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Chapter 748: Six Hundred Years of Luck, Seriously?
Chapter 748: Six Hundred Years of Luck, Seriously?
As Ryan had said, Gryffindor's luck was indeed extraordinary. Not only were two of Slytherin's key players absent, but the match was decided in just twenty minutes.
260:0
The massive score gap stunned everyone; no one had expected Slytherin, with their robust physique, to not score a single goal.
Ron was like a wall, making some spectacular saves, even using his fingertips to deflect balls that rebounded off the goalposts—it was almost magical.
And when the Slytherin spectators started singing "The Weasley Song" in unison, he even had the leisure to conduct them from above, his taunting skills were on full display.
By the time Cona hurried over, the spectators had already begun to leave.
"So soon?" She asked, puzzled. Usually, a match would take at least half an hour to conclude.
"Slytherin didn't score a single goal; their morale is shattered," Kyle shrugged. "They can't wait for the match to end. When Harry caught the Golden Snitch, he wasn't even disturbed much."
"Yeah, their Chasers looked like they were sleepwalking," Mickey added from the side. "But Kyle, if it were our match, could you score?"
"It's hard to say," Kyle pondered for a moment and shook his head. "In this situation, I might score, but not enough to create an overwhelming advantage."
"What about the other situation?" Mickey asked, puzzled.
Kyle paused before continuing, "In that case... even if it wasn't me, I doubt Moran could score against Gryffindor's goal."
Moran was a Chaser for the Motala Parrot Quidditch Team and one of the most popular professional Quidditch players. During the last Quidditch World Cup, she led Ireland to victory over Bulgaria.
The reason Kyle said this was because Ron's abnormal performance was so strange that it reminded him of the bottle of Felix Felicis Slughorn had given him for his birthday the day before...
It was just too coincidental.
Suddenly making up with Lavender... the Slytherin student who inexplicably fell into a heap after arguing with him... the sudden withdrawal of two opponents... and the astonishing performance on the pitch like a savior.
Today, he seemed like he was cheating, just short of having a spotlight on his head.
If all these were coincidences, it seemed a bit too convenient.
But then again, would anyone use Felix Felicis for a Quidditch match?
This wasn't even the final match; it was just an ordinary match.
Was it worth using Felix Felicis for such a match?
Kyle didn't think it was possible; it wasn't just a matter of luxury, but it seemed like someone had bubbles in their brain.
"Kyle, he couldn't have drunk... that, could he?" Cona also thought of Felix Felicis after hearing their descriptions.
"But isn't that illegal? Felix Felicis is prohibited in organized matches, even at school."
"I don't think so..." Kyle hesitated, "Ron isn't stupid. Why would he exchange a bottle of Felix Felicis for a match victory?"
Although he said this, Kyle still felt a bit uneasy. He couldn't help it; Ron's performance seemed too much like someone who had drunk Felix Felicis.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ryan asked, catching up from behind.
"Nothing," Kyle shook his head. It was better not to spread this around without concrete evidence.
What if Ron's performance was just a matter of pure luck? That wasn't impossible either.
...
When they returned to the castle, the surroundings had transformed into a sea of gold and red.
The Gryffindors were celebrating their victory, shutting out Slytherin, which was even more exciting than celebrating Christmas again.
"Weasley is our king!"
"He's invincible!"
"Not a single ball gets past him!"
The song had evolved into a new version, and this time, it perfectly fit the lyrics, "Weasley is our king."
Ron became the hero of Gryffindor, surrounded by everyone.
"If he performs this well next time, we'll be in trouble," Mickey said with concern. "Gryffindor's score has surpassed ours."
"It's fine," Kyle said calmly. "It's just a small gap in points. We can catch up."
The Quidditch match was just a minor interlude, and soon, Kyle stopped thinking about it and headed towards the library.
He was still curious about what Malfoy was reading.'
Since they had just returned from the pitch, the library wasn't too crowded yet. Kyle took a quick glance and found Malfoy sitting near the aisle.
Pretending to borrow a book, he walked past nonchalantly and glanced at Malfoy as he passed by.
However, to Kyle's disappointment, Malfoy's table only had a copy of 'Unveiling Advanced Transfiguration,' a common reference book for Transfiguration after the O.W.L. exams, along with some parchment, which basically confirmed that Malfoy was doing homework.
Kyle never expected that Malfoy would even skip the Quidditch match to do homework. It was truly unexpected, and he wondered when Malfoy had developed such a fondness for studying.
But there was nothing Kyle could do but watch as he quickly walked over, borrowed a book, and left.
After that, Kyle went straight to the Room of Requirement, where he spent the afternoon brewing potions with Cona. After dinner, he returned to the Common Room and played Wizard's Chess with Mickey.
It was already 9 p.m.
Just as their game reached a critical point, the ghost of Fat Friar emerged from beneath the chessboard.
Mickey was startled, and his hand holding the chess piece shook involuntarily. Then, his crucial Queen was kicked and shattered by Kyle's Knight.
"Hey, do you even know how to play?" The King turned around angrily and complained to Mickey, "Who walks under someone else's horse's hooves? Even a giant would be better than you!"
"Is it my fault?" Mickey also became angry. "Do you think I want to walk there? I was startled, okay!"
"Sorry, kid." Fat Friar bowed slightly. He turned around and said, "Kyle, the Headmaster is looking for you."
Kyle glanced at the dark sky outside.
"The Headmaster said they're waiting for you."
"Alright."
Reluctantly, Kyle stood up. As he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned back, saying, "Cona, you come and play this game for me."
"Okay." Cona nodded.
But just as she stood up, Mickey's expression suddenly changed. "Ryan, I remember we haven't finished our Spellcasting Class homework yet, and it's due tomorrow. We have to finish it quickly."
Without waiting for Ryan's response, he ran back to the dormitory.
It wasn't that he was afraid of losing; it was mainly because Cona played chess too slowly.
Mickey, who had been tormented once before, understood this all too well. Even though he had lost an important piece due to a mistake in this game, it might still take him half an hour or more.
Rather than endure another half-hour of torment, Mickey chose to work on his homework.
Fortunately, Cona didn't know what he was thinking. Seeing that Mickey had left, she continued to sit and read her book.
...
Meanwhile, Kyle, who had left the Common Room, made his way to the eighth floor.
In the Headmaster's Office, Dumbledore and Harry were present.
On the table in front of them was the familiar Pensieve, and the silvery memories inside flowed like swimming fish.
It seemed they had just watched another memory.
"Professor, what did you want to see me for?" Kyle habitually rubbed Fox's neck feathers at the door.
But strangely, no one spoke for a long time.
Kyle subconsciously raised his head and noticed that Dumbledore was looking at him with a peculiar gaze—a mixture of shock, disbelief, and intense suspicion.
"What's wrong?" Kyle asked again.
"I heard from Harry that you gave Slughorn a cup of Oakwood Aged Honey Wine?" Dumbledore's voice trembled slightly, as if he was struggling to contain something.
"Yes, that's right." Kyle nodded. "Professor, do you like honey wine too?"
"If it's possible... I'd like to try some too." Dumbledore paused, then pretended to be nonchalant, saying, "After I got older, I rarely drank strong liquor, so honey wine is just right."
"Alright." Kyle once again took out the golden cup and gently shook it.
Soon, a faint, sweet scent of Oakwood Aged Honey Wine filled the Headmaster's Office.
However, no one in the room, including the portraits, looked at the wine. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the golden cup.
"Armando, is this the one...?" A witch couldn't help but ask.
"To be honest, I haven't seen the real one either." Armando Dippet said, "But from the looks of it, it shouldn't be wrong."
"Kyle..." At this moment, Dumbledore suddenly spoke up. "Is this the cup of Hufflepuff?"
"Yes, it is." Kyle replied calmly. "What's the matter?"
"You're asking what's the matter?" Phineas's voice came from above. Unbeknownst to them, the Headmasters had crowded into the portrait closest to the table.
He shouted in a shrill voice, "This is Hufflepuff's Cup!"
"Calm down, Phineas... Calm down." Dumbledore waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.
"Can I take a look at this?" he asked.
"No problem." Kyle generously pushed the cup towards him.
Dumbledore poured the honey wine into a nearby teapot and examined it carefully, his crooked nose almost touching the cup.
"Professor, is this really Hufflepuff's Cup?" Harry asked quietly.
"I think so!" Dumbledore's voice carried a hint of bewilderment.
"But..." Harry didn't quite understand. "In the memory we just watched, this cup was already taken away by Voldemort from Hepzibah Smith."
The memory they had just watched was about the cup, or rather, Voldemort's early employment history.
Through his convenient access to Bogworth & Brock Black Magic Shop, Kyle knew that Hepzibah Smith owned the Goblet of Fire, and he managed to charm it away from her.
Harry had a vague sense of deja vu when he first saw the golden cup, feeling he had seen it somewhere before. Then he remembered—it was the same cup Kyle used to pour honey wine in the hospital wing yesterday.
But initially, Harry didn't think too much of it, merely muttering under his breath that the cup was common, and Kyle even had an identical one. Under Dumbledore's questioning, Harry recounted the scene.
And so... Kyle was called in.
"What's going on here? Was that memory fake?" Harry asked.
"No, I assure you, the memory couldn't have been fake," Dumbledore shook his head, "But as for what happened in between... I'm afraid only one person knows."
He looked up at Kyle, "Can you tell me what happened?"
"Didn't Nicholas tell you?" Kyle blinked, "Just like Rowena Ravenclaw's crown, this was originally Voldemort's Horcrux. I found it and gave it to Nicholas, and he took care of it for me."
Dumbledore's mouth twitched.
Nicholas again?
Dumbledore remembered that after learning about the crown, he had specifically visited Nicholas' estate to ask if there was anything else he was hiding.
At the time, Nicholas had assured him with his six-hundred-year-old integrity that there was nothing else.
Dumbledore believed him.
Not long after, Nicholas had produced a Goblet of Fire.
Six-hundred-year-old integrity, huh? In that instant, Nicholas' image in Dumbledore's mind crumbled.
Liar... they were all liars! It took Dumbledore a good while to calm himself down, and he decided to temporarily set aside this topic.
"So, how did you find this Horcrux?"
Harry looked over as well, curious.
"It was a coincidence," Kyle said, "Remember the notebook Lucius Malfoy had? I thought other Death Eaters might also have Horcruxes, so I went to the Lestrange Family Manor."
"And you found the Goblet of Fire there?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Yeah... I guess so," Kyle nodded.
Not only Harry, but even Dumbledore was speechless.
When did finding Horcruxes become so easy? They had no clues about any Horcruxes so far, yet Kyle had found one by casually visiting a Death Eater's ancestral home? Dumbledore took a few deep breaths, finding it hard to believe but accepting it nonetheless.
After all, this wasn't the first time; one could say that Kyle had been involved in finding all the Horcruxes discovered so far.
After experiencing this several times, they gradually got used to it.
Dumbledore put down the Goblet of Fire in his hand and then asked solemnly, "Kyle, I need you to seriously tell me if there are any other Horcruxes you know of that we don't. This is very important."
He hadn't thought that one person could find so many Horcruxes in a few years, even after learning about Rowena Ravenclaw's crown.
But now, reality was telling him that Kyle could.
"No more, I promise!" Kyle said.
He truly had no more; the remaining diary, crown, and locket were all known to Dumbledore.
He had also taken Voldemort's snake, but it wasn't a Horcrux and was currently with Newt.
Dumbledore looked into Kyle's eyes for a long time before slowly nodding and sitting back down.
"I believe you," he said, "But Kyle, you shouldn't have hidden something so important. If I hadn't called you here today, would you have ever told me?"
"If I had that idea, Harry wouldn't have seen the Golden Snitch," Kyle shrugged.
"And the Goblet of Fire was with Nicholas until I got it back just this Christmas."
He wasn't taking the blame for this; when he took out the Goblet of Fire in the hospital wing, he hadn't intended to hide it from Dumbledore. If he had just wanted Professor Slughorn to test if the wines were still drinkable, he could have used a different cup.
"Sorry, Kyle," Dumbledore sighed, "But as I said, this is important, and we have to take it seriously."
"I understand."
"This..." Dumbledore looked at the Goblet of Fire again, "Can you leave it with me for a few days?"
"Can't you look at it now?" Kyle hesitated.
Dumbledore didn't need to keep it, as it was no longer a Horcrux... what if he still remembered how Kyle had taken his black tea?
"I'll return it to you within a week, at most," Dumbledore said.
"Then... okay," Kyle nodded after a moment of hesitation.
But for safety, when leaving the Headmaster's Office, he took the fox from the branch.
Dumbledore's mouth twitched again but he didn't say anything.
(End of Chapter)
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