Chapter 822: Failed Memory Extraction
Chapter 822: Failed Memory Extraction
As the evening drew in, Professor McGonagall, after a busy day, finished her dinner and prepared to head back to her office to get some well-deserved rest.
With Professor Dumbledore away and no one to lend a hand, the entirety of the school's affairs rested on her shoulders, on top of her responsibilities for teaching all seven years. Even for Professor McGonagall, accustomed as she was to this lifestyle, it was mentally exhausting.
As she passed by Professor Slughorn's office, she clearly heard laughter emanating from within.
It seemed that, with the perceived passing of the crisis, Professor Slughorn had once again resumed hosting his classic dinner parties.
Professor McGonagall shook her head and quickened her pace.
How leisurely... Not a single one of them spared her any worry, especially that Professor Slughorn. Even after she had clearly refused him twice, he still sent in a request only yesterday to purchase an auto-stirring cauldron.
As if the school could afford something so expensive!
Professor McGonagall made her way back to her office. Just as she was about to close the door, she suddenly noticed an owl perched on the railing.
It wasn't unusual to see owls at Hogwarts; these messenger owls flew back and forth within the school grounds daily, delivering letters and packages. It would be strange if one didn't spot them.
But this one was different; Professor McGonagall felt that something was amiss.
"Who are you!"
She immediately drew out her wand, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Calm down, Professor," the owl spoke.
Professor McGonagall paused, the voice sounded familiar. After a moment's thought, she asked tentatively, "Kyle?"
"It's me."
The owl hopped off the railing, and its body began to swell and expand. Its feathers melded together, transforming back into the familiar shape of a robe.
"Wait a moment," Professor McGonagall said, maintaining her guard despite recognizing Kyle. She asked sternly, "The last time we saw Miss Granger, what was it that she wanted to do?"
"She wanted to submit an article to 'Advanced Transfiguration Today'," Kyle replied, "She wanted to try her hand at winning the 'Most Promising Newcomer Award' before graduating."
Professor McGonagall nodded and lowered her wand.
"I had to verify," she said, "What do you mean by this?"
"To avoid the Death Eaters lurking around the school," Kyle explained the situation at the Hog's Head, "Under those circumstances, transforming into an owl was the best option.
"I thought I did a pretty good job, but you saw through it instantly."
"The magical traces of Human Transfiguration are too obvious. Anyone proficient in Transfiguration would spot it immediately," Professor McGonagall explained.
"Thankfully, there wasn't anyone like that among the Death Eaters' spies," Kyle said with relief.
"But why use Transfiguration to evade their detection in the first place?" Professor McGonagall asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just have the phoenix bring you directly?"
"Some special circumstances arose, and the phoenix couldn't bring me via Floo Powder for the time being," Kyle explained.
"Special circumstances... What do you mean?" Professor McGonagall asked tensely. "Have the Death Eaters done something we're unaware of?"
"No, it's unrelated to that," Kyle shook his head, "It has to do with Professor Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore... What about him?"
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to the Headmaster's office, and I'll explain everything," Kyle said, "But before that, wait a moment while I find my wand."
Kyle began patting his robe with his hands.
Since he couldn't hide his wand during Human Transfiguration, he had to stash it within the owl's fluffy and thick feathers. Now that the feathers had transformed back into a robe, the wand's location had naturally shifted.
After some searching, Kyle finally located his wand at the back of his shoulder.
"If you had mastered Animagus, you wouldn't find yourself in such an awkward situation," Professor McGonagall remarked with a hint of amusement.
"But if I had used Animagus, I might not have turned into an owl," Kyle shrugged.
Then, he concealed himself, and together with Professor McGonagall, they made their way to the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor.
"Now, tell me what happened to the Headmaster!" Professor McGonagall asked urgently as soon as she pushed open the oak door. "Also, do you know where he is?"
Professor McGonagall had a hunch that Kyle was aware of Dumbledore's whereabouts.
"He's trapped in the past."
At Kyle's words, not only was Professor McGonagall taken aback, but even the surrounding portraits were stunned. They stopped pretending to sleep and crowded into the frame closest to the pair.
"What did you just say?"
"Where exactly is Albus trapped?"
...
"He's trapped in the past," Kyle whispered, "To be precise, a hundred years in the past."
The office fell silent, and then the former headmasters began arguing fervently among themselves.
Professor McGonagall looked at Kyle, perplexed. "So, what's going on? How is it possible for Dumbledore to go back a hundred years? The Time-Turners we have can't achieve that; going back a month is already the limit."
"We can't do it now, but one from a thousand years ago could."
Given the amount of information, it took Kyle a considerable amount of time to explain everything. From dusk till the wee hours of the morning, it was evident that Professor McGonagall had many questions, but she refrained from interrupting him.
"So, you're saying that not only did Dumbledore fix the Time-Turner taken from the Chamber of Secrets, but he also used it to go back a hundred years?"
Professor McGonagall rubbed her forehead, the sheer amount of information overwhelming her, and she needed to process it all.
"That's correct," Kyle nodded. "That's why no one has seen Professor Dumbledore lately; he simply doesn't exist in the current timeline."
"Wait, that's not right."
At that moment, one of the female headmasters spoke up: "If it's the Time-Turner, Albus should have been back by now. It's a matter of time... well, balance."
"Because of time exclusion," Kyle explained. "This is what Professor Viktor and Nicollier concluded together. After all, it's a device from a thousand years ago, and even though it was barely fixed, there are bound to be issues."
"When did this happen?" Professor McGonagall asked in a low voice.
"A month ago, at Lupin and Tonks' wedding," Kyle replied.
"So, you're saying Dumbledore disappeared since then?" Professor McGonagall paced aimlessly in the Headmaster's office, muttering, "Leaving without a word... Hasn't he considered what would happen if the mysterious man leads the Death Eaters to attack the school during his absence?"
"I guess he must have thought about it," Kyle said. "Or maybe he intended to make a quick trip back and forth but didn't anticipate getting stuck in the past and unable to return."
"Why are you telling us this now?!' Professor McGonagall turned to face Kyle, her tone stern.
"Yeah," added Phineas from the painting, eager to jump on the bandwagon. "If you knew, you should have informed us of Albus' whereabouts immediately instead of..."
"Quiet, Headmaster Black," Professor McGonagall interrupted, her brow furrowed, not bothering to hide her annoyance.
Phineas' voice faltered, taken aback by Professor McGonagall's rebuke, but seeing her unwavering gaze, he chose to remain silent and stepped aside.
"This was Dumbledore's request," Kyle explained. "He anticipated the possibility of being trapped and asked me to keep it a secret until he returned."
"Then why are you telling me now?" Professor McGonagall had regained her composure. "If it was meant to be a secret, then it should have been kept from everyone for maximum safety."
"There's no need for that anymore," Kyle shrugged. "I wasn't finished earlier. Professor Dumbledore can't resolve the issue of time exclusion on his own. Without help, he might be stuck in the past forever."
"What should we do?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"There's no rush. We just need to be patient for a little while longer," Kyle replied.
He then proceeded to tell her about his recent trip to France, including what he had learned from Professor Viktor about the Time-Turner's defects and the solution proposed by Nicollier after their meeting.
"...And that's why I came back," Kyle concluded after about an hour of explanation, his throat feeling dry.
"The problem now is that Professor Dumbledore can't resolve the issue of time exclusion by himself. He might not even be aware that he's being excluded and is simply reliving events that he has already experienced countless times.
"Without help, he may never return. But if Professor Viktor's solution works, he could be back as soon as today. Therefore, there's no need for secrecy anymore.
"I'm telling you all this so that the school can prepare... In case he doesn't return, at least someone will know why."
"That won't happen," Professor McGonagall took a deep breath. "He's Albus Dumbledore."
"Yes," Kyle smiled faintly.
"What should we do then?" Professor McGonagall inquired.
"It's not up to you, it's up to me," Kyle tapped the table, and a fresh glass of lemonade appeared in front of him. "Once the Time-Turner is fixed, I will use it to go back in time and help Professor Dumbledore correct his erroneous path."
"No!"
As soon as Kyle finished speaking, Professor McGonagall objected: "We know nothing about time travel. Even a wizard like Dumbledore got trapped, let alone you.
"Leave it to us professors. You're a fresh graduate; you can't and shouldn't take such a risk."
"No, Professor, it has to be me," Kyle sighed. "As much as I dislike the idea of taking risks, there's no other option. We've encountered too many incidents, and only I know the full story."
Kyle had a hunch that Dumbledore must have returned by now; otherwise, the appearance of the Time-Turner at Beauxbatons couldn't be explained.
"It's still not good enough." Professor McGonagall insisted, "You can tell me all the details... No, I remember there's a Pensieve here. I'll teach you the memory extraction spell, and I'll experience it myself, then there won't be a problem."
"Regardless, it's the professor's responsibility to protect the students, not to let them take risks. We'll just stay in the castle as if nothing happened."
Professor McGonagall's tone was firm, leaving no room for Kyle to refuse.
"Alright." Kyle nodded, agreeing... for the time being.
Once Nicollier finished repairing the Time-Turner, it would surely be handed to him, and at that time, he could make his own decision.
But for now... since Professor McGonagall wanted to know the specifics, he might as well let her see.
"I actually know the memory extraction spell as well."
Kyle found the antique Pensieve from under Dumbledore's desk and placed it on the table.
He then pointed his wand at his temple, preparing to extract the memory of that night at Beauxbatons when he first arrived.
It was the memory of his conversation with Professor Viktor after dinner.
Kyle stirred his wand, and a blue light trailed from the tip, but after just two inches, the light suddenly snapped.
"Are you alright?" Professor McGonagall asked anxiously.
The memory charm was one of the most complex spells, and each failure could potentially backfire on the wizard.
She regretted not helping Kyle with the spell herself when he had first suggested it and instead letting him attempt it alone.
It was just that Kyle had always performed so outstandingly that she subconsciously believed he would have no issues even with the memory charm.
"I'm fine." Kyle waved his hand.
Unlike Professor McGonagall, he didn't think that his spell had failed. He was certain that each step he took was correct, but the memory had still broken.
Kyle pointed his wand at his temple again.
"Stop!" Professor McGonagall hurriedly stopped him. "Let me try this time. I'll help you."
"It might not work, Professor." Kyle shook his head. "I've learned the Mind-Locking Spell, which prevents any magic that tries to view my memories, and it's beyond my control. Not to mention extracting them, so I have to be the one to do this."
As he spoke, Kyle stirred his wand again.
But just like before, the blue light representing the memory snapped after moving just an inch.
This time, Professor McGonagall also sensed that something was amiss.
Normally, when the memory turned into a blue light and left the temple, it meant that the spell had succeeded, and all that was left was to draw it out.
This wasn't very difficult, or one could say it required no skill at all; even a first-year student who knew how to wield a wand could do it.
But Kyle had failed twice in a row, which was clearly unusual.
However, Professor McGonagall didn't know what exactly was wrong, as this was also the first time she had encountered such a situation.
Kyle was also perplexed. He carefully recalled his previous experiences and suddenly realized something.
That cup of 'raspberry juice'! If there was anything different about him recently, it had to be the 'raspberry juice' he drank at Nicollier's estate.
If he remembered correctly, the house-elf Tata had mentioned that it was something Nicollier had spent several days making, and Kyle didn't think it was just a delicious beverage. He was certain there was some effect that he wasn't aware of.
But because of his trust in Nicollier, he hadn't asked any questions and had drunk it directly.
Now, he wondered if his inability to extract his memories had something to do with that 'raspberry juice'.
But what was the point of that? Kyle couldn't figure it out.
Professor McGonagall couldn't figure it out either, but after two consecutive failures, she didn't dare let Kyle try again.
Moreover, the sky outside had already darkened, with thick clouds covering the moon, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
"I'll think of another way later." She said, "For now, let's put the memory-viewing idea on hold, and you can write down the process instead."
"Also, if the Time-Turner is fixed, you must tell me immediately. Don't take any action without my knowledge. Do you understand?" Professor McGonagall's tone was stern. "This is important."
"Well... I'll try." Kyle said.
Professor McGonagall's eyebrows furrowed.
"I mean, I'll try to write down the process in detail." Kyle quickly added, "But Professor McGonagall, there's a big difference between reading about an experience and living it."
"I know." Professor McGonagall said, "But I can't let you take such risks. Besides Dumbledore, perhaps only you have the chance to defeat the mysterious man."
"What about Harry?" Kyle said, "He's the savior, and he's killed the mysterious man once before."
"Oh, yes, there's also Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall said, but her tone was perfunctory. "If his Human Transfiguration was half as good as yours, I might feel more at ease."
(End of Chapter)
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