Chapter 738: Christmas Gift
Chapter 738: Christmas Gift
"Severus Snape?" Nicolas repeated quietly, but the name didn't ring a bell in his memory.
Among the wizards he knew who were still alive and associated with potions, there was only one, Pegasi Sasiana, and the last time he saw her was sixty years ago... or maybe seventy, it had been too long, and he couldn't quite remember.
"He's the Dark Arts Defense teacher at Hogwarts," Kyle clarified from the side.
"Huh?"
This was the second time Nicolas was surprised, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is the threshold for Hogwarts really that high now?"
A Dark Arts Defense teacher had actually brewed the most complex potion currently known. Were all the professors at Hogwarts so multi-talented? Wasn't this a bit excessive? How could other schools survive?
"No, no... You misunderstood," Cona quickly explained, "Professor Snape has always been in charge of Potions class, but he only took on the role of Dark Arts Defense teacher this year."
Hearing Cona's explanation, Nicolas finally understood and nodded.
If that was the case, it was much easier to accept.
"He really does care about you," Nicolas said to Cona, "By the way, he must have used the Phoenix Ash left by the Phoenix, right?"
"Sorry, I don't know," Cona turned to look at Kyle.
"Yes," Kyle replied immediately, "I remember Professor Dumbledore mentioning before that when the Phoenix underwent rebirth, Professor Snape took away a portion of the ash."
"No wonder," Nicolas nodded.
At that moment, he also vaguely remembered that two years ago, when he went to Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore had also mentioned the name Severus, saying that a portion of the ash had already been used by him.
However, at that time, Professor Dumbledore only mentioned these details and didn't specify what Severus taught. Additionally, Nicolas' attention was focused on the portion of the ash in Kyle's hands, so he didn't pay much attention to these details.
Now everything made sense.
The half of the Phoenix Ash taken away by Severus Snape was what he had used to brew the Phoenix Elixir in front of him.
"How fascinating..." Nicolas muttered to himself, then glanced at Kyle with a smirk.
"Hmph..."
Wizards should not be compared.
To be honest, there weren't many things that could spark Nicolas' interest these days, but on their first meeting, Cona had brought him a gift that perfectly suited his tastes.
Looking at Kyle, every time they met, he would find something for Nicolas to do, and it was the kind of request Nicolas couldn't refuse. His workload in the past two years had been more than the previous thirty years combined.
Moreover, what was even more important was that Kyle always had his eyes on Nicolas' opera house.
The contrast between them was immediately apparent.
"No, I didn't say it wrong," Kyle muttered, "He is indeed the Dark Arts Defense teacher."
"I'm not referring to that," Nicolas gestured, "Hurry up and take it out."
"Take what out?" Kyle was momentarily caught off guard.
"The gift, of course," Nicolas said firmly, "You're visiting an old man over six hundred years old, and you didn't bring a Christmas gift?"
Kyle opened his mouth, stunned.
What was going on? Why was Nicolas suddenly concerned about this?
Although he had also prepared a gift, compared to Cona's Phoenix Elixir that could revive the dead, his playing opera poster seemed rather insignificant.
"Well..." Kyle thought for a moment and placed the Golden Chalice on the table, "How about I give this to you?"
"No," Nicolas refused without hesitation.
"But this is the Hufflepuff Cup," Kyle couldn't help but say, "You said before that it's something no alchemist could refuse, right?"
"That was ten minutes ago. Now, it's different."
Nicolas calmly took out the bottle of elixir and shook it, "With this, I can replicate it anytime, so to me, it's just a lump of gold."
"The one thing I don't lack is gold."
The Golden Chalice's most distinctive feature was its stability. Even after being affected by a fragment of Voldemort's soul, it remained intact.
In alchemy, the Phoenix Elixir was also the best stabilizing agent, so Nicolas' statement was indeed accurate.
"But it's the Hufflepuff Cup... It has a different meaning," Kyle tried to emphasize its other significance.
"Only to you," Nicolas still didn't care, "I graduated from Beauxbatons, and I have no connection to the Hogwarts Four."
Kyle fell silent.
During this time, Perenelle had been smiling and occasionally offering Cona some of the food she deemed delicious.
However, Cona wasn't in the mood to eat. She stared blankly at Kyle and the golden cup on the table.
What had they just said?
The Hufflepuff... Golden Chalice?
As a Hogwarts student, she knew exactly what this meant.
Just like the Gryffindor Sword and the Ravenclaw Diadem, the Golden Chalice was the most precious treasure in the eyes of every Hufflepuff student.
She couldn't believe it was being rejected here? Even Kyle was a Hufflepuff like her.
Cona looked at the dazzling golden cup on the table again.
Indeed, its size and design were identical to the Golden Chalice in the Helga Hufflepuff Portrait in the Common Room.
"Don't worry about them," Perenelle patted Cona's hand, "they don't mean what they say."
There were some things Cona didn't understand, but she knew exactly what was going on.
Nicolas wasn't dissatisfied with the Golden Chalice; he was just teasing Kyle.
The reason was simple. It was probably because he had been so engrossed in researching these two items recently that he lost track of time and missed an important event—a ball.
Nicolas had been annoyed for several days.
Originally, it was his own fault for missing the ball, and it had nothing to do with Kyle. But now, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to tease him.
However, Cona, who knew the truth, didn't intend to stop them. She smiled and watched Nicolas tease Kyle as if she were watching an exciting play.
Kyle, unaware of all this, scratched his hair nervously under Nicolas' gaze.
He couldn't believe Nicolas would even refuse the Hufflepuff Golden Chalice. When did he get to choose his Christmas gift?
And it was the Golden Chalice! How did it become an ordinary lump of gold in Nicolas' eyes?
Something was amiss... Kyle's eyes flickered.
But this was fine; he didn't want to part with the Golden Chalice anyway. He had only taken it out earlier as a gesture of politeness.
If Nicolas didn't want to accept it, then it had nothing to do with him.
However, Nicolas not only didn't feel embarrassed but also seemed uninterested in the Golden Chalice.
Although the outcome was similar, the meaning was entirely different.
"You're not just being polite, are you?" Nicolas seemed to have guessed Kyle's thoughts and narrowed his eyes.
"Of course not," Kyle forced a laugh. "I was just joking to liven up the atmosphere. I already prepared the gift."
"Then bring it out quickly," Nicolas extended his hand again, watching Kyle with interest.
He had already made up his mind. No matter what Kyle presented, the result would be the same as with the Golden Chalice.
Nicolas didn't believe Kyle could bring out another special Horcrux, like the Gryffindor Sword.
But even if he did, Nicolas didn't think he would be interested.
Among the artifacts left behind by the legendary Four Founders, only the Gryffindor Sword was not a traditional alchemical item but a weapon crafted by elves.
For Nicolas, such an item was no better than a lump of gold.
As Kyle suspected, he no longer had a Horcrux in his possession, but he had something else.
Under Nicolas' watchful eyes, Kyle quickly put away the Golden Chalice and took out an exquisite silver container.
"I got this from Dumbledore," Kyle said solemnly. "You don't know, but he hasn't spoken to me for over half a month because of this."
"Oh?" Nicolas raised an eyebrow.
He didn't doubt Kyle's claim.
When Kyle took out the container, Nicolas immediately recognized it as belonging to Dumbledore.
According to each alchemist's habits and characteristics, their alchemical items would bear unique imprints.
Even if it was the same item, different alchemists would produce variations in the details... These were their unique marks, akin to signatures on written works.
And on this silver container, Dumbledore's name was clearly 'written.'
There was another point to consider.
When Nicolas met Dumbledore a few days ago, he did seem sullen, but Nicolas hadn't thought much of it, assuming it was because of Voldemort.
But now, he realized that Dumbledore's expression was more like that of someone whose prized possession had been taken away.
Upon this realization, Nicolas' expression changed immediately... even Dumbledore felt a twinge of pity, finding it rather intriguing.
"Oh, this jar is exquisite," he said with a chuckle, "but there's something I don't quite understand."
"What?" Kyle asked.
"You mentioned earlier that this was prepared as a Christmas gift for me, and you specifically took it from Albus, right?"
"Yes," Kyle nodded repeatedly, "I went to great lengths to get it."
"That's strange," Nicolas picked up the jar and examined it, "according to what you said, this happened at least half a month ago, but I only decided to invite you yesterday. The timing doesn't quite add up."
"Ah, well..." Kyle stammered, "I saw it in Divination class... I'm certain I have the gift of prophecy."
"That's even stranger," Nicolas said, "I'm not denying your gift.
"But Kyle, do you remember the crystal ball we saw in the room earlier? That's also an alchemical item, and its purpose is to let me know about any prophecies concerning me."
"If I remember correctly, it hasn't lit up in five years."
Nicolas' gaze intensified as he stared at Kyle, and Perenelle and Cona did the same, especially Cona, who was witnessing Kyle being this passive for the first time.
... It was quite intriguing.
"I, I misspoke earlier," Kyle quickly corrected himself in response to Nicolas' questioning look, "I actually saw a prediction that I would be going on a long journey during Christmas, and I guessed I'd be coming here."
"Oh, that makes sense," Nicolas sighed in relief, "I thought the crystal ball was broken. It's not easy to fix that thing."
"Oh, and thank you for the gift, I really like it." Nicolas picked up the jar from the table without even looking inside. He handed it to Tata, the house elf, and instructed him to take it back and keep it safe.
He acted as if he was afraid Kyle might change his mind.
Kyle understood, but what could he do... faced with a six-hundred-year-old elder wizard shamelessly acting like a scoundrel, he had no options.
Tata was an excellent cook, and the lavish dinner was no less impressive than the Hogwarts feast, with dishes from various countries and a variety of flavors.
The other three enjoyed their meal, except for Kyle, who ate as if chewing on dry bread.
But Kyle didn't realize that this was just the beginning; the more heart-chilling part was yet to come.
After dinner, Perenelle took Cona to tour the estate, which was filled with wonders... a ceiling that could change the weather, an immersive opera house, and alchemical items everywhere...
These were things you wouldn't find elsewhere.
Even though Cona wanted to find a quiet place to finish her book, she was captivated by the wonders and followed Perenelle.
"Do you like opera or concerts?"
"Rarely," Cona's voice sounded a bit tense. "Does broadcast music count? I often listen to the Weird Sisters on the radio."
"Broadcast music is good too, very suitable for students. I remember the sales of radios tripled when I watched the Wobbok Christmas Gala once. Come with me, dear, I'll show you the live version."
The two quickly disappeared up the stairs.
Meanwhile, Nicolas was holding the Phoenix Elixir and couldn't wait to return to the laboratory from earlier.
In the blink of an eye, only Kyle was left, oh, and Tata, the house elf.
"Mr. Kyle, if you're finished with your meal, may I clean up, please?" Tata held a cloth and looked up at Kyle.
Kyle stood up subconsciously and moved to the side.
"Thank you, sir," Tata said, patting the table. The dining table moved, its legs wobbling as it scurried away with the chairs into a corridor that suddenly appeared on the left.
Tata quickly cleaned the floor and followed them into the corridor, which then disappeared.
Throughout the process, Kyle watched from the side.
He knew the corridor led to the kitchen, but he had never been there, and Tata didn't give him the chance.
As soon as he thought of going to the kitchen since he had nothing else to do, the corridor disappeared.
Now, he was truly alone, ignored as if the place had only ever had three people.
(End of Chapter)
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