone that far!"
To be fair, Kyle never intended to kill Malfoy. After all, they were both still students at Hogwarts, and Malfoy wasn't even of age yet. So, even without Malfoy's final action, Kyle would have only given him a lesson at most, and killing him would be an exaggeration.
"Hmm... Maybe I misheard." Cona spoke softly.
"Huh?" Kyle snorted and ignored her.
He retrieved the pot he had thrown away, transformed a nearby branch into a bag, and filled it with the blended fertilizer.
Under Cona's watchful gaze, Kyle carefully secured the bag.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm a very understanding person and don't care about Snape's slander." Kyle said calmly. "I'm taking this to fertilize the White Herbs, not to put it in Professor Snape's lunch. I never even thought of mixing fertilizer with his food."
(End of Chapter)
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