Chapter 782: A Loophole in the Naming Magic
Chapter 782: A Loophole in the Naming Magic
Dumbledore's voice remained calm, as if he were merely recounting the loss of a Knut while shopping, but this piece of news stirred up a storm within Kyle's heart.
"The one that was taken... it wasn't the Elder Wand, was it?"
"Oh, I'm surprised you recognized it as the Elder Wand." Dumbledore looked at Kyle in astonishment. "That's impressive. I always thought no one knew about it."
"Is it that hard to identify?" Kyle asked casually. "Any wizard who has read 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' should be able to recognize it, as it's clearly depicted in the book."
"That's true, but—" Dumbledore began.
"But I've never seen anyone else use a wand made of elder, not even in Ollivanders," Kyle interrupted. "I even doubt if Mr. Ollivander uses this type of wood himself. And most importantly, that wand was wielded by the greatest wizard of our time."
"That's quite a remarkable assessment," Dumbledore chuckled, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Indeed, I have been using the Elder Wand," Dumbledore nodded. "However, it was taken by Tom. Someone told him that the wand could make him even more powerful, so he devised this trap."
"And that's how he took the Elder Wand?" Kyle still found it a bit unbelievable.
It was just too simple, he thought.
Now it was confirmed that Bellatrix, Barty Crouch Jr., and other Death Eaters were here and had not left with Voldemort.
Could Voldemort have defeated Dumbledore in a one-on-one battle, even with a trap, and taken his wand? Kyle wasn't quite convinced.
"You underestimate Tom," Dumbledore said, as if reading Kyle's thoughts. "Back in Hogwarts, he was an exceptional student. He completed all his courses by his fifth year. After graduating, he traveled the world, creating many unique dark spells and conducting dangerous magical experiments."
"Those experiences transformed his appearance into something frightening, but at the same time, his power grew exponentially. It has been a long time since I could guarantee a sure victory over him."
Kyle shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He had never underestimated Voldemort. When he learned that Voldemort had obtained the Elder Wand, he even considered contacting Nicolas Flamel and transferring some of his belongings to Flamel's old mansion in Paris, paying the rent for several years in advance. That way, he would have a quick escape plan if things went south.
However, at the same time, he had never underestimated Dumbledore either. The title of 'White Warlock,' given to him by Rita Skeeter in her articles, was not bought with money. Even though the color differed, the title still carried the weight of a 'Warlock.'
"So, what exactly happened that day?" Kyle asked again, eager to know the details.
"The process is not important," Dumbledore glanced at Kyle. "But I saved a person with a wand, and in my opinion, it was a worthwhile trade."
"You saved a person?"
"Ollivander," Dumbledore said. "Remember when the Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley? One of their tasks was to capture the wand-maker. Fortunately, he was out searching for materials and thus escaped their grasp."
"But I thought he had returned?" Kyle said. "And I don't recall any of last year's newcomers being wandless."
"So, he was captured recently," Dumbledore said with a hint of helplessness in his tone. "Despite our repeated warnings, he was discovered by Death Eaters while searching for wand materials and fell into Tom's hands."
"And the mysterious figure used him to threaten you?" Kyle asked.
"It's very much in line with Tom's character, isn't it?"
"No wonder he didn't bring any other Death Eaters," Kyle realized. "The arrogant Dark Lord relying on a hostage to threaten Dumbledore—it's understandable that he wouldn't want his followers to witness such a scene."
"While the method is not honorable, it is effective," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Also, you can call him by his name here. The Fidelius Charm works on Naming Magic as well."
"I just want to develop a habit," Kyle shook his head. "To avoid accidentally saying it elsewhere and endangering others."
Kyle vaguely recalled that Connor's father had been killed because he mentioned Voldemort's name. The Death Eaters who rushed to the pub had slaughtered everyone present, except for a few quick-witted individuals who managed to escape and inform them of the news.
Although it was now difficult to determine whether it was Connor's father or someone else who had uttered Voldemort's name, it no longer mattered.
After hearing Kyle's explanation, Dumbledore's expression turned serious, and he nodded solemnly.
"You've considered this thoroughly. I was negligent."
"It's not entirely your fault," Kyle stroked his chin. "If I could beat him, I'd even be willing to pay people to find a spacious place to curse him out for a whole day. And the word 'Voldemort' should appear at least three times in every sentence."
The serious expression on Dumbledore's face only lasted a few seconds before it collapsed.
"What do you mean?"
"It's an information bombardment," Kyle said. "Since he likes to hear his own name, let's shout it out more, divide it into a few groups, and have people take turns shouting it 24 hours a day. Add in some profanity, the dirtier the better, preferably the kind that brings up his family lineage. I recall Riddle being a Muggle surname, so calling him a half-Mudblood would be quite fitting.
"Under the effect of the Naming Magic, he'll definitely hear it loud and clear. If he can't take it and comes after me, I'll finish him off. If he doesn't come, he'll just have to endure it, and the thought of that is quite pleasing.
"Unless he's willing to lift this magic, which would also be a good thing for us. Aside from losing a few Galleons, there's no downside.
"Of course, these are just ideas. I can't beat him yet."
For a moment, Dumbledore's gaze changed, and when he looked at Kyle again, it was as if he were looking at a fire-breathing dragon knitting wool socks—it was just... absurd.
Taking advantage of a loophole in the Naming Magic and having people constantly curse out Voldemort... Was this something a normal person could come up with? But to be fair, Dumbledore carefully considered it and found that it would indeed be quite satisfying.
Why not... give it a try? He hesitated, after all, he had plenty of Galleons, and he could afford to hire a few hundred people. As long as it made Voldemort lift the Naming Magic, it would be a success.
However, when he saw his arm moving without his knowledge, Dumbledore discarded the idea.
Never mind, now is not the time.
Dumbledore sighed. Every time he chatted with Kyle, he couldn't help but feel that he was truly getting old.
While some of Kyle's ideas clashed with his own, they were effective. Yet, he could never think like that, and it wasn't because of a lack of wisdom.
It was like the Hogwarts Express, which had been abandoned by the times but was still running due to various reasons.
It was for this reason that Dumbledore always sought out Harry after talking with Kyle. Then Harry would remind him that it wasn't him who was out of step with the times, but Kyle, and that Kyle was the 'minority' who was truly unique.
At that moment, the voices outside suddenly grew louder.
"Oh, I suppose it's time for dinner," Dumbledore stood up and brought the conversation to a close.
"Is it that late already? I'm actually quite hungry, and I hope there's treacle tart for dinner. I really love that."
In fact, Kyle still had a lot of questions to ask, such as why Voldemort had chosen a place like Austria, what exactly he had done there, and the details of the battle.
But Dumbledore didn't seem willing to say more, and he had been vague about this topic before as well, as if he was deliberately avoiding something.
The problem was that if Dumbledore didn't want to talk, there was nothing Kyle could do about it. He couldn't very well force Veritaserum on him... Hmm?
Kyle's eyebrows raised, he did have some Veritaserum, and it was given to him by Snape.
The only problem was that he couldn't quite remember where he had put it. Since it was something given to him by Snape, he wouldn't use it no matter what, so he usually just tossed it aside without organizing it properly.
However, it should be in one of the boxes, and he could take the time to look for it later.
With that thought, Kyle followed Dumbledore out of the room.
Outside, Mrs. Weasley had indeed prepared dinner, and to Kyle's surprise, Lupin had also returned from St. Mungo's.
The bandages that had previously covered his body were now reduced to a few strips around his wrists, and his complexion looked much better. He could move freely without needing any support.
Kyle was delighted but not entirely surprised.
As long as it wasn't a Dark Magic injury, it wasn't much trouble for St. Mungo's, especially since Lupin was a werewolf and naturally had a faster recovery ability than ordinary wizards.
Tonks still looked a little worried, though, and stayed by Lupin's side.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Kyle greeted him.
"Thanks to Dumbledore, he brought the tears of the phoenix." Lupin smiled, "And I also want to thank you, Kyle."
"What for?"
"I heard about what you and Mr. Scamander did.
"Even the werewolves in Knockturn Alley haven't shown themselves in a long time."
Lupin couldn't help but sigh, "Unbelievable. An issue I couldn't resolve in over half a year, and you guys settled it in just a few days."
"Ah, it's nothing," Kyle waved his hand dismissively, "It's mainly because your heart is too soft. If you dealt with the most unruly ones harshly, the rest would naturally fall in line."
Lupin fell silent, shaking his head without a word.
If werewolves were truly that easy to handle, then Dumbledore wouldn't have needed him to reach out to them. Ultimately, it was a matter of capability.
Lupin was well aware of this, but as long as the outcome was positive, he didn't mind.
"Alright, let's eat," Mrs. Weasley said as she walked over.
She looked completely different from the day before, her mood seemingly much improved.
"Percy's awake," Charlie whispered, "They exchanged a few words, and Mum's overjoyed."
"What did they say?"
"I don't know. The healer only allowed one person to visit, so we waited outside."
As they entered the dining room, the table was filled with an abundance of delicious food.
"A feast," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile, "It's rare for two people to celebrate their birthdays together, so we should celebrate properly."
"There's another reason to celebrate as well," Tonks suddenly said.
She wrapped her arm around Lupin's arm, "We've decided to get married."
After a brief moment of silence, the room erupted into an even more enthusiastic discussion.
"Oh, have you decided already?"
"When will it be?"
"That's fantastic!"
...
"Congratulations, Moony," Sirius was undoubtedly the happiest of the bunch. Lupin was his best friend, and Tonks... from the perspective of pure-blood family relations, she was his niece-in-law?
That should be it, the relationships within pure-blood families were too complicated, and he was too lazy to figure it out. Anyway, that was the general idea.
His best friend was going to marry his niece-in-law, how interesting... Wait a moment.
Sirius suddenly felt that something was amiss, and his gaze towards Lupin shifted slightly.
He walked over and punched Lupin on the shoulder, "When did this happen? Why didn't you ever tell me?"
It was unclear if it was intentional or due to his excitement, but the punch was rather strong, causing Lupin to wince in pain.
"What are you doing? Be gentle, Lupin just recovered," Tonks glared at Sirius.
"Get lost," Sirius said, pulling Lupin into a neck lock, "You don't understand."
"Speak up, why did you keep this from me?"
"I didn't mean to keep it from you. We only recently made the decision ourselves," Lupin said awkwardly, "I've been hesitating because, as you know, I'm a werewolf. If I were to be with Tonks..."
"Never mind, I don't want to hear your excuses," Sirius suddenly pushed Lupin away.
"I don't care what you thought before, but now that you've made this decision, you can't go back on it, understand?
"Otherwise, I won't let you off the hook, even if you are my best friend."
As he spoke, Sirius punched Lupin again, but this time, the punch was much softer.
"I'm truly happy for you."
"Thanks," Lupin said.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the room reached its peak, with everyone cheering and celebrating.
Fred and George somehow managed to get their hands on a few party poppers, filling the room with sparkling snowflakes and dancing fairies.
"Leftovers from Christmas," Fred handed Kyle a party popper, "It doesn't matter anyway, it's not an official wedding."
"I'm not surprised by that," Kyle said, "I'm surprised that you two actually had leftovers from Christmas?"
"What do you mean by that?" George said irritably, "Forget it, I won't argue with you today."
After saying that, he pulled another party popper, this time releasing miniature dragons and a golden Christmas tree.
"You two, don't go overboard," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile, clearly not taking it too seriously. She turned to Dumbledore, "Albus... why don't you stay for dinner today? I remember there's a nice bottle of aged Firewhisky in the basement, Sirius..."
"I'll get it," Sirius quickly ran downstairs.
"What a tempting invitation," Dumbledore smiled, "It would be even better if we had some treacle tarts."
"Sorry, I didn't prepare any," Mrs. Weasley said, "But how about some syrup-soaked orange cakes?"
Syrup and orange cakes?
Kyle felt his teeth ache just thinking about that combination, but Dumbledore seemed delighted by the suggestion.
"Ah, I like those as well."
(End of Chapter)
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