Chapter 792: Dumbledore in the Hog's Head
Chapter 792: Dumbledore in the Hog's Head
The night in St. Kachel village was quiet, and the villagers had retired early, leaving only a handful of lamps still illuminated within the entire settlement.
In the forest not far from their humble abode, a figure suddenly appeared, crashing to the ground with a loud thud that startled the resting birds into flight.
Kyle lay on the ground, gritting his teeth against the excruciating pain inflicted by the Cruciatus Curse. He gasped for breath, his entire body aching from the intense agony that seemed to emanate from every corner of his being.
It took a while before Kyle finally regained his composure. He propped himself up against a nearby tree stump and began to survey his surroundings, quickly recognizing that he was within the vicinity of St. Kachel village.
He hadn't had time to think earlier, nor did he have a specific destination in mind. His sole intention had been to get as far away from Voldemort as possible.
In that moment of desperation, his instincts had led him to this place—a location he knew like the back of his hand.
But none of that mattered now. Regardless, he had successfully escaped Voldemort, and that was all that counted.
Kyle dusted himself off and retrieved a bottle of blue potion from his trunk, downing it in one go before beginning to analyze the situation he had just faced.
This wasn't the first time he had come face-to-face with Voldemort, but it had certainly been the most pressurizing encounter. Aside from knowing that Dumbledore wouldn't be there to lend aid this time, there was also the fact that Voldemort's curse had gotten faster.
Much faster than when he had first resurrected.
Kyle couldn't pinpoint whether it was due to an increase in Voldemort's power or the influence of the Elder Wand... but he suspected the latter was more likely.
The situation had been different the last time at the Ministry of Magic. Kyle had been there in person, witnessing the entire duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore, and Voldemort's curses hadn't been as swift then. At the very least, Kyle had been able to see them clearly.
But there was no use dwelling on it now. He couldn't defeat Voldemort in a fight, so his only option had been to flee. And in order to avoid being instantly killed by the Killing Curse, he had deliberately goaded Voldemort into a rage.
It had been a risky move. "Riddle" was a taboo name for Voldemort, and Kyle couldn't be sure that he wouldn't simply decide to eliminate him on the spot. But if he hadn't taken that chance, Voldemort likely would have cast the Killing Curse right away to avenge Bellatrix or... take out his frustration.
After all, he wasn't Harry, the recipient of Voldemort's blatant favoritism, so he had a fifty-fifty chance at best.
Fortunately, his plan had worked like a charm. A furious Voldemort had opted to torture him with the Cruciatus Curse, and Kyle had seized the opportunity to make his escape.
Of course, this was also partly due to Kyle's haste in retrieving the snake, causing him to miss the chance to take the upper hand. If he hadn't been concerned about the snake and had prepared for combat instead, he might have been able to hold his own against Voldemort for a few exchanges... well, perhaps.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but after being struck by the Cruciatus Curse, Kyle felt that Voldemort seemed somewhat weaker than expected, not in terms of raw power, but in the sense that he wasn't as terrifying as he had imagined. It seemed that taking the Elder Wand hadn't been without some cost to Voldemort.
However, these were just speculations. If given another chance, Kyle knew he would still choose to flee...
Kyle waited a while longer, ensuring that the effects of the Cruciatus Curse had completely faded before stepping out of the forest.
Instead of heading home or back to their hideout, he apparated directly to Grimmauld Place.
As soon as he landed, Kyle felt something land on his shoulder, and he heard a startled shriek. Mrs. Weasley and Sirius rushed out of the door, their faces pale and their steps unsteady.
In just a few strides, Mrs. Weasley stumbled, and it took her two attempts to reach Kyle's side.
"Kyle... thank goodness, you're finally back," she said, shooting a glare at Sirius.
Sirius felt wronged. He had never intended to leave Kyle alone; it was Fox who had forcibly taken him away.
However, he knew that any explanations would be futile, so he wisely chose to remain silent, quietly standing by.
It might also have been because he was physically incapable of speaking at the moment.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley," Kyle reassured her with a smile. "Let's go inside. It's too dangerous out here."
Yes! Mrs. Weasley nodded and, taking Kyle's arm, prepared to head back inside.
She stumbled again, this time walking straight toward the door with the number ten plaque.
Kyle pulled her gently, and the two finally returned to the correct house, number twelve.
There weren't many people inside. Aside from Mrs. Weasley and Sirius, there was Harry, looking dazed as he sat on the floor with Ginny, and an elderly man who bore a resemblance to Dumbledore.
It was Aberforth, the owner of the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade and Dumbledore's younger brother.
He stared at Kyle expressionlessly before furrowing his brow.
"Where is he? Why is his phoenix with you?"
His voice carried a strange tone, and although he didn't mention any names, Kyle knew exactly whom he was referring to.
"It's a long story," Kyle quickly explained, fearing that Aberforth might misunderstand the situation. "Professor Dumbledore is fine. He had to attend to something important and forgot to take Fox with him, so I'm temporarily looking after him for a few days."
"Do you know what you're saying?"
"This is the truth, I swear," Kyle said helplessly. "The place he went to is precisely somewhere Fawkes can't reach."
Aberforth stared at Kyle without blinking, as if observing whether he was lying.
Kyle remained calm, as he was telling the truth. No matter how magical the phoenix was, it couldn't possibly apparate back a hundred years into the past.
However, Kyle hesitated inwardly. If Aberforth insisted on getting to the bottom of it, what excuse could he give?
Should he just tell the truth?
Tell him that Dumbledore went back a hundred years to find Ariana?
That definitely wouldn't work. Aberforth's feelings for his sister were no less than Dumbledore's. What if he wanted to go too? Kyle didn't have another Time-Turner to give him.
So, he definitely had to keep it from him.
Kyle was perplexed, thinking about what excuse he could use to convince Aberforth, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't think of a place that a phoenix couldn't reach.
Or should he just shift the blame onto Dumbledore and pretend he knew nothing? That was the only plausible excuse he could think of.
However, to his surprise, Aberforth merely snorted coldly, showing no signs of probing further. After confirming that Kyle wasn't lying, he returned to his previous indifferent demeanor.
Aberforth then strode to the door, glanced back at Kyle, and said, "What a waste of time. The rest is up to you now."
With that, he stepped out the door and disapparated.
"It's up to me now?" Kyle scratched his head. "What does he mean by that?"
"Well...urgh..." Sirius tried to explain, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he almost threw up. His action also affected the others.
Ginny covered her mouth and ran upstairs unsteadily.
Harry fared a little better, but he still looked pale and sat weakly on the floor.
It took quite a while for Sirius to recover. He picked up a bottle of Firewhisky from the table and took a large gulp, barely managing to suppress his churning stomach.
"To be honest, I've never experienced such a stimulating apparition before."
Mrs. Weasley and Harry nodded in agreement.
Harry recalled one Christmas holiday when they visited Sirius at St. Mungo's, and Kyle had been brought by Fawkes. At that time, he had crashed into a cabinet as soon as he appeared.
Harry had found it strange back then, not understanding why Kyle looked so terrible after a simple apparition spell.
Now he finally understood.
The apparition of a phoenix was completely different from that of a wizard. When he had first been taken away, he couldn't even stand, let alone have a clear consciousness.
He felt like he had been stuffed into a giant's nostril and then flicked out onto a unicorn's hoof, only to be trampled and run over for ten miles.
There was a period when he even thought that facing the Death Eaters in Godric's Hollow would be preferable.
Thinking about it now, Kyle's performance of merely crashing into a cabinet back then was unbelievably perfect.
As Harry recalled his own experience, he couldn't hold it in any longer. Like Ginny, he covered his mouth and rushed upstairs.
"Don't mind them, they've been like this since they got back." Sirius took a deep breath and said, "We were taken by the phoenix to... the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. A few minutes ago... we were just brought back by the owner of the pub... the man you just saw."
"Oh." Kyle nodded. "Are the others still there? Why didn't they come back sooner?"
"Because we couldn't," Sirius said, gripping the bottle of Firewhisky. "We could barely stand, let alone apparate back."
"Later, the owner of the Hog's Head recognized Fawkes and even knew the address here. That's how we knew he was one of us."
Mrs. Weasley continued, "For safety reasons, we asked him to help bring some of us back."
"Sirius and I were the first to return, followed by Harry and Ginny, and then you arrived."
Hearing her explanation, Kyle finally understood.
Just as his subconscious mind was most familiar with St. Kachel Village, Fawkes considered the Hog's Head, where the other "Dumbledore" was, to be a safe place.
"How is everyone doing?" Kyle asked.
"Well... I guess we're fine," Mrs. Weasley thought for a moment. "Kyle, promise me that unless it's absolutely necessary, don't let the phoenix take us away again. If the Death Eaters were to chase after us, I'm afraid we wouldn't even be able to put up a fight."
"Okay," Kyle nodded.
He was well aware of what it was like to apparate with a phoenix, but the situation had been urgent, and it was the best option at the time. Otherwise, with the number of Death Eaters present, there would have surely been significant casualties.
Moreover, it was unlikely that the Death Eaters would be able to find the place Fawkes considered safe anytime soon.
Without further delay, Kyle directly Disapparated to Hogsmeade.
Due to the time, all the shops were closed, except for the flickering lights coming from the windows of the Hog's Head.
Pushing open the door, Kyle entered, but he didn't see anyone else aside from an old witch dozing in the corner.
Aberforth, who had just left, stood behind the counter, using a dirty rag to wipe an equally dirty cup.
No wonder people always said that when you come to the Hog's Head, it's best to bring your own tableware. That statement was absolutely true.
Aberforth also noticed Kyle, and the wariness in his eyes quickly turned into disdain. He jerked his chin towards the side.
"They're upstairs."
"Thanks." Kyle immediately ran upstairs and indeed found Fred and George, who were leaning against the wall by the staircase, presumably on lookout duty.
Lupin and Hermione were attending to the unconscious Tonks couple, while the others were further inside.
As for Nymphadora Tonks, if Kyle guessed correctly, she was probably the old witch sleeping downstairs.
Upon seeing Kyle, Fred and George's expressions became complicated.
"Prove your identity." Fred said, "What was the first thing we sold at Hogwarts?"
"The map." Kyle replied.
"No problem." Fred nodded to the others, his entire demeanor relaxing.
"I have a question." George stepped closer to Kyle, "According to Sirius, was it you who had the phoenix take us away?"
"No, it was Dumbledore." Kyle calmly replied, "It's his phoenix."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Nothing." George took a deep breath and shook his head, "It certainly wasn't a pleasant journey, even though it saved us."
"Ah, that's normal." Kyle said nonchalantly, "After a few more times, you'll get used to it."
"Forget it, I'd rather face Death Eaters." Fred said, holding his stomach.
"We'll talk about that later. For now, we need to leave quickly." Kyle said, "Get ready, and I'll go get Tonks."
When he returned downstairs, the old witch who had been slumped on the table had also gotten up, her face restored to that of Tonks, though her hair was still a mess.
Kyle gestured for her to go upstairs, then turned to Aberforth.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Aberforth said, "Just pay up, you wasted an entire night of business for me. Plus, there's the cost of the door key, a total of one hundred Galleons."
As he spoke, he threw the dirty glass in his hand towards Kyle, a bright blue light still lingering on the cup—obviously a freshly made door key.
"Or, if you don't want the key, just pay fifty Galleons."
"No, one hundred Galleons is fine." Kyle said, "But I'm curious, why didn't you use the door key to send them back earlier?"
"It's better to lose two than all of them." Aberforth lifted an eyebrow, "Hurry up, you only have three minutes."
"Ah... alright!" Kyle walked over and placed a heavy bag on the counter.
Aberforth opened it and took a peek, "That's too much, there's at least two hundred Galleons here."
"Consider the extra a small token of my gratitude." Kyle smiled, "But could you do me another small favor?"
"A small favor for one hundred Galleons?" Aberforth snorted, "Go on."
"It's like this... could you, as Dumbledore's brother, promise to give me Fawkes?" Kyle asked quietly, "If so, I'll pay you an additional one thousand Galleons."
Aberforth raised an eyebrow, not hesitating for a moment as he pushed the bag back towards Kyle.
"Don't be in such a rush to refuse. Two thousand... no, five thousand Galleons, or even ten thousand is negotiable."
"Don't waste your breath. He only listens to that man, my words won't make a difference." Aberforth said.
"Is that so..." Kyle thought for a moment, then pushed the bag back, "Never mind, consider it a gift to a friend."
"No thanks, I don't dare accept it." Aberforth eyed Kyle warily and waved his hand, stuffing the bag into his pocket, "You're no different from that man, neither of you are any good. Now scram.
"Also, as a reminder, you have three minutes left for the door key."
"Alright..." Kyle picked up the cup and turned to go upstairs, but immediately turned back.
"How about this, give me ten bottles of Firewhisky and ten bottles of brandy. I think they'll need these."
"Not selling."
"I'll pay five times the price, put it on Dumbledore's tab." Kyle said offhandedly, "He can pay you back when he returns."
This time, Aberforth didn't hesitate for even a second, quickly packing up what Kyle needed in just ten seconds.
(End of Chapter)
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