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Chapter 824: The Enigmatic Silencer
Chapter 824: The Enigmatic Silencer
"Hey, kid, why are you back again?"
On the second floor of the Hog's Head Inn, the portrait of Aberforth Dumbledore glared at Kyle, standing before him, and said disapprovingly, "I hope you haven't forgotten that occupying a seat here costs money."
"Of course not. Fifty galleons, tenfold, to be paid by Professor Dumbledore afterward," Kyle sighed softly.
He had been sent away by Professor McGonagall.
If he hadn't clarified her intentions, he might have been able to stay at the school by feigning ignorance. However, the issue was that he had stated it outright, and Professor McGonagall had admitted that she didn't want Kyle to remain at the school any longer.
As the true decision-maker at the school, if Professor McGonagall didn't want him there, Kyle had no choice but to leave, despite his numerous excuses.
Professor McGonagall had even used a secret passage in the school to ensure he could leave Hogwarts without causing a stir... which was why he had appeared at the Hog's Head Inn.
The exit of this secret passage was here, and the entrance was located in the Room of Requirement.
Dumbledore must have told her about it... to enable her to use it to send students away in times of crisis at Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall's intentions were clear; she wanted to use the Time-Turner herself to save Dumbledore, rather than letting Kyle do it.
To ensure the success of this endeavor, the best course of action was to secure the most crucial item first—the Time-Turner.
In fact, what Professor McGonagall had said to Kyle before was true.
When she was younger, she had indeed visited Nicollage's manor once.
Back then, Dumbledore had just become the headmaster of Hogwarts. Excited, he took the opportunity of Perenelle's 600th birthday celebration to bring along a few professors he favored to Devon, to broaden their horizons.
At that time, in addition to Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout was also part of the group.
As it turned out, Dumbledore had a good eye, as both of them went on to become heads of their houses.
As for Professor Flitwick, he was supposed to join them as well... but he had to give up due to a conflicting dueling competition.
As for Professor Slughorn, the Head of Slytherin, he missed the departure time because he drank too much at the dinner the night before.
Even now, Slughorn would hit his leg in frustration whenever he thought about it. Of course, that didn't stop him from continuing to host dinners and drinking himself into a stupor at them.
Of course, Kyle was unaware of these details.
The portrait of Aberforth on the second floor continued to ramble on, and Kyle glanced at him and asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier that there was a secret passage to Hogwarts hidden here? If I'd known it was this simple, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of turning myself into an owl."
"It wouldn't have mattered if I had told you. You still couldn't have used it," came Aberforth's voice from behind, along with the sound of footsteps.
Unbeknownst to Kyle, Aberforth had already made his way to the second floor and was staring at him.
"The secret passage you used earlier is one-way. In other words, it can only be opened from Hogwarts. This is merely the exit, and there's no way to enter from here," Aberforth explained.
"Is that so? Then I must have misunderstood," Kyle said, scratching his head, about to walk out.
"Wait a moment," Aberforth called out suddenly, stopping him.
"What is it?" Kyle turned to ask.
Aberforth opened his mouth as if to say something, then hesitated and shook his head. "Never mind, it's nothing. Now scram."
Aberforth turned and walked down the stairs.
"How odd," Kyle remarked.
He walked over to the window and glanced in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.
There was a newly opened shop there—an ice cream parlor. A middle-aged man with a receding hairline sat beside it, showing no intention of attracting customers. Even when someone approached, he nonchalantly scooped a large spoonful of ice cream and haphazardly plopped it onto a cone.
Aside from the generous portion, the ice cream parlor fell short in every aspect compared to those in Diagon Alley, especially in terms of presentation. The ice cream was neither round nor square, resembling something a dog had chewed on.
This man must be Sirius.
It must be said that his attempt at hiding was abysmal. Even if Kyle knew nothing, he could tell that there was something off about him at a glance.
Setting aside the notion of taking pride in one's work, he should at least put in a minimal amount of effort. Who would be so indifferent when running a business? Making a decent ice cream cone wasn't exactly difficult...
Moreover, Kyle's lips twitched as he saw the customer hand over a silver sickle.
One sickle for an ice cream cone the size of a fist—no wonder the shop could afford to have such poor service and still have customers.
But could he really make a profit with this business?
Kyle could only watch for a while before he couldn't bear to continue. He left the window and used Disillusionment Charms to leave the Hog's Head Inn.
...
Now that he couldn't stay at Hogwarts, Kyle decided to find something to do on his own. He first returned to the village of St. Kachibol.
Chris had already left for work at the Ministry of Magic and was not at home.
Kyle sat on the sofa, poured himself a cup of tea, and began to ponder the recent events.
For some unknown reason, he wasn't worried about Professor McGonagall getting her hands on the Time-Turner first, even though she had made all the necessary preparations.
He slept soundly, only waking up at noon.
Despite having slept for just a few hours, he felt as if he had slept an entire day, all his fatigue gone. However, his arm felt numb, as if a car had been pressing down on it.
Kyle turned his head and, with some effort, lifted the chubby cat-like creature off his arm, tossing it to the side before standing up and shaking out his numb arm.
Chris hadn't returned yet, so Kyle made himself a quick lunch of a few slices of bread with some ham.
He truly missed his days at Beauxbatons; regardless of anything else, the food there had been excellent.
After finishing his sandwich, Kyle headed out.
He had decided to pay a visit to the Ministry of Magic.
He had a feeling that, despite Professor McGonagall's plans, the task of going back in time to save Dumbledore would ultimately fall to him.
However, he recalled that both Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin had warned him against using a Time-Turner.
But now, with Dumbledore's life at stake, he might have to use a Time-Turner regardless.
Given the circumstances, Kyle wanted to seek the advice of an expert.
The first person who came to mind was Diana, who worked in the Department of Mysteries.
All the existing Time-Turners were kept in the Department of Mysteries, and no one knew more about them than the Silencers. Perhaps she could offer him some guidance.
Without further ado, Kyle got ready and headed next door to the Weasley residence.
After politely refusing Mrs. Weasley's offer of lunch for the third time, Kyle finally stepped into the fireplace and, via the Floo Network, arrived at the Ministry of Magic.
As he made his way to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, he ran into Chris, who was just about to head out.
"Kyle..." Chris looked somewhat surprised. "What brings you to the Ministry?"
"Dad," Kyle asked directly, "I want to visit Mom at the Department of Mysteries. Can you take me there?"
"The Department of Mysteries..." Chris frowned. "Is it something important?"
"It's related to something I might do in the future," Kyle said. "It's fairly important."
"In that case, you'd better think of another way," Chris shook his head. "A long time ago, the door to the Department of Mysteries was locked, and no one but a Silencer can open it."
"Not even you?"
"Not even the Minister of Magic." Chris shook his head. "The Department of Mysteries is independent of the Ministry of Magic and could even be considered unrelated. They just happen to work in the same place.
"So, once that door was locked, only a Silencer could open it from the inside."
"Is that so?" Kyle sounded disappointed.
"However, there might be another way," Chris said after a moment's thought. "I recall that they kept one Silencer outside to better understand the situation in the outside world. If you can find that person, you can ask them to pass on a message.
"Your mother gets along well with the other Silencers, so if you reveal your identity, they should be willing to help."
"Is that person... here at the Ministry?" Kyle asked.
"I don't know," Chris shook his head. "No one knows where that Silencer is, not even their gender. Their existence is completely confidential.
"However, you should have seen that person before."
"At Lupin's wedding!" Kyle exclaimed.
That night, after Kyle had picked up the others from the Hog's Head, he had encountered Chris, who had come to check on the situation, along with the Silencer in a black hood.
According to Chris, the Silencer had been sent by Diana to assess the situation, and upon seeing that Kyle was unharmed and not injured, they had disappeared again.
This was the only encounter Kyle had had with a Silencer other than Diana in recent years, so he remembered it clearly.
"Yes, that's the one," Chris nodded. "I met them in the Ministry's atrium, so if they... let's call them that for now, if they weren't specifically looking for me at the Ministry, it could mean they're usually here.
"After all, the Silencers in the Department of Mysteries would want to keep abreast of the latest news, and the Ministry is the best place for that.
"You can try your luck. First, go to the atrium, then take the lift to the ninth floor where the Department of Mysteries is located. If you keep going up and down, you might just catch their attention."
As he finished speaking, Chris glanced at the lift that had just descended and hurried over. Kyle followed close behind.
"I'm sorry, but I might not be able to accompany you there.
"It's more troublesome than that," Chris sighed. "For some unknown reason, the black dragons on Heshidi Island have become increasingly agitated lately, and several of them have even intruded into other dragons' territories, sparking violent clashes."
"The mysterious figure?" Kyle asked instinctively.
Whenever something unusual happened, the first person he thought of was the mysterious figure and his Death Eaters, and even if it wasn't them, he wouldn't feel guilty about blaming them.
"Probably not..." Chris thought for a moment and shook his head. "If it were the mysterious figure, he would either coerce or persuade the dragon keepers on Heshidi Island to join the Death Eaters with their dragons, thus expanding his forces, just as he did with the giants.
"In fact, Newt has already uncovered part of the reason. According to him, the black dragons are reacting to a sudden surge of magical energy nearby, which is why they're becoming more aggressive..."
"Strange..." Kyle mumbled. "Why would there be a surge of magical energy on Heshidi Island?"
Black dragons are more sensitive to magic than other fire-breathing dragons. Even the simplest lighting spell would be seen as a provocation by them.
That's why these dragons can only be kept on Heshidi Island, cared for by specialized dragon keepers, and the use of magic is generally prohibited there for the safety of witches and wizards.
Kyle couldn't understand why someone would be impatient enough to go there and cause trouble. A significant surge of magic, such as from a large-scale spell, could provoke attacks from dozens of black dragons.
That would mean facing off against dozens of fire-breathing dragons, the black dragons with the highest magic resistance. Even Dumbledore would have no choice but to flee.
"Are you okay?" Kyle asked with concern. "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No need." Chris waved his hand. "Newt has already gone ahead, along with Mr. Lima. Do you remember him? You met him once before at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary."
"The author of 'The Monster Book of Monsters'?"
"Yes, that's him," Chris confirmed. "So, you going there wouldn't really help."
The elevator reached the atrium, and the two stepped out.
Chris looked around. "I can't recognize who it was either. Maybe if you try a few more times, you'll catch their attention."
"Okay," Kyle nodded.
Then Chris hurried off.
Kyle followed his instructions and took the elevator back up to the ninth floor.
Just like before, the walls were bare, with no doors or windows.
Kyle walked to the end of the corridor, where there should have been a black door, but now there was only a plain wall.
No wonder Chris had said no one could get in; without a door, there was no way to enter.
Kyle searched the area again but still found nothing, and no one came to meet him.
Helpless, Kyle took the elevator back down to the atrium and wandered around before returning to the ninth floor.
He repeated this process five times, and finally, on his sixth trip to the ninth floor, there was someone there.
A person dressed in a black hood, perfectly blending with the surroundings, startled Kyle so much that he almost didn't notice how they had appeared there.
"Are you a Silencer?" Kyle asked softly, examining the figure before him.
He had an idea. Perhaps this person was Dumbledore in disguise, as the Silencer's identity would allow him to hide perfectly and remain undetected by anyone.
But soon, to his disappointment, Kyle realized that the figure was most likely a witch, judging by their build, and couldn't be Dumbledore...
In response to Kyle's question, the figure nodded but didn't speak.
"That's great," Kyle said happily. "You should recognize me, right? We met once before, at Grimmauld Place."
The figure nodded again, and this time, she finally spoke, her voice hoarse, either naturally or deliberately disguised. "You've come here five times. Is there something you need?"
As Kyle had suspected, the voice from within the hood was that of a witch.
"You knew I came here five times?" Kyle asked, somewhat dazed.
"I know of everyone who comes to the ninth floor," the figure said, stepping slightly to the left, her black robes melding seamlessly with the wall.
"Then why didn't you come out earlier?" Kyle blurted out. "You made me go up and down six times."
"If you had simply asked if anyone was there, you wouldn't have had to make so many trips," the figure said. "I thought you were exercising."
"Who exercises by riding an elevator..." Kyle muttered.
He was now even more certain that this person wasn't Dumbledore... Dumbledore wouldn't be so playful.
...
(End of Chapter)
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