Chapter 742: Being Neighbors with Snape
Chapter 742: Being Neighbors with Snape
"Well?"
"It's still there."
As soon as Kyle returned to Diagon Alley, he darted into Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Before anyone could notice him, he changed back into his usual attire and added, "I saw it. The Vanishing Cabinet is indeed inside Borgin and Burkes."
"Brilliant!" Fred exclaimed, "With this knowledge, we can keep an eye on the Death Eaters' movements by simply monitoring the entrance to Knockturn Alley."
"Or we could take control of Borgin and Burkes," George suggested. "Given that we're now in the business of dealing with Dark artifacts, we can easily come up with an excuse to inspect their shop."
"I advise against that," Kyle cautioned from the side. "Borgin is a cunning fellow. If he senses something amiss and reports it back to the Death Eaters, our previous efforts will be for naught. It's best to maintain the status quo.
"Moreover, I sensed the presence of a werewolf in Knockturn Alley."
"A werewolf?" Fred exclaimed, startled.
Their shop was located less than a hundred feet from the entrance to Knockturn Alley. If there truly was a werewolf lurking about, their current position wasn't very safe.
"Yes, I suspect he's been hiding in Knockturn Alley all this time and has now pledged his allegiance to the mysterious man, keeping watch over Borgin and Burkes," Kyle explained.
"I doubt that," Fred interjected. "According to Lupin, the werewolves in Knockturn Alley were expelled by Fenrir Greyback, and they're pitifully weak. Even if they wanted to work for the mysterious man, I don't think he'd find them useful."
"Then it must have sneaked in," Kyle asserted. "I definitely felt a sense of danger as I walked past it. It's definitely a formidable werewolf."
"How can you be sure it's associated with the mysterious man, though?"
"It's just a guess," Kyle admitted. "Earlier, when I was in the shop, Borgin refused to sell me the Vanishing Cabinet no matter how high a price I offered.
"He seems to have some reservations, probably because there's a werewolf guarding the entrance."
"An irresistible price..." George raised an eyebrow. "You didn't happen to use our money, did you?"
Kyle remained silent, effectively confirming their suspicion.
"But... that's all our savings," Fred said, slightly aghast. "What if Borgin had actually agreed to the sale?"
"There's no way that would've happened. I knew what I was doing," Kyle assured them. "Even if he dared to take such a huge risk for a few thousand galleons, I would've come up with another excuse."
"I still have one question..." George, deciding to let go of the matter of galleons, furrowed his brow in confusion. "Even if the werewolf has pledged itself to the mysterious man, it's not like Malfoy can directly command it, right? After all, he's just a sixteen-year-old wizard, barely even a full-fledged Death Eater himself."
"Malfoy might not be able to, but there are others," Kyle pointed out. "For such a significant task, do you really think he's handling it all alone? He probably asked for help. Getting a werewolf to do their bidding is a simple task for some of the Death Eaters."
"In that case, we not only have to keep an eye on the Death Eaters, but we also have to be extra vigilant to ensure the werewolf doesn't go on a rampage during a full moon. This is Diagon Alley, and it would be quite troublesome if a transformed werewolf suddenly appeared."
"Don't worry, leave it to us," Fred and George said confidently, patting their chests. "We've just created a map of Diagon Alley... a simplified version of the Marauder's Map."
He pointed to a seemingly ordinary piece of parchment in the window display and continued, "With this, we can keep an eye on the situation at the entrance of Knockturn Alley with just a few modifications to the map."
"That's a great idea," Kyle said calmly. "However, I still don't think it's foolproof. Make sure to pass this information on to Kreacher... No, wait, I'll do it myself later."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" Fred exclaimed indignantly. "Are you saying that in your eyes, we're less reliable than a house-elf?"
Kyle looked him up and down and then nodded firmly.
Yes, that was exactly what he meant.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Just as Fred and George were about to give Kyle a proper scolding, Connor walked over from a nearby shelf.
"Kyle, are you done? We need to get back to school soon."
"Yeah, I'm done," Kyle replied.
"Good," Connor said, placing a few trinkets that had caught her eye on the shelf beside her.
"Mr. Weasley, how much for these?"
"Take them, our treat," Fred said with a grand wave of his hand. "Consider it a first-time customer discount for our shop."
"No, I can't do that," Connor shook her head. "Tell me the price, or I won't take them."
"Yeah, business is business. We won't take advantage like that," Kyle chimed in, standing beside her.
As he spoke, he placed a heavy briefcase on the counter and generously said, "Consider these as payment. Keep the change."
The briefcase was heavy, and it made a dull thud as it landed on the counter, indicating that it was filled with coins.
"You're paying us with our own money and not even giving us change... How can you say that so casually?" George added.
"You're shameless!" they exclaimed together.
Kyle ignored their complaints and calmly found Kreacher, to whom he entrusted some tasks. Then, he left the shop with Connor and headed toward the Leaky Cauldron.
Soon, Fred and George caught up with them.
"Why are you guys going back so early?" Fred asked.
"Can't we just take the Floo Network with Ron and the others later?" George added.
"We want to, but what about the carriage? We can't exactly squeeze that into the fireplace, can we?" Kyle replied.
"The carriage... Oh, I forgot about that. You came here in the Thestral-drawn carriage," Fred said, smacking his forehead.
"By the way, how did you get it out?"
"We tried that before, but the Thestrals refused to leave the school gates. If we push them, they just let out a sharp cry," George explained.
"It's a good thing we ran fast enough, or Hagrid would have caught us for sure."
Sure enough, these were Fred and George, the students who gave Professor McGonagall the most headaches. They had even thought of using the Thestral-drawn carriage.
"Do you even need to ask?" Kyle glanced at them. "Of course, it was with Professor Dumbledore's permission."
Hearing that the carriage had been obtained through legitimate means, the twins immediately lost interest.
The group walked to the entrance of Diagon Alley, passed through the wall into the back of the Leaky Cauldron, and then Apparated to a secluded alley next to Grimmauld Place.
A Muggle stood there with his eyes wide, dumbfounded, and rubbed his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen.
Kyle waved his wand, and the man's eyes immediately glazed over, looking bewildered as if nothing had happened. Kyle nonchalantly walked out of the alley with the others.
"Your Memory Charm is quite skillful," George commented.
"It's just a simple trick," Kyle replied.
The Thestral-drawn carriage was waiting nearby. Kyle jumped into the carriage first and then helped Connor inside.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Fred asked.
"We already said our goodbyes before going to Diagon Alley. Let's just head back," Kyle replied.
"Right, and remember, if the werewolf ever does escape, don't try to be heroes. Let Kreacher deal with him," Kyle warned.
"That old house-elf?" George said doubtfully. "Do you think he can handle it? What if the werewolf eats him as a snack? We won't be able to explain that to Sirius."
"Of course, he can," Kyle assured them. "House-elves possess unique magic and are not inferior to werewolves in terms of strength. Remember Dobby? He once stunned Lucius Malfoy with just one finger."
"That's so cool!" Fred exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "Do you have a picture of that?"
"I'm not the kind of person who carries a camera around with me," Kyle said, amused.
"What a shame," George sighed. "We wanted to put that picture up in the most prominent spot in our shop."
"Then put up something else," Kyle said, patting the Thestral's back.
"Alright, don't be careless. I don't want to waste time brewing Wolfsbane Potion for you," Kyle added.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. See you after graduation," the twins waved goodbye.
The next second, the carriage took off, carrying Kyle and Connor toward Hogwarts.
Grimmauld Place grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the gray clouds within seconds.
"Kyle, are you a member of the Order of the Phoenix too?" Connor asked curiously inside the carriage.
"Sort of," Kyle thought about it. "But I didn't receive a formal invitation from Professor Dumbledore, so my status is similar to Harry's, considered an unofficial member."
"That's still amazing," Connor whispered. "The atmosphere there is really great, Mrs. Weasley is so nice, and everyone feels like a family... Can I join too?"
"That's not up to me," Kyle said. "It's up to Professor Snape, and judging from his previous attempt to send you to Beauxbatons, he's most likely not going to agree to you joining the Order."
"I guess so," Connor sighed. "It can't be helped. I'll just have to try to change his mind after graduation."
"It doesn't really matter," Kyle said nonchalantly. "The so-called Order of the Phoenix is just a name, like the Aurors, Hit Wizards, and DA.
"If you like the feeling of being together, you can always move to St. Ketchburgh after graduation. There's a large plot of land next to my mansion, so building another estate there wouldn't be a problem."
Connor tilted her head, "So, have you prepared to be neighbors with Professor Snape?"
"If he agrees..." Kyle said with a smile.
And so, Kyle and Connor chatted away, enjoying the scenery passing beneath the carriage. When they got bored, they read the copy of the Prophet that they had picked up from Diagon Alley.
Ever since he had acquired more and more magical creatures, Kyle had kept these treats in his box. After all, they weren't expensive, and he got a discount for buying in bulk.
"Luckily, I visited Nick's manor during the holidays." As the two climbed the steps outside the castle, Kyle said with a sense of relief.
"Why did you suddenly say that?" Connor asked, puzzled.
"Look at this..." Kyle handed the newspaper in his hand to Connor.
Lately, the Ministry of Magic hadn't made any remarkable progress in dealing with the Death Eaters, and Fudge's reputation had been taking a hit.
To turn the situation around, he had visited Hogwarts several times during the holidays, apparently trying to employ the same tactic and project an image of having an unbreakable relationship with Dumbledore to the outside world.
Unfortunately for him, Dumbledore wasn't at the school during the holidays, so his visits were in vain.
The front page of the newspaper featured photos of Fudge around the castle, and there were quite a few of them.
Rita Skeeter bluntly exposed his intentions in the article.
As a professional journalist, she knew exactly what the public loved to read... Undoubtedly, it was articles bashing the incompetent Minister.
The article also mentioned that the Ministry had not taken any substantial action since September.
Kyle could imagine that if he hadn't gone to Nick's place and had stayed at school instead, he would have been busy dealing with this matter.
At the very least, Fudge, unable to find Dumbledore, would have definitely sought him out.
To be honest, Kyle would rather lounge in a deck chair and soak up the sun than waste his time trying to salvage Fudge's reputation—a tedious task indeed.
The two climbed the steps and reached the oak front doors of the castle.
Filch was already waiting there. As always, he waved his Dark Object Detector around Kyle and Connor several times until he was satisfied that they posed no threat, then gestured for them to enter the castle.
"Fred was right, this inspection is completely useless." Connor took out a square box from her pocket, which contained the trinkets she had bought from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
However, the detector had remained silent when it scanned her.
"Don't say that," Kyle replied. "It's just that you're not carrying any Dark artifacts. And not everyone can use the Undetectable Extension Charm."
The two returned to the common room.
Although the train had not yet arrived, the common room was bustling with activity as most students had chosen to stay at school during the holidays.
Kyle and Connor sat down at an empty table.
"Kyle, how were your Christmas holidays?" Ryan looked up from the Wizard's Chess game he was playing.
"Not bad," Kyle replied. "And you, anything interesting happen at school?"
"Well, let's just say that Fat Lady drank a whole barrel of five-hundred-year-old mead," Ryan said. "She and her friend, I think her name is Violet... they drank all the wine from the tipsy monks' portraits in the corridor next to the Charms classroom."
"That was a disaster..." Mick shuddered at the memory. "They kept going back and forth between the portraits, singing at the top of their lungs until two in the morning."
"The entire school was kept awake by their noise."
"I really wish those tipsy monks would hide their wine in a safer place, so they won't be found again," another student chimed in.
At this, everyone started complaining about their own experiences, as they had clearly suffered through a sleepless night.
It was no secret within Hogwarts that the Fat Lady enjoyed her drink, and the Gryffindors had often complained about how she forced them to listen to her singing before she would open the common room door.
But they never imagined that her drinking habit would affect students from other houses as well.
It was safe to say that the Gryffindors had endured seven years of torment.
However, someone mentioned that Professor McGonagall had warned the Fat Lady, and even changed the Gryffindor password to "sober up" one night.
Whether this was true or not, no one knew for sure, as they certainly weren't going to test out different passwords at the eighth-floor corridor just to find out.
Aside from this incident, there wasn't anything else of note.
There was still some time before the start-of-term feast, and while Connor wanted to continue reading her book, Kyle decided to pay a visit to the Headmaster's office.
He wanted to ask Dumbledore about the time-turner.
But when he reached the eighth floor, he found that Dumbledore was out again and not at the school. The only ones in the Headmaster's office were the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses, pretending to sleep.
"What brings you here again?" asked a male witch, seemingly accustomed to Kyle's sudden appearances.
"Dumbledore is at the Ministry of Magic at the moment. If you have something urgent, I can go and fetch him for you."
"No need, Headmaster Everard," Kyle said. "It's not that important. I'll just talk to him when he returns."
"Very well."
Kyle nodded and left the office.
(End of Chapter)
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