Chapter 756: Kyle's Magic
Chapter 756: Kyle's Magic
It was unclear how Peeves described the situation, but the professors arrived swiftly and seemed particularly anxious.
Even Snape, in his haste to save time, had already drawn his wand from a distance, causing the door Kyle had just repaired to explode once more into splinters.
This time, it was reduced to nothing but wood shavings that flew into the bathroom, tinkling as they landed on the pipes.
The next second, Snape stormed in, his face grim as he took in the sight of Malfoy entangled in pipes like a cocoon.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Snape roared at Kyle. "Using magic to attack a classmate in school... regardless of the reason, this is extremely outrageous..."
As he spoke, Professor McGonagall rushed over as well.
She was also angry, but much calmer than Snape. A quick glance at the bathroom clued her in on what had transpired.
"Severus..." Professor McGonagall tried to remind Snape, but he didn't respond.
"This behavior has seriously violated school rules. I can expel you right now!" Snape glared at Kyle as if he were the root of all the trouble.
"Professor, you've got it wrong," Hermione interjected, having finally processed what was happening.
Despite Snape's intimidating expression, she stood her ground. "Harry and Malfoy were fighting. Kyle and I only came running when we heard the noise... In fact, it was Kyle who pulled them apart."
Snape seemed taken aback by Hermione's defense of Kyle, his expression faltering momentarily.
"It wasn't you?" He looked at Kyle with confusion.
"Of course not," Kyle shrugged. "Harry's my friend. Why would I hit him?"
Indeed, Snape now noticed that Harry Potter was also entangled in the pipes.
The scene had been terrifying—the room in disarray, Malfoy immobilized, and Kyle holding a wand.
Snape had instinctively assumed that Kyle had lost his patience and was about to attack Malfoy.
Although Dumbledore had assured him that Kyle wouldn't bother Malfoy, Snape hadn't entirely believed it, always worrying that this day would come.
Fearing that Malfoy might be killed by Kyle, he had acted impulsively, resulting in the current mess.
Now that the truth was out, he felt somewhat embarrassed.
However, upon seeing Kyle's half-smile, Snape's face turned stern again.
"Why didn't you explain yourself? Do you find it amusing to fool your professors?"
"I never thought of that," Kyle said, raising an eyebrow. "But Professor, you didn't give me a chance to explain... You blasted the door open, and with such a loud noise, I thought you were here to catch a Death Eater. How could I dare to speak?"
Snape's face turned from blue to red and then back to grim. He felt like Kyle was mocking him.
"Severus, he's right. You were too hasty," Professor McGonagall said, stepping between them.
From the moment she had entered, she knew that Kyle had nothing to do with this.
There were too many signs, magic traces everywhere.
To be blunt, if Kyle had wanted to harm Malfoy or Harry, he wouldn't have made such a ruckus.
With Professor McGonagall's interruption, Snape couldn't say anything more. He merely lifted his head to search the area for something.
He was looking for Peeves.
If it weren't for that ghost shouting, "Murder! Murder in the bathroom!" throughout the castle, he wouldn't have rushed over so hastily.
However, Peeves had also realized this and had hidden in the sewers.
"They need to go to the school hospital," Professor McGonagall said. "As for their punishment... Headmaster Dumbledore will be back tonight. Let him decide then."
Snape had no objections to this decision. He raised his wand, ready to release Malfoy from the pipes.
But an embarrassing scene unfolded—he couldn't undo the pipes around Malfoy.
The spell, Finite Incantatem, seemed to have lost its effect, gently landing on the pipes like a breeze and then dissipating with a soft patter.
Malfoy remained bound.
Snape tried two other spells, to no avail.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
"Professor, can't you undo it?" Kyle asked feigning confusion. "Do you need help?"
"Shut up!" Snape gritted his teeth, his voice strained.
He would stake his decades-long career on the belief that Kyle was doing this on purpose.
But he had no recourse. It was embarrassing for a professor to be unable to undo a student's spell, regardless of the reason.
Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, who had been preparing to release Harry, faced a similar predicament.
However, after realizing that Finite Incantatem wasn't working, she quickly considered another possibility. She waved her wand over Harry, and the pipes soon loosened.
Harry fell to the ground, stumbling as he rubbed his arms.
Snape didn't respond, merely furrowing his brow.
Just as he hesitated about whether to cut through the sturdy pipes, Professor McGonagall, who had reached the doorway, waved her wand once more.
Malfoy tumbled to the ground.
Now there was no need to hesitate.
Snape glared at Kyle fiercely, then helped Malfoy out of the room.
As they passed by Kyle, Malfoy shuddered, and his feet unconsciously quickened their pace.
When he had been bound by those pipes, he had genuinely felt fear—that sense of life and death hanging by a thread had driven him almost insane.
Even now that he had been released, his legs were still weak, and he could only move with Snape's support.
However, Kyle didn't mind at all.
Since he had already promised Dumbledore that he wouldn't cause trouble for Malfoy at school, this incident was purely coincidental, and his intention had been to prevent them from continuing their fight.
In the situation just now, if he hadn't intervened when he did, both Harry and Malfoy would have had to be carried to the school hospital.
The only thing Kyle found hard to accept was that, despite helping out so much, he hadn't even gained any House points.
Feeling somewhat disappointed, Kyle left the bathroom and prepared to return to the common room.
"You two, come here as well!" came Professor McGonagall's voice from behind.
Hearing this, Kyle turned around and followed her.
...
As one of the frequent visitors to the school hospital, Madam Pomfrey had become accustomed to Harry's presence.
She skillfully examined the two boys.
"How are they?" Professor McGonagall asked, "Are they injured?"
"They're fine, just some superficial wounds." Madam Pomfrey replied.
The two boys had mostly sustained scrapes and bruises. Additionally, Harry's legs were a bit stiff, a sign of the Leg-Locker Curse, and Malfoy had bruises on his back, leading Kyle to guess that he had been hit by a Stunning Spell and then collided with the wall.
However, these were minor issues, and if they had arrived a bit later, the wounds might have already healed.
Madam Pomfrey brought out a jar of Essence of Dittany and indicated for the two boys to apply it to their injuries.
During this time, Professor McGonagall also learned about the details of what had happened from Hermione, understanding that Harry and Malfoy had already been fighting before Kyle arrived, and that Kyle and Hermione had only rushed over upon hearing the noise.
But she didn't intend to interfere, just as she had said earlier... She would leave everything to Dumbledore.
"Professor..." Hermione looked at Professor McGonagall, "Can I stay here to take care of Harry?"
"If Madam Pomfrey has no objections, then yes." Professor McGonagall thought for a moment and said, "But you should keep an eye on Potter and make sure he doesn't run around. I think there will be many questions for him to answer when the headmaster returns."
With that, Professor McGonagall left the school hospital.
Snape glanced at them and then left as well, but not before adding a circle of curtains around Malfoy's bed, separating the two sides, and giving Kyle a meaningful look.
"You should return to the castle."
"But Professor, I also want to stay here and take care of Harry." Kyle said, he was curious as to why Harry had fought with Malfoy, and he knew that Harry would definitely tell Hermione about it.
"There's no need. The school hospital needs to be kept quiet, and Miss Granger's presence is sufficient." Snape insisted, making it clear that he didn't want Kyle to stay.
After leaving the hospital, the two walked side by side back towards the castle.
"Professor, you really don't need to be so nervous." Kyle suddenly said, "No matter what, I wouldn't do anything to Malfoy in the school hospital."
Snape remained silent, merely quickening his pace, then turning a corner and disappearing down the stairs leading to the underground classrooms.
...
Meanwhile, back in the school hospital, after the professors had returned to the castle, Malfoy took the opportunity, when Madam Pomfrey wasn't looking, to try and sneak out.
"Where are you going!" Hermione blocked his path, alert to his movements.
"Professor McGonagall said just now that you're supposed to wait here for Headmaster Dumbledore to return."
"Shut up, you filthy..."
Before he could finish, Harry once again brandished his wand.
Malfoy seemed to think of something, and closed his mouth, choosing not to finish what he was about to say. Instead, he impatiently pushed Hermione to the side, "No one said we had to stay in this place, get out of my way!"
With that, he strode off without looking back.
Not far away, Madam Pomfrey, who had heard the commotion, made no move to stop him.
After all, Professor McGonagall had only said that they shouldn't run around, she hadn't specifically stated that they had to stay in the school hospital, and Malfoy's minor wounds didn't require hospitalization.
Seeing that Madam Pomfrey didn't object, Harry also jumped off the bed and headed for the door.
"Harry, you can't, Professor McGonagall said..."
"Come on, Hermione, who knows when Headmaster Dumbledore will be back? I can't just sit here and wait all afternoon." Harry argued.
Hermione was exasperated, but there was nothing she could do. Finally, she stomped her foot and followed him.
"So you followed him?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course." Harry replied without hesitation, "I had to find out what he was up to."
"You still haven't given up?" Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. "I've told you, he can't do anything here at school."
"That's not necessarily true. What if Snape is helping him?" Harry countered. "Professors always have more privileges than students, don't they? And this time, you saw that Snape didn't even intend to punish him."
"That's because Professor McGonagall left the decision to Dumbledore," Hermione pointed out, giving Harry a sidelong glance.
"So, what did you find out that led to a fight, and why did you use the Blasting Curse? Do you know how serious that is? You could actually get expelled for this." Hermione's voice rose with concern.
"Malfoy cast the first spell." Harry explained, "I saw him crying in the bathroom, and then he suddenly attacked me without warning. I had to defend myself."
"Wait, what? You said Malfoy was crying in the bathroom?" Hermione asked, her confusion evident. She wondered if she had heard correctly.
"Yes, he was crying." Harry confirmed, "I found it strange too, but it's the truth. I saw it with my own eyes, and Peeves was there, consoling him."
"What else did Malfoy say? Something about no one being able to help him... and someone wanting to kill him?" Hermione pressed for more details.
"I don't know who wants to kill Malfoy." Harry shook his head, "That's all I heard before he spotted me. And you won't believe it, but he was about to use the Cruciatus Curse on me!"
"That's impossible!" Hermione exclaimed loudly. "That's an Unforgivable Curse. Using it on another student would have consequences far worse than breaking school rules."
"I know, but he really tried to do it." Harry recalled the scene, "If I hadn't interrupted his curse with a Disarming Charm, who knows what would have happened."
Harry thought that enduring the Cruciatus Curse in exchange for Malfoy's expulsion would be a worthwhile trade.
"Are you out of your mind?" Hermione scolded him. "Look at Katie Bell, she was hit with the Imperius Curse and spent months recovering at St. Mungo's."
"Relax, Hermione, I was just joking." Harry quickly clarified, seeing the alarmed look on her face.
Noticing that Hermione was still annoyed, he decided to change the subject. "By the way, where did you run into Kyle?"
This seemed to work, as it caught her off guard.
"On the sixth floor. He was wandering around the castle." Hermione answered, "You should be grateful that Kyle was nearby on the seventh floor and could rush over to pull you and Malfoy apart. Otherwise, you both would have ended up being carried out of there."
"You're right about that." Harry admitted.
"And what were you two thinking with those Blasting and Shattering Curses? Were you trying to kill each other?" Hermione continued to chastise them, clearly frustrated with their impulsive behavior.
Hermione went on to lecture Harry about his rash actions and how he should have sought out a professor first.
For once, Harry didn't argue. In truth, he knew that he wouldn't have been able to dodge Malfoy's Blasting Curse.
This train of thought inevitably led Harry to recall the astonishing moment when Kyle had effortlessly transformed their spells into a flock of ravens.
That kind of magic was something he had never heard of before.
"Hermione, do you have any idea what kind of magic Kyle used?" Harry asked, his curiosity piqued.
Hermione, who had been ranting, suddenly fell silent. Harry wondered if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw a hint of embarrassment on her face.
"I... I don't know." Hermione stammered.
In reality, she had closed her eyes instinctively when she thought Harry was about to be hit, so she hadn't actually seen what Kyle had done.
However, she didn't want Harry to know that, so she tried to cover it up. "It must be some kind of magic he found in the library.
He hasn't been attending classes for over a month now, so it's not surprising if he's learned some unusual magic from his books."
"Do you know which book it was?" Harry probed further, his interest piqued.
The idea of being able to dissipate an opponent's curse with a wave of his hand was incredibly appealing, and Harry couldn't deny his desire to learn such a spell.
He even imagined using it against Malfoy in the future and getting the upper hand.
"If you want to know, go search the library yourself! Stop asking me about everything!" Hermione snapped, clearly frustrated. "And you should be worrying about how to face Dumbledore, not about some new spell!"
"I told you, Malfoy cast the first spell. I can't just stand there and let him hit me." Harry defended himself.
In response to Hermione's continued exasperation, Harry could only shrug and say, "If Dumbledore decides to expel me for defending myself, then so be it."
...
(End of Chapter)
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