Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 734: Dealing with Death Eaters - Novel Cool

Chapter 734: Dealing with Death Eaters

Chapter 734: Dealing with Death Eaters

"You've fulfilled your request, but do you have the items ready?"

In an isolated classroom on the eighth floor of Hogwarts, a hoarse and deep voice reverberated, like a ghostly whisper that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget." Kyle reached into his Chameleonic Lizard Leather Bag and pulled out a briefcase, placing it on the table. He opened it and pushed it forward.

"Two hundred enhanced Pop-Bang Balloons, not one missing."

Since Zonko's Joke Shop had closed down, Kyle had procured these items from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Fred and George had cleverly concealed them inside a hollowed-out book, bypassing Filch's inspections.

Kyle could have easily accomplished this task with a simple Undetectable Extension Charm on a small box, but the Weasley brothers disagreed, finding that approach too dull and unexciting.

At the sight of the briefcase, Peeves immediately flew over, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

There were indeed plenty of balloons, with an additional thirty thrown in. However, instead of appearing delighted, Peeves frowned and asked, "Hey, where are the Stink Pellets we talked about? They're not here."

"Relax, transporting those takes a bit more time. You'll have to wait a few more days," Kyle explained. "And this time, the Weasley twins have added a little extra something to some of them."

"Extra something...?" Peeves' eyes lit up. "You mean they made them bigger?"

"No," Kyle shook his head. "They've added the real deal."

Peeves' expression immediately turned peculiar, his eyes reflecting a mixture of unabashed disgust and heartfelt admiration.

These two contrasting emotions coexisted perfectly in the poltergeist.

Although Peeves was a ghost, he wasn't completely oblivious to the world around him.

The name 'Stink Pellet' was just a clever moniker; the putrid stench was created by a concoction of various herbs and plants.

To add the real thing into the mix... the students of Hogwarts would go wild, and the Weasley twins' devilish idea might just earn them the title of true Dark Lords.

Peeves silently raised a thumb in approval, then asked curiously, "Hey, kiddo... no, Mr. Kyle, do you have some sort of grudge against Hogwarts?"

"Of course not," Kyle replied. "Don't get the wrong idea. I was just about to explain that those specially made Stink Pellets are extra, not part of our agreed-upon quantity."

"Extra? What do you mean?" Peeves was a bit confused.

"I can't tell you the details just yet," Kyle said after a moment's thought. "Just keep them safe for now. When the time comes to use them, you'll understand everything."

Peeves scratched his head irritably. To be honest, he disliked it when Kyle was vague like this. If it had been anyone else, he would have pestered them relentlessly and bombarded them with vinegar-filled balloons.

But in this case... out of respect for a fellow mischief-maker, Peeves held back.

He put away the box of balloons and asked curiously, "I still don't get why you wanted me to lure that Slytherin kid to the second floor and show him that cabinet. Why not just give it to him directly?"

"If I had given it to him directly, he wouldn't have taken it," Kyle said. "Well, they took it, didn't they?"

"Of course," Peeves said proudly. "With me handling it, there's no way it could fail. They carried the cabinet away, laughing their heads off. I could hear them all the way up here."

"Good," Kyle nodded, turning to leave the room.

"Wait a minute..." Peeves called after him. "You still haven't told me why you wanted me to do that."

"You'll know when the time comes," Kyle waved dismissively, showing no signs of stopping.

Peeves was left fuming in mid-air, tugging at his hair in frustration. But there was little he could do about Kyle.

After all, Kyle was his biggest supplier of mischievous items, especially now that Zonko's was closed. The young wizard's stock of prank items was dwindling, and he had even exhausted his entire inventory during the Halloween ball.

Peeves could only get a large number of balloons from Kyle, so he had to tread carefully.

Huffing angrily, Peeves grabbed a handful of balloons from the box and flew off, heading downstairs.

He needed to station himself outside the Gryffindor common room. Only when a student knocked the wrong password would he have the chance to fill the balloons with vinegar.

However, the Gryffindor password wasn't exactly difficult. Most students got it right after the second try.

So, to speed things up, Peeves usually made some noise to distract them while they were trying to remember the password.

This trick almost always worked on first-year students.

...

Meanwhile, after leaving the classroom, Kyle didn't return to his dormitory. Instead, he wandered around the eighth floor until he reached the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Acid Pops," Kyle said, and the gargoyle statue jumped aside, revealing a spiral staircase behind it.

Kyle climbed the stairs with familiarity and soon found himself in front of the oak door. He knocked, but there was no response.

It seemed that Dumbledore was out again.

However, Kyle didn't leave. Instead, he pointed his wand at the brass door knocker.

Without hesitation, Kyle pushed open the door and walked in as if he were returning to his own home.

As expected, Dumbledore wasn't there.

The portraits on the walls stirred, their eyes blinking open one by one.

"It's you again..." Phineas McGregor was the first to speak up, his tone accusatory. "This is the Headmaster's office. How dare you barge in like this, student!"

"Correction, Headmaster Black," Kyle interjected. "I didn't barge in. I opened the door and walked in, just as one would with a key."

"Even if you put it that way, you still shouldn't—" Before Phineas could finish his sentence, he suddenly flew out of his portrait frame, landing on the grassy knoll next to it.

"He must have important business with Dumbledore. Don't cause any trouble!" added Armando Dippet, giving Phineas a nudge with his foot.

However, Kyle suspected that it was done intentionally, a subtle way to get back at the other portrait for some past transgression.

"That's right," Kyle nodded. "Do you happen to know where Professor Dumbledore is?"

"I'm afraid I don't," replied Dippet.

"Ha! You old coot, of course you wouldn't know," Phineas sneered as he lunged at Dippet, swinging his arms wildly, clearly looking to settle the score.

But Dippet was prepared for this, and the two former headmasters began scuffling, seemingly unconcerned about the young wizard watching them.

Perhaps this wasn't the first time, as the other portraits looked on with a mixture of amusement and indifference.

"Well then, do you have something urgent to discuss with Dumbledore?" asked a gray-haired witch from the nearest portrait, strategically blocking the view of the brawling headmasters.

"Not exactly urgent," Kyle replied. "I just wanted to share my thoughts on how Voldemort might attempt to infiltrate Hogwarts. It can wait for another time."

The witch fell silent for a moment.

"Please wait here..."

She turned and made her way over to where the scuffle between Dippet and Phineas was taking place. With a deep breath, she raised her fist and unleashed a series of rapid-fire punches.

The ensuing chaos was blocked from view by a chivalrous knight, though the clanging of fists and metal filled the air.

Within two minutes, Phineas reappeared, his face now sporting a clear fist-shaped imprint.

"Alright, fine. Dumbledore is at Number 12, Grimmauld Place," Phineas grumbled. "I've already sent word, and he should be back soon..."

...

As he finished speaking, a soft sound caught their attention.

Dumbledore had returned, with crumbs from his recent snack still clinging to his beard.

"Mrs. Weasley was quite insistent on me trying her freshly baked bread. It was delicious, I must say."

Dumbledore took his seat behind the desk and asked, "I understand from Phineas that you have something important to discuss with me?"

"Yes," Kyle nodded. "I believe I've figured out how Draco Malfoy intends to aid Voldemort's entry into Hogwarts."

"What?" Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly cleared his throat. "That's a serious accusation. Without evidence..."

"Fine, then let's remove the name." Kyle shrugged nonchalantly, unperturbed by Dumbledore's cautious reaction. "It's the Vanishing Cabinet."

"The Vanishing Cabinet?" Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles. As a master alchemist, he was well aware of the properties of such a cabinet.

The cabinet was like a physical manifestation of the Disappearance Cabinet Spell. There were two of them, and by entering one and closing the door, one could emerge from the other.

Unlike the spell, however, the cabinets were fixed in place. In his youth, Dumbledore had made frequent use of them, finding them incredibly convenient.

The only drawback was their extreme rarity; they were even more precious than the Erised Mirror. It was likely that only someone like Nicolas Flamel could create them.

"Are you suggesting that Voldemort has acquired a pair of these rare cabinets and managed to place one within the school?" Dumbledore's expression grew grave.

"Not Voldemort, but Mal... well, another individual." Kyle clarified, "And they didn't need to bring it here; it's always been here."

"Are you referring to..." Dumbledore's eyes narrowed as realization dawned on him. "The Vanishing Cabinet that was damaged by Peeves?"

"Yes, but there's only one here. I've tried entering it myself, but nothing happened. Perhaps the other cabinet no longer exists," Dumbledore mused, his brow furrowed.

Of course, Dumbledore was aware of the cabinet's presence, but it required both cabinets to function. A single cabinet was useless.

"Or perhaps it's simply damaged," Kyle suggested. "Creating a Vanishing Cabinet is difficult, but repairing one is much simpler. Even I could do it."

"The one damaged by Peeves was repaired by you?" Dumbledore's eyes twitched.

He had chosen to ignore the issue before. As an alchemist, he couldn't bring himself to destroy such a valuable magical artifact, and Peeves' accidental destruction had served as a convenient solution.

"Go ahead and say his name," Dumbledore said, rubbing his forehead. "Not many people should know about this, so how did you figure out it was Draco Malfoy?"

"It was after our last trip to Hogsmeade," Kyle replied. "However, Professor Snape insisted on protecting him, and Connor thought he might have had some plan, so I didn't pursue it further."

"Mr. Malfoy brought that Dark Magic necklace to target you," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes fixed on Kyle. "And you let him go just because Miss Prince pleaded for him?"

"Isn't that reason enough?" Kyle shrugged. "Connor trusts Professor Snape, just as I trust Connor. I didn't want to put her in a difficult position.

"Besides, Malfoy eventually gave up on his plan, which could be considered a change of heart. I had no reason to persist."

Dumbledore suddenly laughed, and it was a joyful laugh, as if Voldemort's plans had suddenly become insignificant.

He waved his hand, and a teapot, a delicate silver tea caddy, and two cups appeared on the table.

"Would you care for a drink? We can discuss other matters slowly."

"If possible," Kyle thought for a moment. "Could I have a cup of Phoenix Tears Special Blend, Felix Felicis-infused honey wine? I've always wanted to taste what it's like."

Dumbledore's hand paused, and then, as if he hadn't heard what Kyle said, he picked up the tea caddy and carefully pinched a few tea leaves from it.

"Try this instead. It's not worse than the honey wine from the Three Broomsticks." He placed the tea leaves into the cup and poured hot water over them. "This was given to me by an old friend when I turned a hundred. I've never had the heart to drink it.

"In my opinion, it's the best gift I've ever received, even more precious than Felix Felicis."

Kyle took a cautious sip, and the taste was indeed wonderful, far better than the tea he had drunk in the Headmaster's office before.

However, due to his limited experience, he couldn't pinpoint what made it so special.

Kyle wiggled his fingers, quickly cooling the tea, and then drank it all in one go.

This series of actions made Dumbledore's mouth twitch.

What a waste... he shouldn't have offered such a fine drink to Kyle.

Dumbledore took a moment to compose himself and asked, "Now, tell me your thoughts."

"It's simple," Kyle added more water to his cup. "Malfoy took the Vanishing Cabinet because he must have found the other one and was confident he could fix it.

"At that time, Death Eaters would be able to enter Hogwarts through the two cabinets from elsewhere."

"So, what should we do?" Dumbledore asked. "I assume you have another idea, otherwise, you wouldn't have given him the cabinet that you had worked so hard to repair."

"I have an immature suggestion..." Kyle picked up the tea caddy from the table, but before he could take a closer look, Dumbledore quickly snatched it back.

"Just say what's on your mind, and stop fiddling with my things."

"Alright," Kyle didn't mind. "Here's what I'm thinking: instead of letting him come up with another plan, why not give him a ready-made solution?

"While the Vanishing Cabinet is convenient, it has a significant limitation. If the Death Eaters choose to enter the school this way, they will undoubtedly emerge from the cabinet.

"At that moment, we can simply place the Basilisk right in front of the cabinet, and we won't need to do anything else to capture the Death Eaters."

The former Headmasters in the portraits all turned to look at Kyle...

Place the Basilisk in front of the Vanishing Cabinet? They could already imagine the scene.

A Death Eater, full of ambition, opens the Vanishing Cabinet, ready to make their move, only to be greeted by a pair of shimmering yellow eyes.

This was like a large-scale Death Eater disposal unit, and they couldn't believe that this idea had been casually mentioned by a teenager.

However, Dumbledore showed no reaction at all, and instead, he pondered the suggestion carefully.

"It won't work," he shook his head. "The Basilisk is too conspicuous. If there's only one Death Eater, this plan might work, but if there are more, it will be hard to ensure that no one escapes to report back.

"Moreover, many Death Eaters are either afraid of Voldemort or are being controlled by the Imperius Curse. We can't use the Basilisk against them."

"Then we can station a few people there," Kyle continued. "The Vanishing Cabinet is quite small, only one person can come out at a time. With proper coordination, it shouldn't be difficult to subdue them as they emerge."

"That's a good idea," Dumbledore nodded. "But I think it would also be wise to set up some magical traps in advance. That way, we can save some manpower and not have to keep watch all the time."

...

(End of Chapter)

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