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Chapter 805: Animagus
Chapter 805: Animagus
"Impersonate Dumbledore?"
"No way!"
Inside the carriage, Kyle quickly tossed the envelope to Professor McGonagall, all the while thinking that whoever came up with this idea must be out of their mind.
Impersonating Albus Dumbledore, now that was a bold idea. What if the Death Eaters suddenly attacked Hogwarts? Admittedly, the probability of such an event was small, but not impossible.
After all, Voldemort now possessed the Elder Wand. What if his confidence surged, and he decided to initiate a final battle? In that case, the Dark Lord would undoubtedly seek out Dumbledore first, and Kyle would be in serious trouble.
Moreover, even if the Death Eaters didn't attack the school, what if he was exposed while impersonating Dumbledore? That would be incredibly embarrassing.
With these thoughts, Kyle even considered opening the window and jumping out to make a run for it.
"Don't refuse just yet," Professor McGonagall said, placing the letter back on the table.
"This task was specifically assigned to you by Dumbledore, which means he trusts that you can handle it, and that you are the most suitable person for it."
"No, no, no," Kyle refused again. "I think you would be perfect for this, Professor McGonagall."
"I can't," she shook her head. "I have classes to teach, and I need to attend the start-of-term feast. I simply don't have the time."
"What about Professor Flitwick..."
"They're all in the same situation," Professor McGonagall interrupted. "None of the Hogwarts professors can take on this task."
"Then what about Sirius?" Kyle immediately thought of someone outside the school. "He seems to have a lot of free time these days, lecturing Harry about his Animagus transformation, yet there's been no progress so far."
"No," Professor McGonagall continued to shake her head. "Dumbledore doesn't want too many people to know that he's away from the school, and that includes the members of the Order of the Phoenix."
"But..."
"Dumbledore mentioned that he will offer you a satisfactory reward."
"..."
"What kind of reward?"
"I don't know," Professor McGonagall shook her head. "In fact, the sentence I just quoted was his exact words in the letter. If you can convince everyone that he's still at the school, he will provide a reward that will definitely satisfy you... You'll know once you read it yourself."
Kyle fell silent.
To be fair, Dumbledore was usually reliable when it came to his promises... A reward that would satisfy him...
Unconsciously, Kyle picked up the envelope from the table.
"So, you agree?" Professor McGonagall let out a soft laugh.
"Let me take a look first," Kyle opened the envelope. "Just to be clear, even if I agree, it won't be because of any reward. I mainly just don't want to see everyone worried."
"No need to explain."
"I believe you."
"Of course."
The three heads of houses murmured in agreement, their lips pressed together to avoid accidentally laughing out loud.
Meanwhile, Kyle had also taken out the letter Dumbledore had sent him. Its contents were similar to what Professor McGonagall had said—he was to impersonate Dumbledore and make appearances around the school without blowing his cover. A satisfactory reward would be given afterward.
Under the envelope, there was also a small pouch containing a bottle of potion and a small lock of hair. It wasn't a large amount, but it wasn't scant either. Kyle roughly counted about fifty strands or so.
To be honest, it wasn't easy for someone of Dumbledore's age to cut off that much hair.
There was also a small note inside.
"Use this for transformation, and remember to keep it in the box that Nicki gave you.
"P.S. Obtaining Polyjuice Potion shouldn't be difficult for you, so I've only prepared one bottle. (Don't go to Severus, he doesn't know what I'm up to.)
"
"Good luck."
"Ha, he must think highly of me," Kyle said, picking up the bottle and examining it.
This amount would probably only last for around two hours, just enough to get through the evening's start-of-term feast.
How stingy! Hadn't he considered that preparing Polyjuice Potion took a month, and that African Snake Skin wasn't easy to come by? What if someone came looking for him during that time?
Kyle shook his head and set the pouch aside.
There was one other thing that concerned him—it seemed that Dumbledore hadn't informed Snape about this plan. In fact, out of all the heads of houses, Snape was the only one absent during the student escort today.
Was there some other arrangement for Snape? Or was Dumbledore worried that he might leak the secret... No, that didn't seem right. With Snape's Occlumency skills, Voldemort shouldn't be able to see through him.
Kyle furrowed his brows, unable to fathom what Dumbledore was thinking.
However, this turn of events did put him in a bit of a bind.
Initially, Kyle had planned to ask Snape for Polyjuice Potion, but now that he had to keep it a secret from him, that option was off the table.
Perhaps he could try asking Slughorn; Kyle recalled that last year, during the start-of-term feast, Slughorn had brewed a large batch of Polyjuice Potion to demonstrate his superior potion-making skills to the students.
Maybe he would do the same this year.
Alternatively, he could turn to Fred and George; their shop had previously stocked Polyjuice Potion, even though it had been destroyed by Death Eaters once. They should still have some in stock... After all, the potion was troublesome and time-consuming to make, so most potion merchants would use the largest cauldrons to brew large batches and sell them slowly over time.
And Weasley's Wizard Wheezes wasn't that big, nor did they have a wide variety of products on display.
The three heads of houses exchanged amused glances, tacitly deciding not to bring up the matter again.
The train continued its journey towards Hogwarts, and before long, it was midday.
A small snack trolley squeaked to a stop outside the compartment.
"Anything for you, dears?"
Professor McGonagall opened the compartment door.
"Oh, it's you, Mirrova." The elderly witch pushing the trolley looked somewhat surprised. "I heard you'd be accompanying the students on the train today."
"Yes, for their protection." Professor McGonagall replied.
"Well, isn't that lovely? Care for some licorice wands? I assure you they taste just the same as they did sixty years ago."
"They were indeed a favorite of mine." Although Professor McGonagall hadn't intended to buy anything, she couldn't resist purchasing a few licorice wands upon hearing this.
The trolley squeaked its way to the next compartment.
Professor McGonagall closed the door and distributed the licorice wands.
"Thank you, Professor." Kyle said, setting it aside.
He also noticed that Professors Flitwick and Sprout did the same, indicating that they weren't particularly fond of this treat either.
"She's right, the taste is just as it was sixty years ago." Professor McGonagall took a small bite from the licorice wand and smiled as she spoke.
"Sixty years?" Kyle asked curiously, "Was she already working on the train back then?"
"Even earlier than that." Professor McGonagall explained, "In fact, she had already been working here for a long time when I was a student, and she hasn't changed much since then."
"So, she must be over a hundred years old." Kyle exclaimed, glancing out of the compartment in astonishment.
"At least a hundred and seventy." Professor McGonagall said, "Because when Dumbledore was a student, the same witch was selling treats on the train."
"She's certainly aged well." Kyle muttered.
Going sixty years without any noticeable change in appearance was indeed impressive.
"Kyle, we still have a long way to go before we reach Hogwarts. Wouldn't you like to buy some snacks?" Professor Sprout offered him a few meat pies, "They're filled with fennel and beef. If you'd like one, I can share."
Professor Flitwick had also brought lunch, an apple pie, but only one, though he generously offered to split it with Kyle if he wanted some.
"No, thank you. I have my own." Kyle politely declined their offers with a smile.
Although he had been dragged onto the train unexpectedly and hadn't prepared in advance, he still had his trunk.
The professors stared in astonishment as Kyle pulled out an entire cured ham from his trunk; the small table in the compartment could barely accommodate it.
"You... carry this around with you?" Professor Flitwick asked, holding his apple pie.
"Oh, just a little snack." Kyle replied casually.
But that wasn't all; after the ham came flour and water, which were usually meant for his Moony beasts. Although they could eat the magical herbs growing in his trunk, they occasionally needed a special meal. The flour was used to shape the herbs into balls for easier drying... He had learned this trick from Newt.
However, these ingredients would come in handy now.
Under Kyle's direction, the flour and water mixed together and separated into small dough balls, which then transformed into round, flat discs.
Suddenly, a small flame appeared in the air, and the discs began to rotate slowly over it.
"Goblet of Fire!" The well-traveled Professor McGonagall quickly recognized the source of the flame.
Her voice rose slightly as she asked, "You're using such a precious magical artifact to cook these discs?"
"Yes, magic is meant to make our lives easier, after all." Kyle nodded, "And this is incredibly efficient."
As he spoke, the discs' surfaces turned a beautiful golden brown in just a few minutes.
Several slices of ham then lined up and jumped into the air, landing neatly inside the discs, which automatically split open to accommodate them.
As the ham was cured, there was no need for additional seasoning.
"Professor, would you like to try one?" Kyle offered a meat pie to Professor McGonagall.
She took it and bit into it without hesitation.
To be honest, the taste wasn't particularly delicious, but it was edible, and the use of the Goblet of Fire added a certain appeal.
Even Professor McGonagall, for the first time, was tasting a meat pie cooked over the Goblet of Fire, and it felt strangely luxurious.
In that moment, Professor McGonagall understood a little better why Dumbledore had asked Kyle to take his place.
In a sense, the two of them were quite similar; they often did things that were difficult for others to comprehend... or to put it more bluntly, they had a screw loose.
There were only a handful of wizards in the entire magical world who possessed the Goblet of Fire, and those who did cherished it as a precious treasure. Kyle was probably the only one who would think of using it to cook meat pies.
Professor McGonagall looked at Kyle, who had already given the other two meat pies to Professors Flitwick and Sprout, and was now busy again.
"Oh, I just remembered that I used the Goblet of Fire to burn a Dementor before," Kyle explained. "Using it to heat food might be a bit off-putting."
The compartment fell silent.
Professor Flitwick looked at the half-eaten meat pie in his hand and then at Kyle, his expression falling. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I just remembered," Kyle said. "It's really fine, this flame is clean. Go ahead and eat."
"Er... I think I'll stick to my apple pie," Professor Flitwick said.
Kyle wouldn't have mentioned it if he hadn't, but now that he had, he felt a bit queasy himself.
The other two professors also set their food down on the table.
"Let's not waste this. We can take it back to Hogwarts and feed it to Ya Ya. He's not picky."
...
As Kyle busied himself, Professor McGonagall watched him and suddenly asked, "By the way, you mentioned that Sirius is teaching Harry the Animagus transformation?"
"Yes, to give him another way to protect himself," Kyle nodded, carefully controlling the flames to rotate evenly beneath the cured ham.
"It's only been a month, and there hasn't been any progress... Of course, this has little to do with Sirius. It's mainly because Harry has been snacking on Mandrake leaves.
"I estimate that he's eaten at least half a pound of them by now."
A prerequisite for learning the Animagus transformation was to hold a Mandrake leaf in one's mouth for a month, but Harry couldn't even last a day.
The longest he managed was eight hours, carefully getting through the day with only porridge for food, and then swallowing the leaf in his sleep.
It was only because Sirius was well-off that Harry could afford to snack on the expensive Mandrake leaves.
"Speaking of which..." Professor McGonagall asked, "Are you interested in learning this magic? I believe your foundational abilities are definitely up to par. If you want to learn, I can teach you this semester."
"Animagus?" Kyle hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Never mind, I'm not interested."
"Not interested?"
"It's mainly because it's not that useful," Kyle said, lifting his head.
If the Animagus transformation could turn him into a magical beast, then Kyle would definitely want to learn it.
Not just a Fire Dragon or a top-tier beast like the Venomous Tiger, even becoming a Sniffer would grant him the ability to easily slip through tight spaces.
But if it was just an ordinary animal, the appeal wasn't as strong.
Previously, Kyle thought the greatest use of the Animagus transformation was its stealth aspect—transforming into an animal to gather information or escape when faced with a stronger opponent.
However, he had no use for either of those scenarios.
A Sniffer or a Knarl could help him gather information more safely and covertly.
As for escaping, it might have been a good idea five years ago, but not now... To be honest, there weren't many wizards who could force him to flee, and if his ring couldn't get him out of a situation, then transforming into an animal wouldn't help either.
So, for the time being, the Animagus transformation seemed rather pointless to him.
Moreover, there was a significant limitation to this magic—once one transformed into an ordinary animal, they would be subject to various restrictions and wouldn't be able to turn back immediately.
For instance, Rita Skeeter, when she turned into a beetle, could be easily trapped in a regular bottle.
Or Professor McGonagall's tabby cat form—if someone caught her, she wouldn't be able to transform back, and they could easily squish her.
This limitation essentially created a weakness for oneself. Because of this, Kyle had been hesitating about learning this magic.
Oh, and one more thing—the Animagus transformation was currently the only known method to escape from Azkaban.
But Kyle didn't need that either. He had an acquaintance there... or maybe not anymore, but he could always send someone else in.
In any case, it was a far more reliable method than transforming into an animal.
Kyle briefly explained his thoughts, and after listening, Professor McGonagall considered them for a moment before letting the matter drop.
Indeed, the Animagus transformation offered little benefit to Kyle. While it could showcase a wizard's skill in Transfiguration, his exceptional Transfiguration abilities were already evident during Lupin's wedding.
Seeing that Professor McGonagall didn't press the issue further, Kyle breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, aside from these reasons, he had another reason that wasn't really a reason...
Although it hadn't been officially confirmed, in most cases, a wizard's Patronus and Animagus form corresponded with each other.
If one's Patronus was a cat, then their Animagus form would most likely also be a cat... just like Professor McGonagall.
The same was true for Sirius—his Patronus was a dog, and James Potter's Patronus was a stag, corresponding with his 'Prongs' nickname.
One instance could be a coincidence, but with so many examples, it became harder to dismiss.
It wasn't a big deal, but Kyle's Patronus was a jellyfish, an aquatic animal. What if his Animagus form also turned out to be a jellyfish?
Then he'd transform and splat onto the ground—how embarrassing!
...
(End of Chapter)
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