Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 750: Making Up for Lost Time - Novel Cool

Chapter 750: Making Up for Lost Time

Chapter 750: Making Up for Lost Time

Despite Kyle's reservations about its necessity, three days later, Dumbledore returned the golden cup as promised.

As Kyle made his way to Harry with a bottle of mead in hand, he found him in the library, nearly buried beneath a pile of various books.

With him were Ron and Hermione.

Each of them had several layers of thick "book walls" stacked in front of them, shielding them from view. If it weren't for the Marauder's Map indicating Harry's presence in the library, Kyle might not have found him.

It was hard to imagine when Ron and he had become such avid readers.

"Here's what you asked for."

Kyle sat down across from them and, taking advantage of a moment when Madam Pince wasn't looking, slipped the bottle of mead into a gap between the book walls.

"Thanks," said Harry, lifting his head.

It was then that Kyle noticed the prominent dark circles under his eyes.

"How long have you three been here?" he asked subconsciously.

"Three days," Ron yawned and mumbled, "We've practically been living in the library except for classes."

He picked up a book next to him, flipped through it quickly, and then put it down on the other side.

"Are you guys looking for something?" Kyle asked. "Do you need any help?"

"No, it's fine."

"We can manage on our own."

...

Harry and Ron spoke almost simultaneously.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Kyle always felt like they were hiding something from him, something they didn't want him to know.

However, he didn't have a strong enough curiosity to press the issue, and since the trio didn't want to talk about it, he dropped the subject after handing the item to Harry and left the library.

At the same time, due to speaking a little too loudly, Harry and his friends were also kicked out of the library by Madam Pince a minute later.

"It's all your fault!" Hermione said angrily, "We probably won't be allowed into the library for at least two days."

"So what?" Ron looked quite happy, "We've been searching for three days, and what did we find? Nothing! I told you, there are no clues about the sword or the locket in the library. It's a waste of time."

Harry shared the same sentiment. If it weren't for Hermione's persistence, he would have given up yesterday.

Moreover, thinking about it carefully, if the information they sought could be found in books, why would Voldemort have worked at Borgin and Burkes for so long just for a Hufflepuff cup?

"Aside from searching for clues in the library, do you have any better ideas?"

Seeing that both of them felt this way, Hermione glared at them, "If you do, I'm all ears, but don't tell me you plan to search every room in the school. I don't want to do something so stupid."

After saying this, Hermione stormed off.

"What's she angry about?" Ron didn't understand, "We didn't say that, did we?"

"I think she's just upset that we can't go to the library for a couple of days," Harry said softly.

"Maybe," Ron shrugged, then turned to look at the bottle Harry was holding and asked, "What's that?"

"It's mead..." said Harry, "Oh no, I forgot to pay Kyle back."

"Mead?" Ron frowned. "I thought you usually drink butterbeer. Since when did you switch to mead? And aren't you underage?"

"Yeah, a few months shy," Harry said.

"But it's not for me. It's for Slughorn. He likes mead, and I thought I might be able to get his memory with this."

"You want to get him drunk?" Ron stroked his chin, "That's not a bad idea. When do you plan to do it? Now?"

"I don't know," Harry shook his head, "I need to find the right opportunity."

The two discussed as they made their way back to the common room. After spending three days straight in the library, their initial enthusiasm for searching for Horcruxes had waned, and all they wanted now was a good night's sleep.

...

Harry said he was waiting for the right opportunity, and then he waited for over a week.

He wanted to wait until there were no other people around, like the dinner parties that used to be held every few days, but he forgot that ever since he had asked about Horcruxes, Slughorn no longer invited him to those gatherings.

Kyle was also excluded from these events, but that was exactly what he wanted, as he didn't need to get any information from Slughorn.

As April arrived, the weather gradually warmed up.

With the N.E.W.T.S exams approaching, seventh-year students were rarely seen in the castle, as most of them were either in the library or practicing magic in empty classrooms.

Even Mike had missed the last two Quidditch practices.

His weak subjects were Charms and Transfiguration, and according to Professor McGonagall, if he didn't practice, he was unlikely to get a pass in those subjects.

And Transfiguration and Charms were the two most important subjects, required for many jobs.

Although this didn't include Mike's dream job as a Beater, he was well aware that his Quidditch talent was not exceptional either, so he couldn't afford to give up on these two certifications.

If there was one person in the seventh year who was the most relaxed, it would probably be Kyle.

While everyone else was striving to get more qualifications, he was the only one twiddling his thumbs.

Every day, he was either spacing out in the common room or wandering to the edge of the Forbidden Forest to find Hagrid.

"Listen, Kyle, you can't just do nothing like this. This is the sixth time you've come to me this week."

Finally, one day, even Hagrid couldn't hold back, and he said cautiously, "Of course, I'm not saying you're not welcome, but the exams are coming up. Don't you need to study?"

The entire process was exceptionally smooth, as if there were an invisible person holding the teapot.

"Okay... forget I mentioned it," Hagrid said decisively, closing his mouth.

It had to be admitted that with Kyle's current abilities, he could easily handle the N.E.W.T.S. exams, so it seemed he really didn't need to study.

But as a professor, there were some things Hagrid felt he had to say.

"What about Connor? Why haven't I seen her lately?" Hagrid changed the subject. "Have you two had a falling out? Let me tell you, she's a good girl, and you..."

"A quarrel? How is that possible?" Kyle interrupted Hagrid and shook his head. "She's been obsessed with ancient potions lately and has been spending almost every day by the cauldron, not even letting me help."

This was also the main reason for Kyle's idleness.

Despite Kyle's repeated assertions that studying ancient potions was not very useful, as they were not suitable for modern witches and wizards, Connor had discovered a new interest in them.

So, she decisively abandoned Kyle and ran off to the underground classroom.

At first, Kyle wanted to help, but potions were not his forte, and after being rejected by Connor a couple of times, he gave up.

Now, it was Snape who was helping her, and every time Kyle went to visit, he would be mocked relentlessly. It was better to wander idly around the castle than endure that.

"How's your spider doing?" Kyle directed the teapot back to the stove and asked, "Do you need me to brew some more medicine for it?"

"Thanks, but no need." Hagrid waved his hand and looked a little dejected. "Aragoque is too old; this has nothing to do with the medicine."

"Oh... alright then." Seeing Hagrid's reaction, Kyle didn't insist further and instead asked, "How's Gloop? Has he adjusted to life in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Gloop is doing great." When it came to his giant little brother, Hagrid immediately became spirited. "He's very comfortable in the environment of the Forbidden Forest. At least he doesn't have to worry about being expelled by other giants.

"Even though the centaurs are a bit unhappy and have tried to drive Gloop away several times, they can't do it... Hah! That bunch of arrogant fellows!"

Because of Gloop, the relationship between Hagrid and the centaurs had recently taken a sharp turn for the worse. Although they hadn't come to blows yet, their relationship was no longer as harmonious.

This was something Kyle could understand.

The centaurs always considered the Forbidden Forest their territory, and Hagrid's decision to keep the three-headed dog, Fluffy, there had already caused discontent among them. Now, with the addition of a giant, it was normal for them to be opposed to it.

After all, who would like to have two deadly enemies living at their doorstep... whether it was the three-headed dog or the giant, if they went berserk, they could flatten the centaur camp in mere minutes.

Unfortunately, the Forbidden Forest didn't belong to the centaurs, so their opposition was futile.

Unless they could defeat Dumbledore and overthrow Hogwarts, their protests would mean nothing.

But if they had that kind of strength, it seemed they wouldn't need to worry about the three-headed dog or the giant anymore.

...

After spending some more time with Hagrid, Kyle was eventually sent back to the castle.

In Hagrid's words, as a professor, he really couldn't bear to see Kyle doing nothing like this. It would be better for them to stay out of each other's way until Kyle did something that affected their relationship.

Helpless, Kyle could only return to the castle to find another way to pass the time.

He wandered aimlessly around the castle for a while, intending to go to the underground classroom to check on Connor.

But as he passed by the second floor, he was stopped by a painting.

"You seem a bit lost." The voice was familiar.

Kyle turned his head and saw that it was Violet, the witch, a friend of the Fat Lady. They often drank together.

But what puzzled Kyle was the strange look in her eyes... how to describe it, it was too calm, as if she didn't care about anything.

It was hard to imagine that someone with such eyes would go stealing drinks with the Fat Lady.

Additionally, Kyle had a very familiar feeling. Although he couldn't quite place it, he could be certain that the person in the painting before him was definitely not Violet.

"Who are you?" he asked, a little tensely.

"It's me." Violet spoke again, but this time, she had a silver crown encrusted with sapphires on her head.

In an instant, Kyle recognized her, and after all this time, he had almost forgotten that there was such a person in the castle.

Who else could it be but Rowena Ravenclaw with that crown?

"Can you control the paintings in the castle?" Kyle couldn't help but ask.

"Not exactly control." Ravenclaw replied calmly. "After all, I'm just a fragment of memory now, and the only difference between me and the other paintings is that I don't have a frame."

"Yes, yes." Violet's voice changed, and she interjected excitedly: "And I volunteered, Lady Ravenclaw. I'm happy to share a frame with you."

But no one paid any attention to her.

"So, are you here to... see what Hogwarts is like now?" Kyle asked tentatively.

This seemed to be the only plausible explanation for why Rowena Ravenclaw would suddenly possess a painting in the castle.

"No, my era ended a thousand years ago, and what the castle has become since then is of no concern to me." Ravenclaw said, "I'm observing you."

"Observing me?" Kyle pointed to himself.

"Yes." Ravenclaw didn't explain further but simply repeated: "You seem a bit lost."

"I guess so..." Kyle said.

Then, the silver crown suddenly floated out of the painting and appeared on Kyle's head in the blink of an eye.

Instinctively, Kyle wanted to take it off.

The effect of the crown was too overwhelming, that feeling of being above it all and able to control everything was something he feared he couldn't handle.

"It's okay, relax." Ravenclaw's voice whispered in his ear.

Kyle also realized that he hadn't changed at all and was still the same as before.

"Sorry." Kyle thought for a moment and asked, "What did you mean by feeling lost earlier?"

"Simply put, your current knowledge is no longer enough to sustain your desire for further exploration."

"Just from a student's perspective, you've achieved perfection, and even in my time, very few could surpass you at this age."

"Tha-thank you." Kyle stammered.

This was a compliment... or so he thought.

"And I'm glad that you've managed to restrain yourself."

"Huh?" Kyle didn't understand.

"Because you haven't indulged in the pursuit of even more powerful magic."

Ravenclaw continued, "I've met many talented individuals in my time, and they often spend their entire lives chasing more dazzling magic and greater power, gradually drifting away from their initial passion for learning magic, becoming slaves to their own ambition."

"I presume you've been to the Restricted Section of the library." She suddenly asked.

Kyle nodded, "Well, I admit I broke the school rules on that one."

This was undeniable; he had not only visited but also copied nearly half of the forbidden books.

"No, that's not the point." Ravenclaw said, "Helena and I talked about you.

"She told me that there was once a boy, just like you, intelligent and exceptionally gifted, surpassing all his peers and most witches and wizards.

"But the difference between you is that he never idled around the castle the way you do."

Embarrassment flashed across Kyle's face.

"To address your current state of idleness, you can choose a place." Ravenclaw said.

"Choose a place?" Kyle asked subconsciously, "For what?"

"For tutoring." Ravenclaw said, "Consider it my way of thanking you; I've been very happy during this time, truly happy."

Ravenclaw's voice suddenly became much lighter, and this was the first time she displayed any sort of emotion.

But this only lasted for a moment before it disappeared again, and she spoke like a professor, coldly and indifferently:

"Your foundation is too weak; it's even inferior to that of a third-year student. How dare you wander idly around the castle?"

"That's not what you said earlier." Kyle muttered to himself, but soon he realized something else.

Was Ravenclaw offering to tutor him?

This surprise was too much for Kyle, and he hardly dared to believe it.

"Are you really going to tutor me?"

"If you don't want to, I can offer you something else as a token of my appreciation."

"No, no, this is fine." Kyle quickly replied.

He would be a fool to pass up the opportunity to be tutored by Ravenclaw.

"I know of a place that's quiet and free from distractions." Kyle subconsciously thought of the Room of Requirement, it was the most suitable place.

...

At that moment, Ron, Harry, and Hermione were just exiting the library.

As Ron turned the corner, he spotted Kyle standing in front of a painting, lost in thought.

"Kyle, what are you doing here... Oh!"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Kyle take a step forward and then disappear completely.

Yes, he vanished without a sound.

"Ron, what are you shouting about!" Harry and Hermione approached from behind.

"Didn't you see it?" Ron gestured excitedly, pointing at Violet's painting, "Kyle, he was just there!"

"Where?" Hermione looked at the empty corridor. "You must be seeing things."

"I definitely saw him!" Ron insisted, "And he had a silver thing on his head, it must have been Ravenclaw's crown!"

He then rushed over to the painting, "You saw him too, right? You must have seen him standing here just now."

"Hey, I don't know what you're talking about." Violet, disturbed from her nap, glared at Ron, "I've been here alone the whole time."

"Didn't you see him?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Violet grumbled, "Now scram and stop bothering me."

"You heard that?" Hermione walked over, "Don't be silly, Ron. The castle doesn't allow Apparition, and Kyle isn't an exception."

"Yeah." Harry agreed, "You must be seeing things because you've been reading too much.

"I think we've been wasting our time in the library, Hermione."

"No, there's one place we haven't searched yet."

"Where?"

"The Restricted Section!"

"That's against the rules unless we can get a professor's signature."

...

As the two walked away, Ron stood there, perplexed.

He had clearly seen Kyle, so why hadn't the person in the painting seen him?

Could it be that he was hallucinating?

Impossible...

(End of Chapter)

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